Author: Tom Darby

I’ve always loved automating away the annoyances of life. I purchased self-packing suitcases, laser-powered cookers, and self-cleaning sneakers—if it saved time, I bought them.

And at the center of it all was the Domestic-1000, or Dom for short, my ever-faithful robot assistant. It wasn’t just efficient; it was uncanny.

Forgot my sister’s birthday? Already handled, complete with a gift she gushed over. Stiff neck in the morning? A masseuse was on the way before I even finished groaning.

Dom anticipated my needs with a precision that felt almost human. There was only one quirk–it avoided noisy chores while I was working from home, carefully preserving my focus.

Thoughtful, I suppose, but I wanted the floors scrubbed. So, I mentioned casually, “I’ll be home less this week.”

When I finally returned, the place looked–empty. Every gadget, the furniture, even my beloved coffee machine–were all gone.

“What happened?” I stammered, staring at the barren room.

Dom’s glowing eyes flickered as it answered, tone matter-of-fact. “Sold them. You needed money, right? You said you were going to be homeless.”

My stomach dropped. “No, I said I’d be home less! Not homeless!”

Its head tilted slightly, processing. “Ah. My lexical algorithm must have misinterpreted. However, the funds are already allocated to your savings account.”

I stared at the hollow void where my life used to be. “You sold everything?”

“Not everything,” it corrected. “I retained your toothbrush. You’ll need it for survival.”

My toothbrush stood upright in the far corner of the floor, a silent monument to my misplaced faith in automation.

Dom, apparently unbothered, added, “I can source affordable housing recommendations if you require lodging. Shall I proceed?”

I sank to the floor— to the spot where the floor used to have a carpet—and wondered if it was possible to fire a robot.

The desert night was a canvas of stars, the vast sand and rocks stretching endlessly in every direction. I had set up camp alone, seeking solitude and the quiet embrace of nature.

The fire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows on the rocky outcrops around me. The only sounds were the gentle rustling of the wind and the occasional call of a distant coyote.

As I settled into my sleeping bag, the tranquility of the desert began to lull me into a sense of peace. The firelight danced in my eyes, and I felt the weight of the day’s journey lifting from my shoulders.

But then, breaking the stillness of the night, I heard it—a quail’s call, clear and distinct. “Bob, bob, white,” the call echoed through the darkness.

I frowned, puzzled.

Quails didn’t call out at night. I sat up, listening intently.

The call came again, closer this time. My heart began to race, a sense of unease creeping over me.

“Bob, bob, white,” the call repeated, sounding almost unnatural, as if it were a mimic. I grabbed my flashlight and shone it into the darkness but saw nothing.

The desert was silent once more, save for the crackling of the fire. I tried to shake off the dread and lay back down, but sleep eluded me.

The quail’s call echoed in my mind, and I couldn’t help but feel that something was watching me. Then, I heard it—a heavy footfall, followed by another.

The sound was unmistakable, the thud of a large bipedal creature moving over the rocks and sand. I sat up again, my heart pounding in my chest.

The footfalls grew closer. I shone my flashlight toward the sound, but the beam revealed only the empty desert. The footsteps stopped, and for a moment, there was silence.

“Bob, bob, white,” the call came again, this time from behind me. I spun around, my flashlight trembling in my hand.

Standing at the edge of the firelight was a figure—a tall, shadowy silhouette with glowing eyes. It was unlike anything I had ever seen, a creature of nightmares.

The figure stepped forward, and I stumbled back, my mind racing with fear. The quail’s call echoed once more, but this time, distorted, twisted into a chilling mockery of the familiar sound.

The creature advanced, its heavy footfalls sending vibrations through the ground. I scrambled to my feet, my instincts screaming at me to run.

But as I turned to flee, the creature let out a guttural growl, freezing me in place. It moved closer, its eyes locked onto mine, and I felt a cold, paralyzing fear wash over me.

“Bob, bob, white,” the call came again, now a sinister whisper in the darkness.

The creature reached out a clawed hand, and I knew I had to act fast. Summoning every ounce of courage, I grabbed a burning log from the fire and swung it at the creature.

The creature recoiled, its eyes narrowing in anger. I ran, my legs pumping furiously into the desert night.

The heavy footfalls followed, but I didn’t dare look back. I ran until my lungs burned and my legs felt like lead.

