by Kenneth Clay
THE PAST ROSA DELGADO “Rosa!” Paul barked from inside his office. She sat up and peered forward. “What’s up?” “There’s domestic dispute on Thompson. Can you handle it?” Immediately, she began grabbing her things. “Yeah, I sure can.” “The address is 2032.”...
by Kenneth Clay
The ambulances arrived quickly, and so did Paul. I stood under the overhang, smoking a cigarette with a ghastly look on my face. Like a long shadow was covering me. I didn’t get it. Did reality just glitch? Was I schizophrenic? I had to be crazy. So when Paul...
by Kenneth Clay
James fell asleep as soon we got in the car. He laid his head against the window and snored, while a blonde lock of hair dangled in his mouth. The moon was bright tonight, a shimmering crescent. And the stars weaved their patterns through the sky. I took a right and...
by Kenneth Clay
We stood outside the bar after it had closed, too drunk to drive. The only car in the parking lot was our own own. Around it, was the midnight chirping of crickets. Just behind a thin layer of fog was the illuminating moon. Around it, was a bay of stars. James sat...
by Kenneth Clay
I stomped my cigarette out. We had pulled into the bar and found it to be an utter wasteland. Come to think of it, everything in this town was an utter wasteland. Thirty-five-thousand people and yet there were still ghosts. The highway on ramp was just down the...
by Kenneth Clay
My eyes glazed over as I drifted on the way to Birdland. Something about this Podunk desert town made me sleepy. Most of it was just empty space. Vast mountains. Rolling hills. And up in the sky, surrounded by shades of indigo, a thin moon hung. It was evening. I had...
by Kenneth Clay
Chaos in Beldad. Dogs leaping from their picket-white cages to chase after the sirens. Heads turning. Us, slowly coursing down the street like authorial blood flow. It was simple. We were meeting Justin in his own homeland. Paul and James were in the car ahead of us....
by Kenneth Clay
THE PRESENT “She said it was Satan.” Paul added. “Did she see where he ran off to? I mean, if we trace his footsteps that’ll lead us right to him. I assume this town has traffic cameras, correct?” I said. James perked up. “All we’d need is just a map of...
by Kenneth Clay
THE PRESENT (OR PAST, WHATEVER YOU LIKE) It was now three-in-the-afternoon. A week before, I had got a call from my boss, telling me to go down to Arizona for a job. Another murder case. No problem, I had solved them before and I would continue to do so. So I packed...
by Kenneth Clay
THE FUTURE “Wake up, Mr. Sander.” “Wake up…” “Wake up now…” I opened my eyes and softly rose up. There was no light inside this room, save for a television playing nothing but static. In between the lines, I saw faces staring back at me. And...
