For those that don’t know how I choose the short stories for each year, I don’t. You do. Every year for the first eight-nine months I post one extra story part of The Pilot Program where you read, share, like and comment on the stories. The most popular becomes the short story series for the next year. The winner of The Pilot Program 2020 was The Horrorscope, the winner for the 2021 was JACK and now you have the chance to choose the short story for next year. Hope you like There is NO ME.

The Ship of Theseus ponders if you replace every wooden board and every single piece of a ship over the years. Is it still the same ship? But what of me? Am I me? I think to myself looking at the ceiling right after waking up from a nightmare. I hear an explosion as I get up from the bed. They are still going at it, I tell myself as I look for my cat. There you are, I say as I watch it stretch. Are you still you this spring now that you shed your old fur? Or are you some other mischievous little guy? I ask him as I pet him. I hear another explosion followed by my windows shaking, as I look at my cat going to its food bowl. You aren’t even scared anymore, brave little guy, I say to him as I reach for his food. I put food in his bowl and turn around to turn on the air filters as the black smoke from the explosions and fires reach the apartment. I hear a knock on the door, I go to look through the viewfinder. I see two burly men dressed in black holding something behind their backs. What the fuck, I whisper as I reach for my airsoft shotgun. Who is it? I ask. We’re with the insurance company, says one of the man. Fuck off or I’ll blow your fucking brains off, I scream at them. Fucking bitch, I hear them mutter as they pull out their baseball bats and leave. It’s the third time this month they came to this apartment complex, I know them by their stench now, I mutter to myself.

Raiders, vigilantes, rioters, protesters, cops, military and then the politicians are fueling the fire that is burning this city down slowly, but surely, I tell myself as I turn on the stove. I can’t remember the last meal I had where the food didn’t have a slight taste of ash or iron, I mutter as I look at the eggs I made without any appetite to eat them. My phone buzzes and as I pick it up to look at the notification another explosion shakes the city. Great, my skin cream arrived, I just need to pick it up. I can finally patch this skin without the need to staple it back together every time my windows explode into pieces, I say as I get up happy to have a motive to get out of the apartment. As I get dressed I remember my mother, so I reach for my phone to call her. Hello? she asks in a raspy voice. How are you, mom? It’s been a bit since we talked. Do you need anything? I have to go out and get my cream for the skin. Thought if you needed something, I could drop it off by you, I tell her as I hear her cough. I think we need a new air filter, it got really bad here with the fires and bombs. And your father can’t move as well until he receives his new muscle tissue next week, mom explained. Okay, I’ll get you some, since I think I’ll have to replace mine soon too, I tell her. But don’t you have work to do today? she asks. I do, but you know with the daily power outage, I can’t really do much until later. So we had our schedules changed, I explained. Oh, okay dear. Be careful and take care, she says. Will do, I try to reassure her.

Little Darkness, you take care too, I tell my cat as I step out of the door. Helmet, on. Keys, money, concealed gun, check. I forgot the bubblegum, so I guess I’ll have some ass kicking to do, I tell myself as I start laughing. Girl, you are crazy, I hear my neighbor lady say as I pass by her door. Morning, misses San, I say as I go down the stairs still laughing at my own joke. The ash would stick to the bottom of my shoe, like snow used to before this whole ordeal started. I miss snow and being able to walk around without a helmed, breathing the fresh air, seeing the sun clearly on the blue sky. Being able to go out whenever you wanted, not just when it was necessary. I tell myself as I reach the ground and look at the bike I haven’t used in a while that seems to be falling apart. So, on foot to the postal office it is, I mutter sad at myself. Weird how all these crazies decided to agree that the postal service, hospitals and grocery stores shouldn’t be touched, but the rest is free reign, I tell myself as I see a man approaching me. What a lucky day we have here, he says as he pulls out a gun. I pull out my gun and start shooting him. Oh baby, how nice it feels on this brand new body. Your rubber bullets ain’t going to do shit against me, he says as he puffs his chest out. Let’s just hope my backup brain is still synced and working, I tell myself as he starts running towards me. But just as he runs towards me, an explosion blows us both away

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