Part 1 The sound of a hand striking flesh is distinct. It doesn’t sound like a clap. It’s a wet, heavy crack that…

PART 1 My name is Olivia Harrison, and I’m thirty-seven years old. Twenty years ago, my parents called me a “moral failure” and…

PART 1 The sun was sinking low over the Texas-Mexico border, painting the sky in bruised shades of crimson and gold. It’s a…

Part One “You’re out of your league, sweetheart.” Staff Sergeant Marcus Briggs said it loudly enough for the entire gym to hear. The…

PART 1 The ballroom smelled like lemon polish, expensive cologne, and aggressive pride. It was the Marine Corps Birthday Ball, the holy night…

Part 1 “Ma’am, this is a restricted engineering space. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” The voice was thin, reedy,…

Part 1 “Ma’am, that access is restricted. I’m going to have to ask you to step away from the door.” The voice cracked.…

Part 1 The bus groaned to a halt just outside the main gate of Camp Armmitage, its brakes squealing with the kind of…

PART 1: THE EXILE   The rain didn’t just fall; it punished. It came down in relentless, icy sheets, hammering against the asphalt…

Part 1: The Ambush My name is Elena Rener. I am thirty-five years old. I am a medically retired Major from the United…