The bullet strikes me in the lower abdomen as I’m climbing the stairs. If it was a normal bullet, it wouldn’t be lethal. But normal bullets haven’t been used in years. The bullet disassembles in my gut, splitting into millions of microscopic machines. The nanobots move from cell to cell like a cancer, ripping me […]
The hedges around my house were as high as they were thick; they were downright dangerous along the driveway, blocked sight lines, and during our summer parties, caused more than one fender bender. But that day, as I walked to the car, the privacy they provided was a blessing. And I’d been right about the […]
Well, You’re Dead and I’m holding my own,taking on water, mainlyin my feet and ankles,filling up like a rain gaugeor the Edmund Fitzgerald.Time hangs burdens on us:weight, fatigue, regretthe most noticeable.They bind our hands andplant our feet to the soil,to a moment thatno longer existson this twisting Earth.A mediocre boxer,I keep moving, clockwise,around this ring,shoulders […]
And from there, the series of events became increasingly sketchy, the memories like a half-finished puzzle with remaining pieces that didn’t fit anywhere. The barmaid had arrived to take his order, then eyed us both with mistrust. I was already a potential problem, and now here was one of the community’s well-known criminals. To be […]