Crazy Eight’s by Joe Myers
I put my size nine in the door and it splits in a shower of particleboard and cocaine residue. There’s two boneheads on the couch and the sight of my blue eye and .38 launches them out of their seats. The first, a big skinhead with a beer gut, gets two in the chest, one […]
The Complete Pinscher by John Weagly
“I need the balls.” “I’m sorry. You need the…” “The balls, the nuts, the testicles.” We were standing in one of Dr. Victor’s examination rooms. Metal table, sink, wood cabinets, pet-sized scale, a box of tissues for when things didn’t turn out well. The air smelled like bleach and sterilization. “We don’t…” Dr. Victor’s eyebrows […]
Baby Boom by Jochem Vandersteen
I’ve always hated hospitals. Saw too many people die in there and ended up too much times up there myself. My work as a bounty hunter frequently makes me end up stabbed, shot or even driven over once. That makes me visit the ER most of the time. This was my first time at the […]
What You Don’t Know by R.J. Spears
Frank was being a little rougher than he had to be, but from what he heard, Block had been a marine once so he didn’t want underestimate the man. He even had two guys as back-up out in the car. He followed up his right cross with a punch to Block’s stomach. Air left Block’s […]
Whatever It Takes by Matthew C. Funk
We dug in the weeds for the body of Baby Dawkins until full moons of dirt opened under our fingernails and our skin wore quilts of sweat. Even traffic cops dug. Amos Dawkins stared through a nailed-shut window. I couldn’t tell if he was looking for his missing daughter or watching to see if we’d […]
Interview: Chris F. Holm
Last week saw the release of Chris F. Holm’s first novel DEAD HARVEST, a multi-genre mash-up that walks the line between Heaven and Hell, literally. With an engaging protagonist, Sam Thornton, attempting to unravel the complexities of a job gone wrong and not get in too deep with the boss, it looks as though Holm […]
Yella Haired Girls by Jim Wilsky
“Not a whole helluva lot of time left Missus Jupe.” Bev waits like she should and then finally turns the key again. The car whines, sputters and coughs twice. She taps the pedal in and out with an even rhythm. Her eyes are closed and she’s gritting her teeth so hard I think she’s gonna […]
Bring It On by Michelle Ann King
Excitement and anxiety feel almost identical to the body, so you might as well tell your brain it’s the former and just say, ‘bring it on.’ Nifty little observation, that. Insightful. It’s not mine, of course — I totally cribbed it from Emily, who’s a dab hand at the whole philosophy thing. But even though […]
It’s Over Now In Saturday’s Asylum by LA Sykes
Saturday night, quarter to twelve, last stop The Rat’s Haven at the top of Market Street opposite the sandstone obelisk. That’s what it’s known as locally. Not it’s real name, obviously. Not rat as in James Cagney either. Rat as in filthy sewer dweller with a tail. A proper dive. The kind of place you […]
Toni by KJ Emslie
“Your old boy will no shaft me again. Must think I’m zipped up at the back.” They’re the first words Dave’s said since I picked them up. “What are you going to do with me? You hurt me, he’ll come after you. He’ll fucking kill you,” Toni says. “Don’t worry, princess, you’re safe with us. […]
Infrared Dead by Rob Kitchin
‘This is where it starts to get interesting. You’ll like this bit,’ Jimmy Kiley said, staring at the flat screen television. Maureen Bailey glanced over at him. She’d been on edge ever since he’d bustled unexpectedly into the house with two of his men. Kiley had a well earned reputation as a calm, collected psychopath […]
Spare Change by Don Lafferty
Mom was high on Percs or something when she told me about one of my father’s stashes of cash. “Daddy has two bags of quarters in here,” she motioned to a large Tupperware container in the middle of a stack of identical containers that went from floor to ceiling in their unused bedroom. “I think […]