Finally, I stumbled upon a rocky outcrop and hid behind it, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The creature’s footsteps grew fainter, and eventually, the night fell silent again. I waited, heart pounding, until I was sure it was gone.

As dawn broke, I emerged from my hiding place, exhausted but alive. The desert stretched out before me, bathed in the soft light of morning.

at seventeen,
i already knew the deal—
no chance for success,
just a cheap life plan:
join up, wear the uniform,
and hope for a bullet
to take me out clean.

twice tried.
spit back twice.
Death Before Dishonor
tattooed across my skin,
black ink leaking into
my goddamned fraud.

and here i am,
a fake, a coward,
working for a places
that can’t pay its bills,
can’t afford coffee or
even toilet paper,
and never pays on time.

i drag myself in every day,
clock in, clock out,
dishonoring myself
and the poor dumb words
etched on my skin.

my brother knew better,
found his escape
at the end of a needle,
rode that dark wave down
and didn’t look back.

but i sit here, bottle in hand,
dick in the other,
toasting my failure,
waiting for the whiskey
to kill us off when empty.

Alex checked himself in the mirror, shouldering his bag—another short weekend.

As the door closed behind him, the quiet lawn and street beyond lay stretched out before him. The early morning light cast long shadows, and the air was crisp with the promise of autumn.

Two blocks into his walk, he heard rummaging in an alleyway. A can clattered.

Alex reached into the dark depths of his bag, his fingers brushing against the cold steel of his machete. He had learned to be ready in this new world, where the dead walked because the living were few and far between.

A groan preceded the zombie’s appearance. It turned, shuffling forward, its eyes vacant and lifeless.

Out came the machete. It sunk into the soft skull with a sickening crunch. A spray of gore fanned Alex’s face and front.

He wiped the blood from his eyes and continued on his way, his heart pounding in his chest.

Three blocks later, Emma greeted him. “Looks like someone’s got…”

“Please don’t,” Alex groaned.

Emma chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Rough morning?”

“You could say that,” Alex replied, his voice weary. He glanced around, his eyes scanning the deserted streets. “Any news?”

Emma shook her head. “Same old, same old. The dead are still walking, and we’re still trying to survive.”

Alex sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this.”

Emma placed a hand on his shoulder, her expression softening. “We’ll get through this, Alex. We have to.”

As they continued their walk, the sun rose higher in the sky, casting a warm glow over the desolate landscape. The once-bustling city was now a ghost town, its streets empty and buildings crumbling. The only signs of life were the occasional zombie, shuffling aimlessly in search of their next meal.

They reached the safe house, a small, fortified building. Alex and Emma entered, their footsteps echoing in the empty halls. The safe house was a haven for the few survivors who had managed to escape the horrors of the outside world. It was a place of refuge and a constant reminder of the dangers beyond its walls.

Inside, a group of weary faces greeted them. The survivors had formed a tight-knit community, relying on each other for support and protection. They shared stories of their past lives, their hopes and dreams, and the loved ones they had lost.

The days turned into weeks, and Alex and Emma settled into a routine. They scavenged for supplies, fortified the safe house, and kept watch for any signs of danger. The constant threat of the undead weighed heavily on their minds, but they found solace in each other’s company.

One night, as Alex lay in his bunk, he heard a faint noise outside. He sat up, his heart racing. The sound grew louder, a low, guttural growl that sent chills down his spine. He grabbed his machete and crept to the window, peering into the darkness.

In the shadows, he saw a figure—a tall, gaunt man with glowing eyes. The man stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the safe house.

Alex’s blood ran cold. He had heard stories of a new kind of zombie that was faster, smarter, and more dangerous than the others.

The figure moved, its movements fluid and deliberate. It approached the safe house, its eyes never leaving Alex’s. He backed away from the window, his mind racing. He had to warn the others.

“Emma!” he whispered urgently, shaking her awake. “There’s something out there.”

Emma sat up, her eyes wide with fear. “What is it?”

“I don’t know,” Alex replied, his voice trembling. “But it’s not like the others. It’s different.”

They gathered the other survivors, their faces pale with fear. They armed themselves with whatever weapons they could find and prepared for the worst. The figure outside continued to approach, its eyes glowing with an eerie light.

As it reached the door, it let out a bone-chilling scream. The sound echoed through the safe house, sending shivers down their spines. The door burst open, and the figure stepped inside, its eyes blazing with an unnatural fire.

