Megan was out of her element. The thumping, driving beat made her insides vibrate in a way that was not at all comfortable. All around her, revelers covered in iridescent body paint jumped and danced and swayed with drinks in their hands and god knew what else in their bloodstreams….

The Butcher, also known as Emperor Ubuluff of the Gamma Lyrae star system, had finished his work for the day. He felt productive, having ordered 16 beheadings and 427 lashings. Only one prisoner was set free – a female, beautiful but retiring, accused of the murder of a palace guard….

The first time Howard saw Alice, he thought he was losing his mind. He’d spent 126 days alone. 126 days since the machines came and took everyone and he woke up inside a dark closet in the basement of the hospital, eight steps from the morgue. He still couldn’t believe…

There was a crash in the kitchen, like the sound of a bowl breaking. The syringe was just millimeters from Penelope’s arm, just moments from sweet relief, when the sound caused her to jump, sending the serum flying across the room. It rolled under the radiator. “Dammit,” she hissed. She’d…

He only lets me out when it’s dark. My day begins with the sound of a key turning the lock in the front door. I listen attentively. I can guess the weather by the sounds he makes after he drops his keys in the glass bowl on the hall table…