We make our foray into Thanksgiving weekend with a lineup that will provide ample entertainment for your long weekend! In our cinematic purview, we highlight three films that center on some aspect of the holiday, whether its the evils of consumerism or the greed of colonialism; pop in to Letterboxd to grab the list and watch the films.
House makes it debut Backstage! And as its run on social media was very short, we are proud to bring you the story from the very beginning.
Our vampires continue their preparations to take their investigations outside the manor, while our classic horror protagonists face off against a Mist Monster. We wrap it all up with another ride on the bus in Bus Driver.
Let’s get into it →
This week was spent with more development, though House and A Vampire’s Vengeance have received a good amount of love, as there has been some necessary edits to both.
House required a bit of condensing to fit the format for our publication here, Backstage.
And Vampire’s requires a far more heavy hand with the reimagination of the characters. They’ve been rather bland, and that’s been sort of, kind of, necessary just to get the story started, but now it’s beyond time to give them proper personalities, which will most definitely be a work in progress. Please be kind and patient as the characters evolve from one installment to the next. When the story is complete, the forthcoming edits will bring everything into alignment, so you can expect a much better composed novella. But for now, it is, well, Under Construction.
The vampires may be a little more snarky, but it seems not much has changed since the last installment. Hmm. Come see what Isabelle and Edgar are getting themselves into in the latest installment of A Vampire’s Vengeance:
Let’s give House a warm welcome to the Backstage Pass! We have moved it over from Threads where it enjoyed a very short run. But fear not, we do not expect you to catch up over there and then come over here for the rest of it. Nay! Make yourself at home, right from the beginning:
Mist, fog, phantoms … we have our first story in series of stories featuring fog as the antagonist:
Well guess what we have in store for you in cinema this week: a short list of Black Friday fiasco, genocide, and pay back! Isn’t that exciting? Come see:
on sale now
A patron falls prey to the whimsical magic of a touring artist. Currently only available on Apple Books.
When we last rode with the bus driver, we were careening through the funnel in a city in the high desert of Southern California, with infected pouring over the walls and spilling onto the highway, and an evolved infected—a monstrous one—in hot pursuit. You can catch up with Part XII here. The bus is nearing the end of the funnel. Will they make it out alive? Let’s see →
The bus driver focused on the exit, keeping the bus centered in the narrow lane while the gunner up top and to the front kept the way clear of infected. Once the last few hundred feet were cleared, the bus driver slammed his foot down on the gas. The bus began picking up speed, pulling away from the monster which by now had fallen behind, frustrated in its inability to move through the funnel without effort.
The bus passed between the watch towers as it shot out of the funnel, the bus driver not letting up on the gas. The infected had grown thin; looking around, the bus driver saw the pillboxes were manned and doing well keeping the remaining infected away from the highway. Looking up at the monitor for the rear camera, the bus driver watched as the monster behind them cleared the funnel as well, peppered by a steady stream of lead. The bus driver wondered what these people had in store for that thing, but had no opportunity to look around for it; his focus was on keeping the bus in the lane, and away from the monster chasing them.
With another glance at the monitor, the bus driver caught the surprise: as the monster passed between the watch towers, two long, barbed lances suspended beneath the towers on either side were released, spearing the monster and ensnaring it.
A solid thump against the front of the bus brought his attention back to the road. Straggling infected were crawling all over the lane before them. The bus driver grabbed the mic and shouted over the intercom.
"Eyes on the road, we still got company."
Shells began pouring over the windshield once again as the gunner ripped through the infected.
The bus driver heard exclamations and cheers rise from the cabin. He risked a glance at the monitor and saw the monster had been ripped apart, a large piece of its body suspended beneath each tower, with smaller chunks strewn about the highway. Turning his attention back to the road, he saw the remaining infected turning away, no longer scrambling to gain access to the lane. Letting out a sigh of relief, the bus driver reached for the radio, ready to pick up the mic when it crackled to life. The woman's voice came through, sounding quite cheerful.
"Told ya we had something for it! Now you go ahead and get on outta here while--"
The bus driver's attention was cut short as a loud bang rocked the bus. The bus driver felt the bus tilt down toward the front passenger side and begin to lose momentum.
"Oh shit." He picked up the radio mic and slammed his finger over the transmission button. "We have a problem." He was about to set down the mic, but brought it back up instead, saying "Over."
"We got eyes on you," came the response. "Looks like a flat."
The bus driver looked around. The bang had drawn the attention of withdrawing infected in the vicinity. They wavered, then turned around and began wandering toward the bus. Fuck, thought the bus driver. Things never go smoothly when you need them to.
Uh-oh! Looks like our voyagers may be in a heap of trouble! As if they didn’t narrowly escape a heap of trouble just moments before, right? RIGHT?! Will this be their unfortunate end? Only one way to find out. Come back next week!
Well well well! What an incredible edition! Sure, the vampires are taking their time getting ready to leave the manor, and we’re just getting started with House all over again here, but Bus Driver … wow what a ride! And to think, it may all come to a grizzly end in the next installment! Maybe. Ooooh the tension is more than I can bear. I don’t know about you all, but I am biting my nails at the edge of my seat!
We here at the Calamity do hope you are enjoying your stay backstage. As always, we would love to hear from you! What you do you think? Tell us; please, tell us everything! Feel free to reply to this email or use any of the buttons below. We look forward to receiving your correspondence.
Cordially,
Mad Alex
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