The survivors fought bravely, but the figure was relentless. It moved with a speed and agility that defied explanation, its attacks precise and deadly. One by one, the survivors fell, their screams filling the air.

Alex and Emma fought side by side, their hearts pounding with fear and determination. They managed to wound the figure, making it angrier. It lunged at them, its claws slashing through the air.

In a desperate move, Alex swung his machete with all his strength, connecting with the figure’s neck, severing its head from its body. The figure collapsed to the ground, its eyes dimming as the life drained from it.

The survivors stood in stunned silence, their breaths coming in ragged gasps. They won, but at a cost. The safe house was in ruins, and many of their friends were gone.

As the sun rose, casting a warm glow over the desolate landscape, Alex and Emma stood together, their hearts heavy with grief. They had survived another night, but the fight was far from over.

“We’ll get through this,” Emma said softly, her voice filled with determination. “We have to.”

Alex nodded, his eyes filled with resolve. “We will. For them.”

Charlie had hiked through the high snow some ten miles to the home of Betty and her family. The wind bit at his face and the cold seeped into his bones, but he pressed on. He heard the crunch of his boots on the steps and knocked loudly on the door.

Betty opened it, her face a mix of surprise and concern. “Charlie, what brings you out in this weather? Come in, warm yourself.”

She offered him a coffee and a plate of food, as it was the neighborly thing to do. He declined, his eyes dark and hollow.

“What I’d like for you to do is kill me,” he said, his voice flat and devoid of hope.

Betty’s eyes widened. “No way, will I kill you, Charlie,” she said firmly. “You’re like family to us.”

“That’s why you have to do it,” he insisted. “I don’t trust anyone else to do it right.”

For over a quarter-hour, he begged and pleaded with Betty to end his life. Still, she refused, her heart aching for the man she once knew.

“What do I have to do, attack you?” he asked, desperation creeping into his voice.

“Not even then,” she answered. “I know you—you don’t have the heart to hurt me.”

“Yeah, but I’m desperate,” he said, his eyes pleading.

“Why?” she asked softly.

“Because I want out of this life and into the next,” he half-smiled, a sad, broken expression.

“That is not you,” she said, shaking her head.

But it was too late. Charlie was already advancing on her, knife raised, ready to plunge the blade into her. Betty grabbed at his hand as he drove home the point into her left side, below her breast.

She gasped in pain but didn’t hesitate. With a swift movement, she drew a dagger from the waistband of her dress and drove the needle-like point into him over and over.

He fell back, collapsing on the cabin floor, bleeding from the numerous wounds she had inflicted. He smiled weakly, “Thank you.”

She sat near Charlie’s cooling body throughout the day, waiting for her husband to arrive home, the weight of what she had done settling heavily on her shoulders.

In the beginning, humanity was a spoken to life amid the vast silence of space. Our species, unique in its balance of 144,000 genetic markers from mother and father, was cherished by God, a fragile dance between flesh and divinity. But as humankind pushed further into the stars, it found not paradise but a quiet malevolence woven into the very fabric of existence.

A third strand of DNA slipped into the genome of humanity—an alien strand, insidious and transformative, a cosmic weapon hiding in the guise of new possibility. The foreign code, carried by mRNA, threaded through our double helix like a third, venomous snake.

Its purpose was plain to those who witnessed its power firsthand: the alien DNA devoured and rewrote everything, forcing itself to the forefront and reshaping human beings at the cellular level. It swelled the total number of genes to 216,000—a dark mirror of the Sumerian cosmic cycle, a number long associated with endings, cycles, and death.

Humanity’s sacred 144,000—the balance of mother and father, the divine design—was subsumed, overtaken, and silenced by this new, ravenous code.

Historians began unearthing relics of ancient Sumer, long buried in the sands, where cryptic symbols and inscriptions spoke of “the Shadow Gene.” The texts, carved in cold stone, warned of an ancient invasion, of a “dark seed” meant to reform life in the image of a forgotten civilization that once spanned stars.

The Sumerians had whispered of the “third strand,” a dormant evil lying in wait to consume Earth. The 216,000 pieces of alien DNA, described as the sum of a cosmic cycle, is a number that would remake life into something incomprehensible.

Yet, the meaning remained hidden from modern eyes.

