It all started at Humberto’s food truck on 13th street. The whole crew was there—Antoine, Tink, Shanks, and myself—enjoying the cheap cuisineat a picnic table beside the truck. Three of us were eating fish tacos, but big old Shanks was digging into a large bowl of Humberto’s chili con …
Read More »THE DMV by Zachary W. Clark
Bright sunlight reflecting off the glass front of his local DMV partly blinded Howard as he shuffled toward its entrance past cars across an over-crowded parking lot. Howard pressed a faded blue button causing the ill-fitted door to scrape across its threshold under the power of an automatic opener. …
Read More »WEDDING DAY by Jeffrey James Higgins
The worst day for a wedding. Alexander stared out his bedroom window and watched guests dressed in tuxedos and gowns take their seats in chairs arranged on the lawn in front of the altar. A hundred friends and family all waited for the big moment. Alexander and Julie’s wedding …
Read More »TERMINUS by Jim Towns
The jagged cliffs of Vasquez Rocks were a row of lazy needles that leaned against the clear desert sky. The ’75 Chevy Nova Super Sport churned up gravel and dust as it drove up, and then came to a stop. The drivers’ door opened and a tall, powerfully built …
Read More »TERMINAL ISLAND by Michael Carter
Where did the bodies go? Christos and the other survivors asked. But the Little People, who used hand signs and whistling noises instead of spoken word, gave no answers. After they dragged from the wreck those who had died, the Little People guided the survivors to a village. Each …
Read More »BICYCLES by Michael Bracken
At first there was just one bicycle—a tiny, pink stingray with training wheels and a white wicker basket attached to the handlebars—that followed me throughout high school. Now there are more than two-dozen, but I don’t know how many exactly. I’ve stopped counting. They follow me everywhere. To work. …
Read More »THE CULT OF HUGGY HAMSTER by Abi Marie Palmer
Eleanor’s screams echoed through the empty park. She knew that no one would hear them but her captors. They ignored her objections and bore her onwards, tiny fingers gripping her arms with preternatural strength. Inwardly, she cursed. She cursed herself for recognizing too late the menace that had infiltrated …
Read More »SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY by A.G. Hilton
Floyd saw the car and knew it would turn in long before it began trundling up his gravel driveway. He pretended not to notice. Brim of his straw hat pulled low to block the sun, he took his time locking up the big barn doors as the car idled …
Read More »THE MAN FROM GOLDMAN SACHS by Preston Lang
At Cambridge Brothers Capital Markets Financial Group Incorporated, we had cock fights. In the stairwell after hours we’d strap razors to the birds and let them go at it. Dane, who specialized in emerging markets, was the organizer. Guys would come from all over the Street, and we’d generally …
Read More »LOVE LIKE BLEEDING OUT WITH AN EMPTY GUN IN YOUR HAND by Stephen J. Golds
Cole had finally stopped crying. He sniveled and moaned. I sniveled a little too. Fucking hard to breathe. He shuffled along hunched shouldered beside me. I tried to get him to look back at me. He didn’t and I gave up. I focused on the dried, crusty blood caked …
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