excerpt from Fever by Michael Roth and Jerry Schroeder
The girl behind him held his right arm outstretched, while the other attached the mushroom to it. Her tentacle arm wrapped around his bicep. When his veins had filled with blood, sharp roots, like tentacles from a jellyfish, appeared from the bottom of the mushroom and pierced his skin. Fever could feel a warm sensation flow through his body. He relaxed into the booth, his other arm draped over the back of the seat. He stared at the fluorescent lights in the ceiling. Their soft glow pulsated slowly. He heard laughter and talking as the restaurant became busier. The women took seats in the booth as well and the three stared at Fever as the warm circulated through his body. After a while, he could feel this mind becoming itchy.
“Is the rain falling or is the falling the rain?”
“Are you the product of a spore from space seeded billions of years ago?”
“Who is it who repeats the Mushroom's name?”
“Who is dragging your corpse about?”
“What did your face look like before your father and mother were born?”
To read more from this chapter, and other samples, please check out the website at the OI.