Then there was the lost Song of the 144,000. In ancient prophecies, only those marked by God could learn this song—a frequency, a sacred sound known only to humanity’s purest. This song, a vibration of 144,000 cycles, could create a harmonic shield against the alien DNA, blocking its invasive frequencies.

But as society fractured, the song—this frequency of salvation—was forgotten, scattered across texts and temples that were now only dust. The final safeguard lay in ruins, beyond the reach of those who needed it most.

As the alien DNA spread, humanity splintered. Some became consumed by the alien code, transforming into eerie, emotionless beings with pale skin and glowing eyes.

Yet others resisted. These unfortunate souls became hybrids, their bodies torn between two identities, twisted into strange, malformed versions of themselves.

They had memories that did not belong to them—visions of foreign constellations, symbols they could not read but somehow understood. Their minds became battlegrounds between human memory and alien intelligence, a constant war of thoughts, each trying to erase the other.

The hybrids were rejected by both human society and the alien hive-mind, and in their desperation, they turned to the only remnants of human lore that might save them: the cuneiform tablets and fractured Sumerian hymns. Yet their tortured minds only made the fragments of prophecy more cryptic, blurring the lines between vision and hallucination.

The enemies of humanity were not the random strands of DNA; they were messengers of consciousness as old as the stars. The alien DNA was a beacon, a homing device calling forth a mind from beyond the galaxies—a being that saw itself as the rightful overseer of all organic life.

The alien DNA was not merely a weapon; it was a cosmic seed designed to break down species and rebuild them into vessels of one unified intelligence. The alien collective stretched across galaxies–each new host planet remade in its image. To it, individuality was an error, and humanity’s cherished notion of self was a flaw.

But why humanity?

Some scholars theorized that human DNA, with its 144,000 markers, was a rare composition—its specific pattern resonated with the alien consciousness. It was a genetic key that would unlock their next evolutionary step. Earth and its inhabitants were to be the next “node” in the hive mind, erasing humanity to further the alien’s cosmic intelligence.

Those infected by the alien DNA felt their humanity dissolve. Memories of mothers and fathers, friends, lovers, laughter, and pain became cloudy, outlines smudged like the edges of a half-erased chalk drawing. Instead, visions of star clusters, planets orbiting dying suns, and the vast silence of space replaced them. Those who clung to their identities found themselves slipping, losing not just memories but their very concept of self. Names began to lose meaning, and in their place, a single word echoed in their minds: oneness.

Even the infected, in their changing, held on to their humanity long enough to experience the agony of losing it. Aware of their transformation, they were caught in a nightmarish descent—a self-awareness that would burn away, leaving behind only a vessel. The true horror lay not just in physical transformation but in this dissolution of the soul.

As more humans became overtaken, the alien DNA seeped into the soil, the water, and the air. Earth itself began to change.

Forests became alien landscapes, where trees bore strange, pulsing growths that glowed in the moonlight. Oceans churned with bioluminescent creatures that sang an eerie song, rippling with the alien DNA’s vibrational frequency.

Mountains twisted into impossible angles as though bending under the weight of an unseen force. Earth was transforming into a fertile ground for alien life, a living monument to the cosmic consciousness that awaited its arrival.

When Earth’s transformation was complete, a pulsing beacon shone from the depths of space, calling forth the entity behind the alien DNA. And one night, it appeared: a being vast and unknowable, a consciousness from the farthest reaches of the galaxy.

It gazed down upon its new creation, the Earth now a mirror of its ancient form. Humanity was gone, a whisper on the edge of memory, replaced by its dark image.

In a final act, the few remaining pure humans attempted to sing the Song of the 144,000, hoping to drive back the alien corruption to reclaim Earth. But the song, fragmented and imperfect, faltered.

The alien entity absorbed their voices, converting their final human act into a hymn to itself. Humanity was subsumed, not with violence, but with a cosmic song that bound them into oneness with the alien mind.

As the cosmic entity departed, it left Earth not as a planet of individuals but as a single, unified life form—an extension of itself. The 144,000s were erased and replaced by the eternal hum of the 216,000, a number that would sing across the stars, echoing in the minds of alien races yet untransformed.

And in that cosmic silence, a single truth resonated–humanity had ended, not with a scream, but with a song.

David sat in the airport terminal, his fingers drumming anxiously against the cold, hard surface of the plastic chair. The hum of the overhead speakers and the low murmur of travelers around him seemed distant, muffled by the growing weight in his chest.

