A box of saltines… a damn box of saltines wedged in between the fridge and the wall—the one place I hadn’t looked yet. The cupboards held cans I can’t open, bread too stale to choke down, and mouse turds. How did I miss this box of crackers? I bend and snake one wiry arm down to grab it. My chest drops at the empty weight of the cardboard before my brain can catch up. No crackers. Of course not. My stomach decides to mock me just then with a growl. It had been two weeks since Dad came home with a few boxes from the food pantry. I always say…

“Wait up Jodi,”    Grandma called. “I need to fix his shoe!” She bent to slip Jeremy’s sandal back on his tiny foot. “I don’t know why your mom didn’t buy you shoes that fit, kiddo.” Jeremy swayed, standing on one foot while    Grandma tightened the strap. His bright blue eyes scanned the crowd, looking far away like he always seemed to. A sound like the page turning sound in the books Miss Jackson plays for us drifts down the street. Around us, a group of guys in jackets like Dad’s talk loudly to each other. Thick foam runs down their beer mugs and drips on their black motorcycle…

Content Warning: This is a paranormal horror story depicting violence against a child. I didn’t make it graphic, but it’s still enough to warrant a trigger warning. Reader discretion is advised.   I remember everything. A small frog swam through the reeds and disappeared into the viridian green abyss. They say this place hasn’t changed since prehistoric times. I wasn’t alive in the 1800s when the KKK brought people out here for lynchings. Or in the 60s when hippies danced naked here, making love and communing with nature. My only memories of this place as a girl were with Josh. His wild blond hair floated around his sunburned face like…

I shut off my music and savor the cooler’s low hum while zipping up my backpack. Vinegar from the last batch of pasta salad lands bitter in each breath. I wipe the prep counter down one last time, so Les will smell the cleaner when he comes in. It’s time for one last look and a mental audit of my task list. Three batches of pasta salad, made. Swiss, provolone, mild cheddar, and jarlsberg, sliced. Black forest ham, honey smoked turkey, buffalo chicken, prepped. Slicers, cleaned. Just in time for Les to come in and make a mess before the early morning rush. I set the timer on the bagel…

I am the swan-white Crow, the rare blonde, the most beautiful of all the Crows. I stand out amongst my black-haired relatives like a snowflake on obsidian. Like the bird my family is named after, I adapt. I take what I can to survive. The record stops and the needle moves back to the beginning. Chaka Khan starts singing once again about being every woman—my mantra for tonight—even if slightly untrue. My goal when I go out hunting isn’t to be every woman. When I find my mark, I just need to be the woman he wants. I can figure it out in practically no time at all. Does he…

  The feather looked out of place in a pothole behind Fastway—black, but blue under the right light. It fell from the tail of a black bird that caws. Ignoring the moisture on my feet, I take its stem between my teeth. I look around, make sure its owner isn’t coming back for it, and sprint back toward the lair. I am still small enough to fit under the chain link fence behind the store. Under parked cars, between houses, through tall grass, past barking dogs, and a stinky creature with a white stripe—I run without slowing down. There’s no time to stop and chat. I need to take my…

  I scanned the tall shelves, running my fingers over spines, both old and new. The library seems so out of place in a decaying city like Gehenna. Maybe the people who funded it hoped the residents would educate themselves and pull their city out of its decades-long funk. Unfortunately, crime, drugs, and poverty can’t be fixed with books. Two thick volunes rested under my arm; one on demonology, and one on angels—because there are two sides to every story. I tried to remind myself of that the other night when she showed up—this woman I wanted to know, until I saw her. We made eye contact for a second.…