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    Limbus, Inc.
    Limbus, Inc.
    Limbus, Inc.
    Ebook379 pages5 hours

    Limbus, Inc.

    By Jonathan Maberry, Joseph Nassise, Benjamin Kane Ethridge and Brett J. Talley

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Are you laid off, downsized, undersized? Call us. We employ. 1-800-555-0606 How lucky do you feel? So reads the business card from LIMBUS, INC., a shadowy employment agency that operates at the edge of the normal world. LIMBUS's employees are just as suspicious and ephemeral as the motives of the company, if indeed it could be called a company in the ordinary sense of the word.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJournalStone
    Release dateApr 16, 2013
    ISBN9781936564750
    Limbus, Inc.
    Author

    Jonathan Maberry

    Jonathan Maberry is a New York Times bestselling and five-time Bram Stoker Award–winning author, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, and writing teacher. He is the creator of V Wars (Netflix) and Rot & Ruin (Alcon Entertainment). His books have been sold to more than two dozen countries. To learn more about Jonathan, visit him online at jonathanmaberry.

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    Reviews for Limbus, Inc.

    4/5

    190 ratings76 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Well done.
    • 2/5
      This was, for me, mostly a big, fat miss. While I think the overall concept isn't a bad one, I would only agree that this is a "shared world" in the loosest of ways. Basically, people get hired for jobs. Period.

      I found most of the stories pedestrian at best, and downright stupid at worst. The only one that was slightly engaging, and written with any style was the closing story by Maberry himself, and even that one had problems, but Maberry's a good enough writer to get me to see past them. Getting another Sam Hunter story was almost worth the price of admission. Almost.

      The others? Not so much.

      I won't be bothering with books two and three.
    • 5/5
      4.5 stars!

      This is a book of novellas all set in the same world, with a linking narrative in between. I think this concept is pretty cool and these authors made it look easy.

      Jonathan Maberry's story stole the show. It was a wild ride and I remember this lead character from another short story collection, the title of which I won't mention because it will spoil this story. I liked this character then and I like him even more now.