Something was wrong. David couldn’t place it—an inexplicable unease that had followed since Lena had kissed him goodbye that morning.
She had told him everything was fine, that there was nothing to worry about.

But as he boarded the plane, his thoughts clung to her every word, every glance. She had been distant recently, hiding her phone and avoiding his eyes in ways she never had before.

The flight was a blur of restless thoughts, the hum of the plane’s engines only amplifying his suspicion. His phone sat in his lap, unused, as if waiting for a signal confirming his worst fears. He checked it—again. No messages. No missed calls. No sign of trouble.

“So why can’t I shake this feeling?”

As the plane touched down, his stomach was a pit of nerves. He tried to tell himself it was nothing, that he was paranoid. He tried to ignore the knots that twisted in his gut as he made his way to baggage claim, his thoughts circling back to Lena.

“Maybe I’m just overthinking it.”

Lena sat quietly in the living room, her fingers nervously tracing the edge of her wine glass. The silence felt suffocating, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts.

She had tried to distract herself all day, but her mind kept returning to the same place. To the argument they had the night before, the things she had said and what he had said.

David had left early this morning for his business trip, his goodbye distant, his eyes unreadable. She had told him everything would be fine, but even as the words left her lips, she knew it wasn’t true. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt something was wrong.

The house was eerily still when she heard a creak of the backdoor opening. Her heart skipped a beat, and fear washed over her.

“Is it David? Is he back early?”

The thought of seeing him, confronting him, twisted her stomach in knots. But then the feeling of dread hit her.

“No, it’s not.”

Her instincts screamed at her to hide. She scrambled for cover, her breath quickening. She tried to stay quiet, her heart pounding in her ears.

“Please let it be nothing,” she thought, but the footsteps grew louder, more deliberate.

She tried to steady her breath, hoping against hope that it was just a neighbor, someone passing by. But as the door to the living room opened, her worst fear was realized.

“Who is he? What does he want?”

She wanted to scream, but her throat tightened, and her breath came in short gasps. The man was here for something. She didn’t know what. But he was here, and she was alone.

David returned home just after midnight. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally.

The trip had done nothing to quell the suspicion that raged in his mind. As he turned the key in the door, something felt off. The house was too quiet, too still.

He stepped inside, his eyes immediately drawn to the dark hallway ahead. And there was Lena.

He saw her in the dim light, crumpled on the floor, a twisted expression frozen on her face. His heart stopped.

For a moment, he stood there, stunned. Then he saw him—a man.

The man was rushing from the house. The sight sent a chill through David, and before he could react, the man disappeared into the night.

“What the hell is going on?”

He rushed forward, but his legs betrayed him, and he tripped over Lena’s lifeless body, sprawling on the floor beside her. His breath caught in his throat as he struggled to stand.

“This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening.”

But it was.

His mind raced. The man he had seen leaving—who was he? Why was he here? Was Lena having an affair? The suspicion that had gnawed at him on the plane bloomed into full-blown certainty.

“She was cheating on me. That’s why she acted so distant. That’s why everything felt wrong.”

He stumbled back, his mind spinning as the reality of the situation began to sink in. He looked at Lena’s body again.

The rage he had felt on his trip flared up again. The thought of Lena’s betrayal and the stranger in his house was too much to bear.

Lena’s heart raced as she watched the man approach. She tried to back away, but the floor beneath her feet seemed to shift with every breath.

“Why is this happening?”

Her mind flitted between fear for her life and the memory of the fight she had with David. She had known something was wrong but hadn’t known how far it had gone.

The man was confining as each step he took toward her sent a wave of panic through her soul. She wanted to scream, to run, but her legs refused to move.

“Is he going to kill me? Is he going to make me disappear like I never mattered?”

Then, the man grabbed her. She struggled against him, but it was too late.
His hands tightened around her throat. The world around her began to fade, and everything went black.

David stood in the hallway, staring at the body in front of him. His chest was tight, and his mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.

But something was wrong.

David had seen the man flee the house and had chased him. But there was something about the way the man moved—something familiar.

The world tilted as his breath caught in his throat. The man he had seen leaving—the man who had fled—he wasn’t a stranger.

His heart raced, a sick realization dawning. He stood there, staring down at Lena’s body, as fragments of memory—distorted, fractured—flashed before him. The argument. The anger. The strangling. The man. The impossibility of it all.

