Mommy bursts through the door. I jump up from the bottom step. “You got one!” I squeal, spotting the box she’s carrying. She’s panting and shaking. She slams the door shut and slides the bolt across just as something crashes… Continue Reading
I’m the one who killed thirty million people. I spent eight days in the bunker to avoid the radioiodine fallout, and an additional four because I didn’t want to see what had happened to the world above me. When I… Continue Reading
Animal Services # Due to a rising stray population and an associated uptick in dog attacks, LA Animal Services has initiated a prevention program in coordination with the LAPD’s AI Unit. Starting on February 21st, a newly developed stray-dog targeting… Continue Reading
My phone rings as I walk into my company’s lobby from the staff parking garage. Probably Dan Simmons. I’m late for our meeting because a disheveled man accosted me as I got out of my car, shouting gibberish and blocking… Continue Reading
When I was a child my best friend was a time traveler from the year 2340. His name was Bobby but I called him “2340.” 2340 wore jeans and a windbreaker. He looked like any other kid, defined by the… Continue Reading
For their 60th “diamond” anniversary, Martine booked an old-fashioned gondola ride down Broadway, starting Uptown. Doctor Alcuna had warned her not to get her hopes too high for the occasion, that the Memantine™ and Donepezil™ still showed no sign of… Continue Reading
I let the children play with the lions because I decided that it was part of their education to examine life from another planet. This was after I ordered a box of domestic cats but many of my students, the… Continue Reading
He was disconnected, cut adrift, left alone, lost, all of this happening so quickly he was not even frightened at first. He heard the motors spooling up, rising to a shriek, and arcs of electricity erupted from the machine behind… Continue Reading
Silas was the son of a watchmaker, but although he dutifully followed his father’s craft, he dreamed of becoming a musician instead. By day he toiled in the workshop, greasing gears, replacing springs and calibrating the minute mechanisms of the… Continue Reading
“GREENVILLE,” read the sign. “POP 1,624 HUMBLE EARTHLING SERVANTS. HAIL ZORDOK!” In spray paint, below: “DON’T RAZE US, BRO!” Sheryl frowned. “I think we took the wrong turn. We’re supposed to still be in Spring Grove.” “Qroocha znuk!” Emperor Zordok… Continue Reading