There was an ocean of mud and the whole squad were up to their necks in it, moving slowly, holding their M16s above their heads. It was slow going. It had been funny at first but now they were hours into it with no end in sight. Mike had a nagging hope that he would be taken out by the enemy so he wouldn’t have to bear the weight of his gun anymore. Whenever he heard the distant beating of a helicopter he would scrunch up his face and concentrate really hard, trying to beckon them over mentally. He had never had any luck making things happen with his mind but it didn’t stop him from trying. He’d tried it back in Florida with girls. Worked about as well on girls as it did with enemy choppers.

Continue reading →

Edison was alone in his high-rise tapping away on his laptop. His schedule was open but he found things to do and the hours melted away as the sun changed its position. Walking back from the kitchen with a glass of water in his hand he distinctly heard his gun talking to him, from inside one of the drawers of the small cabinet. It was muffled but he heard it say “pick me up” in a little tinny voice. His wife had always cautioned against guns, as his mother had. Now they were both gone but the gun was still here. For now he ignored it and went back to tweaking his website. But a little later he was returning from the bathroom and the gun got louder, “Come on, Edison. Yoo-hoo!” Continue reading →

Sam sat in the train compartment, wearing a pale hat and suit, his case on the seat beside him. The train jostled rhythmically as he watched the little villages go by outside the window. The ticket-taker had already come through and he was alone for now. He opened the case and took out a bottle of wine. He unscrewed the cap and set it on the little shelf to let it breathe, his hand beside it in case it chose to topple over.

Continue reading →