      Every story in this collection was above average. I'm especially looking forward to reading more of Brett Talley's work and Joe Nasisse's as well. Only one of these tales didn't resonate that much with me, (even though it was well written), which is why I rated this collection 4.5 stars.
      Highly recommended!
    • 4/5
      Fun, short sci-fi/fantasy/horror anthology. The framing device works well to tie the stories together. As with any shared-universe type story, the writing of some of the stories is excellent while others don't live up to the same promise. Overall, though, the writing is good and the whole thing works well. Check this one out for a good summer-time "fun" read.
    • 5/5
      Are you down on your luck? Are you unemployed? Well The Limbus corporation is here to help. They already have a job that would be perfect for you, all you have to do is call. Of course the job may be to kill things to feed an alien princess or to help an alien creature who enslaves humans find a portal to his home world. Or maybe the job will be to stop a sacrifice that will keep evil from taking over the world.They may not be glamorous jobs but at least you will be employed. Then again maybe it would be better to be unemployed. This is the concept behind Journalstone publishing’s anthology called Limbus Inc. Limbus is a shadowy employment agency that finds the perfect job for someone with their back against the wall. That person finds a business card from Limbus and ends up getting the job that is perfect for them in every way. Things are never that easy though and the job seeker is left to face their worst fears.This book contains five stories and a story within a story from the likes of Brett. J. Talley, Anne C. Petty, Joseph Nassise, Jonathan Maberry and Benjamin Kane Ethridge. If I was going to compare this book to a TV show its kind of like the Outer Limits. Each story is a kind of mix of science fiction and horror.The first story is The Slaughter Man by Benjamin Kane Ethridge. It's about a man who has just lost his job in a slaughter-house and also found out his wife was divorcing him. He's not sure what he wants and he feels a sense of hopelessness. All that changes when a mysterious woman in a business suit shows up talking about a new job that is perfect for him. I felt the author made a great point about not giving up in a horrible situation and I liked how the main character changed throughout the story.The second story is The Sacrifice by Brett J. Talley. This one looks at a man who has seen some horrors in Afghanistan and Iraq. Coming home from war he is trying to find some direction in life and is given a job to find a kidnapped girl. The job isn't as simple as it seems and is not what he thought it was going to be. This was a great horror story with a surprise twist.The next story is called One Job to Many by Joseph Nassise. This tale takes place in the future and is about a recruiter for Limbus who takes on more than he can handle when he hires a man to travel to different time periods to change the past in his favor. This one was a great time travel story with some interesting characters. It answers the question what would you do if you could change the past.We Employ by Anne C. Petty looks at a man who couldn't be more down on his luck and what he is willing to do to fix it. I thought this story really made a good point about how things are not always what they seem and how your luck can turn around at a moments notice. I also liked the idea of what kind of beings are among us without us knowing.I liked all the stories in this book but my favorite was Strip Search by Jonathan Maberry. This horror tale follows a down on his luck private detective with a secret, who is hired to find the killer of sixteen women. I liked how the main character changes, I also loved the blood soaked ending and the mythology behind this story.Limbus Inc is a great anthology which really gets into what some people fear most. Which is the idea of what your willing to do to support yourself. It then shows you that there are even worse things to be afraid of. Limbus Inc is a great book for Science fiction and horror fans alike.
    • 3/5
      The idea behind this shared-world anthology, of a mysterious agency that hires people for supernatural or science-fictional jobs, definitely has potential. The ability to put people from what is nominally our world into unlikely situations, combined with the set-up allowing for a very wide range of such situations, gives the authors quite a range of possibilities to play around with, as demonstrated by the five stories including three different types of science fiction and two urban fantasies. Unfortunately, the result is just mediocre.Part of the problem is that the title organization doesn't feel consistent between the stories. One story will have it operating out of low-key offices in non-descript buildings, while another gives it an office in a major office building with the name in foot-high letters on a plaque on the door of their office. Similarly, their methods of operation and concern for their operatives seem to vary rather wildly from story to story. Part of this can be explained by one story taking place in the future, different people recruiting the operatives in each story, and some of the jobs needing doing despite the risk to the operatives, but there's still a level of inconsistency that runs through the book. This wouldn't be a problem if the book was an anthology of unrelated stories on the same basic theme, but a common world requires that it feels like everything takes place in the same world.The stories themselves also sometimes fall short of what they seem to be trying for. In one case, a story doesn't reveal the actual name of its protagonist until the final page and seems to treat it as a big reveal, but the name has no significance for the reader. Another story telegraphed a critical twist for how the protagonist will solve his main problem so obviously that I saw it coming before a key character involved had even shown up (although that may have partly been due to a plot point being similar to one in a movie I saw last year).There were also errors that I found distracting. Some, such as a character's name changing in mid-story, some incorrect word uses (such as "read" for "red"), and the absence of page numbers in the table of contents, may be due to this being an advanced copy and the final editing not having been done. Others are minor story details which may or may not even be noticed by most readers (I doubt many people will actually notice the problems with the description of a Pocky box, for example, but the foot-high lettering I mentioned earlier will probably have people wondering about the plaque's size*). One, however, involves the mechanics of the key mechanism of the story, and leads to the conclusion that the antagonist's plan couldn't possibly work out the way he wanted even if events hadn't caused it to fail.*Depending on whether "Limbus, Inc." is on one line or two, either over five feet wide or somewhat over two feet by two feet, assuming the company's logo isn't also on the plaque.
    • 5/5
      Oh man, this was a fun ride! I found the idea of a shared-world anthology intriguing and Limbus, Inc. did not disappoint. The Limbus corporation is in place really only to kick start each of the stories. The premise is that they are an employment agency, but rather than you seeking their help, Limbus has already found and earmarked you for a specific job. We learn about these stories through an independent bookseller and publisher named Matthew who is given a book, containing many tales of the Limbus Corporation within and he shares these with us. The result are stories that run the gamut from hard sci-fi through horror and then mystery noir but all with that old Twilight Zone twist and feel. The potential for the stories and the writing styles is only limited by the authors themselves, and each did a fantastic job.Within this collection are five distinct stories, with the only common link being the mysterious, sometimes covert Limbus Corporation:The Slaughter Man by Benjamin Kane Ethridge -- A man known only as "The Sticker" loses his job at a slaughter house and is employed working to help feed the extravagance and appetite of a princess. Hard sci-fi here with lots of alien monsters and space travel. The interesting twist is when the hunter becomes the hunted.The Sacrifice by Brett J. Talley -- A war veteran with PTSD is hired to help save a young girl before she is killed. This was a rather unremarkable, but heart-breaking story nonetheless. Some Lovecraftian themes set in Salem, Mass. bring is out of the realm of a story about the effects of war more into line with the rest of the stories in the collection.One Job Too Many by Joseph Nassise -- A veteran of the "Faith Wars" in a dystiopian future is fired and hired by Limbus to work as a time-traveling errand boy of sorts, fixing problems he is "particularly well-suited" to fix. This was one of the more realistically written stories and added a depth to the Limbus Corporation as it was now part of a future shadow government. As with most time-travel works, the concept of the paradox is worked in, providing for an interesting though very predictable twist.We Employ by Anne C. Petty -- An out of work, homeless college dropout is hired by the Limbus Corporation as a dog walker, but not is wholly as it seems. This was one of my favorite stories in the collection. It was just fun sci-fi adventure with my only complaint being that it was a little too short. The ending, which is a wonderful all-out Twilight Zone twist was fabulous, but came just a hair too soon for me.Strip Search by Jonathan Mayberry -- A private investigator is hired by Limbus to help stop a serial killer before he strikes again. This was my favorite story in the collection. It reads like an old crime noir novel (think Raymond Chandler) with a supernatural twist. Add in a few secret societies, underground religions, and put the whole thing in the middle of Philadelphia and I am sold! It does become a little cliche in parts with the writing style, and is very graphic in its violence, but overall was a fabulous read.On the whole, Limbus, Inc. is a fabulous start to what I could see as a long running series of sci-fi/horror anthologies. It is not for the faint of heart as all of the stories contain depictions of graphic violence and adult/sexual situations, but none detract from their respective stories. Also interesting throughout is the framing story for the collection which shows the bookseller, Matthew, slowly realizing that he is getting farther and farther into something more mysterious or sinister. Make sure you stick around for the epilogue for one more twist!Many thanks to LibraryThing and JournalStone for the advanced copy and opportunity to review this collection.
    • 5/5
      This is a great anthology, I very much enjoyed the tie in making very much like a full novel instead of just related short stories. The authors manged to cover almost all the main types of sci fi environment of time travel, space, paranormal. and of course the who done it with all the twist and turns that a true sci fi aficionado lives for.
    • 5/5
      Limbus, Inc. is a shared world anthology with a shady employment agency in the center which specializes to recruit people on the fringes of society offering them a perfectly fitting job for lots of money.The stories span a wide area of genres, from sci-fi, over fantasy to horror and hard-boiled noir detective.The collection is held together by a publisher who receives a strange manuscript and suddenly finds himself being followed by the topic of these stories.I really enjoyed this anthology, because I never new what the next story would bring and I would love to read more adventures about employees of Limbus, Inc.
    • 4/5
