The spiced, tangy notes of yesterday’s stress lingered under her hoodie. She hadn’t even heard the words as the flew from her mouth, it was only after they had disconnected the call that she realized what she had said. Effie would have taken them back once she remembered. But in the moment, when he had…
A Chronological Timeline of Puzzles
Christopher opened his eyes. His body sore and tingly. His face was throbbing and his knuckles hurt. The hospital room came into focus enhanced by the sharp antiseptic smell. He wasn’t going to complain about falling asleep in a chair, not when Stephie was lying unconscious in the bed before him. It was a miracle…
The Final Piece
The line dropped. Billy’s voice disappearing, giving way to the dead air. The phone sat unlocked on the desk. Such an old model, calls couldn’t be heard without it being put on speaker or headphone. No one used headphones at home. Looking up, the board looked like something from the set of a murder room…
Timelines and Puzzle Pieces
Lines swerved and swooped around the lightly etched faces. It would have been best to color code them, but that would have meant the puzzle was completed. This was not that kind of puzzle. For starters it was too big, too convoluted, a full size murder board with corresponding book would have been more suitable. Probably…
Animal Cruelty
Joey looked down at his phone the picture from the bar staring back at him. He was there with his best friend and his girlfriend. Girlfriend was a strong word, but for 10 years, more than 10 now, he called and she came. He touched her and she came. Such a good little bitch and always ready…
Tonight
This is an excerpt from October’s exclusive short story… subscribe to the newsletter to read the full story, available on 10/29 Nails dragged down her back forcing her body upward. Rough skin chaffed the delicate skin of her throat as it squeezed the breath from her. She would have gasped had she been able to…
Under the Weather
The air was heavier for some people. She had heard it somewhere before – a television show or maybe the radio. It certainly was today. Jázmin was under the weather and everything felt heavier. Breathing, her eyelids, just being seemed more exhausting than normal. Really, she should have called out from work, but it was…
Right Hand Hold
Do you do everything they tell you? She looked across the room. The whisper of the tentacles weaving through the air, caressing the inside of her ear. We’re your world. Your creation. Not them. It said again. The whisper of a thousand voices. a thousand small, sucking circles reaching out, waiting for something to stick…
A Million Miles Away
Everything felt a million miles away. Cliché but also incredibly true. The kids down the block were still playing, the digital picture frame still flipped through to new pictures, even she was still getting ready but she couldn’t feel anything. Nothing seemed to be connecting to her either. The laughter from curtains she and her sister had…
Suzanne Goes Nuclear
She slides the pie out of the oven, the heat kisses her forearms. John will be excited for this pie, her thoughts drift. Not just the pie, she looks over her shoulder, the whole dinner. Today is the day they’re testing the TOP SECRET technology John has been on about for a while. It’s been…