Underland Press

By Simon Drax
January 14, 2010

* * *

Through the rain, and to the bookstore.

The rain fell slashing, like ten million hammers on the sidewalk.

The adverts on the avenue flickered in the rain like ghosts, holographic projections that spoke without guilt or apology, “Take this,” and “New to the market?” and “Now there’s hope,” and “You’ll feel better, soon,” and then a man with a cross, His heart torn open, His eyes earnest, “Follow Me…” Angels sang behind Him, jagged with static.

Billy and Frost tried to hurry Mori along, but she paused sullen in the downpour to consider the electronic effigy.

Frost clearly disapproved, her faceplates whirring, tightening into a frown, and Billy made a feeble attempt at a joke. But Mori was truly and deeply offended. She made a heinous face at the digital Christ. How fucking vile. Hawking His shit on the street like the other pushers? Mori hated Him, now.

This was one of Mori Kim Marr’s big secrets, a big stupid goddamn secret she had never shared with anybody: she’d always had a soft spot for The Carpenter Kid, The Good Shepard, His whole scene, all of it. Love and sacrifice? Yeah, OK. Water into wine? Hell yeah! But not any more. Now she hated His fucking guts. She hated the promise of The Resurrection, because Mori had it on good authority that it was bullshit.

Just open MY veins, she thought. This is MY blood, 100% destruction, guaranteed.

Mori was miserable, Mori was hopeless. What else was new? Story of her life.

But this time was different. This time she’d earned it.

Since the whole mess started she’d come full circle, and the loop was möbius, man.

Mori Kim Marr was seventeen years old. She had choppy black hair and brown eyes, short snub of a nose that at the moment ran with snot and tears, etcetera, and Mori wore a black skirt that was too short, she wore soft black boots of faux-plaztam that were soaked up to her ankles—because she was incapable of avoiding the fucking puddles, apparently—and her bulky jacket was too big for her slight and undernourished frame…