“A934.”
Johnny steps from the line-up onto the conveyer belt, his hands shaking. The Supervisor makes her way over, giving him a thorough examination.
“Reintegration,” she says.
I see the relief in Johnny’s face as he’s wheeled to the left.
“A935.”
My joints are frozen. Sweat drips off my nose.
“A935.”
Johnny got reintegration. I’ll get it, too.
I slowly step up, my knees buckling.
The Supervisor pinches the skin around my belly. She measures the length of my arms.
She flips through her chart and writes something down. She doesn’t look me in the eyes.
“Spare parts,” she says.
[Originally Published in SpeckLit, August 2015]
Jess Landry’s work has appeared in the anthologies Where Nightmares Come From, Primogen: The Origin of Monsters, Killing It Softly, Alligators in the Sewers, among others. Follow her on Facebook, where she posts an exorbitant amount of cat videos and references Jurassic Park way too much.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jesslandry28
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Website: http://www.jesslandry.com
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