by Devon E. Hayes

“Ash and ember, the crumbling pieces of his forest falling all around him. Stumps burnt black and molehills rendered flat. Bodies strewn across the field, men and beast and women and children. He counted them out individually.”

by Joe Baumann

“ Esme does not share much of herself with him anymore, nothing beyond the day-to-day stuff: work (boring), rugby practice (sweaty, boring), going to trivia nights at bars two nights a week (Tuesdays: fun; Saturdays: sweaty, boring).  The deeper stuff, though, Dallas is no longer privy to.”

by Megan Harris

“Across town, a ruined boy and his ruined mother awaited trial. A few miles away, the parents of the murdered girl lay sleepless, reaching for comfort. Please, please, please.”

by Lindsay Fiore

“Couples screamed through paper-thin walls, then walked outside smiling.  But her, she stayed the same.”

by Madeline Stratford

“She stared at me. Trees standing tall behind her. ‘ see bright colors, Matty. They live in trees.’”

by Shayna Cristy-Mendez

“Don tells me the discomfort is natural — And when all his empty platitudes dissolve into little snores, like bees buzzing in my ears, I still think about taking a knife to the discomfort and slicing it out of me.”

by Matthew Landers

“His passing needed to be peaceful and now she hoped her visit would include that measure of peace. The cost was the only question.”