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Big Bad

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A short read of approximately 7,500 words: Tommy has spent many years detained within Broad-lands Institute -- a hospital for the criminally insane. Over time he has learned to accept his confinement. After all, it is no more than he deserves given the heinous nature of his previous crimes.

However, when a new member of the nursing staff begins taking an interest in Tommy, he learns things previously kept from him: Like why he is being permanently dosed with meds. How, and why, his parents really died. And is it just a coincidence his earlier crimes occurred at the time of a full moon?

Nurse Jenny informs Tommy about the true nature of his world: Secret Government cabals, and their plans for a New World Order; the murder of his parents, and facing up to the reality of his life as a werewolf.

Then, when she thinks he is ready, she tells him the biggest secret of all: Nurse Jenny has a way out of Broad-lands.

But, as is often the case, nothing comes without a price. What is the real motivation for her aiding Tommy's escape?
A tale of horror that unfolds beneath the light of a full moon.

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 2014

5 people are currently reading
115 people want to read

About the author

David Brian

19 books382 followers
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-...

Once More with Feeling
"There are people in the house. They have the children. What should we do?"
description
Available October 17th, 2022. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDMCLZVQ

I was born into a world of horror... Well, not quite, but almost! To be more precise, my 'very sudden' arrival into this world came about via a broken cinema seat. It was a seat into which my heavily pregnant mother found herself wedged. Once it had collapsed beneath her bulk, the resulting chaos of attempting to free her - perhaps not surprisingly - induced a rather rapid labor.
Talk about a grand entrance.
I'm guessing it was something of a talking point among those present, and probably for many years after.
Oh, yeah, and the film that was showing? It was The Phantom Of The Opera!


I have had a fascination with all aspects of the horror genre since my childhood, and it is a major driving force in my desire to write entertaining stories.


Carmilla: The Wolves of Styria is my first novel; It's the story of Laura Bennett, who finds everything changes on the day a beautiful and mysterious stranger first enters her life...

A novel length re-imagining of J.S. Le Fanu's original novella, Carmilla: The Wolves of Styria draws on much of the original narrative, but also introduces an array of new Characters to bring a whole new level of horror, and tragedy, to the legend of Carmilla.

The novel is co-authored by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and David Brian.

Collections of my short stories can be found in the fantasy books Dark Albion, Kaleen Rae, and The Cthulhu Child.

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5 stars
31 (28%)
4 stars
70 (64%)
3 stars
5 (4%)
2 stars
1 (<1%)
1 star
2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Mort.
Author 3 books1,640 followers
March 16, 2019
Good job, Mr. Brian, that twist was great!
Profile Image for Angel Gelique.
Author 19 books476 followers
August 22, 2017
Tommy is confined within Border-lands, a mental health facility for the criminally insane. Since the tender age of fourteen, he has been experiencing violent outbursts that result in brutal death and dismemberment. The carnage takes place under the bright glow of the full moon leading him to believe that he's more beast than man.

After spending nine years at Broad-lands, he is befriended by a new nurse, Jenny, who, for the next three years, forms a bond with him and fills him with thoughts of conspiracies, leading him to question everything about his life. Were his parents murdered and if so, by whom and for what reason? And why do they constantly take vials of blood from him? Are they experimenting with his lycanthropic gene?

When Jenny reveals her plans to help him escape Broad-lands, Tommy is thrilled. But what will happen during the next full moon?

This is truly a great short story. Readers are introduced to characters who are well-developed and realistic. A story unfolds and I thought that I had a good idea what was going on. WRONG! I was totally caught off guard by the unexpected twist at the end. Exceptional storytelling from an author whose work deserves more attention, in my opinion.
Profile Image for Melanie.
264 reviews59 followers
February 28, 2019
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for the ending I didn't see coming :)

A short fun read, quite different from any other werewolf short story. I was dead certain it was going in a particular direction, only to find David had me sucked all the way in to the final page. Well done Mr. Brian.
Profile Image for Marie.
1,125 reviews392 followers
February 10, 2017
This was a short read about a man that is locked away in a mental asylum for crimes he commited. He finds out that he is not only a man but something else which I won't give any spoilers, so you will just have to read the book. The ending was not as expected, but I liked how it ended. Five stars for this one!
Profile Image for David Brian.
Author 19 books382 followers
December 9, 2014
This is a Kindle short read, but one which manages to touch on Lycanthropy, conspiracy theories, unexplained deaths, and, of course, multiple homicides beneath the light of a full moon.
Profile Image for Mylene.
316 reviews1 follower
June 30, 2019
A crazy-good short story

David always knows how to tell a great short story. His stories are intriguing, well-written, and regularly contain a twist and a dark wit. He should be more well-known than he is, as his tales are of a very high standard. I have yet to read anything he has written that I didn’t like. He is an awesome storyteller.
Profile Image for Wendy.
18 reviews8 followers
December 31, 2014
Tommy leads a less than charmed life. Incarcerated in a mental hospital, for crimes he can barely remember committing, and then having to contend with the murder of his parents, and his barrister. Life sucks!
With the arrival of a new nurse things seem to be looking up. Jenny takes an interest in Tommy, and it isn't only based on attraction. Tommy is about to learn why all of his crimes were committed under the light of the full moon.

This is only a thirty minute read, but worthwhile. And I really liked the ending.
Profile Image for Lynne.
21 reviews2 followers
December 24, 2014
Would have been five stars except the twist annoyed me. Very sneaky. Well written short story.
Profile Image for Jeff Dawson.
Author 23 books107 followers
March 13, 2019
An interesting perspective of being a werewolf. Think along the lines of “An American Werewolf in London” and you get the plot.
The ending felt rushed.
Did find a few grammatical errors which can be easily remedied.
5 reviews
June 17, 2017
Too short

Book was good enough but the story was far too short, which was a shame as the storyline could have been developed further.
Profile Image for Kat Birch.
8 reviews1 follower
May 21, 2021
Ha! Good short story with an ending I didn't see coming.
Profile Image for Katie Huey.
15 reviews3 followers
January 16, 2024
Ha! A quick and fun short story that would have been great in spooky season. Dark and gory, and the end got me!
Profile Image for Gareth Hills.
8 reviews1 follower
July 22, 2024
Haha! Very good. A really short read that I enjoyed a lot. I especially loved the ending. Very clever.
Profile Image for David.
17 reviews
August 16, 2015
Solid enough. Three and a half stars. Loved the ending.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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