Night of the Living, Eirik Gumeny
“Satish turned slowly toward Cleveland, a flap of skin hanging from his mouth, James’ calf in his hands, and asked, “Whuh?”

Sonny Boy, Josh Denslow
“We called him Sonny Boy for no apparent reason. Names were just thrown out there and some of them stuck. Like they called me Meat Locker.”

The McElroy Family Hole, James Reinebold
“When we finished eating the leftover chicken and crusty mashed potatoes my neighbor had brought over the night before, Katie and I went to the living room to prepare for my first night of digging. “

Beta Geminorum, Brian Niemeier
“The corpse wore a blue, single-breasted suit with a cream-colored shirt and a red tie with wavy yellow horizontal stripes. The dead man’s face was the hardest part to look at; not because of any hideous injury, but because of its brazen familiarity. “

We Left Him with the Dragging Man, Graham Tugwell
“The five of us were friends because no-one else would have us.”

Cover art: The Final Word, Patrick Breeden