When the Wolf Comes Home

by Nat Cassidy

“I’m never doing anything without a podcast to listen to, ever again, that’s for goddamn sure.”

Allen continues his debrief, telling Santos how the hotel incident has been explained away. Carbon monoxide. A leak that resulted in a few deaths and many more hallucinations. The security footage has been commandeered; witnesses have been contained. Just another mundane tragedy in the waning days of the good ol’ US of A.

Actors. Nothing but trained liars, cultivating superficial relationships just to mimic human behavior. Borderline sociopathy right there.

But then Jess thinks of monkeys’ paws and pet cemeteries and thanks god that her imagination can’t bring her mother back. Because she would do it. In a heartbeat, she would.

“I don’t know what to do. I feel like … like everything’s broke. Like I’m all broke.” “Yeah.” She squats down. “I know that feeling. Sometimes I think that’s just what being alive feels like.”