The Wrath of John by Richie Narvaez
from Seven Deadly Sins: A PUNK NOIR Magazine series
John watches as unmarked vehicles pull up to the front of his neighbor Villalba’s house. Men in tactical gear, dark shades, and neck gaiters up to their eyes pour out of SUVs.
Banging. Yelling.
And John inside the house thinking: Get him!
Soon Villalba is dragged out, thrown in the back of an SUV, his wife crying on the sidewalk.
Serves him right, John thinks, for taking his parking spot.
Villalba would park there day after day, despite John telling him it was his spot. The Latin man said it was public property, laughed.
Livid, John stomped around his house, tweeted, reddited, griped to everyone.
Finally, he made a call, reported Villalba as an illegal, likely a drug dealer.
Who’s laughing now? John thought, happy to have justice.
Months of enjoying his spot again later, John is called into a meeting with the new chair of the department.
“I hear you’re still teaching critical thinking?”
John says that’s from an old syllabus, notes that he has tenure anyway, so what?
Afterward, he feels the matter is settled.
A week later, John watches as unmarked vehicles pull up to the front of his house.
This story appears as part of Seven Deadly Sins, a PUNK NOIR Magazine series, originally published July 2025.
Bio
Richie Narvaez is the author of two novels and two short story collections.
PUNK NOIR, the online literary and arts magazine that looks at the world at its most askew, casting a bloodshot eye over the written word, film, music, television and more.
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I love the karma in this one. Well done!