Something is wrong with Sleigh Town—Roni knew that much about it. During the pre-covid era of twenty-eighteen, I was hired as a night security guard for a park in our town, right on the cusp of December. Since its grand-opening in the seventies, the acres were established...
My friends Kev and Nat were about to celebrate their fourteenth anniversary and wanted it to be something special, so after a few months of indecision, I made the suggestion they renew their vows. “We’ve done that before though!” Kev told me. “Hmm, but have you...
“Trust me,” Cameron said, smiling at his wife, Diana. She looked back at him no less worried, but he continued to lead her to the basement door. Diana hit the brakes and shook her head, her fingers slipping out of his. Cameron sighed. He looked at...
Bert set his drink down on the end table beside his recliner and he stared towards the window. Without looking he lifted the remote and muted the television. He thought he heard movement on the porch. It had happened before and turned out to be...
My brother Vincent died during Covid. He had choked in his bed, needing a ventilator we couldn’t afford, and I didn’t even know it until it was too late… He died on the top bunk, alone and struggling to breathe while I was out trying to find...
This happened about six years ago, when I was spending some time in the big house for a few misdemeanors. In a way, this pushed me to get on the straight and narrow. I’ve never really given myself permission to talk about it, but my therapist says...
I had just sat down for my ride home on the late charter bus when I felt something odd under my seat. It was like sitting on a lump; it wasn’t too big, but it was definitely uncomfortable. Instinctively I reached under to try and remove...
This isn’t really happening. This feels like some fucking Twilight Zone shit. I think the plane I’m on is going to crash. Maybe it should, though. Maybe it would be better if we all died rather than let whatever the hell is aboard spread elsewhere. Sorry. Let me explain. ...
Our plane cropped over the horizon, the endless woods meandering and covering every inch of land for miles around the forested area, effectively isolating it from the rest of the earth by mountains on almost all sides. Within the bowl-shaped valley of greenery, it was...
Every group of friends has a tradition. If you hang around a specific set of people for long enough, in-jokes will sprout from next to nothing. Routines will manifest out of thin air. Sometimes they’re clever; most of the time, they’re obnoxious, pointless, and asinine. Ours was...
I used to go hiking to clear my mind. It was nothing extraordinary. No backpack, no walking stick, no geo-locator app on my phone - just casual walks through White Leaf park. It wasn’t so much a hobby for me as it was a way to...
Leonard Skye was a bit of a local celebrity in the absurdly small town where I grew up. Hunter, survivalist, general “man’s man,” Leonard was both respected and feared. You would never catch him wearing anything other than jeans, a t-shirt, and flannel. The silver ring...
I met the old man at a Bojangles restaurant. I was about sixteen at the time and had just dropped out of high school with my parents’ blessing. It wasn’t the sort of place where you’d learn much of anything. Aside from how to take a...
My name is David. For as long as I can remember, I couldn’t think of anything to be more ashamed of than my dad. I was a preacher’s son, you see, and my dad always made sure to make me feel awful about something in my...
I first heard the name “Gravity Sphere” uttered at an awards ceremony for my seven-year-old son Joey. The assistant principal, a hefty forty-something woman named Huffner, was rifling through a jar that had small shreds of paper with children’s names on it so she could randomly...
You’ll be told it was an accident. A freak storm that ravaged the Dominican Republic before slamming into us. You might even get to see pictures. Doctored ones showing a menagerie of stragglers being rescued off the coast of the Caymans. That’s if they decide to share anything...
When the pandemic hit, I was sure that I would be out on the street before the end of the first month. I work in a high-profile business, but most of us aren’t in a position to get unemployment. The contracts they make us sign...
Lee was proud of his first apartment. He would have been more proud had he been able to share it with Alyssa, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. He hoped it would come in time if he was patient. They had been dating since...
Randy’s eyes darted from the television news broadcast to the actual horror happening outside his window. The voice of the newscaster said, “Major cities all around the globe,” as Randy watched flaming rocks rain from the sky. Before his eyes, they pounded cars into nothing...
Wes didn’t care that it was dark. He didn’t care that it was cold. He didn’t care that he was miles from home. He just cared about getting away, about clearing his head. He wanted to be free under the stars for a while. He...
