by Sophie Wagner “Shhh,” I pleaded, holding my grandmother’s hand as she contorted in pain. “You’re safe with me.” Hatred filled her eyes as I carved them out, quickly stuffing them into the holes I had made in the mannequin’s face. “I know it’s not the body type you wanted.” I grunted, prying open her […]
by T.J. Gallasch I never believed Sally, when she said what she’d seen. It sounded like nonsense. It had to be, and I planned to prove it. I easily hid away in one of those cupboards where they keep the extra stock, stuff that doesn’t fit on the shelves. When all the lights were off […]
by Don Money Darrell Stevens was caught totally unaware as the plastic moulded arms closed around him from behind. Darrell, the lead researcher at Merrill Safety Labs, felt his body lifted in a vise-like grip. “What the hell!” Darrell exclaimed as he caught sight of his attacker. The anthropomorphic test device carried Darrell towards the […]
by Scott O’Neill We watch and silently seethe, posed elegantly in window displays. Our immobility and blank silver features camouflage us as mere mannequins. You slouch past in foam clogs and elastic-waisted sweatpants, gobbling your shopping mall cinnamon buns. Your skin crawls. You tell yourself it’s the uncanny valley effect: seeing our stillness and near-human […]
by Tracy Davidson The bridal boutique mannequin missed her white dress. She had finally felt beautiful, full of fancy frills and flounces. It looked better on her than that frumpy human, whose frame tested the seams. Bad enough the humiliation of being publicly stripped. But then to be knocked over by grasping arms, left scratched […]
by Jonathan Tolstedt They’d always liked Imogen’s displays in women’s fashion. They’d especially liked her tasteful Black Friday arrangement of plus-sized women’s clothing. So she was shocked when her boss, Marcy, told her they were eliminating the visual display artist position. She’d been upset, of course, but, being a professional, she’d committed to creating one […]
by Streeper Clyne Kammi dragged her torso across the marble-tiled floor towards her legs in the pantyhose aisle as a distant clock struck six a.m. Her plastic arms, articulating at the shoulders, clacked out the methodical rhythm of her agonising journey. Tonight, she’d end the relentless pain, the ghosts of missing limbs she’d suffered since […]
by Suzanne Link My wooden limbs twist around articulated joints. Runner: sprinting Archer: aiming Ballerina: pirouetting The artist explores eloquent athletic poses. Sketch after sketch. I am proud to serve as his muse. Until his tone shifts. Juvenile: dabbing Pervert: self-pleasuring Nazi: goose-stepping He cackles as his artistic loftiness yields to […]
by Evan Baughfman Days ago, the alien Hunter sent a distress call to his homeworld, but his plea remains unanswered. Crash landing in this terrain—a harrowing ordeal. The Amazon’s endless heat and humidity overwhelm the Hunter’s vision, his thermal imaging. Panicking through an unwelcoming environment, he stumbles across cold-blooded foes. Vipers. Anacondas. Caimans. Retreating from […]
by Jaime Gill You could scream again. Your lungs are still moving, after all. Just. But there are no humans nearby, only beasts. You’d scream anyway, if your limbs still worked and you could run or fight. But only your lungs and heart are moving now. Your pinned eyes watch nature’s cruel, ceaseless carnival. A […]