Things We Do in the Dark

by Jennifer Hillier

Be mindful of how you appear to women, and keep your distance unless invited.

“I’m paying Sonny,” Elsie says. “When you’re acquitted, you can pay me back. Fair warning, though: the man is an absolute prick. But that’s what you need. You want someone who’s not afraid to get in the mud and slug it out,

them. In the gospel according to Ruby Reyes, the most grievous sin isn’t murder. It’s the airing of her dirty laundry.

She was being punished. For the lie she had told. And in the end, it wasn’t even worth it. There were monsters everywhere.

Paris steps inside, and as if on cue, the frogs by the pond begin to croak.

“I’ve always envied your ability to deny any reality that doesn’t serve you.