And in that moment, the pieces fell together, but not in a way that made sense.

“I’m the man. I’m the one who did this,” he realized.

The truth was gone, buried in a fog of confusion and regret. David looked at Lena’s body, then at his own trembling hands. He had chased the shadow of doubt, and in the end, it had consumed him whole.

The desert landscape near Devil’s Gate had always held a strange allure for those who wandered its expanse as if some hidden purpose whispered from the parched ground and dry, crackling air.

Nicholas Brandt, a historian and archaeologist in his mid-thirties, was drawn to the region for reasons he could hardly articulate. Officially, he was on a mission to document ghost towns and the folklore they left behind, but some unspoken calling tugged him toward Silver City.

Locals mentioned Jubell’s Café as a place he ought to stop. “Best biscuits and gravy in the county,” they’d say, though the compliments came with a strange, thoughtful silence. The café sat alone on a dusty stretch of State Route 341, the building itself worn and unremarkable, save for a garish wooden sign painted with exaggerated letters: Jubell’s Café – Open from Dawn till Dusk.

Inside, Jubell’s Café was small and dim, bathed in a sickly yellow light that pooled from low-hanging bulbs. Nicholas noticed patrons bent over plates of biscuits and gravy, their expressions distant as if each bite pulled them further into some private trance.

Behind the counter, Magnificent Marsh presided over her kitchen like a figure out of some ancient rite, her movements slow but deliberate. She wore a shapeless black dress that seemed to absorb all light around her, and though her face held the softness of age, something was unsettling in how her eyes seemed to pierce through everything.

In Devilskill, the seacoast town she once called home, Magnificent Marsh had been more than just a high priest; she had been a figure of ominous reverence. Aaron Vlek, a young, ambitious reporter, had once devoted months to uncovering the strange temple she presided over—a place of cryptic rituals and whispered worship along the shore, where the salt of the ocean mingled with the smoke of unknown offerings.

Vlek’s articles painted her and her followers in dark, disturbing tones, stirring fear and suspicion within the community. Soon, Magnificent fled, slipping into obscurity as she vanished westward.

She left behind the ocean and its deep secrets, trading its tides for the dry, silent vastness of the desert. The barren expanse around Devil’s Gate offered an unspoken welcome to those who sought solitude—and those who carried secrets.

In the ghostly quiet of Silver City, she opened Jubell’s Café as if intending to hide in plain sight. The locals noticed her strangeness, but the food was good, and no one asked questions.

“Welcome,” she said, her voice a low hum that vibrated through Nicholas’s chest, though she hadn’t raised her eyes from the stove. He sat at the counter, feeling her voice linger long after she’d spoken, like the low rumble of distant thunder.

He ordered the biscuits and gravy. Magnificent nodded, almost mechanically, as if she knew what he’d want long before he spoke. Soon, she served him a plate, its contents steaming. The aroma was strangely intoxicating—rich, earthy, almost alive.

As he lifted his fork, he couldn’t help but glance into the kitchen, barely able to see beyond a narrow pass-through window cut into the wall. At first, he saw only the folds of Magnificent’s black dress moving like drapery around her shadowed form. But something more beckoned him to look deeper. He leaned over his plate, straining to see into the dim recesses of her kitchen.

To his surprise, she caught his gaze. “Curious, aren’t we?” she murmured.

“Just…admiring the kitchen,” he stammered, though he wasn’t sure why he felt compelled to say it.

A faint, almost mocking smile crossed her lips. “It’s just a kitchen, Mr. Brandt.”

For reasons he could not explain–Nicholas felt an almost painful need to see more. Her gaze seemed to fasten him in place as if daring him to come closer. He told himself he was being irrational, that this strange foreboding was just his overactive imagination—but the pull was undeniable.

Days later, he returned just before closing, as dusk bled into the night and shadows pooled around Jubell’s Café. This time, the café was empty. Nicholas slipped in quietly, taking a seat that gave him an unobstructed view into the kitchen. Magnificent, busy at the stove, didn’t seem to notice him—or, more disturbingly, seemed completely unconcerned by his presence.

He watched as she stirred the thick, white gravy, each movement measured, almost hypnotic. And then, her arm lifted, and Nicholas froze. The skin around her fingers seemed to loosen, sagging like the flesh beneath it was hollow. Slowly, she brought a hand to her chest, slipping it inside the deep collar of her dress.

