Scorch Atlas: The Disappeared

A story from Scorch Atlas, a 2009 short story collection written by Blake Butler and published by Featherproof Books.

Recorded on location in a secluded residential area.

The year they tested us for scoliosis, I took my shirt off in front of the whole gym. Even the cheerleaders saw my bruises. I'd been scratching in my sleep. Insects were coming in through cracks we couldn't find. There was something on the air. Noises from the attic. My skin was getting pale.

I was the first.