Category: Okategoriserade

Flashes of Sanity #97: Bait

Welcome to Flashes of Sanity! Your weekly dose of flash fiction on 500 words or less.

This week’s entry: Bait

Enjoy!

”Could you do me a favor?” She had asked. Then a kiss on the cheek.
That was Mitch’s first kiss since… Ever.
He was ready to accept anything Donna said after that.
Luckily, it was just to take a box to an alley, and deliver the notes inside. At night.
”Hey!” A voice shouted from the darkness. Then Mitch saw the gun. ”Do you have a delivery for Figo?”
”For Figo?” Mitch stumbled on the words and searched through the box. ”Y-yes, here.”
The man fell down to the asphalt screaming. The blood flew from his hand onto Mitch’s only almost-clean white T-shirt.
“If you even think about taking that letter, I will shoot your head off.” A Long, muscular Woman showed herself in the darkness.
“Damn, you Vanessa!”
“Shut it, Claes, or I will shoot you anyway!”
“So you are the one messing with our business,” she continued and scanned Mitch. “Kind of disappointing. You have a letter to Gondacho, give it to me! And give me the letter to Figo too.”
“Damn you!”
“Claes, you idiot!” The woman screamed back.
Where is the letter, Mitch thought. He heard two gun shoots. He felt new warm liquid hit his body. And the one called Claes fell silent.
“Here it is.”
“Thanks!”
Mitch’s forehead turned cold. His legs turned warm.
“Please.”
“Don’t take it personally,” Vanessa said. “It is just business.”
She pressed the gun harder against his head. A loud bang echoed in the alley.
And Vanessa fell to the ground.
“What is this?” Mitch dropped the box and ran as fast as he could. New bangs echoed behind him. One bullet hit his legs. And he flew to the ground.
“Help!”
A car halted with screech.
“Look at that Miko. Seems like our dear note writer holds promises after all.”
“What do you mean?”
“That you should listen more and think less.”
Mitch felt a hand reaching down his pockets.
“Please, I don’t want to die.”
“Die?” the man asked. “The Reviewer doesn’t kill. I was picking up my letter.”
Letter? When did that end ll there.
“I see… Miko cover the back seat with something plastic. My gift has had an accident.”
“Gift?”
Gift? Mitch thought. A hand grabbed him by the neck.
“Yes. Gift. The little lady sent me an apprentice.”
“Please.” Mitch stumbled on his feet as the.
“Stop whining, it is not a good color on anyone. And lift your feet as you walk. Such laziness can get you shoot in this world.”
A hard push threw Mitch into the back seat.
“I am not an apprentice.” Mitch said. “I am just Mitch Sooly.”
“Your lady friend seems to think different.” Gun shots echoed through the alley. “And I believe her. Now Miko, how about activating those sprinklers of yours.”
Miko’s face split in a smile.
“With pleasure.”
The door slammed shut. Gas poured in through the roof.
“Please,” Mitch whispered. “Help.”
His view blurred, and everything became darkness.

Want to read more? Click here to read all previously published Flashes of Sanity!

Copyright © David B. Johansson 2021

Flashes of Sanity #96: Behind the register

Welcome to Flashes of Sanity! Your weekly dose of flash fiction on 500 words or less.

This week’s entry: Behind the register

Enjoy!

