by Catherine Yeates Steam poured off the seared edges of the columns that littered the temple floor. Brother Anselzar stepped carefully through the wreckage, his long robes trailing over the rubble. The light of a dim and cloudy sky filtered onto the broken altar. Behind it, the obsidian statue of
by Christopher Degni Bramblethwaite hadn’t expected the Chosen One to be so… greasy, but Chosen Ones came in all forms. He’d consulted the Oracle of Amatar multiple times; there was no chance of error. This young man holding a bag of Fritos in one hand and a Switch
by Elijah J. Mears I don’t know how long I’ve been looking for a way out—it feels wasteful to count the seconds here, at the end of time. But I know it must be there. In the depths of my heart, I know that you wouldn’t
by Cody Schell ART of the Solar System celebrates one year!
by Jo Berry Could I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art the summer and the day incarnate. Thy winds summon forth the herald aurorae And all worlds hail thy golden coruscate ate ate ate [—ate—] [—later, okay? I’m still trying to run this diagnostic. And can
by Jacob Baugher She comes back to the Carousel House in the blue evening, solitary on the Carolina seaside. Her black Samsonite makes looping tracks on the cold beach, dragging sand across the house’s threshold. She stays here sometimes when she needs refuge, pretends to be one with the
by R. K. Duncan Content warnings: Eugenics, infanticide, forced abortion, forced sterilization, torture. All exhibits marked CONFIDENTIAL URGENT ATTN: Diplomatic Committee; Ad-Hoc Sub-Committee for Generation Ship Response, Convened 344 AF, Planetary Commune of Jardin Exhibit 1: Statement of Abraham Helmangel, Captain, Glory of Falling Stars. Inclusion challenged; not to be
by Cody Schell
by Kara Dennison “There’s a difference,” said Dr. Burns, “between something being unkillable and something being unable to die.” I turned my eyes back toward the lozenge-shaped airplane window, keen to move us to something less existential. “Speaking of unkillable,” I segued, “they’ve come a long way in
by Liam Hogan The orchard was merely a hundred trees. A hundred and twenty, counting the malus sylvestris—crab apples—that fringed the sides. “Why so many?” I asked, shivering in the February cold. Old crones made hedgerow jelly from the stunted apples, despite the wince-inducing tartness, despite their size,
by Gull Ditta The villagers called her Mehnaz, a name borrowed from the river that refused to keep her. She knew herself as a sequence of sensations: the prickle of dry earth between her toes, the pressure of a monsoon cloud, the shimmer of starlight caught in a still pond.
by Cody Schell
Andrew Kozma
by Andrew Kozma I did not want to be attending the living memorial service for my mother, but there I was, the spiritual officer’s voice droning on like a TV left on in another room. My mother was in a coma, kept on life support for only pennies on
Jetse de Vries
by Jetse de Vries Research nano-swarm employed: spread evenly across the globe; Finding: uttermost majority of civilization’s remnants are on land (remnants at sea bottom are mainly transport vessels); Second nano-swarm employed: aimed at most promising remnant sites; Check: tools, appendages, and similar appliances; Filter out: those used for
Larry Hodges
by Larry Hodges SCENE 1 “Honey, should we kill the children today?” Frieda asks. “Sure,” I say. “Why not?” My lovely wife is so cute when she talks murder. “Please don’t kill us!” cries Little Sammy. He cowers on the sofa with Baby Tammy, who slobbers like a broken
Jayde Holmes
by Jayde Holmes Now all the People of Earth were connected and prosperous, so they said to each other, “Come, let us send out probes and map the heavens.” They built the fastest ever propulsion systems and entwined-particle instantaneous communication devices, so they could uncover wonders within the lifetime of
Cody Schell
by Cody Schell
Alistair Robinson
by Alistair Robinson The content of this piece has been removed and cannot be recovered. The Government’s Advanced Countermeasures system requires all forms of content, whether electronic or physical, to conform with our counter-extremism strategy—including content originally produced in areas outside of the Government’s jurisdiction. Content refers
Floyd Largent
by Floyd Largent You'd think a superhero wouldn't have any trouble making a living, but since my Breakthrough, I've barely been getting by. My folks, who are proud of my new status, are happy to lend me money between bounties, which is how I
Steven Mathes
by Steven Mathes It may seem like an obvious detail, but nobody on our team caught it. We planned. We imagined uncertainties about pathogens, toxins, hostile predators, and historical facts of human violence. We knew it would require unspeakable amounts of energy. Therefore, I was armored in something halfway between
Jennifer Lesh Fleck
by Jennifer Lesh Fleck Circus-striped streamers dazzle my handlebars. My leatherette seat wears printed roses and flourishes, like a Western saddle. I’m pretty, parked alongside my brothers and sisters. My factory paint has glitter in the pink, swirling like cosmic dust. The village outside hunkers under June gloom, the
Cody Schell
by Cody Schell
Justin Dill
by Justin Dill For the fourteenth day, eggs fall from the sky. Always eggs, and mine, always scrambled. Never over easy. Never over. Never easy. Mother makes omelets for breakfast, for the fourteenth time. Fourteen quiche lunches. Fourteen egg salad suppers. Meringue for dessert. I skip that first. And then
Mark Szasz
by Mark Szasz “Mm-hm, mm-hm… No doubt about it. You’ve got a troll under your dental bridge,” Dr. Gruff agreed, narrowing his gaze. The beam from his dental headlight shone on two tiny shining eyes in my mouth, each reflecting in his spectacles and glowering at me. A gigantic