The steering wheel felt rough under my palms, the vibration of the old engine a familiar hum. I’d driven for two days, sleeping…
The first thing I registered wasn’t the sound, but the cold. A sudden, sticky-sweet shock of ice-cold Coca-Cola hit my face, my neck,…
Caroline’s head snapped toward me, her face a mask of pure, undiluted shock. The color drained from her cheeks, leaving two-dollar-store blush marks…
“Unit Seventy-Seven,” he said quietly. Not a question. I froze. The plastic cup in my hand, slick with condensation, suddenly felt impossibly heavy.…
The titanium pin in my femur hums. It’s a low, metallic vibration, a constant companion. It sings a dull, aching song that starts…
The assignment was simple. A few papers, some dense text on cognitive bias and perception. As they filed out, Davenport, the prince of…
I was top of my class, a third-generation Navy man. I thought I knew what power looked like. I was wrong. We joked…
The walk to the helicopter felt like a million miles, each step a lifetime. Behind me, 5,000 pairs of eyes. Some confused, some…
The click of the deadbolt was the loudest sound I had ever heard. It was the sound of a life ending. My life.…
…and that’s when I heard it. It wasn’t a loud noise. It was the opposite of noise. It was the suck of air…