(5 minute read) by Archibald Hobbs (Australia) I ceased mumbling to myself the moment the large, red dog careened down the side street and hurtled across the busy road. I looked for an owner in fevered pursuit – and listened for feverish voices – but neither came. Without debate, I resolved to follow the Labrador …
The Journey
(2 minute read) by Anne Lowe (U.K) 'Please enter destination' Gerald pressed in the letter keys for Bosforth Hall and Spa, Oakhampton and smiled at the girl sitting by his side. "Just the place," said Gerald with a satisfied grin. "Somewhere nice and quiet where nobody knows us," he said as he wiped away the …
A Dozen Bastard Voids
(20 minute read) by Max Talley (U.S.A) Alan Pearson surveyed the mist rising off the sea. He scanned the narrow strip of beach that curved around Whale Cove and heard the concussion of waves against monolithic offshore rocks. No sign of the lurking stranger yet. This place had been his dream for years while he …
And in the end…
(9 minute read) by Whitney Reinhart (U.S.A) Russell R. Russell spent his life preparing to survive the apocalypse. Orwell, Huxley, Kirkman and, occasionally, King and Koontz were his prophets. He studied, memorized their works, the way others studied the Bible or the Quran. He daydreamed about surviving the zombie hordes à la Rick Grimes in …
The Smirk
(4 minute read) by Sunil Sharma (India) He remembered the smirk!As he woke up, the first thing that came to mind was the grin seen years ago, in an unlikely place! Waking up, Suresh recalled the beastly encounter. It came suddenly, some dim corner of a mind becoming alert. He went back ten years to …
The Stray
(7 minute read) by Anne Lowe (U.K) The sound of scratching accompanied by the lashing rain forced Lydia awake. She must have dozed off in front of the TV. There it was again. She turned down the volume, opened the door and found the cat, a scrawny creature and not one she recognised from the …
A Practical Guide To Unfaithfulness
(5 minute read) by Anne Lowe (U.K) Shifty is the word that suddenly sprang to mind. Shifty would certainly describe his behaviour, giving Bernice her first clue to Arthur's infidelity. She lovingly stroked the giant marrow resting on the kitchen table and mused to herself how her suspicions first began. That particular morning had started …
The Only Language She Didn’t Understand
(12 minute read) by Robert Kibble (U.K) I can still see her eyes. So black. So deep. The bouncer looks at me, seeing my short hair, my pale skin, my tailored suit, and he lets me in. I look the part. I don’t feel the part, though. I have to stop shaking. I feel the …
Jonah Wins the Game
(6 minute read) by Linda McMullen (U.S.A) Jonah – community college dropout and fourth-most-senior associate at the big-box store – slid three quarters into the vending machine. He flashed through several possibilities: He could get George a Coke. Jonah’s derelict better angel supported this option. George operated from a constant caffeine deficit due to his …
Freedom
(15 minute read) by Dru Richman (U.S.A) Bruce Lawrence Zebub, still in his sleeping shorts, stepped out on to the porch of his cabin. He was a huge blacksmith of a man—well tanned with broad shoulders that led down to a well-muscled stomach and impossibly narrow hips. He had mighty oaks for legs. And even …
