Lara managed to stifle her response as Evie’s hand embraced her own, with only a shuddering exhale gracing her lips. It was a warmth she had been denied for days. Even when she was with Chloe, the two of them had kept the line of personal space sacrosanct, for all the times crossing it had passed th...

The sound of denim rubbing against the unfinished wooden floor jerked Lara’s head upright. Her own form had already unravelled a little as her companion’s apologies washed over her, legs splayed out flat whilst she rested her weight on arms unfurled and pitched slightly behind her. Evie sat at more ...

Lara chewed as she nodded, trying to imagine what England was like. Cobbled streets, dainty little cottages by the sea, hedgerow scarred hills – all the beauty that lay in between Big Ben and Stonehenge. Evie did little to paint a picture exactly, but a blend of second-hand information and TV shows ...

The silence bit at Lara as her question lingered unanswered in the air between them. Her mind insisted on inventing new ways in which she could have offended her host, as a distant look briefly enveloped their face. Thankfully, their torchlight dinner continued without becoming a final supper, and E...

Their eyes converged on the same spot that lay between them. The weight in Evie’s words were clear enough. That lack of attention would be brief. Soon, her name would be spoken, and added to the lists of former friends willing to die for dead dreams. Lara nodded in acquiescence to her request. How m...

The tension in Lara’s smile eased a little, becoming easier to keep etched on her face as she nodded along with what the other girl said. Another coinflip called correctly. She looked down and brushed some of the debris underneath her away with the side of a boot, whilst hoping it would be the last ...

The silent obligation to reciprocate the question lay unfulfilled. Evie clearly didn’t want to talk about whatever was fraying her nerves, brushing past it to ask another question, whilst a faint click and then a wave of unnatural yellow light ran through the room – the beam aimed at the floor to th...

It was impossible for Lara to place the emotion that welled up in her stomach, whilst her head bobbed dumbly in acknowledgement of the statement. She should be happy to learn a friend was healthy, relieved to know Evie could afford to be patient, worried she would be able to put up a fight without t...

"Okay." The relief that washed over her was immense as she took another step inside and peeled the snow crusted hood of her coat back, and brushed a few stray damp locks of hair out from her face. She had no option but to answer quickly, of course. Any hesitation would have been seen as po...

Food that tasted better than gravel. Water without the hint of metal that made her teeth itch. A soft bed to lie in for a whole week. Clothing not soaked with grime and sweat. A room with a big sturdy door and a lock. To give both of her parents a hug and never ever let them go. To hear Uncle George...

Lara’s ears were still ringing with the echoes of the wind as she found herself faced with three black pits that lingered deeper inside the void, her eyes circling the edge most important one as it stared her down unblinkingly. The water in her mouth seemed to disappear instantly, her tongue stickin...

((Lara Bullock continued from Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben )) The silence gripped Lara more than anything. There were no distant yells or echoes of gunshots ringing off the mountain to punctuate the droning of the wind as it whipped up off the coastline. A measure of gratitude filled h...

((Lara Bullock continued from Breakdown in the Meantime )) Lara slowly pulled apart the hollow green cuboid between her fingers, the foil packaging reflected stark white torchlight back into her eyes whilst the memory of its contents earlier in the day sat uneasily in her stomach. 1800 calories. FDA...

Greetings, gastronomes and gourmands! It appears through some exceptional mistake, the AT have hired me as a food consultant for version 8 after the dressing down I gave them in V7 , so prepare for me to serve these meals up just like your Dad would - burnt beyond recognition. Day 1 - A hearty bowl ...

The footage was grainy as the camera tried to cut through the murky haze that was cast over the cellar from the meager light that trickled down the now-exposed stairs, leaving it a muddle of muted, almost sepia colours. The shattered chunks of the bookcase that sprawled across its view was barely re...