These aren't the stories your mother told you.

No, these are the other stories.

The Houseboat, written by Ben Erington,

narrated by Josh Curran.

Just three feet behind Johnny, away from the deck and onto the main body of the boat,

something smashes and explodes in flames.

Johnny's first reaction is to dive to the ground,

covering his head with his hands. The heat is intense, and Johnny feels it battering against the skin of his face. He peeks over the edge of the deck and sees a girl. She is screaming something,

although Johnny cannot hear it over the rage of the flames.

He sees heat in the air, making the girl bend and move, like the reflection in a house of mirrors.

She is joined by more addicts, maybe six or seven, all with their arms in the air, joining in with

her screaming.

These are the monsters Arnold has spoken of, no longer in possession of human reason and control.

They are brutal and without concern.

Johnny gazes up at the dull sky and sees another flaming missile whizzed past.

He recognizes the item as a makeshift Molotov cocktail, a glass bottle full of gasoline, stuffed with an old rag.

The door leading down into the houseboat swings open.

Johnny hears Iris shouting something at the top of her voice.

Arnold comes out and up onto the deck, his head low, and a pistol drawn in his right hand.

He fires a few shots through the flames and comes over to where Johnny lies on the deck,

kneeling down next to him.

He puts his left hand on his shoulder.

...