Grandpa Cobalt hated letting things go. Whether it was the wobbly chair he kept in his study or his favorite warped record he fed to the gramophone—looping the same groove over and over. He was a tall man with a frosty thin hairline and a nose capable of the most […]
The first thought that crossed my mind as I hit the water was how warm it was. We left for Galapagos in mid-December, arriving on site towards the end of the month. I thought it would be cold, December has always been a time of cold nights and long snowy
I dove to depths uncharted. They should have stayed that way. Read More »
Every grave holds a person, their life, and their legacy. It reminds you that you have only one shot at this life, and to live it to the fullest, but is this true? I have experienced something in my life that most people haven’t; it’s so bizarre that even you
When people come across something unexplainable, they try to find rational reasoning behind it. I mean, it’s only natural, right? Well, sometimes things are better left unexplained. I learned this the hard way. It was a cool Thursday afternoon. I had just got off work, and wanted to take a
The Door That Leads to Nowhere Read More »
Summer nights in the small college town were something straight out of a Pulp magazine: a risqué combination of nostalgia, science fiction and impossible stories. Every year from May to August, the place was left largely empty due to the legion of students who had skipped town for the break.
I have sat with the knowledge of that night for ever such a long time now. I have flirted with the idea of telling someone – maybe the police – or confiding in a counselor, but I know it will do little good. They would think me mad, even my
The days all started with the briefing room—a wall-to-wall palette of aged pastels and stark, hospital grayness. In the center of our little room, an oval-shaped table dominated the space with every seat filled with a tired nurse. From one of the windows, a bar of morning light often slipped
The Man Who Ate Ghosts Read More »
When James and Linda Scott welcomed the arrival of their first daughter Ella Marie. Nothing seemed to be better. The pregnancy was a text book scenario. Nine months of classes, preparing a room and eagerness for her to arrive all seemed to go swimmingly. Linda was wonderful and the birth
Taking out the old man had been simple for Black Wolf: locate, break-in, kill him, and secure the body for transport. The job had been clean and bloodless, leaving no evidence. Once he’d finished the hit, he placed the target in a thick canvas bag and fastened the four restraints
Black Wolf’s Sedan Read More »
I wouldn’t say it was instantaneous, I was always more open to the depraved thoughts the brain forces you to think about when you’re alone. The kind of thoughts that creep into your conscience out of nowhere, as if some sick fuck had planted them there with a wide grin
In regards to the Yakutia Incident, much doubt has been placed on my official statements and testimony. The cynical among you have cited the slightest of contradictions in my accounts and even noted supposed tics in my body language as evidence of deceit. And so it follows that accusations have
The Yakutia Incident Read More »
I stare at the corpse in the mirror. How desperately the dry, clay-colored skin clings to its skull. Rubbery. How narrow its tired eyes are, weighed down by the dark satchels hanging from them. How many broken vessels I could count beneath its sullen cheeks. A nebula of spider veins.
“We’re doing our best to keep your brother comfortable. However, at this point I’m afraid it’s all we can really do for him,” said Doctor Norman, resident medical coordinator for the Ty Rothwell Compassion and Care Center. “The infection is pretty persistent, but we think we have him on the
I tried to warn them, but they wouldn’t listen. I warned them immediately after I was returned to the marsh, but they decided to detain me and ignore my claims. Twenty years have now passed, and they still don’t listen despite the urgent message I was unfairly tasked with delivering.
I Will Give Birth to the End of Mankind Read More »
“Dang!” Eleanor’s husband cried. “The damn thing bit me!” He grabbed his triceps and looked at her with an expression that mingled pain with surprise. Eleanor was as surprised as he was. Jonathan, her husband, was not the type to whine about an insect bite. He was the muscular type
Read Part one here It was gearing up to be a long night. The place was packed two-deep with thirsty patrons, and our barback was nowhere in sight. I wouldn’t know it until hours later, but he had quit out of the blue, leaving me to manage the tides myself.
The Angels Burned Part 2 Read More »
Tom and I were both neurology students in our senior year. I think it all started when his mother died a few months ago – a drunk driver crashed into her car. I am minoring in theology but my friend was an atheist, which is why her death hit him
My friend did something terrible to prove a philosophical point Read More »
The sands of time are known for their love of stealing away the little things; they sift away memories of childhood best friends and the password to your old computer as they flow steadily towards the bottom of the hourglass of a human life. Soon such small things are buried
When I was a kid, my stepfather asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up. “A magician,” I answered quickly with worldwide clarity. He huffed at that answer. “That ain’t a job, son. Wearing makeup and doing a little dance at parties ain’t a job to seek.
Said to be christened Apa Moarta, or ‘Dead Water’, by a passing Romanian caravan in their native tongue, and tucked away in a far-flung, scarcely populated, staunchly isolationist region of untouched Russian countryside…beyond the grotesque, fantastical stories shared by the more ignorant and morbid of the younger generations, there’s not
The Dark Waters of Apa Moarta Read More »
One last crimson heart. That’s all there was. John stood in the storage closet-like room, barely breathing. The only light was a sliver from the hallway and a flickering incandescent bulb strung up in the center of the room. Directly under the fleeting yellow light sat a green box atop
One Last Crimson Heart Read More »
I can’t fall asleep. Not for the reason you may think. This isn’t “I ate too much before bed, and now I can’t stop trying to try to fall asleep”- no. I am incapable of sleep. I have chosen to reject sleep. This is not my life spiraling into chaos.
An Open Letter to Those Deprived of Sleep Read More »
When Matt originally proposed the idea, I thought he was joking. Crash a wedding? Like in the movies? Pull a Vince Vaughn? I loved the idea, but the thought of actually sneaking into a random wedding to pick up chicks, well… it just wasn’t possible. Someone would realize we didn’t
Time, everything was taking too much time. Cassius crushed the elevator button into the wall, continuing to press it repeatedly. His eyes stayed glued to the numbers above the doors. Despite the abuse he inflicted to the button, the numbers lit up at a snail’s pace from each number to
