The Guild

by S.C. Mendes

Get paid to eat! That was the title of the Facebook ad for a new restaurant called Talons. And for three hundred dollars, Jordan Carter jumped at the chance to join the focus group.

Jordan ignored the strange questions asked by the group and shrugged off the illness he contracted afterward as a coincidental twenty-four-hour flu bug.

When the restaurant invites him back though, Jordan is less than confident. However, this time they're offering him six hundred dollars for his feedback.

The second meal convinces him that something is very wrong with Talons. His dreams have turned into nightmares. The illness is back and now he's vomiting blood. Worst of all, doctors inform Jordan that it isn't his blood.

Discover the ancient secret of The Guild and those who partake of its food in this 13K word novelette!

45 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2022

About the author

S.C. Mendes is the co-owner of Blood Bound Books—an independent publisher whose mission is to spreading hope through dark fiction.

Find more about the mission at www.BloodGutsAndStory.com

Mendes has published dark fiction under various pen names since 2009. The Dawn of the Serpent Girl, the final book in The City series is slated for a Dec. 2024 release. His collaborations with Nikki Noir can be found in the New Adult Occult series.

Reviews

[Dawn Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this story in one sitting. The Guild is a thrilling ride from start to finish. Jordan is a young man who has trouble finishing anything he starts. He is without a job and money is tight. He is invited to do a food taste test for money, but afterwards there are some residual….effects. What is The Guild really trying to do with Jordan? What is their plan? What is happening to him? You’ll have to read to find out! If you love cult type stories, you definitely need to check this out.

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short novelette is not for the faint of heart, but it is intriguing and shocking. Jordan gets the deal of the century: get paid to eat. What could possibly go wrong? Thinking it’s just a focus group, he bites off more than he can chew (sorry). I don’t want to give anything away, because the story takes a turn so unexpected, that I never saw it coming. It does, however, make sense, so it’s not one of these plots where the twists are just gimmicks. There is not much room for character development in just a few pages, but Jordan grew on me. He is a mess, but not a bad person. The settings are realistic and well described and the food… mmm, I’d love to eat some of that (or maybe not). A really enjoyable, short and quick read.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, S.C. Mendes.

[Dion Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story is a mind bender

It dose have some gory parts, but for the most part it's more a psychological horror story.

This book is not going to be for everyone, but what I love about this book and this author is there is always more to the story than what you expect, there is always underling stories and social commentary going on, like in this book about the similarities between cults and health tread treatments that sound more fantasy than real.

This short story has now been expanded and fleshed out into a full book, The Little Season by the same author, If you liked this story it's is well worth checking out.

[Robin Fuchs Brumfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great author! I'm not one for short stories. I like my books with a some meat in them, pun nit intended, but I love his short stories. SC Mendes can write a great story with few words. The Guild was a fun and fast read about being paid go taste test. Be careful when you're offered those samples at Costco!

[Diana | Indie Book Addict · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jordan comes across a Facebook ad titled “Get Paid to Eat.” It piques his interest, so he clicks it and submits his info. After his first taste test he begins to suffer some side effects. He tries to suppress his uneasiness because he needs the money. He gets invited back for a second taste test and even more money. As soon as he accepts doubt immediately creeps in. He goes anyway and soon after is experiencing side effects again. He goes to the ER and learns something shocking.

This was short but very intriguing. It was shocking to learn what The Guild was about. For a moment I considered if I would join if it were real. They certainly have an interesting mission. This was a great read that was a bit bloody and a lot weird. Mendes knows how to pull you into this story. I think more from the guild would be amazing. This was my first-time reading Mendes work and I’d love to check out more of it.