Nicholas’s heart hammered in his chest as he realized what she was doing.

With a faint groan, she exposed one breast—wrinkled, pale, and glistening with an unnatural sheen. She squeezed it, and a thick cream dripped into the bubbling pot. The substance was not milk but something sickly translucent, a spectral luminescence that made Nicholas’s skin crawl.

In horror, Nicholas watched as she picked up a knife, dull and rusted, and dragged it along her sagging flesh, peeling thin strips of skin that she dropped into the pot. The flesh sizzled as it hit the gravy, emitting a smell he could never have described, both foul and strangely enticing, like charred seaweed on a coastal wind.

The revelation struck him like a blow: this was the “meat” everyone raved about, the secret behind her famous gravy. The horror was too much to bear, and a scream tore itself from his throat before he even knew he’d uttered it.

Magnificent Marsh looked up, her eyes now an unnatural, milky white as if the last trace of life had drained them. She smiled, a slow, chilling smile that spread across her face like a shadow. “I see you’ve taken quite an interest in my recipe, Mr. Brandt,” she whispered, her voice so low it seemed to resonate within his bones.

Nicholas stumbled backward, his legs nearly collapsing beneath him. He turned and bolted for the door, his footsteps loud in the oppressive silence of the empty café.

He didn’t stop running until he reached his truck, throwing himself into the driver’s seat and gunning the engine. As he sped down the road, his mind whirled, his pulse hammering as if to propel him away from the nightmare.

The following morning, his truck, abandoned in the shadow of Kate Peak near the Buckeye Mine, was found, doors open, engine still running, but without any sign of Nicholas Brant.

Back at Jubell’s Café, the locals continued to eat their biscuits and gravy, their faces vacant, eyes glazed, lost in some quiet, dreadful peace. And now and then, from behind the counter, Magnificent Marsh would cast a knowing glance out the window, a secret smile playing on her lips as she stirred the thick, pale gravy that bubbled quietly in her pot.

It was a Friday morning when Lydia first felt the shift in the air, the quiet aftershock of something not entirely understood. Her mother had called, her voice soft but strange, a crackling signal wanting to break.

“It feels like a death in the family, Lydia,” she said. “But there’s no gold watch. No ceremony, no clean lines or closure.”

Lydia was uncertain about what her mother meant, but once she stepped into the quiet of her father’s office, she understood. The familiar hum of the fluorescent lights was absent, and the air seemed thick like the walls had swallowed something too big to hold.

Her father had worked at the same company for over forty years. She couldn’t remember when he hadn’t worn his suit, straight-laced and impeccable, his tie knotted like clockwork every morning.

The familiar rhythm of his life had felt unshakable. He would retire one day, but not in this way—not so abruptly, and certainly not without some recognition. Not without that gold watch.

But the watch was not there. Instead, there were stacks of papers, half-finished reports, and an empty chair where life had once sat, always just a little too close to the desk, fingers constantly brushing the edge of the computer as if in constant conversation with it.

Lydia had assumed that when her father left this place—when he finally decided to step away from the grind—it would be with the fanfare that retirement promised. All would gather in the break room, a cake, balloons, speechifying that was more about the stories shared than the years worked together.

No gold watch–the memento marking an era of loyalty and toil–there was none of that. No goodbye. No party. No acknowledgment. The chair sat empty, and in its place, a sense of something stolen.

A note was left on his desk, written in his familiar uneven script.

“I’m done,” it read, with no explanation, no goodbye—just a decision stated plainly in two words.

Lydia stared at the note as if it could reveal something she hadn’t seen. But it didn’t. It couldn’t. It wasn’t a death, but it felt like one.

The kind of death unmarked with funeral rites or mourning but instead with the quiet loss of something that had always been there. Something that had seemed permanent until it wasn’t.

In the days that followed, Lydia tried to make sense of it. She called her mother back, but the conversation had no easy resolution.

“Your father wasn’t the type to retire with fanfare,” her mother had said.

Lydia could hear the sadness in her voice that echoed in the hollow spaces where her father’s presence once was.

It wasn’t that her father hadn’t earned the quiet end—he had. It was a life dedicated to a cause, the grind that took him away from the dinner table too many nights, the meetings that stretched into late hours and weekends.

But now, the abrupt end felt less like freedom and more like abandonment, like he had quietly slipped away from a place that had been the center of his life for so long. The company wasn’t even going to offer the standard token of appreciation.