      Welcome to the world of Limbus, Inc., a shadow organisation at the edge of reality whose recruitment methods are low-rent, sketchy, even haphazard to the ordinary eye: a tattered flyer taped to a bus-stop shed or tacked to the bulletin board of a neighborhood Laundromat, a dropped business card, a popup ad on the Internet. Limbus's employees are as suspicious and ephemeral as the company, if indeed it could be called a company in the normal sense of the word.Recruiters offer contracts for employment tailored exactly to the job seeker in question. but a word to the wise . . . it's always a good idea to read the fine print.I wasn't keen on the first story "The Slaughter Man", whose protagonist is an unemployed slaughter house worker who finds a job with a princess. There was too much blood and guts for my taste, although I did like the ending. The second story "The Sacrifice" started to remind me of a particular film (I won't say which, as it would be a big spoiler) and I guessed the ending easily. By this point in the book, I wasn't enjoying it much, but then things started to improve with "One Job Too Many", a time travel story about an ex-soldier. The frame story also started to get more interesting at this point, as the publisher who has been given a manuscript containing the five stories starts to realise that he may be getting into deep waters.The last two stories were great. In "We Employ", a young homeless man is employed as a dog-walker, and in the final story, "Strip Search", Limbus hires a Philadelphia private eye with an unnaturally good sense of smell to track down a serial killer before he kills his next victim. I really liked the hard-boiled detective story atmosphere and the unusual detective.In the Limbic zone between horror, sf and fantasy, those who take up employment could find themselves in unexpected locations in space or time and their employment could end in success, death, or even a new role as a Limbus recruiter.He popped the top and tore along the perforations, pulling out two long crispy-sweet Pockysticks, the most sought-after snack treat in Japan. The aroma of sweet biscotti and fresh, otherworldly strawberries broke over his tongue. He couldn't remember why he'd been so angry a moment ago. Maybe this Limbus gig wasn't so bad. He might even grow to like it.
    • 3/5
      Five novellas about an employment agency that offers *interesting* jobs to people down on their luck. This leads the narrators into strange and difficult situations (one finds himself being sent to assassinate himself). We find werewolves, time travel, alternative history, magic, strange gods. Behind everything is an agency that communicates through shadowy recruiters and cards that possess magical communicative powers. The stories range from weak to compelling, but this is a collection that promises more and the more could be truly intriguing.
    • 4/5
      [I received a complementary copy of this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.]This collection of short stories all revolve around the mysterious Limbus, Inc. employment agency. Each story has been written by a different author, but they've all built upon this common link. As men in need of work stumble upon Limbus, they soon discover it's not quite what they were expecting.I found all of the stories enjoyable, though at times it was difficult to accept the main characters' mild responses once they realized what they had signed up for. They seemed to adjust rather quickly, while I would have expected more shock and disbelief. However, the stories are still well-told and engaging. While the content of the stories is dark and does contain some gore, they provide some opportunity to reflect on themes of redemption and heroic sacrifice.I would have liked to have a bit more of a window into the process the authors used for building on the Limbus theme. Though I had my doubts at the start of one of the stories, none of the authors runs off in a direction that seems out of accord with the others. There are enough common themes through the different stories that, though they can be read independently, they fit together very well as a collection.Warnings: Violence, human sacrifice, occasional strong language, some sexual content.
    • 5/5
      I made the mistake of starting this book on a Sunday night when I had work on Monday. I read greedily and turned each page anxious to see the developments on the next. Each story is seamless, well crafted and subtly mind-blowing as it makes you think, "this could be real...." I am left with the disturbing feeling that I am a willing participant in Limbus' world by writing this review and asking 'How lucky do you feel?"...
    • 3/5
      When I first picked up Limbus, Inc., it seemed like the type of collection of short stories that comes from a writing workshop, where everyone is given the same theme and a promise to see their story published for a fee. (Admittedly I was probably judging the book by its cover.) I was pleasantly surprised that the quality of writing is much better than a writer’s workshop product.Story #1, the Slaughter Man, had a very good quality of writing. Benjamin Ethridge does well to parallel the inhuman practice of slaughtering livestock against an alien who hungers for human flesh. Many of the elements introduced felt like they would have been better stretched out into a novel-length story, and I was a little disappointed when he had to cut it short.Story #2, the Sacrifice, was not BAD writing, but it was kind of all over the place. PTSD and the effects of modern warfare and intrigue turning into a kind of H.P. Lovecraft pastiche in Salem of all places. Kind of lacked originality.Story #3, One Job too Many, had another PTSD, ex-soldier, premise, but it was a little better done than the last story. It was written with semi-realism against a post-apocalyptic background. Joseph Nassise added some time-travel espionage and a not totally unexpected twist at the end that made for a good, fun story.Story #4, We Employ, was the best written of the bunch. It was full of aliens and down-to-earth realistic storytelling. Somewhat an abrupt and disappointing ending, though. And just when I was really getting sucked into the story!Story #5, Strip Search, was kind of badly written crime noir, very stereotypical, that turned into an even more stereotyped werewolf story.Over-all Limbus, Inc. is a pretty good collection. There are short interludes between the stories to help tie them together into one theme, which can be difficult in a book written by several different authors who all have their own writing style. My only complaint is that it didn’t feel very polished, and all the stories could have used a good editor.
    • 5/5
      I am surprised this book did not receive more 5 star reviews. However, I do understand that this book is not everyone's cup of tea. I do really love reading fantasy, horror, sci-fi books though I am not a big fan of anthology type novels. Even though I had my doubts when I first started, after I finished I felt that this book pulled it off quite nicely, probably best that I've ever read (perhaps it's because I don't read a lot of short story anthology books!) Each story all paralleled each other and reinforced the idea of this Limbus, Inc, the odd employment agency in your mind and did not feel like separate independent stories. I did feel that at some point, not all the authors agreed upon what Limbus Inc was all about, particularly the one story that took place in the future, One Job Too Many. But I attributed that to the fact that it took place far in the future that the organization has changed a bit.All in all, each story had its own personality, and was very well written. They were creepy, chilling to the bone and some, ending with happy endings, others not quite so much. Like many readers, I did not really find the frame story too interesting, although I did like the way they ended the whole book. However, I did not place too much emphasis on the frame story as I was reading, and rather looked forward to the next story after I was done with one. I definitely recommend anyone interested in reading horror/fantasy/sci-fi books to read this. It's a definite page turner and I would love to re-read this again in the future!![On a side note though, the cover picture of this book could use some work to be made to be more appealing.]
    • 5/5
      I received this book from Library Thing to read and review. This anthology is well coordinated. Many anthologies contain stories that are truly “stand-alone”. The author’s of Limbus, Inc did a wonderful job of maintaining the details of Limbus. This coordination was so good that as a reader it was difficult to remember that Limbus is a compilation of various authors. The reading was very smooth and flowed as if one author had written the whole book. The only comparison I can make to Limbus, Inc. is the “Twilight Zone”. Well done!
    • 5/5
      What a clever way to produce an anthology. I enjoyed the shared plot line while having very individual and unique stories.All stories were captivating, interesting and well written.I like how all of them were tied together by the common theme of the employment agency but each author made it their own. No similarities except for the common theme and genre of science fiction (with a tad bit of thriller/horror mix). A couple stories I could see where they were heading but still enjoyed the ride.Recommended for those who enjoy a Sci-Fi horror blend.Nicely done! 5 stars.
    • 4/5
      I liked the premise of this book and the stories included had a variety of nice takes on the basic theme. I might enjoy sitting down with the author of the second story and arguing morality and innocence, but I certainly wouldn't argue that it was a good tale. The frame story was weak, but they often are and it's not a serious drawback.Overall, worth owning and I look forward to the next collection should there be one.
    • 4/5
      Limbus, Inc. is a collection of short stories joined by the theme of people finding a job, just when they most need it, through a unique employment agency. The catch is, these jobs are not quite the kind you can walk away from and you just may find yourself in a previously unaired Outer Limits episode.There is a narrative that runs between the stories and helps hold everything together. While not important in itself, the narrative lends another dimension to the anthology, giving the work a cohesive feel; a nice touch, but one that may not be appreciated by all readers. I felt there were two stories that stood above the rest: Slaughter Man, by Benjamin Kane Ethridge, and Strip Search, from the pen of Jonathan Maberry. It so happens these were the first and last stories and neither were perfect, but both are worth singling out for special mention. Their positioning in the collection was an excellent choice as well.Slaughter Man was a perfect choice for an introduction story as it sets the tone for the rest of the collection. All the surprise elements are there and the little side story of the recruiter helped keep the tone light enough that you knew these authors were having some fun with you. The story fails at the end, though. The ending was just a little too contrived, yet it fit the overall tone very well.Strip Search was a sendup of the crime noir genre with a nice supernatural twist. Think Raymond Chandler meets H P Lovecraft, but with conventional demons, not minions of Cuthulu. Not as dark and twisted as Kris Saknussemm’s Private Midnight, this is still not a Hardy Boys adventure either. Maberry’s writing style and use of dialog makes me want to see what else he is capable of, maybe even in a longer format. This story, more than the others left me wanting more and made a perfect ending to the anthology.The remaining stories were above average, but reminded me of recycled Tales From The Crypt material with more of a science fiction flavor to them. Overall, I’m rating this collection as three and a half stars. On its own, Strip Search was still under a full four stars but it did help pull the collection out of being just mediocre. The cover of Limbus, Inc. sports a logo with the number 1 on it. I’m taking this to mean that the stories will continue. I certainly hope so. Just as some sci-fi and other writers of other worldly stories now regarded as masters of the craft got their start writing for pulp journals, I think this series could become a launching pad for future stars of the genre.
