Holidays can be one of the busiest times of year for mental health services; but especially so for suicide hotlines. This was my first year on duty; as last year they gave me the day off. We didn’t have that option this year, too short-staffed....
Bill was carrying all of his wife’s baggage after their Sunday at the mall when she decided to have another meltdown. Something triggered her. Nothing major, something small. It may have been the tone in Bill’s voice when he absently remarked about… something. It may...
There’s one hard and fast rule about me. If there’s a new chick at school and she be hot, she’s mine. It’s not a matter of if I’m making it all the way with her. It’s a matter of when. And no, I don’t mean getting...
It was about this time last year when the first skin washed up on the shores of Lake Bidai. Death on the water was nothing new to Cliff Marten, who oversaw maintenance on the Lake Bidai Dam. It was a reservoir lake, formed back in the...
He turned away from the group and went quickly down the road and on into the woods. A voice called Bradley behind him, but he paid it no heed. He began to move faster and faster until he was almost running full-tilt through the trees,...
I cannot deny that my chosen profession is one of great fascination and—truth be told—amusement for myself. I am sure the same does not always hold true for the clients I serve, but that is of no consequence of concern for yours truly. I am...
He’s talking again. Why is he talking? Jesus Christ. And my tie. Feels so goddamn tight. Like I’m being choked to death. Maybe if I just stick my finger in there, pull it out more. Get some fucking relief. But I already did that. God...
No coverage, not even one bar. The battery was dead anyway. It was still daytime, but it was overcast, and the sky had a perfectly even dullness so there was no way to tell what time of day it was, much less which direction was...
I found the place one night after an especially heated argument with my ex. Now, I’ve never actually been the type for guns, but something about the venue interested me when I passed it by. I think it was the privacy. Open 24 hours, the bright glimmering...
“Summer homes are for rich people, Allen.” I’ve been known to spend money on things that I don’t need. Sometimes it can be hard to determine which products are necessities and which are simply desires. My wife Brittany is usually the one who keeps my head on straight,...
“Imagine you were alive in the 1980s, and you were told that computers would soon control everything related to life. From shopping to dating, to even supercomputers in the palm of your hand or an international invisible network that connected you to literally anyone on...
Technology is changing at a rapid pace, so fast that some even say it’s frightening. I got a chance to experience this nightmare firsthand just a few weeks back when I was given the opportunity to test out a new autonomous vehicle for my company. At first,...
Would you believe that three simple gold tokens changed my life? They clattered to the bottom of the arcade machine, and the screen in front of me turned from dark blue to a splash of pixelated orange and yellow. Rhythmic sounds beat out from the speakers on...
I used to think everyone had an inner voice. A little disembodied narrator that, when unfocused, sounded familiar yet not. But something we could take from our own voice and turn into that of a celebrity, a cartoon character or whatever we wished. So it was...
I’ll say it plain; The acquisition of Nazi party member Wernher von Braun was not the most heinous action NASA committed. Not by a long shot. By the time I’m done here, you will not look up at the sky in the same way. I want to...
I should preface this by stating that I’m not much of a smoker. Wow, amazing tone to set on a 4/20 experience, right? I just don’t wanna lie to you, not when discussing the shit that went down. I’ve finally focused enough to talk, I...
I’ve lived in this town all my life, I know all the weird traditions that come with living in a place as remote as mine. But nothing explains what happens at our Deer Park. I used to come out here most evenings during the pandemic, park...
It is as it sounds. Incredulous as it may be, I promise there is an explanation within. I’ve been the Sheriff of a little town called Sturgeon for nearly 23 years. In that time, I’ve seen many a horrific incident descend upon our town, fall out...
Wendel pulled at the vines, damp with dew, that were in his way. He had been trudging through the trees since sundown. The air held a dampness and a chill, but he still sweated with the exertion of making this journey. It was not something...
Henry stepped towards the witch, torch blazing in his hand. He smiled at the sight of her being tied to the stake. They were wrapping her in iron chains this time. She wouldn’t be escaping, not again. No one else’s family would die by her...