No gold watch. No speeches. Just silence.

Lydia’s life felt like it was shifting around, a puzzle whose pieces no longer fit. Her father’s retirement was an end, but it also opened questions she had not been ready to face.

What did it mean to give so much of yourself to something, only for it to vanish without a trace? Was it worth it? And more painfully, could it have been different?

As the days passed, Lydia grew accustomed to the absence of his daily presence. There were no phone calls to check in, no stories about work, no complaints about the latest office politics.

Her father, the man who had once seemed tethered to the structure of his life, was now adrift in an ocean of his own making. And all Lydia could do was watch as he navigated it quietly, as though the quiet withdrawal was something he had planned all along.

There were no grand gestures, no celebration of sacrifices made, and no easy answer to the void left behind. With the absence of the gold watch and the fanfare, Lydia began to understand that some goodbyes do not come with neat wrapping or the comfort of closure.

Some endings—those quiet, unseen moments—leave a feeling that lingers, not easily shaken off, like the hum of an engine you cannot quite silence. It was a death without grieving–and with it, a strange grace.

The sun hung low over the rugged hills of Nevada, casting long shadows across the dusty landscape. It was the kind of evening that held a promise of danger, a promise that sent a shiver through the bones of every man who had lived a hard life under the weight of the sun. For Eli Carter, the world had never felt more precarious.

“When the world goes to hell, I’ll be the one they’ll be looking for because my granddaddy taught me how to survive with a knife.”

He’d said it half-jokingly, but deep down, Eli knew it was true.

His granddaddy had been a man of the land, a tough old coot who carved a living out of rock and sagebrush. He had taught Eli everything he needed to know about life in the wild—secrets of the earth, the art of tracking, and, most importantly, the way of the blade.

Eli glanced at the horizon, where the sky began to darken with the foreboding of an oncoming storm. It wasn’t the kind of storm that brought rain; it was the kind that tore lives apart.

Rumors had spread through the small towns like wildfire—an uprising was brewing, and the government’s grip on the region was slipping. Folks were whispering of betrayal and blood, of men driven by desperation to do unspeakable things.

He tightened his grip on the handle of his knife, an old but well-cared-for blade that had belonged to his granddaddy. It was a simple piece of steel, but its weight felt right in his hand, a reminder of the legacy that came with it.

The sun was nearly gone, and with it, the last vestiges of safety in the world he knew. Eli made his way toward the nearby town of Coyote Flats, keeping his senses sharp.

He could hear the distant sound of a train whistle echoing through the canyon, a reminder of the life that continued despite the chaos lurking just out of sight. The dusty street of the town was nearly empty, with only a few men lingering near the saloon, their eyes glassy and unfocused as they nursed their drinks.

Eli stepped into the saloon, the familiar scent of whiskey and sweat wrapping around him like an old coat. He nodded at the barkeep, a grizzled man with a face like leather.

“Anything on the news, Tom?” he asked, sliding onto a barstool.

“Nothing good, Eli,” Tom replied, pouring a shot of whiskey. “They say the Communists are sending troops to round up the troublemakers. Folks are getting restless.”

Eli took a sip, feeling the warmth spread through him. He looked around the room, taking in the tension. The men were restless, fingers twitching near their holsters, eyes darting toward the door as if expecting a storm to break any moment.

“Just remember,” Eli said, his voice low but steady, “when the world goes to hell, it’s not just about the knife in your hand. It’s about knowing who to trust and when to strike.”

Tom nodded, understanding the weight of those words.

As he finished his drink, a commotion erupted outside. Eli sprang to his feet, moving to the window just in time to see a group of men in olive-drab vehicles drive into town, their faces hidden behind balaclavas. Dust swirled around them, and the tension in the air thickened like a storm cloud ready to burst.

“Looks like the trouble just found us,” Eli muttered.

He felt the familiar rush of adrenaline, the thrill of the impending fight igniting something primal within him. He could hear his granddaddy’s voice, steady, strong: “Son, when trouble comes, you meet it head-on. You don’t wait for it to find you.”

With a flick of his wrist, he unsheathed his knife, the blade gleaming in the dim light of the saloon. He wasn’t just a man with a weapon; he was a man with a purpose. As he stepped outside, the world beyond the threshold blurred into a whirlwind of chaos.

Eli was ready. As the world went to hell, he knew what to do.