This is the start of a new sequence and this time I’m taking inspiration from two sources: Titles are the chapter heading from my soon to be released SF novel, Shopocalypse; the stories and characters are inspired by current work in progress, ‘Beyond The Streets We Know’, a fantasy set in this world and others.

No spoilers here. I am riffing off the characters and stories in ‘Beyond The Streets’, not reprising them. Events in these stories will not happen in the book, think of them as alternatives, things that might have been, or are yet to come.

Shopocalypse has 68 chapter titles, so this could run for some time if I use them all. As before, exactly 100 words per story, including the title. Enjoy! And as ever, your comments are most welcome.

The Prison

Skorzaney sat on the thin, hard mattress and rubbed his chin. This was nothing, he had spent twice this long simply putting the plan together.

Those plans still existed. This was simply delay, postponement. What were a few more years? He’d get out when he got out, until then nothing was going to change. People had been waiting a long, long time. They, like he, could wait a little longer.

So the kid was dead. Bars and doors were simply a state of mind. Skorzaney settled back against the wall. He had all the time in the world.

~

Audio Narration available here