Spike, Thomas Pluck
“The fact that unicorn droppings sparkle iridescent doesn’t make them any more pleasant to shovel than regular old horseshit.”

Killer Interview, Chris Lewis Carter
“He’s wearing a long, black cloak that’s covered in dried bloodstains and has a patch over his left eye. Promising, sure, but appearance can only take you so far. Yesterday, a candidate tried to impress me by wearing a suit jacket made of human skin, but he forgot my name twice during the interview. Twice!”

Chestnut Trifold, Zarren Mykhail Kuzma
“Never again would they listen when I said that they knew nothing of innocence, of grace and naturalness — like your hand belongs in someone else’s pocket.”

Bakkheia, Rose Williamson
“The house wine is a deep red, thick and sweet and easy to pour down the throats of us willing worshippers. We drink it as we talk, sing, and kiss. We drink it as we undress one another. One of us lounging on the leather sofa drinks it as Maenads giggle and rub his feet with olive oil and honey.”

The Snake Eaters, Tara Isabella Burton
“It was why I had come, after all; it was why we had all come, putting our lives into Misha’s mutilated hands to spend the night in the writhing, empty Caucasus, where serpents bred and rams wandered and altars stained with blood and moonshine still dotted the mountainside.”

Cover art: HEART OF DARKNESS, Page 065, Matt Kish