    • 4/5
      Excellent read. Great concept with each author's take on the shared universe adding it's own fillip. Sci-fi, fantasy, horror and stir in a werewolf detective for good measure. I'd read any of these writers again. And I would not have minded one little bit if it had been longer ... Yes, this was a free ebook through LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I'm more of a sci-fi reader than a fantasy or horror reader and I've gotten a lot tired of vampires, werewhatevers and zombies, but Limbus, Inc. was enough different to keep my interest
    • 3/5
      The concept of the Limbus Employment Agency is very interesting but, unfortunately, the stories didn't live up to the opportunity available. It could have been a cool sci-fi exploration of time travel and detective work but ended up being more of a shock-horror collection. Story one is average - it does try to use the sci-fi setting provided, and tries to add a "twist" to the story. But too much effort was put into the slaughter house gore and the drama with his wife and not enough into developing any sense of "do I care what happens to this character?" Story two is bad... some juvenile "wet dream" that involved dreaming-realities of murder instead of sex... I'm not the right demographic to like this type of story at all.
    • 2/5
      I really loved the idea of this book...several different authors all writing on their take of Limbus, Inc., a very unusual employment agency. I loved the prologue, and was ready to be taken wherever the book went. Unfortunately, I didn't love where the book went. The first "chapter" followed someone called The Sticker, a man who worked in a slaughterhouse. That he didn't even have a name didn't help and that section was pretty gory for me. I skimmed the rest of the book and wasn't grabbed back in. Too bad.
    • 5/5
      First off, I won my copy of this book via a giveaway hosted by Goodreads.Fan of "The Twilight Zone"? How about "The Alfred Hitchcock Show"? "Tales from the Crypt?" "Friday the Thirteenth"? How about the movie "Men in Black"? If you answered yes to any of those, odds are that you will devour this book. Luckily for me, I can answer yes to all of the above. I was entranced, enthralled, and immersed from the first paragraph in the prologue. Limbus, Inc. We employ. Five authors, five stories, one corporation pulling ALL the strings... Intrigued yet?Normally this kinda book isn't my preferred genre of reading material but if a second volume is compiled I will definitely purchase it.
    • 3/5
      I thought the idea behind this shared world anthology was an interesting one. All of the novellas center around Limbus Inc. an agency with the motto We Employ. They search out exact people to do a rang of otherworldly and unbelievable jobs, and then use whatever means necessary (getting people fired, injured, messing with national security, nothing is off limits) to insure that person takes the job. Each of the stories are loosely tied together through Limbus and a few irrelevant cameos.I think I would have enjoyed this book more if Limbus itself was better explained, and not used only as a set up. It seemed as if the authors did not all agree on how exactly Limbus worked. Many of these stories were not my "cup of tea". Many of the stories used more gore than horror in an attempt to scare the reader. All of the stories were interesting, but predictable. I did however enjoy "Strip Search" by Mayberry, it was well written, flowed well and tied in with the other stories the best.I received a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      The combined short stories in this book essentially boil down to 'Temp agency controls universe'. While the individual stories were quite good, I did think that there were several inconsistencies. However, those inconsistencies did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the tales -- and is only to be expected, since all of the stories had different authors.Overall, I found this book very difficult to put down.
    • 4/5
      If The Twilight Zone had a temp agency it would be Limbus Inc. No job too weird, too dangerous, too improbable. Each story is soaked in suspense and dread. It is a tribute to the writers of this shared world anthology that I could not put the book down mid-story. On the other hand I needed long breaks between stories or I'm sure I wouldn't have slept well.I think the best of the stories was Strip Search by Jonathan Mayberry. I enjoyed his tough and snarky protagonist enough to want to seek out his other work.So if you like to read sitting on the edge of your seat with every light in the house on - this is certainly the book for you.
    • 4/5
      I love the concept for this shared-world anthology: a mysterious organization whose motto is simply "We employ" picks the exact perfect person to do many very strange jobs.The individual stories were a mixed bag for me. The framing story is fine, but fairly minimal.Time travel is difficult to do well. This shows when people try it; the potential complications and coincidences are endless, so the plot always to me seems pretty arbitrary- and that's not a good thing. A plot needs to have an organic flow, so that each event is inevitable when looking back, but hopefully unexpected when it occurs."Strip Search" by Maberry was the strongest story here. The plot really worked, the atmosphere was noir, and the twists were unexpected. That one rates a 5 star in my opinion!I got a copy of the ebook via Early Reviewers on LibraryThing.
    • 4/5
      A surprisingly good read - I didn't expect much from this volume of short stories, but I found it to be very good. Each story is set in the same universe, but each has a different take on it. LIMBUS is a corporation- what they do and how they do it, is not entirely explained. It might be a higher power, or an entity formed in the far future... its hard to say. LIMBUS hires people to do jobs. And not just any person, but the PERFECT person. Generally, these are oddball types who can't hold down a job, or are down on their luck.The first story, The Slaughter Man, is the weakest of the bunch - Its interesting and the authors horror story writing makes an appearance. Its written as a first person narrative, and at times I found it a bit disjointed. The Sacrifice is heartbreaking - but a bit unremarkable.One Job Too Many - Is about a guy who delivers packages. But where exactly is he delivering packages too? An interesting story - but I've read variations of this story.We Employ - Is the best story of the bunch - a job that begins as a simple job walking a dog - because something so much more. Pan-Dimensional Aliens, Bounty Hunter, and a pretty girl make this story very entertaining.Strip Search - the last story is a detective story is a counterpart to the second story. We have a detective trying to find a girl who may be the next victim of a sadistic serial killer who is more powerful than the detecive can imagine. Another very good story.As a whole, I enjoyed all of these stories. Slaughter Man was a bit too graphic for me, but I still enjoyed it. These stories are dark, a little bit scary, and slightly off kilter. Highly recommended.
    • 2/5
      This is a shared world anthology of short stories that was on the Early Reviewer list. I checked it mainly because I had enjoyed Jonathan Maberry's Joe Ledger series a bit. The premise of this series was an employment agency that found the exact right person for a job...a job that was usually something out of science fiction or horror.In general, the book didn't work for me. Benjamin Kane Ethridge's science fiction story, "The Slaughter Man", opened the book and was okay. Nothing special, but it set the stage for what was to come.Brett J. Talley's horror story, "The Sacrifice", was a take on the virgin sacrifice concept. It was the best idea in the book. The writing was okay but I never really got invested in the characters enough that I will remember this story long-term.Joseph Nassise wrote "One Job Too Many", a fairly straightforward and predictable time travel paradox story.Anne C. Perry's "We Employ" skirted the borders between fantasy and science fiction and just left me cold. It was under-explained and the plot line made no real sense at the end.Maberry's "Strip Search" was the best-written of the bunch. It flowed smoothly and quickly and I enjoyed it. However, there was a sense that it was one of those short stories meant to flesh out a series of novels.As a whole, it especially didn't work that the authors couldn't really agree on what Limbus, Inc. was. It was like they sent each other an email that said "employment agency" and left it at that.All-in-all, readable but not recommended, even for fans of the genre.
    • 4/5
      I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers program at LibraryThing.The premise of the book is a shared world anthology of five stories based on the mystery organization known as Limbus, Inc. They are tied together not just by the world (which actually does change somewhat, although it’s always Earth), but under the premise that you are reading a journal—a collection of stories given to a bookseller to publish. In between stories you are told something of the man reading them.The individual pieces are as follows:The Slaughter Man: The protagonist, The Sticker, loses his job and ends up working as a slaughterer for alien royalty. Eventually he manages to escape (before being eaten) and survives the experience.Interesting—the author’s writing was about average, I thought. I’m really not sure how to describe the plot; maybe as: Man suffers horribly, and ends up as his old boss’s and ex-wife’s boss. I think if it was a full book, it would make people want to turn vegetarian… 2.5 starsThe Sacrifice: Ryan—a war veteran with PTSD—signs on with Limbus, Inc, to find and rescue a young girl. This story was a bit better than the previous. While it is not my cup of tea, the author did an admirable job of drawing the reader in, after only a few paragraphs. 3.5 starsOne Job Too Many: In this story, the operative—another war veteran—becomes a…secret agent for Limbus. After being sent on several missions he realizes what is going on and turns the tables on his recruiter.The parameters of this story don’t quite fit the others—in this one, Limbus is a secret branch of the government. 3 starsWe Employ: A collage dropout takes a job with Limbus as a dog walker, only to find that the job description doesn’t exactly match the task.I liked this one—it was slightly Sci-fan, unlike the harder sci-fi of the others. The protagonist was fairly believable—an average Joe, so to speak, and the story didn’t deal with current issues as blatently. 3.5-4 starsStrip Search: The final story in this book features a private investigater. Like every other main character in this book, he is rather down on his luck, and gets hired by Lumbus to find the perpetrator of a series of gruesome murders.More of a pulp noir than the others, this story wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed it as well… 3.5-4 starsLimbus, Inc, is a horror anthology. The individual stories may be sci-fi, or mystery, or fantasy even (or any combination thereof), but they are all horrific to some degree—which after reading the author biographies didn't surprised me (all of them are Bram Stoker award receivers or nominees). All in all—to my surprise—I found the book an engrossing read and hard to put down. If another is published in the series, I will be requesting it through ER.The binding was fairly (although the spine of the cover was not completely glued down in my copy), and the cover artwork appropriate for the contents. I found only one typo: Read instead of red at the bottom of page 240. “…alarmed read fire door.”

