Current Issue

Home

Marian Allen writes science fiction, fantasy, mystery, humor, horror, mainstream, and anything else she can wrestle into fixed form. Allen has had stories in anthologies, on-line and print publications, including Oceans of the Mind and Canada's On Spec, on coffee cans and the wall of an Indian restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky. She writes a daily food history column for Worldwide Recipes.com, The Best Darned Recipezine in the Whole Darned Universe.

Venom by Marian Allen

He's outraged! This can't be happening to him!

He shouts at me. He curses me. He calls me slow––stupid. Worse. The usual names.

He shoves me, slaps me, knocks me down. The usual blows.

The shouts and blows grow weak. He needs to save his breath, save his strength. Then he has no more breath or strength to save.

Is it my fault I can't find his emergency allergy injection? Is it my fault I can't find the cell phone? Is it my fault there was a handful of bees under the covers on his side of the bed?

THE END