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Contents
Attractions Under Construction
The Groundskeeper, Part XXXII
Currently Available Attractions
Postscript
Well this week has proven fruitful in a number of ways. In the vicinity of about six weeks ago, we shared a sneak peek at the next tale to come out of our gift shop—The Odds ‘n’ Endings Boutique—titled Body Count. The entire draft of the prologue is available for your reading displeasure at the link provided. The tale has taken a number of divergent causeways in its development, and finally, a time period of origin has been firmly decided upon: Victorian London. Ah, the age of gas lamps, corsets, and of course, so much fucking murder.
Just, so much.
Now, if you’ve read Body Count, the Prologue, I know what you’re thinking: “Why Mad Alex, there is nothing singularly Victorian in that chapter at all!” And you know what, my dear dear most dearest of guests? You’re right. Not a lick of Victorian society to be seen anywhere in it. Body Count, the tale, will precede Body Count: Vignettes.
Body Count: Vignettes will lead us on a bloody trail from where our heroine begins her journey in the Victorian London of the tale to where we first see her in the prologue of that same tale. It will be a fantastical journey of sorrow, woe, fear, greed, hunger, and vice!
Body Count will be released perhaps as early as the beginning of 2026. And Body Count: Vignettes? We shall all watch these stories take flight together in the Backstage Pass Volume III. Insert winky face here.
And now, without further ado …
First time tuning in? Start here.
When last we saw our protagonist, they had eliminated one of the three monsters now lurking in the necropolis. You can catch up with Part XXXI here. Now, will our favored protagonist manage to eliminate the remaining two? Or will our illustrious Groundskeeper be eliminated instead? Let’s find out.
The elevator doors slide open and I step out, wary of what might lie in wait. The mausoleum is silent, which tells me there is no active creature inside. Or rather I hope that's what it means. Looking around, full of paranoia, I walk to the exit facing the elevator doors. I pass the halfway point when I hear the warbling again, but it's not bouncing through the mausoleum. It's beating upon the doors and whining against the walls outside. It's as if the warbling is a wind, surging against the building, looking for a way in.
I wonder how the other one got in. Even if I figured it out, I doubt there's anything I could do about it now. I walk to the doors and am about to open one when a creature drops down outside from just over the doors, much like the first one did. It rotates its head in a sickening way, pulling two of the three slits separating its—I dunno, face sections?—into what appears to be a smile. At that moment, warbling fills the mausoleum and I know the other one is inside.
Fuckers. They set a trap. I flip the bird to the one outside and turn to face inward, trusting the doors to keep the one out while I deal with the one I'm stuck inside with. Step by step, I move back toward the center, looking all around me, trying to give as much attention to my periphery as I do what's in front of me. I wait for any bit of movement, anything to indicate where this being may come from. I make it almost all the way to the elevator when I see it.
It perches atop the squat hub that houses the elevator, watching me. Or sensing me, rather, as I'm still not sure they have eyes yet. I kind of wish I had looked more closely at the dead one down below before coming up. No matter, I know it knows where I am. I can sense it. Maybe it's in the warbling. I don't know. All I know is that it knows, and that I'm trapped. I can try to run to either side of it and head toward the other exit, but it will come down on top of me in an instant. I can turn back around, but then I'm contending with them both.
The creature opens its mouth and warbling fills in the mausoleum once again. Chills course up my spine. The hackles are standing at attention on the back of my neck. I watch as the creature rises on its arms and legs, lifting its belly off the structure, and prepares to dive.
Fuck this.
I raise the shotgun, pull the trigger, and as the spray hits the creature, I pump and prime for the next shot. The creature screams, and I turn and run. This is a desperate gambit, but it's all I've got. If I fail in this crazy fucked up idea, I'm as good as dead. I just hope making that shot gave me enough of a head start.
The warbling in the mausoleum gets louder, and I hear a loud slap behind me, followed by heavy pattering. I'm almost to the doors where I can see the other creature waiting, grinning. Expectant, even. It knows I'm coming, it's poised for the kill. But I'm not going down that easy.
Our little protagonist is becoming so bold! From whence comes this bravado? Still, they are sandwiched between two of the menacing and wily creatures, so the likelihood of their survival is very low. Microscopic, even. But that isn’t stopping them! Will their wild gambit pay off? Only one way to find out! Read Part XXXIII here.
Currently Available Attractions
Tales From the Odds ‘n’ Endings Boutique
The Proprietor—a timeless individual of many faces, few scruples, and a whole lot of character—runs the Odds ‘n’ Endings Boutique, dealing in artifacts containing peculiar traits. These are the tales of the Boutique’s patrons.
Calypso
Calypso is the reimagining of Immortality, the first story ever written in the Odds ‘n’ Endings universe, and the third to be published in it. Come and brave the journey with the narrator as they realize too late the cost for an otherwise interesting acquisition. Now available:
Showdown at Sunrise
A merchant finds himself in a bind when he manages to survive a duel. A chance encounter in an odd shoppe may just be the luck he needs. The question is, will this luck hold out?
A western with a little bit of magic and a whole lotta gumption.
Vegas Rift
A woman searches for her long lost husband. This is currently the most popular Mad Alex short story.
Other Stories
The Artist’s Spell cover
Final Encounter Cover
Final Encounter
A parent searches frantically for their daughter who has disappeared in their house.
Postscript
Did you notice? Did you did you did you? Did you notice some of the new designs? Some of the new shapes, pictures, headings, whatever?! I’m very excited with how the Backstage Pass is evolving. Volume II will see an almost complete redesign, both on the web and in your inbox, so be on the lookout for it. Also, if you are on the butterfly app, come follow me! You can find me on Bluesky here.