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Story code: ST-001798 Part 1: Plausible Deniability Sarah adjusted her reading glasses and stared at the glowing screen of her MacBook. Her fingers moved purposefully over the keys, the clatter sharp in the quiet kitchen. *The traumatizing presence of firearms near Oak Creek Elementary is a burden our children should never have to bear.* She … Read more
Story code: ST-001797 Part 1: The Root Override The molded plastic chair dug mercilessly into Jess’s spine, sending another sharp wave of cramping through her lower abdomen as she stared at the clinic’s buzzing fluorescent lights. She shifted her weight, trying to ease the deep, rhythmic ache that had been radiating through her core for … Read more
Story code: ST-001796 Part 1: The Frozen Heirloom Julian adjusted the collar of his heavy wool peacoat, which he wore awkwardly layered over a thick down puffer jacket, and glared intensely at the marble kitchen island. A thin, undeniable crust of frost had formed over the dark skin of six purple Cherokee heirloom tomatoes. They … Read more
Story code: ST-001795 Part 1: The Heat of the Debt The red text on the payment terminal blinked twice before staying solid. Declined. Marcus stared at the digital readout, the numbers burning into his retinas. Eight hundred and twelve dollars and forty cents. The pharmacist, a young woman with a plastic name badge crooked on … Read more
Story code: ST-001793 Part 1: Violation Code 4B The air in the backseat tasted like old dust, exhaust, and cold coffee. I held the cheap plastic flashlight in my mouth, its yellow beam flickering as I dragged a red pen across a freshman’s essay about the Roman Empire. The battery was dying, dimming the ink … Read more
Story code: ST-001792 Part 1: The Routine Stop The steering wheel vibrated against Mateo’s palms, a steady rattle that matched the throbbing in his temples. Twelve hours of clinical rotations on the med-surg floor had left a thin layer of hospital sweat clinging to his dark blue nursing scrubs, and the digital clock on the … Read more
Story code: ST-001791 Part 1: The Price of Admission The metallic tang of sodium citrate still coated the back of Chloe’s throat, a lingering souvenir from the four o’clock double-plasma donation that had provided exactly enough cash to fill her gas tank to drive here. She shifted her weight on her borrowed heels, ignoring the … Read more
Story code: ST-001789 Part 1: The Direct Deposit The counter ticked over to four million views just as the banking notification slid down from the top of Chloe’s phone screen. She held her breath, pressing the alert. The banking app opened, requiring her thumbprint to authenticate. A green circle spun for a grueling second before … Read more
Story code: ST-001788 Part 1: The Envelopes The first thick, crumpled envelope hit my café table with a violent smack, rattling my ceramic mug and splashing hot dark roast over my knuckles. Before I could even push my chair back, a second envelope slammed down, then a third, forming a messy, overlapping pile across my … Read more
Story code: ST-001787 Part 1: The Weight of the Package The bold red letters on the insurance adjuster’s letter stared up from the passenger seat, spelling out the absolute ruin of Silas’s life. His home was currently rotting under four feet of toxic floodwater, and the single piece of paper in his sweltering sedan confirmed … Read more