Author: Alastair Millar The cold wind, persistent further down, had died away. Now the silence was so intense that the man could hear his footfalls on the sandy soil. He was almost where he needed to be. The hairs on his arms stood up as he made his way higher. Something ...

Author: R. J. Erbacher I saw her sitting at the terminal, small carry-on bag at her feet, doing something on her cell phone. She looked like a woman who had lived a good life, up until that moment, and was satisfied with her accomplishments. I took a long, slow breath and ...

Author: Leigh Therriault My home is a tomb after school. I slip my key in the lock, twist my wrist left. Pin tumblers aligned, the plug rotates. I’m in. I kick off my sandals, let my backpack fall to the floor. It’s almost autumn but I refuse to wear shoes. Not yet. For my ...

Author: Alzo David-West “Inside this suitcase is the dismembered body of a man and one of the tools you used to kill him. Your fingerprints are on it. You must dispose of the suitcase in the Miyamae River in 24 hours, or I will inform the police.” Hosokawa was ...

Author: Majoki The pews were full. Resplendent sunlight coursed through stained glass and lit chiseled stone with undersea warmth. Soaring arches resounded with song, a lifting and longing for connection. One filament. Two. Tendrils, ganglions. Physical connectivity. Hard ...

Author: Steve Smith, Staff Writer There was a door at the end of the Science wing that Malcolm had never opened, not in the decade or so he'd been at the university. He'd assumed it was a mechanical room, or something similar, but tonight there was a light on. Had the door ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer There's a fine line between genius and insanity, they say. As the same pundits keep hailing me as a genius, it's not as flattering as they seem to think. "Mister Elloiuse, could we get a quote for our feature? It would go over so ...

Author: Hillary Lyon Finn took his little sister Hazel by the hand. “Don’t be scared tonight. All those ghoulies and ghosties—they’re really holograms.” Since Holo-Monsters Inc. began selling their hologram monsters to the public, everyone wanted one for their Halloween ...

Author: Dr. Nagireddy R Sreenath The notification appeared at 3:47 AM: FINAL CONSCIOUSNESS BACKUP COMPLETE. Amara stared at her phone, hands trembling. Tomorrow—today, technically—she will undergo the procedure. Her biological brain, riddled with an inoperable tumor, ...

Author: Alicia Cerra Waters The current of the river surged in silvery waves, rushing over rocks jagged enough to turn bones to dust. It roared, quiet as any monster. Anyone could go backwards in time if they were brave enough to jump in with a conduit. I kept telling ...

Author: Alzo David-West Today, my face fell off. It has a habit of doing that sometimes, but it doesn’t really bother me. Have you ever wondered why your face doesn’t fall off? I have a headache once in a while. It comes and goes, so I scratch my temple. That’s usually ...

Author: Majoki His friend Leonard had warned him that Ms. Carraway conducted her business very differently, but he’d insisted she was an extraordinary travel agent. “What has brought you here?” That was a complicated question for Travis Kite. So many things: his ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer Shess comments into the mike. “Are you not bored with blowing stuff up?” Ralf hollers back. “Aw hell no. What else is there to do out here on a weekend?” I hear Shess whisper. “Watch the stars, drink, eat, play Konane…” Far to our ...

Author: Steve Smith, Staff Writer Kurtis woke into near darkness, which itself was unusual. Oh four hundred on the button, his body clock having sync'd to local time when he got here a few days ago. His bloodstream was already coursing with adrenaline and the usual cocktail ...

Author: Philip Ekstrom She walked into the donut shop looking like a daffodil. Yellow blouse, light green slacks, standing straight and tall with a quiet presence that looked the world straight in the face. She stepped aside to let others pass as she scanned the room. Her ...

Author: Richard Simonds John Jorgensen had won. No other word for it. He was the richest, most powerful man in the world. Shares of SuperAI had gone up 500% the day before as they had finally cracked the super intelligence barrier and released the code to the public. What ...

Author: Sandra Meaders Tatiana crept out through the night with a green pack on her back and a gun in her hand. The gun felt heavy and rigid. Her fingers streamed with sweat despite the cold air whipping at her long blond hair. She placed the gun down and pulled out a black knit cap from ...

Author: Alastair Millar “How many victims?” This was the fifth case in under a month, and Commissioner Jones was apparently taking an interest; he’d come down to the scene in person. “Four, sir. Three here, one in the consulting room,” said the keen but clearly nervous ...