Thus far, the stories I’ve published in my series of ACLU fundraisers have been previously-written pieces that I’ve polished up before sending them out into the world.
This month, the story is brand-new. I finished it about a week ago.
ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS STORY GO TO THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION!
The place: The suburbs.
The time: Tomorrow, maybe.
The situation: Ray is just trying to get by in the newer, greater America. With a wife and a new baby, he can’t afford to get mixed up in politics or the fight for civil liberties. But as the world shrinks and darkens around him, Ray finds that the safe harbor he’s crafted for himself and his family may not be big enough or strong enough to stand.
And then one night, there’s a knock at the door. Now there’s nowhere to hide, and soon Ray will have to make the hardest decision of his life.
With cold, relentless precision, Barry Lyga explores a future that is too close for comfort in what might be his darkest, most disturbing work to date.
“Four Minutes” may, indeed, be the most brutal thing I’ve ever written. And that’s saying something.
Give this story a chance. Buy it. Read it. Spread the word. Let’s put some more cash in the ACLU’s pocket.
You can find “Four Minutes” here: