Delirium Corridor: A Dark Anthology

Delirium Corridor, A Dark Anthology, curated by Max Talley
Fifteen tales of psychological suspense, altered states, noir crime, and the surreal. Featuring authors Zane Andrea, John Reed, Shelly Lowenkopf, Sacha Wamsteker, Jesse Krenzel, Genna Rivieccio, Jack Eidt, Trey Dowell, M.M. De Voe, Stephen Vessels, Fred Williams, Silver Webb & Max Talley. Art by Vessels, Talley, Grace Rachow, and Vergvotre.
You can't find Delirium Corridor with GPS. Ten miles past the Twilight Zone, you veer east after Barstow toward the hot, wind-blasted promise of Needles, CA. At some point, you visit a gas station restroom. You try to see your reflection in the Black Mirror above the stained sink, but not even the frightening apparition of yourself under penetrating fluorescent light appears. Struggle onward, ignoring the hallucinations at the periphery of vision, and the inner voices that sound like Dennis Hopper. Drive into Arizona and eventually end up at La Posada Hotel, staring at paintings of dead people in their Night Gallery. Stagger back to your car amid the oppressive heat toward the distant rumor of the New Mexico border. Turn back west, or north or south? Everything looks the same and you are all alone. You have arrived; no one can help you.
"Delirium Corridor" by Max Talley
Jeremy Rebus learns that the triple-locked door in his back-room office does not lead to a sky bridge between buildings. The noises, the scents, and screams within pique his curiosity, though management has told him to never ever open the door.
"Scavenger" by Jesse Krenzel
"While half the world starved, David Lathrop survived. Scraping away soil baked hard by the fiery crash of an alien space probe, he'd found hope." The struggle between human life and plant-life gains a certain urgency in "Scavenger."
"Oh Yes, Dr. No" by Silver Webb
"The thin, dry light of the desert made my head feel like it was floating. Or maybe that was the Seconal kicking in." A washed-up movie star in Palm Springs circa 1960 must save his career by grabbing a role in the first James Bond film. Will booze, broads, and barbiturates help his chances, or sink him deeper into Frank Sinatra's swimming pool?
"Ruthless Efficiency" by Trey Dowell
"Steve Wiggin's first day as CEO was relatively quiet and uneventful, right up until his refrigerator tried to kill him." A businessman with dubious ethics finds his automated smart home has its own agenda in "Ruthless Efficiency."
"The Mole Train" by John R. Reed
Detective Vince Richards seeks a murderess Haitian Voodoo priestess. She wants control of a mysterious Mole Train, rumored to run in the bowels of the NYC subway system. Richards senses the train is a one-way express trip to oblivion.
"Comafornia(R)(TM)" by Genna Rivieccio
A young woman travels home to California to attend an insipid family funeral that goes strangely awry in "Comafornia."
"White Page" by Stephen T. Vessels
A paranoid screenwriter is holed-up high atop a Manhattan building with explosives and mad stories of demons haunting him in "White Page."
"Rainy Season" by Zane Andrea
In a post-apocalyptic future, humans scavenge for food. During rainy season they must contend with the Drooners, unseen monsters who harvest the bones of anyone unwise enough to be caught outside.
"City of Illumination" by Jack Eidt
Somewhere, through a tunnel within a dry riverbed in Los Angeles, a party is going on. Perhaps it is eternal. There are many surprises and temptations offered, but escape is not a likely option.
"Visions of Art" by Shelly Lowenkopf
Prehistoric fiction never saw what was coming when cave painter Art sauntered onto the primal scene. Banished by his compatriots, this proto-bohemian artist must walk a long and lonely trail in "Visions of Art."
"Offline" by Sacha Wamsteker
A woman waits patiently for her husband's space flight to return to Earth. But is everything as it seems?