GR OnlineCassie’s standing astride the Ducati, waiting under the street lamp that only works sometimes. It’s working right now. He takes off his helmet, kisses you once, then pushes the helmet down onto your head.

GR OnlineCassie keeps forgetting she’s driving stick. We are on the I-80, and Cassie has her foot on the clutch while I shift the gears, and there is a good chance we’ll stall at 120 miles an hour. The I-80 is a highway for tourists and poor people, because if you’ve really got somewhere to be then plane flights are cheaper than ever these days.

FictionALL THE ROADS in this part of town are bitumen, so Odette’s piece-of-shit Toyota does fine, even in the storm. She parks at the mouth of the cul-de-sac. It’s the only street in Elm Heads that’s on a hill,...