    Book preview

    Limbus, Inc. - Jonathan Maberry

    Limbus, Inc.

    Book I

    A Shared World Experience

    Jonathan Maberry

    Joseph Nassise

    Benjamin Kane Ethridge

    Anne C. Petty

    Brett J. Talley

    JournalStone

    San Francisco

    Copyright © 2013 Jonathan Maberry, Anne C. Petty, Brett J. Talley, Joseph Nassise, Benjamin Kane Ethridge

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

    This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

    JournalStone books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

    JournalStone

    www.journal-store.com

    www.journalstone.com

    The views expressed in this work are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

    ISBN:                     978-1-936564-52-1            (sc)

    ISBN:                     978-1-936564-74-3            (hc)

    ISBN:                     978-1-936564-75-0            (ebook)

    Library of Congress Control Number: 2012956364

    Printed in the United States of America

    JournalStone rev. date:  April 26, 2013

    Cover Design:       Rob Grom

    Cover Photograph © Shutterstock.com

    Edited by:              Anne C. Petty

    Epilogue and Prologue:  Brett J. Talley

    Dedication

    For Constance L. Payne, my daughters, Emily and Cassidy, and my unborn son, Domenic

    —Christopher C. Payne

    Acknowledgements

    Special thanks to Anne C. Petty for coming up with the incredible idea, pulling the stories together and for her patience with me throughout this process; also thanks to Brett J. Talley, Jonathan Maberry, Benjamin Kane Ethridge, and Joseph Nassise for working with JournalStone and taking a chance on us.

    —Christopher C. Payne

    Endorsements

    This shared-world anthology about a mysterious metaphysical employment agency is pleasingly consistent in tone. The execution and intriguing theme leave the reader wanting more. —Publishers Weekly

    "In this initial volume of a shared-world anthology, five authors provide their takes on one-of-a kind jobs that are not always survivable. VERDICT: Though the employment agency frame might not seem compelling, the stories cut to the heart of sf, fantasy, and horror." —Library Journal

    "Limbus, Inc. is a brilliant concept that lets writers share a world while allowing their imaginations free rein.  Ethridge, Mayberry, Nassise, Petty, and Talley take full advantage of all that creative elbow room and serve up some tasty stories.  Do not miss this."  —F. Paul Wilson

    "Listen up, fans. Limbus, Inc. is a delight. Remember all those alternate universes suggested by classics such as The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone? Turns out they're for real. Only one sinister corporation controls all of the entrances—and there are no exits." —Harry Shannon, Stoker nominated author of Dead and Gone and The Hungry

    "Limbus, Inc. is one of the strangest, creepiest things I’ve read in a long time.  Guaranteed to send all you conspiracy theorists out there into paroxysms of paranoid delight!  Well, you did warn us."  —Brian Knight, author of The Phoenix Girls, Book 1: The Conjuring Glass

    "Get street level in crazy town.  Limbus, Inc. finds a new kind of noir." 

