George was dead. Layla had thought it was George speaking to her, but it turned out it was somebody she did not know. But he had shape shifted so that for a moment he appeared to be George.

"Get down," the figure said. Now it didn't look like George.

She didn't know...

What's wrong with you?

Nothing.

Something is. You know you can tell me.

You wouldn't. Couldn't. Believe me.

Oh come on. I know you. You're not the type to do something crazy. What is it?

That's just the thing! I'm not the guy to do something crazy. So why is this happening to me?

Something. Really...

It's not about what you know. It's about what you can prove.

The thought rolled in his mind as he continued chewing onto the last remaining skin of the apple. He wouldn't swallow it for another ten minutes or so. Not until he arrived at the cafe and he could wash...

The car continued to drive. It was raining. The man stopped asking questions. He thought of things. He was sad. The world was out to crush him. It was had. But now it had crushed him harder. Who were these men? They were scary. He was scary. More than sad.

He...

"In the early 2010s people assumed bitcoin would be used for money laundering , which is reasonable given that bitcoin used to be this obscure entity dwelling in the dark corner. It's not farfetched to believe such a thing would be used by criminals to hide money. But today with...

George got up. A glass of water was needed. The group of young college students had finished smoking a bowl 15 minutes ago. Smoking weed without fail gave George an insatiable thirst. First it was the dry mouth feeling. cotton mouth they called it. To combat cotton mouth he would...

On a soft seashore in Greece the retired man sat contemplating another sip of carbonated water. Just six months ago his days were packed contemplating what the world considered important. Strategy. Hiring. Investments.

Now he was here. Nothing to occupy his mind except whether he ought to take another sip. He...

Hector watched the cortisol infused rats scuttling around.

People had places to be. And they had to have been there ten minutes ago. deadline s were past due. And the  coffee was no longer hitting. Though they still needed the coffee. That was not up for discussion. Even when the  caffeine...

From up in the hills, the lights looked pretty. The chaos of being within it, stuck in traffic or wondering where your next meal was going to come from was dressed up as a gorgeous sea. Pain and suffering could be beautiful, if viewed from a far enough distance.

From up...

"What are you doing here, Marc?"

"I couldn't stay away."

"You've done just that for the past seven years."

"I know. Sorry I don't know. Is that how long it's been?"

"Are you okay?"

"I couldn't stay away. Once I remembered. Has it really been that long?"

"It's been awhile."

He thought about it. Seven years. It...