40 Scenes in 40 Days: Day 7

Claire reached into her back pocket and pulled out two photos. She had grabbed them from her apartment just before the enforcers broke down her door. Managing to get away was a challenge on its own, but now, she was able to sit completely undisturbed, tucking her body between two dumpsters adjacent to a building at the very edge of Region Two.

40 Scenes in 40 Days: Day 6

Hajime unholstered his gun and left it in the car, taking instead his old notepad and a pen. If the offender were here, he would not make an arrest. All he wanted were answers. He thought of Shawn for a moment, and then forced Shawn's face out of his mind. This was not the time for this, not at all the time to feel guilty. He traced the horizon with his eyes, first catching site of seven flags hoisted at the far end of the shore. Each one was spaced evenly from another, beckoning him to move forward and see their flitting shapes.

40 Scenes in 40 Days: Day 5

Hajime imagined that a drop of blood or a strand of hair would not hide in a room as bright as this.

40 Scenes in 40 Days: Day 3

It had been exactly eight hours and twenty-five minutes since he had last allowed himself to pee, and when this exact number became eight hours and twenty-six minutes, he couldn't help himself any longer.

40 Scenes in 40 Days: Day 2

It would have been easier had he had a heart-attack; they could have called the paramedics then, or had him rushed away. They could call the police, but this man was not causing a loud disturbance. He was causing a quiet one.

40 Scenes in 40 Days: Day 1

"Once something dies, it's dead," said Lena. She left the room quietly, not before stopping near the stairs and turning her head to look at me. It was a short moment. Last week she didn't answer my calls, a few days ago she laid in bed for hours, and today... She stood there as one stands before a wide valley, wondering if crossing the divide was worth the effort and the risk of being completely vulnerable.