    —Weston Ochse, author of Seal Team 666

    "The five novellas in Limbus, Inc. are the kind of horror fiction I love most: Smart, scary, funny, edgy, melancholy, and set in a world I recognize all too well. The most frightening elements here aren't alien princesses with insatiable appetites, ancient murder cults, or shapeshifting assassins, but desperation, hunger, neverending wars, and a wealthy class all too eager to prey on the rest of us. Limbus, Inc. isn't just kickass—it's five kinds of kickass."  —Lisa Morton, four-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Castle of Los Angeles

    "Limbus, Inc. is the best shared world anthology I've come across in the last twenty years.  It was absolutely outstanding—five perfect stories from five of the top names in the business.  Editor Anne C. Petty has put together such a flexible, yet finely realized world here that the five voices she's brought together sound like a choir warmed up in hell.  This book is going to set the bar for shared world anthologies for a long time to come.  Mark my words."  —Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Flesh Eaters and Inheritance

    "It's an inventive piece of fiction that will haunt your dreams forever. And remember, always read the fine print. - Betsy A. Riley, HorrorZine

    "I can honestly say that all of the stories in Limbus, Inc. were riveting – to the point of being mesmerizing. If you are looking for an anthology that is truly different from the run of the mill, and one that takes itself seriously enough to commission the best tales from its first class authors, then I highly recommend you pick up Limbus, Inc." - TT Zuma – HorrorWorld.com

    "An infinity of Earths and an infinity of possibilities…all connected by a single shadowy entity—Limbus, Inc. Too large for a single volume, the tales of Limbus, Inc., explore worlds of the imagination. And far beyond. But beware! Like so many good things, the stories of Limbus, Inc., can be addicting. One is just not enough. For those of us who welcome the obsession to excellent storytelling, there is an entire volume…and more to come." – Dr. Michael R. Collings

    "Five excellent authors. Five wonderful stories. Slaughterers and robot emissaries. Slave traders and monsters. Welcome to the amazing multiverse of Limbus, Inc."                                            – Allyson Bird, Author

    What Is Limbus?

    Limbus is Latin for edge or boundary, but that’s not the whole story.

    Welcome to the world of Limbus, Inc., a shadow organization at the edge of reality whose recruitment methods are low-rent, sketchy, even haphazard to the ordinary eye: a tattered flyer taped to a bus-stop shed or tacked to the bulletin board of a neighborhood laundromat, a dropped business card, a popup ad on the Internet. Limbus's employees are as suspicious and ephemeral as the company, if indeed it could be called a company in the normal sense of the word.

    Recruiters offer contracts for employment tailored exactly to the job seeker in question. But a word to the wise… it’s always a good idea to read the fine print.

    Table of Contents

    Limbus, Inc.

    Edited by Anne C. Petty

    Prologue

    By Brett J. Talley

    The Slaughter Man

    By Benjamin Kane Ethridge

    The Sacrifice

    By Brett J. Talley

    One Job Too Many

    By Joseph Nassise

    We Employ

    By Anne C. Petty

    Strip Search

    By Jonathan Maberry

    Epilogue

    By Brett J. Talley

    About the Authors

    Check out these titles from JournalStone

    Prologue

    Ichabod Templeton hid in shadow, for the ones he feared walked in the light. He clutched a leather-bound book to his chest, eyeing the early evening revelers as they passed. They didn’t notice him, crouching in darkness. Or maybe that was all part of their plan. Lure him into a sense of ease. Make him think that he had finally escaped their gazes. And then strike. No, Ichabod thought, shaking his head against the idea. He had come so far. He would not fail now. 

    He crept through the alleys and back ways of Boston, hiding himself in the maze of the city. But he was not lost. He knew where he was going, even if he had never been there, even with no map to lead the way. Something inside, some preternatural sense, guided his footsteps. 

    He found himself in the North End of the great city, not that he would have known the name of that place. He cut through the old burying ground at Copp’s Hill, past the ancient, crumbling tomb of Cotton Mather, into the labyrinth of narrow corridors and side streets north of Prince. He stopped at the mouth of one and stared with sudden recognition at a ramshackle storefront. He had reached his destination. He pulled the old book closer, rubbing his hands along the coarse leather while the setting sun cast longer and deeper shadows than even the one in which he stood. Yes, this was the place. This was his destiny. 

    *  *  *

    The antique grandfather clock—the one he had inherited from his father’s father—struck seven, but Matthew Sellers didn’t hear it. He stared at the blinking cursor on his computer screen, as if willing it to type some good news. It was well past closing time, and Matthew should have been home, tucked away in the garret that sufficed for a living space. But he always found himself staying late on the days he reviewed the budget, as if working harder would result in more income. But as his eyes scanned the black and red numbers in the ledger—the latter in greater quantity and size than the former—he knew that such was wishful thinking at best.

    The used book store had always been a dream of his, as had the small-press publishing company he had started along with it. He’d created Unbound with money his parents had left him in their will, and at first, the store had been something of a cultural phenomenon in Boston’s increasingly bourgeois North End. Unfortunately, like all such phenomena, Matthew’s star had burned out as quickly as it had ignited. The elite moved on to the next distraction, and Matthew often wished he had opened the store in the Back Bay or on Newbury Street, even if he knew he could never have afforded it. 

    It had been bad for a while, but the last month had been particularly unsuccessful. 

     Well, he mumbled to himself, I guess it’s time to get a real job. 

    The door to the shop opened, and the antique bell Matthew had installed above it announced his visitor with an enthusiastic jingle. Even though he needed the business, Matthew looked up with every intention of turning the customer away. His mouth hung open, the words died in his throat when he saw the man standing before him. 

    He didn’t know whether to pity or fear him. The man was one part professor, another part homeless derelict. His tan trench coat hung limp from his skeletal frame, splattered with mud along its edges. His soiled clothing and unkempt beard said he hadn’t bathed in days or perhaps weeks even. But it was his eyes that held Matthew. Blue as the ocean on a summer’s day, yet trembling in what Matthew could only assume was fear behind the wire-rimmed glasses of an artist.

    Can I help you? Matthew stammered. It was only then he noticed the leather-bound tome the man hugged, clinging to it as if it were the most important item he had ever possessed. As if he feared that at any moment, someone would try to take it from him. 

    Yes, the man croaked. Yes, I think you are the only person who can.

    For a long moment the two men assessed one another across the swirling dust that filled the space between them. Then something in the stranger’s mind clicked, and he took a step into the center of the room. He held the book in his hands, reaching it out to Matthew as he stumbled toward him. 

    This is for you. He placed the book on the desk, but it still did not leave his hands. Matthew saw a storm of conflicting emotions in his eyes. Finally he withdrew, and as he did, a wave of relief poured over his face. 

    Please, Matthew said, take a seat. 

    The man glanced down at the chair, and just as Matthew began to doubt he would accept the offer, down he sat. 

    So I didn’t get your name.

    Ichabod. Ichabod Templeton.

    Matthew tried not to smile. He was sure it wasn’t an alias. No one would be so creative. 

    Matthew Sellers.

    He opened the leather cover of the book and immediately frowned. It wasn’t an antique book as he’d originally thought. Instead, it was some sort of diary, one that someone—Ichabod, likely—had filled with his own ramblings. Some pages were nothing but handwritten scrawl, barely legible in parts. Others were poorly typed, while yet more had computer printouts glued or stapled on top of them. 

    Mr. Templeton . . .

