None of Those Above

The windshield wipers beat out a slow and steady rhythm, trying in earnest to keep time to the 70s rock ballad that blared from the radio.
A flash of blue appeared ahead and he instinctively slowed.  He felt ___________ .
A.    excited
B.     anxious
C.     surprised
D.     nothing
Soon a red flash appeared as well- must be an accident he thought, [...]

Losing the Battle

Chapter One
I picked the wrong day to quit smoking I thought as I watched the masked man pace nervously back and forth in the bank.  Seventeen hours, twelve minutes, and forty-five seconds to be precise.
Abruptly, he fired yet another short burst- five or six shots- into the ceiling before screaming I said shut up! and [...]

Fear

Nothing makes much sense now- the heat and fear and spite envelop me like a wet cocoon, sickeningly sweet.
I hear drums in the distance.  They are close now.
My left arm raises out of instinct and I stare at my bare flesh, as if the watch they had stolen would somehow appear if I stared long [...]

Babies in the Basement

One day ago, the police had arrived in their screaming vehicles and, guns drawn and search warrant in hand, knocked down the front door of the one story ranch style home.  Minutes later, they had escorted an overweight man into a squad car and drove him away.  Detectives arrived and dusted needlessly for fingerprints and [...]

Anders

Chapter Two
He fired twice, crumpling the silhouette on the roof.  Anders hoped that the intermittent gunfire around them had effectively camouflaged the weapon- at any rate, the dumpsters no longer served as sanctuary.  He climbed out into the alleyway and crouched down to one knee.
The father was cradling his child, his instincts muted into oblivion as all thought settled on his son’s face.  The son’s face [...]

The Last Illusion

Elmore Johnson, known to the community as Elmore the Magnificent, had been teaching magic to young apprentices for over thirty-five years. At the age of seventy-two, his eyes still shone brightly and darted mischievously back and forth as he watched his pupils perform tricks on the stage.
No, no, no he yelled feebly from the back [...]

The Job

Chapter One
Somewhere north of Richmond, two men leaned against an older white van.
I never trusted a neighborhood that had just as many houses as trees.  Just ain’t right. Joe paused, scratching the back of his neck and glancing over at his partner, who was busy organizing the contents of a duffel bag.
What I mean is, [...]