The energy-opaque bubble triggered to protect us from the primary plasma and secondary thermobaric shockwaves from the orbital strike, the same hazards raising the projected casualty rate in the concourse to around ninety-five percent.

I reached into th…

Klaxons. Klaxons everywhere. Truly this was it.

The building convulsed. It wasn't supposed to be like this. We were supposed to fight back, to win against all odds. Where was the indomitable human spirit now? Running for their lives. Nothing had prepared…

Of course there are many who fear and hate Jason Voorhees, the masked killer from Crystal Lake; he brought many to misery and worse. It's only natural.

However, there are also fans who consider Voorhees a jolly good fellow--an opinion that, they feel, nob…

"You need to leave. Now."

He was pissed. I'm sure my laughing at what he said didn't help.

"Excuse me?" I asked. "I need to leave? This is my house, you son of a bitch!" I wasn't any happier about the situation than he was.

He actually had the go…

I scroll the scroll-wheel-

I click the cursor-

I press the arrow keys-

I turn up the display brightness-

I turn down the speakers-

I turn off the lights-

I turn on the second monitor-

I prepare to look at my screen for another hour.-

Communism really only works on paper. Don’t try to use Communism with plastic, wood, metal, or glossy paint surfaces. Communism is not engineered to be compatible with Windows 3.1 or later, or Mac OS 8.6. However, some Communism might work on your Vectrex…

The thing about it is that it's unpredictable. Some days you feel good, and some days you don't. Some days you feel like cooking a three course meal and staying up all night baking cookies. Other days it's all you can do to survive the work day. You c…

You want love and presents and sweets

Swords of imagination

and Me to appreciate your deeds

All these I can do if you just come with me

My sky-castle is proof against the pain

with warm hugs and stair slides when it rains

fire-warmed chocolate, and the b…

Ada stood on the surface of the moon and stared back at her home planet. Perimeter drones circled overhead, filling the air with the constant hum of their engines.

Over a year had passed since the relocations began. No signs were forthcoming that they …

"What?"

"Look, how can I make it any clearer? You died and we had to save you another way."

"Oh no. No, no, this isn't what I -"

A hazardous internal state has been detected and the image has been shut down to prevent further damage.

I sighed and to…

She moved through the crowd deliberately, puddles overflowing around the soles of her boots as she took each step, water streaking behind her in long broken lines. Compared to the hurried activity of the people around her, she looked like she was moving i…

Tea with honey and lemon

A steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup

A cough as I choke down some cold syrup

A warm blanket with an equally warm cat atop it

The remote's within reach

An excuse to be lazy and watch tv

You know, being sick is kind of nice

Besi…

Tory drew a line in the sand that covered the table. What a filthy restaurant. Don't go.

"It's like this, Connie," she began. And then she continued. "Like this." she went on, adding nothing to the sentence that had gone before. "Just listen to this," she…

You settle your stance once again, balancing the heavy extinguisher on your shoulder, which is getting sore. You wham it into the weaker part of the window even harder than before.

The good news is that the window pane drops out of the frame. It's all ove…

Chains, heavy ones from the sound of it, rattled in the basement, undercut by heavy snuffling. I didn't want to go down there but it was the one place we hadn't checked. My imagination conjured horrible beasts and wicked demons in that awful place.

Behin…

Each person of sound mind is fully responsible for their actions at all times. What then defines a sound mind? Is it the--

A gentle knock of metal on metal broke my concentration. Charles stood on the other side of the bars, telescoping baton in hand.

…

I found myself momentarily unable to move. This was not a sensation I had experienced before, and it startled me in a way that I am still unable to fully articulate.

My faculties rebooted. Clarity, Zeiss-ground crystalline, instantaneously regained. Secon…

As was his custom, Orthael watched the life of Trien go about before him while he thought about Malika's questions. The baker haggled with a farmer for a box of vegetables, a thatcher pushed a cart of straw and ladders past them, and at the edge of his vi…

The smoke is making you a bit dizzy, but you manage to stick the landing. You resist the somewhat manic urge to do a flourish and bow to the gymnastics judges' panel. You carefully grip the edge of the window frame and look down to see what is beneath you…

You let loose a wild yell of fear and bravado, hurtling through the air as if in slow motion. You can hear your the crackling flames, the sound of what might be a collapsing wall, and ... what is that? Your scream sounds as if it's in harmony. It startles…

It had all been a fantasy, a fever dream of sorts, the kind that lasts for a year. I had truly believed he could love me back the way I loved him.

First, the straw man, or men, of which there were many. I'd convinced myself that his little girlfriend wa…

The snapchat photos flew past. My friend Drew transformed from adorable young man to fierce woman one snap at a time. He posed with several dresses. I was thankful he didn't do the duckface.

How easy is it to transform yourself? In a matter of hours he w…

After the service was over, Orthael sat next to the swordmaiden on the grass and looked out into an overcast morn. He waited a while in silence, but in the end he broke it with a sigh.

"Varenniel's Candle should be lit, swordmaiden, but it sputtered when…

Orthael was pleased by the turnout. A few parishioners had come to introduce themselves and give their requests before the start, which he had made careful note of. Herrin had done well with the reading, and then he asked the collected faithful to bow the…

My heart's been touched by many a gentle word

Of kindness and acceptance. Gentle folks

Have hastened to my aid, all undeterred

When I've had trouble; they've been strong as oaks

When I've been both exhausted, frail, and grieving.

To all my patient pals…