Mega Six

By L. G. Merrick
Illustrated by Steve Morris

Herk Tinslap’s expansive mood took a shock at the whack of some object into the windshield of his van. What hit me? The bang whipped his attention up from his phone, only to see nothing except desert highway, the high beams lighting up a blur of insects. He was speeding through a cloud of the little bastards — or some not so little, more like tennis balls — and every few seconds, one became a phlegm-like splat on the glass.

Which he enjoyed. Killing bugs was Herk’s first love — or actually, ha ha, as of three hours ago, with Gidget out of his life — his only love.

But what the hell hit me?

That’s all you get for now. This story is undergoing major revision to go out on submission. Check back later for updates, and in the meantime, enjoy the art, plus a few scattered excerpts…

He stood blinking. Then realized — Hell, so Socorro’s got a bad crime problem. Management didn’t want anyone peeking to see what might be stolen out of the rooms.

“Pretty dead in here, huh? Except the chess club over there,” he said. “You on all night?”

“We close at twelve.”

That was a conservative reply. He glanced at her name tag.

Something heavy crashed into the glass. Herk jumped.

And a horrible single word burned in his brain.

Revenge!

The end