Tag: The Narrative Forge

No Half Measures Returns

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I pulled this story a while back. Thought I was going to do something else with it. Truth is, I needed to figure out where it was going and whether it was worth continuing here. After some time and a lot of second-guessing, I’ve decided to keep posting it.

Formerly known as Cop Stories, this series now carries the title No Half Measures.

At its core, this is a noir tale about two mismatched detectives in the city of Greybridge:

  • Frank “Mack” MacNamara — an older Black detective, sober but scarred, carrying too many ghosts from the bottle, the streets, and the badge.
  • Mara Ellison — younger, sharp, and too attractive for her own good in a department that doesn’t trust her. She was Internal Affairs once, and that shadow never leaves her.

Together, they chase more than just criminals. They’re dragged into the city’s rot — conspiracies, rituals, and the silence of institutions that bury the truth. At the center of it all is the Hollow Table, a pattern of missing girls and burned churches that stretches back decades.

The story is about more than cases and bodies. It’s about what it costs to dig too deep, to trust the wrong person, to put your soul on the line for something that may never give back.

No Half Measures will update every Wednesday until the story runs its course. I can’t tell you when that will be — it’ll end when it ends. Hang in with me.

For those who read the early drafts, thank you for your patience. For new readers, welcome to Greybridge.

Here is the link to Chapter 1

Here is the series hub link

The Jaded Side of the Truth – Series Launch

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Some stories don’t let you go.

I first shared this one on Memoirs of Madness last year. It wasn’t ready then, so I tore it apart, sat with the silence, and rebuilt it piece by piece. Now it’s back—sharper, darker, and truer to what it was always meant to be.

The Jaded Side of the Truth follows Percy, Joanie, Winnie, and Harry—four people tangled in a world where loyalty bends, truth bruises, and survival always leaves its mark. It’s noir stripped bare, and no one gets out clean.

From here on, a new chapter will post every Tuesday until the story runs its course. If you read the early version, you’ll see what survived and what’s changed. If you’re new, you’re stepping in at the right time—at the start of the story as it finally takes its full shape.

This one’s been clawing at the walls too long. Now it’s out.

Welcome back to the madness.

Here is Chapter 1

Here is the Series Hub Page, bookmark it, to easily follow the series

The Garden of Ashes – New Chapter Released

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This morning, over on The Narrative Forge, I set another chapter loose into the fire.

The Garden of Ashes isn’t just a story—it’s a slow burn through betrayal, memory, and the kind of survival that leaves marks you can’t wash off. Griffin and his band of survivors keep stumbling forward, carrying secrets sharp enough to cut, and this new chapter digs the blade a little deeper.

Here’s a link to the latest chapter:

If you’ve walked this path with me already, you know the ground keeps shifting under their feet. If you’re new to Memoirs of Madness, welcome—this is as good a place as any to step into the smoke. Every chapter is waiting for you at the Garden of Ashes Series Hub, a vault of fire and memory where the whole trail unfolds.

The door’s open. Step through, and see how far the fire spreads.

—Mangus Khan