    I wrote it in three days, Templeton said. His hands shook and his voice was feverish. I didn’t eat or bathe, nor did I sleep. It was my obsession. It is my masterpiece.

    Mr. Templeton, I am sure you worked very hard on this, but I only purchase published books for the store. I am afraid I . . .

    Oh, no no, you misunderstand, Mr. Sellers. I don’t want to sell the book to you. I am giving it to you. I want you to publish it. The story I have to tell is far too important to be confined within the meager leather bindings of a single manuscript. No, the world must read it. The world must know what I know.

    Matthew leaned forward and shook his head. I don’t think you understand, Mr. Templeton. There’s a whole process to selling a book. I have to read it and like it. There are legal considerations, contracts to sign. Then we have to think about artists and titles and distribution strategy. And besides, I run a small press here. If you want the world to read your book, you’ll probably want to take it somewhere else.

    Templeton smiled for the first time, revealing yellow-encrusted teeth. None of that will be necessary, Mr. Sellers. The book is yours now. I have no doubt that after you read it, you will want to publish it. And then, the world will see. They won’t have a choice.

     Matthew flipped through pages, suddenly convinced that it was better to play along with Templeton than anger him. He was a man on the edge, and at any moment, he could fall in completely. 

    Writing the book wasn’t easy, Templeton continued. Sometimes I had to write by hand. Other times I used my old Olympia Deluxe typewriter. When I was lucky, I wrote on a computer.

    I guess I don’t understand, Matthew said. Why couldn’t you just use your computer to write the book?

    Oh, well, I was on the run most of the time. They were after me, of course.

    Matthew closed the book and looked up at Templeton. Now Mr. Templeton, he said as calmly as he could, very afraid of his guest, why would anyone be after you?

    Because I know things, he said. I know things that are now in that book.

    So this is nonfiction?

    It is truth, Templeton answered without addressing the question, distilled down to its finest essence. The line between fiction and nonfiction is a fine one, after all.

    But how did you come upon this story then? Do you have sources? Research?

    Templeton laughed. Come now, Mr. Sellers. Don’t you understand? I didn’t ask for this assignment. It was given to me. By God, perhaps, though the origin is irrelevant. I was fated to complete this task. It is my job to reveal them, for what they are. I am the only one who can.

    Them?

    The man smiled again, and this time Matthew saw pity. 

    Mr. Sellers, the world is a machine, and like all machines, it requires someone to run it. Otherwise, it would spin out of control. Things must be done, adjustments must be made, the system must be tweaked.

    You’re talking about the Illuminati? Free Masons? Conspiracies and secret societies?

    No, no Mr. Sellers. Nothing so quaint. And nothing so secret. They walk in the light, not the shadows. Secrets breed questions, and questions sometimes have inconvenient answers. No, they are all around you. Working every day. They are neither good nor evil, as such notions are normally counted by mankind. They stand on the edge of the pit, and stare down into its depths. They do what they must. They do what we cannot.

    Matthew grinned, shaking head, no longer able or willing to contain his doubt. I’m sorry Mr. Templeton, but I don’t think I buy any of this.

    Templeton rose from his seat and adjusted his glasses. Read the book, Mr. Sellers. Read it, and then you will know. Belief will follow, as thunder follows the lightning.

    Before Matthew could object, Templeton had turned and strode to the door. He didn’t stop when Matthew called out his name. The antique bell rang again, and he was gone.

    Matthew leaned back in his chair and looked down at the book that sat before him. He rubbed his hands along the leather, opened the cover, and started to read.

    The Slaughter Man

    By

    Benjamin Kane Ethridge

    Time stood still, as it always did in this moment, and he felt neither dead, nor alive. As far as his life went, everything important existed only in this sad moment. Nothing before. Nothing after. He couldn’t decide if he hated that truth, loved it, or just needed it that way. Living in this instant was who he was, and yet, he’d never really been acquainted with that person. Not really.

    Who am I?

    What do I want?

    As the Sticker punched through the jugular vein and dark red flooded over his apron, he saw a minor commotion up the chain. The first bolt hadn’t penetrated the cow’s solid cranium. The shackler, Jackson Turner, jogged over and exchanged glances with the stunner, Carl Cabers. The two men spoke something inaudible over the driving noise of the process line. Carl lowered the captive bolt pistol and fired into the cow’s skull again. Jackson gave a little electrified hop and returned to the side, taking up the shackles for the animal.

    Blood flowed from the drains up the Sticker’s ankles and he responded by stepping on a pedal for the hidden sump pump. Further consideration told him this was a bad idea. The abandoned thirty thousand gallon underground tank had been filled to its limit just yesterday. He could no longer use it as a shortcut. The tank had plumbing issues when Sunshine State Natural Meat Processors first built the facility, and so it was capped off but never properly backfilled with gravel per city requirements.

    The main drain was hidden from view, under the work table where the Sticker’s gory equipment usually sat. He ran the pump only when work got moving fiercely. The grade in the floor sloped toward that particular drain anyway, so using it enabled him to go faster than the other stickers (who weren’t privy to its whereabouts).

    Last week the blood flow started rising under the table. Rather than throw the pump in reverse and send the nasty smelling stuff out to the appropriate drains, he got caught in the workday rush and put it off.

    Today, the Sticker just let it be. He would have to be a mortal employee now like everybody else and work at a normal pace. No more super killer, processing twice as many animals as his peers.

    A month ago, when Annette had still been in his life, he might have plotted how to empty that tank so he could retain his star quality, and possibly get called up for a management position. That might have made Annette proud of his return to the stockyards. Might have made her see his potential still existed.

    Might have made her stay with him.

    That wasn’t the reality anymore. Annette was gone and he was free to be as mediocre as the rest of the people working in this land of shit and blood.

     Jackson brought the shackle up to the cow’s dangling hoof. It happened with such suddenness the Sticker only saw Jackson falling, arms out like a messiah, and then he was prone on the corrugated metal floor. The cow’s free hoof continued to fling wildly.

    The Sticker ran to the thrashing beast, its labored calls louder than the process line. Carl arrived with his bolt gun. He’d already been working on another cow and knew this had to be done quickly. The chain will not stop was the company mantra and nobody took it for granted.

    Carl aimed at the cow’s head. The animal shifted its weight, fell off the processing bar and struck him bodily against the side wall.

    The Sticker dropped his knife and threw all his weight into the cow’s midsection. Carl broke free; he held his head and blinked spastically before rising on one knee. Jackson still rested on the floor, palm pressed to a spot between his eyes. The Sticker took the bolt gun, put the cow in a side headlock and discharged a bolt into its temple. The bolt retracted and the animal’s body jerked. It swung forward and sent the Sticker into the wall, knocking all the air from him. He pushed off the wall and hurried away from any other attack.

