Burn the House by Jessica Walker

Morning air caresses her skin, Brushes the shoulders, Tugs the curls. Breezy twin kisses become flint stones That slide and strike, slowly at first. Quicker, harsher now To build the barrier she never had before But that grew—step by step, Flicker by flicker—until she couldn’t see herself Anymore. A heartbeat there, a gasp here. Bodily […]

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Ashes by Emily Ward

Charles wasn’t meant to take the files on Mrs. Conway’s insurance claim out of the office, but he did it anyway. He tucked them into his briefcase and kept an eye on their manila edge as he sucked at a chocolate malt in that drugstore down on 49th. He was supposed to catch the 5:40, […]

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