Sheet of Flame

The funeral was a quiet affair. Jeremy showed up early, but left as soon as he could. The arrangements were handled by Greg’s insurance company, as his parents couldn’t be located. There were seven people there when they buried him. Of the seven, three were part of the funeral parlor’s staff. The undertaker, the man he had hired to dig graves and the priest. One of them was from ...

“Just clockin’ in, Doc,” he says a little hesitantly. “Think I might be able to get a little something extra this time?” Gregory Faunt is an addict. Everyone at the clinic is an addict, or a doctor. The distinction is a fine line, or at least Dr. Romans thinks so. Dr. Romans is the newest addition to the clinical staff but he thinks he has it all figured out. “You know ...

Judge me all you like, but it feels good. At least I’m not stupid. I don’t share my needles with anyone else, even when I really need it. Also, I haven’t actually done any heroin in at least six months. Give or take a couple weeks. I’m on the methadone train. Government regulated drugs. Addicted to smack? Your good buddy Uncle Sam is there to provide you with ...

Jeremy Banks has consistently been late during his life. His mother was pregnant for ten months instead of the usual nine, and she even saw a doctor because she was worried that something was wrong. Apparently, he was developing at a slightly slower pace than normal. It was as if his inner clock was set about four minutes behind what the actual time was. During elementary school, he missed ...