Darcy grasped the envelope in one hand, carefully analyzing the handwriting on the front. Her address was printed neatly in dark blue ink, but there was no return address. The handwriting looked familiar, but she couldn’t place it. Along the borders of the envelope ran vines of ivy, leaves reaching out to the edges, an adornment she’d only seen on stationary in little boutiques she used to venture...

Jerry grabbed the old couch cushion by the corner and flipped it up into the air. It turned over twice, then landed on the floor next to the others.

“Dammit!”

She thrust her head back, took a deep breath and closed her eyes: “Where, where, where…” She whispered in a breathy voice as she tried to materialize the location of the lipstick in her mind. She could see the black case with gold accents...

She slid silently through the front door, inching it shut behind her. Her eyes fell on the row of hooks nailed to the wall next to the door, then she looked down at the keys in her hand.

Hers was the only empty hook.

There were four hooks on the plaque that read, ‘Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.’ Each of the hooks was labeled with a name above it:...

Branches flew at his face smacking against his skin, one after the other. The hand he held up as a shield did little to stop their assault. His face was stinging, but he didn’t dare slow. The thickness of the night was making it difficult to see in this dense patch of woods. Mike listened for signs that he was being followed, but the only noise was the sound of his own heavy breathing and footfal...

I held my eyes shut: tight.

‘Don’t open them, don’t open them.’

I begged myself to hold them shut.

It was so hard because I knew what was out there.

I could see it in my mind!

Huddled in the corner, I remained frozen, still, and unblinking. Breathing slowly and uniformly in, then out. I couldn’t hold my breath. I had to keep on breathing. I knew I could fight it. I’d done it before.

Suddenly...

Pregnant drops of rain plopped onto the sliding door, bursting one by one against the glass.

Marcy was curled up in her recliner with Rufus, reading a new book, a glass of wine nestled close by.

There was nothing more relaxing than a summer storm.

Her peace was momentarily interrupted by an alert from her phone on the table beside her. Glancing at the screen she read, ‘tornado warning for the S...

“Look, officer, I don’t know what else to tell you. I’ve literally been here all night and I’ve told the story a dozen times. Shouldn't someone be out looking for this guy? Or for the woman? The, the woman from the metro station.” I flung my hands up in a gesture of frustration and confusion, then plopped my elbows on the table and buried my head in my hands.

“Yes, ma’am. I understand that you’re...

Trigger Warning: Infant Loss

Her eyes opened slowly, unfocused and groggy.

She couldn't remember where she was or how she’d gotten here. The room slowly came into focus as she climbed out of her tunnel of darkness.

A hazy, early morning light filtered in through the window: not her bedroom window.

She looked across her body to a small table elbowed over the foot of her bed. Atop the table was...

Officer Hannover pulled up right behind the white Jeep and clicked off his flashing lights, as well as the headlights on the cruiser. The only light now was emanating from the Jeep’s front end. He would handle that in a moment. He’d done this dozens of times.

Grabbing the large mag light from the passenger side of the car he pulled the door latch and got out.

As Hannover walked up to the Jeep he...