I watch Frank’s house burn from the sidewalk across the street.
Flames crawl out of every window on both floors, sending black smoke into the night’s sky.

In the distance are sirens.
Glancing up Fullerton Street, I see flashing lights just beyond the hill. They’ll be here in less than a minute.
I won’t be.
I’ll be moving on to the next me. This version—the one watching the last remnants of his life burn—will cease to exist come sunup.
I put the takeout bag with Frank’s tacos and my burger on the ground.
As people come out of their homes to look at the fire, I walk toward the bus stop two blocks north.
The whole way, I wonder if the team that tracked me put a bullet in Frank before starting the fire. If they told him the truth about his best friend. If Frank used his last breaths to curse me—the real me.
I’m by myself when the Fifty-Six Bus arrives. It’ll take me to the airport. After that, my next identity, and my next best friend.
Maybe they won’t find me this time. Maybe Frank’s the last one who has to suffer.
Maybe.
This story appears as part of Betrayal, a PUNK NOIR Magazine series, originally published May 2024.
Bio
Casey Stegman lives in North Carolina. His work has also been published by Mystery Tribune, Tough, Shotgun Honey, Dark Yonder, Bristol Noir, and Cowboy Jamboree Press. When he’s not typing up stories about miscreants and malefactors, he rescues and rehabilitates dogs with his wife. So, if you’re looking to adopt, hit him up. He can be found on Twitter/X: @cstegman
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 read this over a year ago and I remember it clearly. Casey Stegman has a talent for snap stories that stick with you.
Wow! This is really good. Makes me want to read a longer story based on this.