By Cullen Corkery At some point, the noise and rhythmic thumping of a bass-boosted stereo became too much, despite the coke we’d snorted earlier in the bathroom upon arriving, and despite the vodka cranberries I’d been guzzling half the night. I focused my eyes and found Ray a couple yards down from the balcony whereContinue reading “Immeasurable Acts of Violence”
Category Archives: Noir
Movie Review: I Care a Lot
Movie Review by Chris Bunton I will just say that I hated the villain of this movie, more than I have ever hated another villain. I literally wanted her to die. This tells me that the casting, acting, and writing on this movie were great. Marla Grayson is a legal guardian who swindles elderly people,Continue reading “Movie Review: I Care a Lot”
School’s Out
By Steven Cordin Johnson was surprised how fast a big guy like Ray ran. He could almost keep up with Johnson. Almost. Johnson sprinted down the street ahead of him. He knew what a vicious guy like Ray would do if he caught him. If I can just reach the school at the end ofContinue reading “School’s Out”
The Butcher
By Pablo Agrio He was ready to go, but terribly afraid. Death was knocking at the door and he knew it. He used to be big a man, but old age had shrunk him. White hair with a touch of gray. Liver spots covered his face. A new arrival he was. Hospice the best option.Continue reading “The Butcher”
What The Reader Read
By Andy Betz “Francis, when are you going to get a raise?” “Francis, when are you going to stand up to that boss of yours?” “Francis, get over here and LISTEN to me when I’m talking to you!” If I heard her harping once, I heard her harping a thousand times before. My Margaret hadContinue reading “What The Reader Read”
Fade Out
By Michael Fontana Armed robbery seemed easier to Al than first thought, wandering into the convenience store like an actor from a movie, bandanna over the lower half of his face, stocking cap pulled down low to conceal forehead and brow, right gloved hand holding out the gun, left gloved hand waving the empty bagContinue reading “Fade Out”
Good Friends
By William Foulke Tsssssss! The match hissed to life, its flame wavering a little in the late afternoon as if threatening to go out. Claire Frye put the flame to her Newport before it could, then sat back on the metal high top chair and looked out over Dauphine Street among the rows of rainbowContinue reading “Good Friends”
Darklands
By Alec Cizak “It’s funny.” He scratched his khaki pants, picking at the sleeves of a pink button-down shirt. “A couple of nights ago, my daughter asked what it means to die. I always figured the sex talk would be the toughest. Turns out, explaining to a child that someday she’ll no longer exist, well,Continue reading “Darklands”
A Day at the Track
By Seamus O’Leary Jack and Nubs sat at the bar at Willie’s Blues Cabaret, while a smooth sax player rolled out a tune on the stage behind them. It was dark inside like all the best bars are, and the place was filling up. “Look, Mr.Roper expects you to pay on time.” Jack calmly explainedContinue reading “A Day at the Track”
Death by Innocence
by Dan Cardoza Infestations of Fire Ants are everywhere. Onyx-eyed, Insect aliens, dressed in antennae, oversized mandibles, and swollen abdomens. They exist in the shadows of cracks, in vast armies on the march, and in the darkest corners of our minds. The neighborhood is pulsing. Neil Armstrong is stepping onto the moon, right now, inContinue reading “Death by Innocence”