Arc 7: Cry Softly

AJ struggled as the faceless H.E.S.P. operatives grabbed him. “We’re the fuckin’ reason people are still alive!” he shouted, voice cracking with emotion.  I raised my hands. “Don’t struggle, AJ. Don’t tell them anything either. Let the grownups handle this.” “Fuckin cops!” “AJ,” I repeated, waiting for him to look at me. “Hey. Will you […]

Throwing aside a chunk of stone, I paused to wipe the sweat from my face using my t-shirt, terribly aware of how badly I needed a shower. It was day three of the aftermath and the water in the house Nell and I were using as home base had stopped working. We had made sure

A tree with reddish bark grew out of earth blackened by fires, as if in defiance of the cold air and the desolate park that it sat in. Its branches held glistening fruit that looked like a cross between a pear and an orange, with a slightly translucent peel. They shone tantalizingly in the sunlight,