Sacrifice Box

A horror story about friendship, growing up, and finding a place in the world: Gremlins meets The Breakfast Club by way of Stephen King and Stranger Things. In the summer of 1982, five friends discover an ancient stone box hidden deep in the woods. They seal inside of it treasured objects from their childhoods, and they make a vow: Never come to the box alone. Never open it after dark. Never take back your sacrifice. Four years later, a series of strange and terrifying events begin to unfold: mirrors inexplicably shattering, inanimate beings coming to life, otherworldly crows thirsting for blood. Someone broke the rules of the box, and now everyone has to pay. But how much are they willing to sacrifice?

Crassus, one of the most powerful men in Rome yearns for revenge. Spartacus and friends have taken from him the opportunity for more wealth and influence. He will release his wolf, Flabinus. A man known through out the empire for his relentless and savage pursuit of his prey. Spartacus and his allies have learnt to stand their ground in the arena, now they must learn to run.

Kirikongo is an archaeological site composed of thirteen remarkably well-preserved discrete mounds occupied continually from the early first to the mid second millennium AD. It spans a dynamic era that saw the growth of large settlement communities and regional socio-political formations, development of economic specializations, intensification in interregional commercial networks, and the effects of the Black Death pandemic. The extraordinary preservation of architectural units, activity areas and industrial zones provides a unique opportunity to discern the cultural practices that created stratified mounds (tells) in this part of West Africa. Building from a new detailed zooarchaeological analysis and refinements in stratigraphic precision, this book argues that repeated ritual activity was a significant factor in the accumulation of stratified archaeological deposits. The book details consistencies in form and content of discrete loci containing animal bones, food remains, and broken and unbroken objects and suggests that these are the remnants of sequential ancestor shrines created when domestic spaces were converted to tombs or dedicated mortuary monuments were constructed. Continuities and transformations in ancestral rituals at Kirikongo inform on earlier West African ritual practices from the second millennium BC as well as political and social transformations at the site. More broadly, this case study provides new insights on anthropogenic mound (tell) formation processes, social zooarchaeology, material culture theory, historical ontology, and the analysis of ritual and religion in the archaeological record.

Falyn Fairchild can walk away from anything. Already leaving behind her car, her education, and even her parents, the daughter of the next governor of Colorado is back in her hometown, broke and waiting tables for the Bucksaw Café. After every shift, Falyn adds to her shoebox of cash, hoping to one day save enough to buy her a plane ticket to the only place she can find forgiveness: Eakins, Illinois. The moment Taylor Maddox is seated in Falyn’s section at the Bucksaw, she knows he’s trouble. Taylor is charming, breaks promises, and gorgeous even when covered in filth—making him everything Falyn believes a hotshot firefighter to be. Falyn isn’t interested in becoming another statistic, and for a Maddox boy, a disinterested girl is the ultimate challenge. Once Falyn learns where Taylor calls home, everything changes. In the end, Maddox persistence is met with Falyn’s talent for leaving, and for the first time, Taylor may be the one to get burned.

Delaney McPhearson is the only one with a chance to save a world gone mad. But it will require her to sacrifice everything. And everyone._______________________________ Sergei Yanovich aided Elisabeta in her attempt to take over the world. Now, after months of hiding, he's going to cash in. Because he knows Elisabeta's greatest and most lucrative secret. Delaney McPhearson is also in hiding. But she's not cashing in. Governments across the globe are cracking down on the enhanced among them. No criminal activity, no dangerous behavior is required for individuals to get caught in the government's crosshairs. The world has declared all Fallen and their families enemy number one. In the middle of that storm, Laney is trying to help as many as she can while staying one step ahead of their governments. But soon, some of those governments trying to kill her will turn to her when they realize she is their last hope. But to save them all, she must risk everyone and everything dear to her. But a handful of lives is worth saving billions, right?

'It is my attempt to fit the lives of citizens here, into the context of The Great War as a world-historical event. I think it's important to remember that we all make history, and are all made by history.'- Dean Ulland

Fiona I learned long ago that not all heroes wear capes. Some don masks and armor to hide their battle scars. Others are irreparably broken. Princes without kingdoms. Kings without crowns. I tried to fix the hero of my story. But I'm afraid I've only made things worse. Boyd I learned long ago that all people bleed evil. Some don harsh wit and beauty to hide their truths. Others are inescapably lost. Princesses without castles. Queens without subjects. I tried to slay the evil in my story. But I'm afraid some demons are permanent. ★★★ Sweet Sacrifice is a dark age gap, brother's best friend romance. It is not recommended for people with certain triggers. Reader discretion is advised. Book 3 in the King's Trace Antiheroes series - Sweet Sacrifice can be read as a complete standalone, however reading the first two books in the series is highly recommended.

For fifteen years, Valve has defined the cutting edge of video games. Now, Valve joins with Dark Horse to bring three critically acclaimed, fan-favorite series to print, with a collection of comics from the worlds of Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress, and Portal. With over two hundred pages of story, Valve Presents: The sacrifice and other Steam-Powered Stories is a must-read for fans looking to further explore the games they love or comics readers interested in dipping their toes into new mythos!