Calamties Press

Blame of Reference by Ozgur K. Sahin

A few years ago, I was talking to a friend about her dating life, and as she was a self-professed “geek” who heavily favored dating other geeks, this led to a discussion about her dating pool and the “geek community” in general. After we’d talked about all the pitfalls of self-applying the term “geek” in online dating profiles (variations on ensuring she would remain surrounded by other people…

Killing Machine by Phil Temples

The newly-arrived-on-earth alien walked into the nearest structure in the bustling population sector. He was acquainted with their language and eager to begin his studies of the human species. The structure he chose to enter that day was the U.S. Armed Forces Recruiting Station in Times Square in Manhattan.

“I’m here to learn about—“

“Son, you’ve come to the right place to learn,” declared Staff…

Stony Point Station: Part 13 by Joseph Crowe

Previously: The battle frigate Wisconsin dishes out a flurry of missiles and energy weapons at the ships of the unidentified attackers. It’s all the warship can do to protect the fleet of freighters, but never the less several of the big haulers fall to the enemy vessels. And quickly, Wisconsin herself suffers a mortal blow.

Corundum’s bridge crew understood with sickening reality that Wisconsin…

At first the pilot didn’t want to report anything. He didn’t have anything substantial to account for what he experienced, which would mean nothing had actually happened to him in the eyes of Admiral Bhartia. There were countless ghost sightings of Eckamon in Red 39. Unless you had scientific evidence in the shape of an audio or video recording, Bhartia’s staff wouldn’t let your legend get very…

Organ: Tetro by Nick Vukelich

I love to be surprised. When I got an email saying these guys wanted me to review their album I was excited, I love music I’ve never heard before. Being in a doomy band I was thrilled to hear what Organwas offering, they say they are for fans of bands like Electric Wizard, Sleep, Om and some others and that is a perfect claim. Thick as thieves is really the best way I can describe this record.…

Dunk Tank: 02 by Jacob Steinbauer

I drop the remote control, go to the kitchen, and grab a plate from the cupboard. It’s six o’clock. I can’t smell anything, though, and there’s nothing on the stove top. I hear Mom and Dad arguing upstairs with louder than inside voices. A minute later they come downstairs and tell me to find my brother: they have an announcement to make.

“Tim!!!” I shout as loud as I can. The entire house…

Family Moment by PMF Johnson

The round sound of rubes tubing to London: delirious voices parsing all their choices, Harrod’s or Waxworks or the exhibit of Diana’s dresses, oh, the girl in rapture digresses to her shy, distracted brother and her camera-obsessive mother as Father scratches at his high-riser hair, wondering where oh where?

“So how long has it been?” The secretary asked. She was portly, white, like a cream puff. She had thick glasses that looked like they’d crush the eyeballs out of her face.

“30 years.” Val Replied. She was young, skinny, like a brunette skeleton with makeup on. She had that fresh out of college glint on the edges of her pupils, like any scientist commissioned by the CPA.

“What? 30 years for what,…

Along the Winter Rails: 44 – “The End is the Beginning” – by Fanni Sütő

Days went by, dripping away slowly with the last remains of melting snow. My homecoming which I imagined, or rather hoped, to be a victory march was in fact just a crawl of defeat. I had to flee our house because my mother started shrieking at me., not recognising her long lost daughter. After that I stayed in the small room of one of the neighbours and slept on a ragged blanket on the floor. The…