I saw the diner from a distance as I was coming down the highway I’d taken as a shortcut across the desert. It was the first sign of civilization I’d seen since leaving the Interstate, so I decided to stop and grab a bite to eat before moving on. …
Read More »THE ICE SHOVES by Jeff Esterholm
Evie knew this about the westernmost of the Great Lakes in winter. When the winds blew out of the north-northeast, Lake Superior’s ice surged up against the South Shore until it snapped with a crack like the opening of hell’s gate. The ice shoves, as newcomers to the region …
Read More »TAKE IT TO THE BANK by Curtis Ippolito
Susie skidded to a stop for a fourth time, her rubber-soled flats smudging black streaks on the grocery store’s waxed linoleum floor. She darted left, caught a glimpse of him shuffling past the opposite end of the ice cream aisle. Her mouthed flopped open to suck more air. A …
Read More »A DEADLY WIND DOES THIS WAY PASS by Michael A. Raithel
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 …
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