Darkened Passages

Ten dark fantasy/fiction short stories by Duane Gundrum, including:Mapping The Silence of Dreams (a Novella)Postcards From HellThe Dead Of Night Hath FuryYou're Never AloneOf Historical Significance (a Novella)Voracious VicissitudesHorror StoryReturning To The FlockFluffy And The Mystical World Of Dead Burnt BodiesThe Shadow People (a Novella)Mapping the Silence of DreamsHarris Palmer is the assistant director of security at a laboratory where scientists have succeeded in making contact with something in the dream sphere, or more specifically, accidentally brought something back. Having touched one of the darker places of the place where people dream, a sinister gunfighter and his sorceress bride have returned to our world, leaving the fate of the world up to a corporate security agent who never really liked his job in the first place.Postcards From HellJohn Deacon is a con-artist, a thief and a rogue in every sense of the word. He is also known as the only man who has ever escaped from Hell. With Satan hot on his heels, John finds himself courted by a mysterious branch of the Brotherhood who have a simple request for him: Kill Satan and stop running forever.The Dead of Night Hath FuryA San Francisco cop has been dirty for so long now that he’s lost all sense of being good. In his years he’s stolen drugs, money and whatever else wasn’t nailed down. After crossing so many lines you shouldn’t ever cross, he’s even killed people who got in his way. And then he meets the right girl, who causes him to clean up his act and begin to atone for his wrongs. But something doesn’t want him on the right side and will do everything in its power to make sure he never succeeds.You're Never AloneJason Dent has lived a long, yet difficult life. For years, he’s been the last man left on Earth, constantly seeking out any other survivors before accepting there was no one else left. As he nears his own final years of his life, he begins to suspect he’s not as alone as he’s always thought he was. Something else…is out there.Voracious VicissitudesDavid Park is a special operations officer serving in Vietnam where he is constantly hunting for Charlie. Only the newest member of the platoon begins to suspect that Charlie is neither Viet Cong nor someone named Charlie. It’s something evil, and it may be as old as time itself.Of Historical SignificanceA research graduate student has discovered through historical documents that something evil has been documented throughout history but has constantly been missed by those whose job it is to discover it.Horror StoryDarren Shuester is the newest member of a squad of light hunters who seek out the evils of those who live in the light and threaten the very existence of those who seek safety in the darkness.Returning to the FlockFrederick was bitten by a vampire matriarch and turned, but he has escaped her control and tries to forge a new life for himself, even though the urge to return to her claws at him each and every day. When he attempts to break her spell forever, he begins to understand just how deep the bond exists between them.Fluffy and the Mystical World of Dead Burnt BodiesBefore the Apocalypse, all Fluffy cared about was Fluffy. After nuclear devastation, all Fluffy still cares about is Fluffy. Having lost her favorite set of brushes, Fluffy sets off on an epic journey across the dystopian landscape in search of a still-functioning fashion mall where she can put her life back to order. The Shadow PeopleEvery thousand years, a mysterious race of creatures known as the shadow people return to the planet to seek out a new victim. Two police detectives discover themselves coming up against the mystical beings, facing a horror with which they have never dealt before.

About the Author

Duane's first published novel was INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY, which takes place in the corporate world of Los Angeles, involving a murder, a set-up and lots of action. It was written when he was in the Army, stationed in Germany and struggling to balance his writing life with a military career. As a counterintelligence agent, he then started moving into espionage fiction (DEADLY DECEPTIONS). He was born in Santa Monica, California, where he grew up before finishing up high school in Moorpark, California. Duane attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and served in the US Army for a number of years in counterintelligence. After the Army, he became an investigator, a web page designer, and then a low level programmer for a software gaming company. He has designed numerous games over the years, including PRISONER OF Z'ANTH and US AIR FORCE'S STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND. He completed degrees at San Francisco State University, Western Michigan University and the University of the Pacific. He holds master's degrees in communication and political science. His PHD work was in political science at Western Michigan University. He currently works in the health care field, creating and maintaining web content for a large hospital system.

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