Manufacturers put scents into dish soap because research revealed that it made the washer think their dishes were getting cleaner than when using unscented soap. Technically the scents weren't required for the cleaning. Max knew this. But he still enjoyed scrubbing it into the plates. He also enjoyed wiping them...

Max prided himself from buying the one hitter from an indie smoke shop instead of a chain. It wasn't local to where he lived, but a thirty minute drive away. His mom would've been so upset had she known what he was burning all that  gas for. He never told...

The way to make a perfect  risotto . Well there were many ways. You could use wine. You didn't need to. You could begin with butter or olive oil. You could add in vegetables like peas later. But one thing Peter never wavered on was the usage of an enamel ...

Dave wanted tea . The pot had a cup left. He poured it into the mug then added hot water. Tea with hot water added never actually hit like a hot tea. But he'd rather take a watered down hot-ish tea than a cold one. This was not to say...

He counted how long he could live like this. Using the cash. Did the math in his head. 120 years he could last. But with inflation he could probably last until the day he died. Of course he wasn't planning to live in the shadow forever. Eventually the people who...

His days moved slow since the explosion. Still avoided the desert. He avoided running into people he knew. Avoided getting to know someone too well. Being a ghost had been his preference. A fact unobvious to him until he fell into enjoying someone's company.

He caught himself waiting by the...

The following day Mari was over. Not quite dinner time. Definitely past lunch. His schedule had creeped later and later...  an hour a week until eating dinner at 5PM began to feel out of place. Other people did indeed eat  dinner at five. Five was a fine time for dinner....

As a child Peter preferred the pizza parlor. Pizza was his favorite food. He didn't even like eating the pasta at his dad's place until he was in middle school. When his family went there for dinner he'd always order the stromboli. It was the closest thing to pizza. When...

"So why is he named the Dark Man?"

"It's just a nickname!"

"I know that! That's why I said... why is named The Dark Man, you idiot!"

"Fuck you!"

The men sat in a room of dark wood. The day shone bright outside. The windows large. Yet it didn't feel so bright inside. Not...

"Tell that cocksucker I need that W-2 in perpetuity!"

Trevor slammed the phone. He was probably the last person in town with a landline . It cost him 80 bucks a month. More than the cost of high speed internet. Which was the actual source of his income. He kept the...