I Love My job
I Love My job
I love My job
”Hi, how may I help you?”
The very stale man on the other side of the counter reached down into his bag he probably had carried since his face saw the light while screaming profanities no one understood.
”I would like some help… with… uhm… you know… this… I can’t get it to start.”
Donny picked it up, still desperately holding on to his mantra. He pushed the large green button and the little machine blinked followed by all the start up signals.
”There you go.” His smile fought for its place on his face. Donny glanced at the next customer. And the smile gave off a shriek as the bitterness got through all the defenses and stabbed it in the heart. Yet the smile held on to its throne.
“And how may I help you?”
“This shop of yours and all the shit you do to us has reached my final nerve.”
“Please tell me more, your satisfaction is our mission.” Donny resisted the urge to remove the spit dripping from his smile.
“You had the nerve to sell me a broken hair dryer,” more spit flew across the counter. ”Do you know how many there was staring at me in the subway? This is unacceptable.”
It wasn’t your hair they were staring at, Donny thought.
“I am happy to give you a new one in exchange for the one that was broken,” he said. As he reached for Adam to go fetch this so precious hair dryer, he got a look at what was coming next.
Is… Is he touching himself?
“Every one down on the floor. Now!”
The man with his hands down his pants accidently squeezed a little too hard from the sudden interruption. He moaned in pain.
Is that a spandex suit? Donny thought as he stood stunned and stared at the Woman and two of her not as well dressed grunts.
“You are crazy, boss.” One of the grunts laughed.
“Am I?” The girl in a right spandex suit asked. “You there! I said down in the floor!”
All guns and the spandex girl’s hands suddenly pointed at Donny and His little Line.
“Oh mama,” the man touching himself moaned before falling to the floor in spasms.
“You don’t dare,” the woman screamed before she also fell to the floor in spasms with two needles in her back.
“I said down!” The spandex girl screamed now with her knee on the woman’s back.
“And you.” She turned to Donny. ”You look cute. But down, now!”
“I am happy to be at your service.”
She called me cute, Donny thought and threw himself to the ground.
She is cute.
I hate my job…
”Do you need a hostage?”
The sound of money, clothes and jewelry being pushed into bags stopped.
She giggled.
The he glimpsed her wonderful face appearing above the register.
”Actually no… But in your case, I will do an exception.”

Want to read more? Click here to read all previously published Flashes of Sanity!

Copyright © David B. Johansson 2021

Flashes of Sanity #95: Parking ticket

Welcome to Flashes of Sanity! Your weekly dose of flash fiction on 500 words or less.

This week’s entry: Parking ticket

Enjoy!

A ticket!? A bloody ticket!?
”I have parked inside the lines,” Miko shouted. ”What kind of bullshit is this?”
”Not a ticket, Miko,” his employer said and stretched for the paper slip. ”It is the wrong color, you should know that.”
”What is it then?”
”A note.” The employer scanned the paper in just about two seconds too long for Miko to find it healthy.
”Or rather an invitation,” the employer continued as Miko pressed a button on his car key and the two front doors opened.
The fact that his employer preferred the front seat over the back luxurious back seat still confused Miko. Even though he had gotten it explained to him a dozen times. Everyone wanted to be seen as royalty. Every one except this guy who claimed that seeing what was going on was ’the more preferable in going for a ride.’ The employer didn’t want anyone to open the door either. The automatic system Mika had installed was borderline and almost costed him the job.
”What kind of invitation is it then?” Miko threw himself into the driver’s seat.
His employer first checked the interior to make sure everything was spotless.
”It doesn’t say,” the employer said. ”It only says that Mr. Maldo wants our attention.”
”The pedophile?”
Miko got one of those glares that his employer was so good at. A glare with a mix of disappointment and annoyance. Miko cared very little for that kind of intolerant behavior.
”Yes,” the employer said. ”The one recently accused of murder and pedophilia. He seems to know a great deal about some shady people.”
The radio started at the same time as the engine gave of its first purr.
”Four murdered today on the street. Is it the same killer? Will there be more? Stay tuned on radio Fast Lane as we follow the events live from our studio.”
”Intriguing,” the man in the passenger seat mumbled. ”Miko, plaese take me to the address on this invitation. This someone, not Mr. Maldo, has caught my attention. I think whatever is at that address will be of great interest to us.
”Sure, boss.” Miko put in the first gear and pressed down the pedal.
”Please, Miko. Serious people call me The Reviewer.”

Want to read more? Click here to read all previously published Flashes of Sanity!

