WTAFiction

Hello darlings! It's round two of the 2022 NYC Midnight Short Story contest. This is my entry, written in a hurry before a road trip commenced and submitted literally from a rest stop on the way. The assignment was romantic comedy (NOT my wheelhouse), dress-down day, and a handyman. Be kind, and I hope you enjoy! -Dux "Meat Cute"  Why should a zombie apocalypse stop Jae from connecting with a new crush?  ______________________ By August, I’d resigned myself to celibacy. No speed-dating in the apocalypse, nobody worth dating, so I didn’t exactly expect to run into a hottie at the Piggly-Wiggly. I mean, if I had, I might’ve dressed a little nicer. You know how it is: no bra, Spongebob scrubs, ponytail collapsing, ALICE pack jammed with struggle meals, tampons sticking out the top.  As it was, I turned the corner of the chip aisle, chewing looted antacid, and physically ran into this tall glass of water. I yelped, “shit, shit!” clubbing him with my bag. Tampons and TUMS fle

Hi, darlings! "Exclusions" is my NYC Midnight entry for 1st round of Short Story Contest 2022. My assignment was to write a suspense story incorporating a curfew and a policyholder. It took 4th place in group; judges' comments follow the story. Synopsis:  Nadine Bentham, socialite wife of a prestigious lawyer, finds herself in danger of paying with her life for his recklessness several years before. Somebody has to pay, don’t they?   “Exclusions”   “What? I lost you there for a minute,” Nadine said, tipping her head back to speak louder into the Lexus’ Bluetooth. She hated the Bluetooth in the Lexus, but Kurt had the Tesla tonight, since he was meeting with his partners for drinks after the dinner party. She’d offered to drop him off, but he’d promised to get Luke to give him a lift if he wasn’t fit to drive. He knew she’d always hold him to it, even though neither of them ever mentioned the accident.   “Still here,” her mother, Susan, said airily, her mouth ful