A Spare in the Trunk: Part I
The beat-up Chevy sped down the setting sun, past the endless telephone poles and cornfields. The smell of moist earth outside and cigarette smoke inside the car mingled together. The cigarette almost fell out of Jack's mouth as he yawned. Another hour...
A Spare in the Trunk: Part II
Jack returned to the waking world under protest. Forcing one eye open half way only to have it close of its own volition moments later. A sigh escaped his lips as sleep reclaimed him. He thought about those crazy dreams last night. His hand drifted...
A Spare in the Trunk: Part IV
Jack drummed his fingers on the cardboard. The intoxicating smell of pepperoni and sausage made his mouth water. However, there was one problem. “Lys? Come here please," he said in an inquisitive tenor. The kobold poked her head out from under the...
A Spare in the Trunk: Part VII
Jack held the kiss a moment longer. Melodramatic visions of a noble knight sacrificing everything for love fogged his mind. And his princess had a pair of horns and light green scales. His fingers traced the patterns on her neck and shoulders. Lys...
A Spare in the Trunk: Part VI
Jack squinted at the crumpled box with one eye. The other refused to be open at this hour and the dim light didn't help. He would have loved nothing more than to sleep all night with Lys in his arms. Yet, there were certain forces in this world even...
A Spare in the Trunk: Part XI
The sounds of happier patrons and digitized weapon’s fire filled the atmosphere around Jack while he stood there, mouth just slightly agape as he tried to find the words. It hadn’t taken much for Allison to put two and two together and he’d only made...
A Spare in the Trunk: Part IX
"Hey, are you ready?" Lys spun around, startled. Jack stood behind her, offering his hand. The fresh, clean AC/DC shirt and jeans made him look younger somehow, more vibrant. Lys gave him her claw and took a step towards him. The comforting rays of...
A Spare in the Trunk: Part X
Black and white checkered floors complimented the salmon-colored walls of gaudy, mass-reproduced 50s memorabilia, infecting the diner with a neon-lit, sterilized nostalgia. A digital jukebox tried making itself heard over the endless chatter and...
A Spare in the Trunk: Part XIV
The needle tapped up and down in a rhythm that Jack remembered from his childhood. He pushed the fabric through with beads of sweat trailing down his face. "Why am I the one doing this? Shouldn't you be learning how?" He looked up to see the green...
A Spare in the Trunk: Coffee Break
Jack zipped up his coat around his sweater. The gray, wet world outside was a far cry from the sunny day he’d missed yesterday. If he were going to call in sick he should have done it then. The tiniest knife cut into his toe with each step he took. An...
A Spare in the Trunk: Part XVII
Running water and clattering dishes echoed from the kitchen, broken up by the occasional laugh. Cheap wooden half-walls boxed in the booths, but gave no real privacy. Safe and conservative tans wallpaper accented the equally boring brown seats. The...
A Game of Skill
The ghost of a thousand lost lives and spent continues haunted the dark, neon-lit space of Tim’s Arcade while the siren song of a dozen attract modes filled the air. Nostalgia hit Alex so hard he could almost taste the bubblegum. He hadn’t been in this...