by Pauline Yates For the third time, bone shards and chunks of brain splatter when Pete’s bullet hits the tree and ricochets. In a flash of brilliance, his twitching body returns to his maker again. “How long will I repeat dying?” Pete asks, confounded by his death-loop. “Until you admit you erred when aligning the […]
by Kim F.G. Olav “The vault’s new security system is online,” Declan says, pointing to the chequered tiles. “But…how do we cross without triggering it?” Octavia asks. “There’s a safe path over—the technician wrote it down.” He hands Octavia a sticky note, her brows furrow. “Huh? This handwriting’s atrocious.” “It’s easy. Watch.” Declan hops onto […]
by Grace Quon I stare in the mirror. You’re gone again. I brush my hair by feel, but don’t dare to attempt makeup. I search for you all day. Windows, puddles, the polished cutlery at Chez Henri: they look right through me. At night, I say a prayer to someone, anyone, and turn on the […]
by Tannis Mill Miriam set crescent rolls on the table, then disappeared into the kitchen. Marcus buttered one and called after her. “I saw him again today. In the lobby of my office building.” A pot clanked. “That’s four times this week.” Miriam entered with two plates of spaghetti. “It’s just bizarre, Mir! He’s a […]
by John Cramer The grimoire delivered as was promised. The rite has given me the acceptance I crave. Suddenly women find me attractive. My boss offered me the big promotion. And indeed, I have not been bullied a single time since reciting that incantation. No more name calling, no snickering when anyone passes by. All […]
by T.J. Gallasch I’d checked my calculations, twice, and then again, wanting to be absolutely certain before I threw the switch. I’d been working on this machine for years, but finally it was time to give it a try. “Alpha equals Delta over Gamma, carry the one…” I murmured, checking the whiteboard a final time. […]
by Tracy Davidson The other me is here. Sitting at my table, chatting with my wife and kids. I don’t know how he escaped from the lab, how he got home before I did. I gave him life, and he tries to steal mine? He won’t be the first clone I’ve had to destroy. 56 […]
by Kristin Lennox Trey marvelled at the monitor. The man in the examination room looked exactly like him, down to his unruly cowlick. “So he just goes about his life, oblivious, until I need him…?” Dr Wilmer nodded. “Yes—he has a fully implanted memory, no idea he was cloned. If you need one of his […]
by Don Money What harm could it cause? I thought. A secret two week getaway to Cancun with a clone covering my job at the office. The clone was easily enough to come by in the back alley laboratory. A month training “Steve” and everything was ready. A week later, I sat at the bar […]
by Chris Clemens When the mushroom sickness takes over, you’re conscious for a while. Awake. Paralysed. There’s a frantic back-and-forth while it seizes control of your muscles, puppeting limbs like an unfamiliar vehicle. Convulsions on the kitchen floor. If you’re lucky, loved ones will find and kill you. If not, you might watch yourself vomiting […]