Hair: An Ode To The First Cut

"...will it grow back...?" a soft voice called from the illuminated hall behind the couch. Their caretaker snapped awake, the muted television and dropped phone still running a mobile game the reminder of what happened a mere hour ago.  They sat up, looking over the back of the couch, staring at the small, sniffling figure …

Bitter

The fog had settled, the wetness making the fire seem smeared and streaky, even at only a few feet away. The sky was dark now, no stars shone through the bare treetops, the black smoke lazily drifted from the north to the south, from the east to the west. "Mm, I remember when days like …

The Guest

She didn't leave after six moon turns, her face growing more and more beautiful as the sun rose and gently rubbed her face with rays in the mornings.  In the afternoons, she would sweat with the other men, making herself useful to the tribe that she wandered in to. The first week, she was tied …

My Mother’s Chain

Izirho stared out at the many lights in the bay, their feet only inches from the lazy waves coming ashore.  T'rax sat on a thick piece of driftwood, eating again, chicken grease running down their fingers. "You gonna try that shit again, eh?" they asked in between bites. Izirho shrugged.  "It wouldn't exactly hurt me," …

Your Mother’s Bounty

"Move 2 degrees to your right... half a degree down.  Do you see it?" The sights adjusted slightly, the dark autumn eye of the gunman focusing in on their target, the glow of the dim yellow ring around their iris almost shutting down as they zoomed into the corner of an e-advert. "Spotted." "Fire." The …

Sink

The hunt for her went on for weeks. She cradled a small bundle in her arms, the neon lights casting shadows, playing tricks with her eyes. Everywhere she turned, Marl's Maw seemed to be there. Last week, she thought she saw The Lovers, but it was only a billboard. She stole food from grocery stores, …

The Aged Cell

The ride to Rudia, the now-defunct prison planet thanks to Mack, would take months to get to and another three days to find the entrance to the prison's actual entrance among the seemingly neverending dust storms.  Anxiety started to settle into Mack as time grew closer to landing. Mack sat in their chair, watching the …

Horde

The red dirt hadn't seen rain in months.  Boots kicked up dust. "You haven't said anything in a while." "...I'm fine..." They walked past the groaning dead with no fanfare. The farm fell apart weeks ago, two of the group were eaten alive.  Spring had arrived, but no rain had fallen.  Climate changed really fucked …

The Betrayal

Mack paced the cargo hold, trying to relax from the adrenaline rush.  One of Rihal's MedBay's grabbed Mack by the shoulder and sat them down, scanning them. "Thank you, MedBay, because I was just going to deck them, to be honest," Rihal said, drying their hands off with a towel and tossing it on his …

The Chase

Zahari sat at her computer as the doctor tried to calm Mack down.  Mack's whole body was shaking. "Rihal should be here in a few hours," Zahari said, watching Mack with concern. "Curious that they decided to hang around so close," Dr. Mishka said, placing a hand on Mack's back. Zahari was pulling up information …