by Tracy Davidson They’d always liked Imogen’s displays in women’s fashion. They’d especially liked her tasteful Black Friday arrangement of plus-sized women’s clothing. So she was shocked when her boss, Marcy, told her they were eliminating the visual display artist position. She’d been upset, of course, but, being a professional, she’d committed to creating one […]
by Jonathan Tolstedt They’d always liked Imogen’s displays in women’s fashion. They’d especially liked her tasteful Black Friday arrangement of plus-sized women’s clothing. So she was shocked when her boss, Marcy, told her they were eliminating the visual display artist position. She’d been upset, of course, but, being a professional, she’d committed to creating one […]
by Streeper Clyne Kammi dragged her torso across the marble-tiled floor towards her legs in the pantyhose aisle as a distant clock struck six a.m. Her plastic arms, articulating at the shoulders, clacked out the methodical rhythm of her agonising journey. Tonight, she’d end the relentless pain, the ghosts of missing limbs she’d suffered since […]
by Suzanne Link My wooden limbs twist around articulated joints. Runner: sprinting Archer: aiming Ballerina: pirouetting The artist explores eloquent athletic poses. Sketch after sketch. I am proud to serve as his muse. Until his tone shifts. Juvenile: dabbing Pervert: self-pleasuring Nazi: goose-stepping He cackles as his artistic loftiness yields to […]
by Evan Baughfman Days ago, the alien Hunter sent a distress call to his homeworld, but his plea remains unanswered. Crash landing in this terrain—a harrowing ordeal. The Amazon’s endless heat and humidity overwhelm the Hunter’s vision, his thermal imaging. Panicking through an unwelcoming environment, he stumbles across cold-blooded foes. Vipers. Anacondas. Caimans. Retreating from […]
by Jaime Gill You could scream again. Your lungs are still moving, after all. Just. But there are no humans nearby, only beasts. You’d scream anyway, if your limbs still worked and you could run or fight. But only your lungs and heart are moving now. Your pinned eyes watch nature’s cruel, ceaseless carnival. A […]
by Kristin Lennox No one believed it existed. After three seasons of “Cryptid Quest,” we could stretch strange noises and unexplained heat signatures into hour-long episodes; no actual creature required. But that stench—not even my producer could have faked it. Then the howl that echoed through the Amazonian canopy… The upside? I have Pulitzer-prize-winning footage, […]
by Bridget Holland Leanna hunkers in the torn-off tail of the plane, watching the afternoon downpour fill her plastic containers. She peels foil from one of the remaining meals. Larvae move. So hungry. “Protein.” She forces herself to swallow. Raindrops pound the fuselage. Vines with blood-red flowers twine over the jungle floor, over bumps which […]
by C.A. Fulwell When Keoki lost the client in the jungle mist, he feared for his reputation, his business. That was hours ago, in daylight. Dog-tired, he hunted for the clumsy, rich, white woman playing Lara Croft, with perfect teeth and $300 nails. Piercing cackles from the dark triggered goosebumps on his arms. Laughing gulls—noisy […]
by Jonathan Worlde Damp ferns conceal my position. The relentless beast draws nearer, but I’m not defeated that easily. I must survive for the sake of my unborn. This creature is gigantic, but I can play that against it. I have stealth on my side. The early jungle mist provides cover. When it passes by […]