A Bouquet of Blood Roses by Bogdan Dragos

even the full moon felt like a spotlight above him It made him sweat in the cold night as he wandered the streets Nothing too out of the ordinary about him. Just an average guy wearing average clothes and carrying a rather thick strand of hair in his breast pocket crimson red and long as…

Bad Blood by Bogdan Dragos

Nine PM caught them sitting on the broken bench by the river banks She removes her jacket and stretches her hands. “See?” she says, “I told you I’m bad blood.” He stares at her, mute and dumb and utterly incapable to find himself in her dark eyes “Huh?” “The mosquitoes,” she says. “They don’t want…

Trash Collector by Bogdan Dragos

I don’t know what was more impressive about him the fact that he collected trash in a bag that was at least three times bigger than himself and carried that bag on his back or the fact that it was winter and he was only in shorts and wasn’t cold That one evening when he…

The Law of Luck by Bogdan Dragos

the last bar brawl left him without a chunk of his upper lip and a nose busted beyond recognition now his whole face was swollen like he was wearing a cheap rubber mask his opponent used brass knuckles it seemed. Getting shot probably wouldn’t have hurt as much but luckily he kept his teeth Actually…

The Way to Worship the Devil by Bogdan Dragos

the black metal was blasting in the speakers but the painted faces on her wallpapers no longer grinned at her and no longer whispered too bad, the drugs wore off Well, the best part about living with grandpa was that she could simply get out in the middle of the night dressed however she wanted…

Could it be that living with an artist was even worse? by Bogdan Dragos

“I’ve seen people on their death beds more alive than you,” she said. “The day my grandpa died I’ve seen more life than in your room. At least he fought back, he wanted to keep death away for as long as possible. He was 87, and you’re in your twenties, looking like you’re not only…

Face Behind Bars by Bogdan Dragos

her hair made her face look like it was always behind bars or trapped in barbed wire Nothing could get through those thin bars but the mouth of the bottle as it joined hers strands of hair would get inside her mouth and between her lips and into the bottle and she wouldn’t care one…

This Species has to be Killed in its Infancy by Bogdan Dragos

the kid handed him a piece of paper and asked, “Can we put this one on the fridge?” It wasn’t a drawing “What’s this?” he asked There were words written on it I am getting in my car and I’m driving very far Following the star of my dreams It seems my destiny awaits as…

Already Talking like a Real Man by Bogdan Dragos

their deaths were four days apart first went father and then mother And now the dark smoke took the shape of a cat and clung to his shoulder, digging sharp claws into his tender flesh “It hurts,” he cried “Oh, shut up,” the smoke cat said, “Be a man. In this world only the strong…

No One has Seen True Horror until they’ve Seen a Heaven without Animals by Bogdan Dragos

a dog doesn’t know much about the world, as most animals don’t and they don’t care about the world or about their inability to comprehend it Animals are perfectly self-centered, like human babies Well I knew this girl who was an animal rights activist and couldn’t make her peace with animals not following their owners…

Don’t Think, Just Go Along With It by Bogdan Dragos

the candles were not made of wax it was something different Something that smelled like sweat as they melted there were five of them One for each corner of the pentagram They had to take the furniture and the carpet out of the room to trace it in the middle with powders he’d never heard…

Fakespeare by Bogdan Dragos

he sat on his knees before the bed by the window and tapped swiftly on the screen of the cheap tablet he’d bought second hand It had only a few apps and the one he used was the notes app It’s hell having to tap on a screen to write but the alternative was scratching…

A Cold Hell by Bogdan Dragos

the clouds seemed to be holding the sun back like a slave with chains of lead After a night of heavy snow the day tried to make a comeback and failed It was 11:00 AM and dark as evening and since it was also cold as hell they concluded they were in hell “But hell…

I Will Never Again Believe What You Say by Bogdan Dragos

At 1 AM she screamed for daddy to come quick, quick and look under the bed There were noises and growls there, she told him Daddy turned the light on sighed dropped to his knees and crawled to the edge of her bed Lifted the sheets looked under and felt the knife plunge into his…

Shoot Your Questions at the Abyss by Bogdan Dragos

there is one supreme blissful presence here it’s night time I’m in my element Freshly awakened after a day of sleep I’m not a vampire I only used to wish I were when I first started living like this. What can I say, I was young and playful Now I know I’m something worse than…

Will Repair Umbrellas for Cash by Bogdan Dragos

I was at that age when you read whatever writing catches your eye by way of style billboards and stuff It’s a sensitive age for kids The advertising industry knows it But the words I read weren’t quite advertising They were written on a piece of cardboard placed next to a homeless man who sat…