Table of Contents

IN THE HEAT, FOREVER WAS A LOT SHORTER THAN YOU MIGHT IMAGINE.

By JEFF SOMERS

Copyright

PART ONE

PROLOGUE

I: AMERICAN MURDER

II: JUST STILL ALIVE

III: I WASN’T SURE I WANTED TO RESIST

IV: EVERYONE ELSE WAS JUST CROWD

V: HARD PEOPLE DOING A HARD JOB

VI: A HEAVY BOLT OF FABRIC STRETCHED ALL AROUND US, SUFFOCATING

VII: YOUR ONLY CHANCE OF SURVIVING ME

VIII: THIS WAS ENTERTAINMENT

IX: IF YOU WANTED TO KILL ME… THERE ARE FASTER WAYS

X: THE LITTLE MAN AND HIS FREAKS

XI: IT’S ALL RIGHT. YOU DID LOOK KIND OF SAD ABOUT IT

XII: SOME MIRACLE OF SHITHEAD PHYSICS

XIII: A LITTLE GOD

XIV: ROLLING ALONG TO SOME INEVITABLE DISASTER

XV: A MARKO ORIGINAL

XVI: WONDER WHAT HE USES NEEDLES FOR

XVII: FLAMES WHERE THEIR EYES SHOULD HAVE BEEN

XVIII: I’D BEEN DIGESTED A LITTLE

XIX: I DON’T HAVE A SCREEN TO REPRESENT PAINFUL DEATH

PART TWO

XX: CRAZY WAS GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT

XXI: DESPERATE FOLKS, I FIGURED

XXII: EVEN THE HUMAN ONES

XXIII: YOU’RE GONNA NEED THE HAND

XXIV: FLOAT BACK TO SAFETY ON MY BLOATED, BUOYANT CORPSE

PART THREE

XXV: SURVIVES THROUGH MYSTERIOUS MEANS

XXVI: A FUCKING PERSON OF IMMENSE INTEREST

XXVII: STILL STANDING IN DEFIANCE OF THE KNOWN LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE

XXVIII: I THINK OF HIM AS LITTLE DICK

XXIX: AN ESTIMATED LIFE SPAN OF UNTIL THE UNIVERSE CONTRACTED INTO A HEAVY DOT

XXX: I WAS FOURTEEN AGAIN

XXXI: THEY ALWAYS CAME BACK

PART FOUR

XXXII: STARTING TO BLACKEN ON THE EDGES

XXXIII: AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IT UNTIL A FEW MOMENTS AGO

XXXIV: THE BEST IDEA I’D HAD IN YEARS

XXXV: NONE OF THAT PRETENDER BULLSHIT

XXXVI: I WANT TO BE ERASED

XXXVII: AND THOSE WERE MY ADVANTAGES

XXXVIII: TWO, I’D BEEN FUCKING LUCKY

XXXIX: ALL ITS LIFE, ONLY WAITING FOR ME TO ARRIVE

XL: I’LL PROBABLY HAVE YOU CRUSHED INTO A CUBE AND CARRY YOU AROUND AS A SOUVENIR

XLI: REACTING TO THE POWERFUL RADIATION OF THEIR THOUGHTS

XLII: BECAUSE YOU’RE A MISERABLE BASTARD