Nightmare Clowns: No Escape
Anne was standing on her apartment porch when I pulled up, clenching and unclenching her fists in short staccato bursts. At the sound of my car door closing…
The Agony of Awakening
Light. It was too hot. Uncomfortable. If I could just worm my way deeper into unconsciousness I wouldn’t have to face . . . anything. Something nuzzled against…
Trial By Fire
Belle gazed into the fire, focusing on the ring that lay within its burning embrace. This close the heat was overpowering which made concentrating difficult…
Counting
“Eleven thousand five hundred ninety-one. Eleven thousand five hundred ninety-two.” Salva sweated. Her ragged blouse molded itself to her chest but she ignored…
Cracks in the Storm
Repeated motion, drew Keri’s attention. As she closed the distance, the orange ball became one of Scotty’s gloves waving frantically from the base of a rock…
On the run
I had rushed to Gavroche and Gabriel while Genevieve tried to warn Maman and our neighbors. But I couldn’t find Gabriel anywhere. It was strange, for it seemed…
Who Comes? (Day 118)
Inside the frost covered walls of the cabin, three of us huddled together in the frigid air, trying to share what little body warmth we could spare. The…
Free from Pain (Day 117)
Mario felt the rising tide, the overwhelming weight of numbness, blanketing him from the inside. It’s curling grayness was a fog that drowned heart, mind, and…
Of Dough and Dreams
“Hello, friend.” I didn’t raise my head to acknowledge the voice. There wasn’t any way that someone could be there. Therefore this had to be a dream or…
1940s France
I was only 14 when the soldiers came. Me and Jacques and Gavroche were fishing. Gavroche had just turned 12, and Gabriel was the baby at 6. I remember Gabriel…
sympathy for the devil
The whole Corey family is lined up before him and James wonders how no one ever picked up on them before now. Their house was police-raided only to find that…
Hope in a State of Disrepair (Day 115)
The rotor spun lazily around in a circle, sputtering every third rotation. Tom knew it was every third rotation because he had nothing to do except sit and…
It Changes You (Day 114)
Paul staggered to a stop as he felt a squirming inside his belly. Was it a kick? The thing growing inside him moved again causing him to break wind loudly. He…
A Marked Man
“What is the second rule of the guild?” Maul could hear his voice from five years ago, eagerly chanting the required words. These words would change his life…
Haunted (Day 112)
Dim light from over the bar gave some definition to the darkness. Eddie raised his hand. It was still balled up into a tight fist. The nightmare was over. Or…
A Break in the Monotony (Day 111)
Leonard floated along, as the train took him from station to station the way it always did. He had ridden the route so many times that he didn’t pay attention…
A Pain Remembered is a Pain Renewed
Sandra stood at the doorway to their bedroom, constantly looking back over her shoulder, at the sleeping form of Sarah. Her daughter! Each time, she expected…
Before I was Ready (Day 110)
Bearing the Light was harder than it looked. All anyone could see was a glowing nimbus of pale light, one that grew brighter as its surroundings became darker…
Upon the Backs of the Downtrodden (Day 109)
“You three will be my hand maidens the bearers of my message to the world.” Wiley C. kept his voice low and intense. In its vibrato it alternated between…
Fear Feeds Into Fear (Day 108)
I am here as a Probe. It’s an unfortunate title given your race’s curious fascination with rear penetration, but back home it is an honorable title. I assure…