    As he turned, he caught a glimpse of Jackson staggering over to the cow’s inert body. He’d already taken up the shackles again. Someone touched the Sticker’s shoulder and he jumped. Carl extended his hand for the bolt gun. The Sticker handed it to him, and then took his knife off the ground and returned to the bleeding floor.

    By the time he was set back up, the renegade cow, hanging upside-down in the air by both its ankles now, slid toward him. He stuck the knife just under the jaw and swept across. You didn’t quit, he thought as he watched the scarlet cascade over his mesh gloves and arm guards. I used to value the good fight, sir, but now… look at you. Look where the fight ended.

    He pressed the button and the process line buzzed on, the next cow immediately upon him. The Sticker slit another throat and then kicked some accumulated blood toward the other drain. He was surprised the USDA rep hadn’t had more to say about his workspace. Oh well, cleanliness wasn’t his business. He was just here to do a job and get paid. To live out his wonderful life.

    Divorce papers waited for him at home. He wasn’t going to be dramatic; he’d sign what had to be signed. He never thought he’d deserved Annette, and over time he guessed she’d discovered this truth as well.

    From the time he was seventeen until he was twenty-seven, he’d worked as a sticker. Then he got married and knew that had to change. He got a management job at the frozen onion factory, worked there until he was thirty-one. Five years ago he’d had a plan. He would become a treatment plant operator at Fabulous Onion Foods and take management courses, work up that chain, save money, open a blood sausage facility someday, since there was a surprising demand in the industry. After a paperwork mishap though, the CEO of Fabulous Onion, Trevor Milstead, was the asteroid that destroyed that prospective world and others.

    The unemployment wasn’t enough to sustain his household. The Sticker refused to let their underwater mortgage go into default for the sake of some out-of-state jobs Annette found online. Leaving his trusted territory in the Inland Empire made him uncomfortable, but he didn't appreciate how much Annette despised that discomfort until it was already too late.

    He went back to his old line of work at a new slaughterhouse, which was a pay cut of twenty-five grand—but he knew this kind of work and he trusted this kind of work. Even if he could hardly afford his dumpy apartment.

    There was nothing else for Annette to admire in a man so quickly neutered. Her husband was a failure, and an ugly failure at that. The Sticker’s crooked teeth were not only unsightly for their angles, but coffee stained. He had bad skin begging for skin cancer, courtesy of his Irish father. And just last week he noticed a small barren spot forming in his otherwise thick blond hair. He’d always called it a cowlick before, but now, no such delusions could be made in earnest. So this was how the hill looked, just as you went down the other side. So much of his life had already passed and yet he’d never felt like it had begun.

    The Sticker’s gaze drifted outside to the long, winding corral where the cows marched. The bends in the line were so they wouldn’t see what they were directly headed for, to keep them tranquil. It was probably the first time the Sticker felt envious of the poor animals.

    *   *   *

    Lunchtime wasn’t a refreshing occasion. Despite the sterile interior and air conditioning of the admin building, the walls hummed with the odor of cattle and dirt. The Sticker sat at the plastic table in a daze. He tried to will himself to open his brown sack lunch; he knew he’d be hungry later if he skipped, but with Annette lounging over his brain, always in his thoughts, forever and ever there, with him, it was impossible to think about eating. He could only glance around at the various groups of workers: the steamers, the singers, shavers, the splitters, shacklers, stunners… it was like a conspiracy of language used to reinforce the idea that all jobs here were created equal. And that wasn’t the case. Just ask the shavers and splitters about that.

    Personally, he had always been happiest as a sticker (the term bleeder was frowned upon by the management), because his job involved no heavy machinery or lifting. His body was torn up by now anyway, but more from shoveling waste chambers at the onion plant. The rest of these guys, these younger men, they were popping Advils and Tylenols (Vicodin secretly) and some had bandages chronically appearing on different parts of their body. No way of denying it; the crew was a gruesome lot by day’s end.

    The Sticker noticed an employment agency’s flyer hanging from the cork board. Limbus, Inc. read the top banner, and beneath it, a picture of a globe glowed with needles of light. None of the phone number tags had been ripped from the bottom.

    Funny thing to see in this place. Could have used them when I got canned.

    Jackson and Carl rambled on about the immortal cow from earlier. Every now and then they would involve the Sticker in the conversation and he would nod with their assessments. Jackson, right as rain now, had a gash in his forehead like a miniature crimson hockey stick. He was lucky he’d backed up when that hoof lashed out, or he’d probably be on permanent break-time right about now.

    The room went silent suddenly. Gerald Bailey, facility manager, came through the door. The man never visited unless he wanted to ream someone out. Despite not having a manual job, he was always oily. He lived an air-conditioned existence but kept his blue collared shirt open at the top, where puffs of hoary chest hair sprung free. Seeing as everybody had to wear a hairnet and beard-nets, it was a disconcerting sight to say the least.

    Anybody know why there’s a product with three bolt holes in its brain? he demanded of the entire room. His eyes roved to Jackson. How’d you get that forehead smile, Action Jackson?

    Jackson stammered. Shackles struck me in the face… on accident. Got it documented.

    Be the hell more careful. Gerald seemed to grow less agitated and his posture slackened. So nobody knows about the bolts? Any stunners in here?

    Carl began to stand.

    Sit son, you’re still on break. I’m just getting details here.

    Carl lowered back down but his eyes didn’t move from Bailey. The first two didn’t do the trick, boss.

    "Didn’t do the trick? Is that your excuse?"

    Carl frowned. You counseling me in front of everyone, boss?

    Bailey turned away, muttering something tired and vicious, and his tremendous gut bumped into the Sticker. Oh pardon—hey you’re the new hot shot that upped productivity that one week.

    Two weeks, the Sticker replied.

    Bailey’s mangy brown eyebrows hauled his weasel eyes up with them. I know you, don’t I? Yeah. You used to work at the Fabulous Onion, on the cutting floor.

    Small world.

    It is. You know Trevor Milstead? Hell of a guy.

    I know him.

     Bailey, noticing the conversation’s one-sided tilt, went to leave. He halted at the sight of the Limbus flyer and promptly ripped it off the board. I don’t know who keeps putting these up, but they’ll likely need to apply at this Limbus place if they keep at it. Any ideas?

    Nobody said anything. After a moment Bailey marched off like a crestfallen general going to war alone.

    Somebody whispered, Why does it matter, one bolt, two or three?

    Some of the meat is ruint, another replied.

    Inhumane, another guy added.

    Leaving his lunch unopened, the Sticker slid out from the table and tapped Carl’s shoulder. You still smoke?

    Like a chimney.

    Good, I want one.

    Since when?

    The Sticker left the break room and a moment later heard Carl push out his chair.

    *   *   *

    He admittedly didn’t like the taste, but the lightheaded sensation was welcome right now. In the time it took the Sticker to finish one, Carl had smoked two cigarettes and mistook this as a chance to catch up. The Sticker just wanted

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