I was a complete moron for staying at the summit as long as I did, no doubt about that. By the time I started back the sky had turned dark indigo and the distant peaks were silhouettes. The slope carried me across a crest on the side of a giant mountain. There was a steep…
Full disclosure, I was an anti-masker during Covid. No, it wasn’t because they infringed on “muh freedoms” or that I found it hard to breath. It was just that masks made my assignment at the time rather… difficult. I’m a mercenary, a gun for hire. I contract out through a shadowy outfit based in D.C….
The garage door shut with a groan behind us, closing us in the gloom of the single bulb hanging over the car. Mother took a drag off her cigarette and sighed as she exhaled, the smoke filled the cabin of the Ford and stung my eyes. “You really disappointed me today, Julianne,” she tapped her…
No lists of rules, evil A.I.’s, or cursed objects appear in this story. It doesn’t take place in a haunted apartment, a supernatural forest, or secret laboratory. There aren’t any ghosts or demons, either– Although I suppose you could say that there are monsters. The year was 2007. It was after midnight on a Thursday night, and…
While waiting in line at the store for a self-checkout terminal, a man casually sidled up to me and asked if I’d mind lending him a few dollars, as he was short on cash. I glanced at his handbasket, saw that he only had a few items (some fruit, bottled water, packs of tuna, a loaf…
The first time I spotted the Countdown Man was on the bus to school when I was in 7th grade. I’d never seen an adult on my bus before, much less one dressed in a black suit, but no one else said anything, so I figured he belonged there. Then, as we drove around the…