From A Light in the Dark


Wondering whether it was worse being Miller’s prisoner or being Estefano’s prisoner, Bryant tried to stretch in his bonds again, but they held fast. And his arms hurt too much to try harder, and his muscles were too weak to force him otherwise. He hadn’t eaten in what seemed like weeks, although it must only have been days. Having spent most of the time in slumber, only occasionally awakened by the horrible stench beginning to seep through the door, he figured he’d have been well-rested, ready to spring into action. Apparently not. His power was useless when he was so tired; he could hardly stay awake. He couldn’t even get himself out.

Finally, Estefano closed the door again. There was the sound of a lock grinding shut from the outside, and then nothing. No sound from the body; Bryant held his breath until stars exploded into his field of vision. Technically he didn’t have to; Estefano was gone and so was the worst of the stench, but a malodorous smell lingered, he knew, and Bryant did not want to risk being further affected by it. The stars he now saw pulsated and then grew larger, a field of snow blanketing his vision.

He must have passed out, because when he came to there was something shuffling next to him. A rat! Bryant immediately thought, but it wasn’t.

“Hello?” the voice said. “HELP!”

Bryant immediately recognized it and could have laughed for joy if he had not been gagged and bound. The sudden burst of energy made him twitch in his bonds; his shoulders felt as though they were on fire, as his hands had been tied behind him for what seemed like years. He was too weak to do much else; he sagged down back into the floor and made a noise in his throat to get her attention.

At his groaning noise, Katherine shrieked. He felt her recoil, a space suddenly between them.

“Who are you?” she shouted.

“Hnhhhnnnm,” he answered, trying to stay his name through his closed lips.

Luckily she recognized his voice as well. “Bryant?” she said.

“Mmmhm,” he said.

"Oh my god,” Katherine said, “you’re here? How?”

“Hmmmhmhnnnhhnnggghhh,” he said.

"What?” Katherine said.

“Hmmmhnhnnnhnhhhh nngggh hhg nhnmmm,” he said.






From Estefano Exacerbated


He hummed to himself as he descended in the elevator.

Estefano’s black trash bag of goodies—his fun bag, goodie bag, whatever bag—bounced against his bulbous form as the elevator groaned under his weight. He giggled as he felt something sharp jab him in the back of his rib cage. Probably one of the toys he’d brought, Estefano thought to himself, as though it were teasing him already.

The heart lodged somewhere deep in his cavernous chest fluttered, reminding him a bit of heart burn, like when he ate too many frozen burritos. Before his grandma… had gone on, she had always harped on him for eating ten at once. But he was hungry, and any less than that would not sate his hunger. Typically he took them straight out of the freezer and piled them into a neat pyramid, four on the bottom, three in the middle, two next, and one on top. It never mattered to him that the microwave was barely tall enough to contain his mountain of refried beans and meat, and that no matter the wattage it never seemed to cook everything all the way through. Estefano had perfected this art as far as it could go, however. The burrito he revered eating the most was not on the bottom, but the very middle burrito, for the microwave did manage to cook this one to perfection, while the others either burned—like the ones on the outer edges and on the top—or remained partially frozen, like the ones in the middle on the bottom.

The middle burrito was the one in the row of three—the very center. There, surrounded by other burritos, next to the ones that became like pockets of magma, and kept cool by the ones that would still be frozen at the end of the seven minutes, the middle burrito was cooked to perfection and succulent. Moist, tender, the refried beans the texture of oatmeal, meaty, cheesy oatmeal.

It was this meal that Estefano had just treated himself to before locating his fun pack and coming back to the library. The two Asians, his prisoners, would be fine in the closet, as his cloud had ensured that they would not be able to move. The first one—Estefano was beginning to suspect it was a boy, but no matter, since Asians would all be the same anyhow: small, tight, and with that virginal, unmarred, porcelain skin he so loved—seemed especially weak. While the fact that this one did not have legs below the knees initially turned Estefano off, he’d reminded himself that there are many uses for a limb that has been severed. Many possibilities that he could act out especially aided by his fun pack, assembled over many long hours of laboring over the most erotic Hentai he could find.

The elevator dinged and he got out, still humming. He was so elated and his heart fluttered so fast now he thought for sure he may faint. The anticipation was almost too much; he suddenly felt the weight of his burrito snack in his stomach. What if… he didn’t have enough things in the fun pack to keep them all occupied until he was satisfied? What if the first one was dead? What if the other died? He’d already killed so many because of his awe-some power. What if it happened again, especially at the moment of his ecstasy? Estefano thought it could be possible.










From Untitled Chapter


That’s how, thirty-six hours later, Joe found himself standing guard on the second floor of the Administration building. It was quiet. He hadn’t heard a sound from the elevators since the others went up, but they had left him a walkie-talkie just in case, and a Jay clone.

Joe didn’t really like talking to the Jay clone though; he acted slightly different from Jay. Hollow. Also, very business-like. It wasn’t very fun. And the Jay clone had even scolded Joe for taking out a can of Miller from his pocket and opening it.

“Why not? There’s nobody on this floor,” Joe said.

The Jay clone didn’t say anything, just took the can and poured out the beer on the floor.

“You suck. I wish you were the real Jay,” Joe muttered. Then he sat down on the floor and stared at the elevator doors.

It was a boring job, but Geoff had insisted that it was important to watch the second floor.

“What about the first floor?” Joe had asked. “Isn’t the first more important? Nobody’s on the second because nobody’s here.”

The rest of the group, before they’d walked into the building shifted around and looked uncomfortable. Finally, Katherine had spoken up.

“Joe, we need someone reliable to watch the first two… just in case someone going to Hrabowski’s office takes the stairs instead.”

“Can’t Jay watch the stairwell then, too?” Joe asked.

“Um…” Jay said, “watching all the floors at once is hard work. No.” So it was settled. Joe would stand watch at the second floor while Jays stood guard at every other floor.

After forty minutes, Joe began to fall asleep. The Jay clone that was charged with sitting nearby shook him awake.

“Yeah?” said Joe. He’d been having pleasant dreams about finding more Miller in the vending machine nearby.

The clone pointed at the elevator doors and looked disapprovingly at Joe.

"Whatever,” said Joe. “You suck.”

He wondered what the others were doing.