Author: Rachel Sievers Grabbing the rolled-up paper she batted the animal on the nose. Sighing with frustration she turned to her neighbor, “these humans are so cute when they are little but they are such a pain when they get older.” “That’s why we get them as pets when ...

Author: David Henson She’s dead. She can’t be dead. And quite talking to yourself. I thought you, I, we … got passed that. Stress, like from killing someone, resurrects bad habits. She was never really alive. Not in a human sense. But in an android sense, she ...

Author: Sakib Shahriar Thanatology was a hotly-disputed conceptual art movement from the moment of its inception. Artists who identified themselves with the movement often explored feelings and sensations of death and decay, whether through paintings and visual art, ...

Author: Alex Valdiers “Where did you get these fruits? They look… magnificent.” “They are.” Marec slices the cantaloupe and takes a bite. “I got them from Belmondo.” “The actor?” “Yeah. He works at the local grocery store.” Marec takes a bit and talks with his mouth ...

Author: Hari Navarro, Staff Writer The Module. Mount Taranaki Crater Radar Observatory. Now. We don't have any costumes. We don't have any anything, just get your bits of shit in place. Wear what you must. Our hours are now, but minutes. I’m an ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer “Good evening, folks. Takes a bit of getting used to, doesn’t it? Curtains open, then the being on stage bows and walks off, leaving only an item of clothing.” “Hi, it’s me. Yes, Gladia in Seat 9K, I’m ‘for real’. That detector your ...

Author: Jeremy Nathan Marks I jumped off the boxcar just in time because one of the bo chasers was slinging his matraque and almost cracked my dome. But it was my town, Simcoe, and I was home. For once I actually had a purse, enough for a cup of joe and a dog, so I found ...

Author: John Overwood Mr. Smith slinks slowly into his seat. His eyes dart around the room, bulging slightly. His demeanor is awkward, his shoulders bunch together making him look small and compact. His hands are neatly folded into each other on top of his lap – strange how ...

Author: Alexander Condie A long time ago, when the vertical world was full of water and wonder, I lived in a city. A city perched above an endless void, made of white ore, and sustained by a God that lived above us. Though we do not remember exactly how we got there, and ...

Author: Shelly Jones Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of a Kin Intermediary Device. Your KID is designed to fill the void when your child leaves home. KID is proven to prevent the loneliness and existential despair of empty nest syndrome. 1) Make sure your ...

Author: David Barber Insect morals, insect politics, insect Hamlet. Some notions do not translate well. Jomo had hired a theatre for the Jirt Princess. She, her human guide and her security swarm would be the only audience. They had to walk a short distance as there ...

Author: Hari Navarro, Staff Writer A man far younger than his face sits in mist heavy clothes beneath the pulse of a cash-machine and asks you if what I am saying is a science fiction story or not? It’s not. It’s not. Rest easy. Science and fiction have not but one ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer The man makes his way down the street with care. It’s the care of old age, where a misstep could lead to a fall. As I get closer, I see it’s also wariness. This man doesn’t trust the things about him. Up close, I see he’s not that old. He ...

Author: Mina Rozario I am lying on a sandy beach nestled somewhere in the arm of a spiral galaxy. Myriad stars loom above, mocking. /Always moping/, I hear Rania’s voice echo. /As if it’s that bad being the last human in existence—look at all the space you now ...

Author: Ruby Zehnder Dord was burning at both ends. "Quit flaming so much," his mother warned. "You're gonna go solid." Dord ignored her. He was young and full of energy. And besides, this whole solid thing. It was just something old flamers made up to scare the ...

Author: Riley Meachem The day I finally had enough of it all, I hiked with my rifle all the way to the old amusement park, shooting any of the slow-creatures I encountered. By this point, their faces had mostly been subsumed by the spores, so it was easy to separate them ...

Author: Shelly Jones It had been easy to crush the pills, sprinkling them over his pasta like parmesan. She had been surprised how easy: that he hadn’t noticed, that she felt nothing as he nodded off after dinner, collapsing on the couch, eyelids heavy, muscles limp. Still, ...

Author: Cesium The stone fell to earth some distance west of the city, in the grassy valley of a stream running between two hills, and it remained undiscovered for several days. Once news had filtered up to the university, an expedition was dispatched to investigate the ...