Want to read my debut novel Demons in Cotton? Click here and get it where you like to buy books!

Copyright © David B. Johansson 2021

Flashes of Sanity #94: Office Realizations

Welcome to Flashes of Sanity! Your weekly dose of flash fiction on 500 words or less.

This week’s entry: Office Realizations

Enjoy!

Donald Diamond stared at the photograph put on the table.
He went home after all…
“Do you know anything about this?” The officer asked.
“No,” Donald answered. “I have no idea what this is about.”
“So you have no idea what Sam was doing in the Westwyrm woods?”
“No, not at all.” The lie settled as an ugly lump in his throat. He spread the photographs and got a better view of his once-a-friend and once-a-business-partner. The woods had taken their revenge in the most grotesque of ways. Roots and worms wandered in and out of his face in every possible opening.
He always feared the label of a traitor, Donald thought. The woods were never kind to traitors, he had said. Neither was the people Sam came from. Judging from the images, Sam didn’t lie.
“You know…” The officer continued. “It looks suspicious that Sam is found dead just weeks after he got voted of the board, on your initiative.”
“I know. But our disagreements were not enough for me to kill him. He was my friend, and I still considered him as a friend even though our last meeting was a heated one.”
“Would Sam considered you a friend after that meeting?”
Donald sighed. “Probably not.”
“Do you know who could have wanted him dead?”
To many, Donald thought. “No,” he said.
The officer nodded and closed his notepad, clearly not satisfied with the outcome from their meeting.
“Call me if anything comes to mind.”
“I will,” Donald pressed a button and the door behind them opened. “ Security will show you out.”
As the officer left, Donald sighed again.
Sam why did you go home, you idiot.

Want to read more? Click here to read all previously published Flashes of Sanity!

Want to read my debut novel Demons in Cotton? Click here and get it where you like to buy books!

Copyright © David B. Johansson 2021

Holding my book for the first time

To summarize, I have a copy of my Demons in Cotton in my hand!!!

This feels amazing! And well, because of that I want to share it with everyone!

I am thinking of framing it? Is that a thing?

It will be from now on!

For those as thrilled as me, here is the spine:

And here is the back:

I am in full celebration mode!

And I can’t wait until September 21st when you all can read the book!

Flashes of Sanity #93: Crisis in Thoughts

Welcome to Flashes of Sanity! Your weekly dose of flash fiction on 500 words or less.

This week’s entry: Crisis in thoughts

Enjoy!

Captain Cassandra Crisis stared at the blank screen.
Why does this never end? Why does every gangster has to be replaced with two more?
They had caught five mass-murderers, wasn’t that enough?
No, it wasn’t, she sighed. It never was. Just as she closed the laptop she got it confirmed once again.
Two new murders. Within 30 minutes.
“Still here?”
Cassandra looked up to see Kara lean in through the office door.
“Yes,” she rubbed her temples. “ It looks like we will have another rough day tomorrow.”
“Again?” Kara frowned. Then she lit up. “You know what? We need to take the edge off!”
“You think so?” Casandea had to admit, the thought of a scotch down the throat didn’t sound like a bad idea.
“I know so,” Kara said. “And I know just the place. An abandoned warehouse turned into this scary house bar kind of thing. I promise this is an experience you won’t forget for the rest of your life.”
“You got a point!” Cassandra arose from her desk. “Let’s do this!”
Just as she grabbed her coat, her phone buzzed once more. She glanced at it, and sighed.
“You know what? We’ll call in the others instead. This will be a long and stressful night.”
The murder count had doubled in just a few minutes. The phone buzzed as the word ‘BLOODBATH’ popped up below the latest update.
“This has become an all hands on deck thing.” Crisis sighed. “We’ll take the scary house bar kind of thing another day.”
The frown on Kara’s face broke in a smile. “Sure, I will hold you to your words.”

Want to read more? Click here to read all previously published Flashes of Sanity!

Copyright © David B. Johansson 2021