W_RD_E by Anthony Neil Smith

Day 1:

STEAL
GRAMS
BUICK
ENJOY
RIDES

Splendid!

Day 2:

STEAL
PAPAS
PISTO
(del, del, del, del, del)
SIDEA
(del, del, del, del, del)
FORTY
FIVE
(del)
FIVVE
(Not a word)

Aw! Better luck tomorrow!

Day 3:

DRIVE
BUICK
LIQUO
(del, del, del, del, del)
BOOZE
STORE
STICK
UP
(del, del)
ROBBE
(del, del, del, del, del)
HEIST

Whew! That was a close one.

Still Day 3:

OWNER
GRABS
SHOTG
(del, del, del, del, del)
TWELV
(del, del, del, del, del)
GAUGE
YELLS

Are you sure about this?

Still Day 3:

SCARE
(del, del, del, del, del)
AFRAI
(del, del, del, del, del)
TOUGH
POINT
SHOOT

That was fast. Too fast.

Still Day 3:

BOOMS
SPLAT
PLANK
LEAVE
QUICK

Crime doesn’t pay.

Day 4:

HIDES
GRAMS
PLACE
POLIC
(del, del, del, del, del)
CPPRS
(Not a word)
(del, del, del, del, del)
FILTH
TRACE
BUICK

I don’t like where this is going.

Day 5:

SWATS
SHOUT
SURRE
(del, del, del, del, del)
GIVEU
(del, del, del, del, del)
YIELD

That was pretty quick.

Day 6:

GRASP
GRAMS
SHOVE
GLOCK
TEMPL
(del, del, del, del, del)
CHEEK

I can’t watch you do this.

Still Day 6:

SWEAR
IWILL
(Not a word)
(del, del, del, del, del)
GONNA
SHOOT

Why, man, why?

Still Day 6:

LASER
LIGHT
BLIND

Maybe you should drop the –

KAPOW
HURTS
FALLS
MOTHE
(del, del, del, del, del)
SIGHT
FADES

Um…

CUFFS
DRAIN
COUGH
BLOOD

It didn’t have to end this way.

DEATH
COMES
FINAL
SIGHS
CONFE…

Too bad. Good luck down there.

 

Anthony Neil Smith is a novelist (Slow Bear, Yellow Medicine, many more), short story author (Cowboy Jamboree, HAD, Pulp Modern, many more), and professor (Southwest Minnesota State University). He likes Mexican food, cheap red wine, and Italian cop flicks.