“The Surrender” by John Jeremiah

I had talked myself into a luxurious three-bedroom apartment in a classic Tudor building in Jersey City. It was 1969. Back then, a suit and a little grooming would suffice if accompanied by a few months’ rent . . .

“Daddy Bats is Not Coming to Save You” by Justin Haynes

Daddy Bats lives with you in a one-bedroom flat in Belmont—until today. This morning, Daddy Bats flicks the cold from the corners of your eyes, and just after Radio Trinidad announces the day’s deaths, he marches you between lively trucks and horn-blowing super saloons up the hill to the orphanage.

“Don’t worry, son,” Daddy Bats says as he kneels before you. “Is only for a few days. Then I will save you . . .”

“Heliotrope.” by Jake Falls

I used to photograph the ruin. The historic Packard Plant had become my forty-acre inspiration in the heart of Detroit. What was once the grandest and most industrious automotive facility of the early twentieth century had corroded into a sprawling wasteland, and I captured it all through my camera lens . . .

“Guatemala Kill Pit” by Tom Leins

We drove as far as we could and abandoned the car when the gas ran out . . .

“El Silbón” by Montague Kobbé

It was all because of the squeal of the windshield wiper. Not the rumbling racket it made as it stammered back along the pane. No, that wasn’t so bad. But the squeal on the way down—shrill, insistent, bleak. Who could stand that shit? . . .

“Hard Knox” by Don LaPlant

The guy’s Craigslist ad was exactly what I was hoping to find that night . . .

“Charon” by Paul Renault

This happened at the Market Street garage . . .

“Careful what you wish for” by Barbara Jenkins

Hark!

When the First People found her sparse remains, Karinya’s body had already entered the Eternal Circle of Life, her spirit as free as the corbeaux circling overhead.

Wait. It’s chilly here. Let me get more comfortable . . .