Short, Fast, and Deadly

Short, Fast, and Deadly
Issue Thirteen
Edited by Joseph A. W. Quintela
7 March 2010

Featuring:
M. R. Carter
Jarrid Deaton
Damien Walters Grintalis
Kaolin Imago Fire
Robert Laughlin
Parker Tettleton

Copyright © 2010 by Individual Authors
All Rights Reserved

The Angels Came to Save Us

The angels came to save us. They stopped the wars, aggression, jealousy, ill-will. God is merciful, they said, God is kind. God is tired of your killing. Both sides prayed for peace; both sides prayed for victory. There's peace, but who won? We all pray for freedom now, and the angels are beginning to grumble.

by Kaolin Imago Fire of Acton

A Traditional Ghost Story, Twitterized

The door of the haunted house swung fast. "We're trapped!" he said. "You're trapped," she said. She walked out, through the door panel.

by Robert Laughlin of Chico

The Self is Mine

I snap my head sideways and start to bite my right bicep. I stop. A string of spit connects my mouth to my arm. I remember vomiting Sugar Smacks on the door of my homeroom in middle school. I blame the string of spit for connecting my brain to a bad memory. I blame my bicep for being so close. I immediately forgive them and wipe away the spit so I can wonder about the things my body doesn't understand.

by Jarrid Deaton of Hueysville

Everyone Looks Better

In the dark. A dimming
shade never displays
the tears that shine in
the realm of the light.

by M. R. Carter of Hagerstown

A Kid Bicycling on TV

Some people need to die to feel excited. My neighbor, Rose, plants lawn gnomes. Her husband’s daughter’s girl is in the window. On the mantle. Pouring lemonade ice cubes down Pop’s throat. There’s a kid bicycling on TV. His eyes meet mine and Pop’s then Pop’s chest on the beagle, Minute Maid dripping down his smile.

 
by Parker Tettleton of Woodstock

Poe's Grave - January 19, 2010

I wait in the shadows. My heart keeps time, hidden under layers of wool and cotton and flesh instead of dusty floorboards. He’ll come bearing three roses and a bottle of Cognac, with a scarf wrapped round his face. Last year I fell asleep. When I awoke, he’d already come and gone. The bottle glittering in the moonlight, the roses blooming bloody petals, and two inkspot eyes reflecting my disappointment.

by Damien Walters Grintalis of Towson

Updates to the Void

God. Don't want to think any further out than that.
1 minute ago

Jen, guess we're canceling lunch.
2 minutes ago

The lack of updates is really unnerving!
30 minutes ago

Hope some of you are okay. Just away from wireless or something?

45 minutes ago

Still trapped in the elevator. News is the world’s dying, but you know that. It's only been 30 minutes since the last update on my wall, but I miss you. I miss you all.

1 hour ago

by Kaolin Imago Fire of Acton