Carnations -ch.4 Up.5- -mutt Jeff- — Pale

He crushed the cigarette under his heel and tucked the carnation back into his pocket. The stray dog had moved on, disappearing into the mouth of a storm drain. Jeff wondered if it had found a place to curl up, or if it was still running, still looking for something it couldn’t name.

The pale carnation pressed against his heart like a promise. Pale Carnations -Ch.4 Up.5- -Mutt Jeff-

“That’s you,” Jeff muttered to himself. “Mutt Jeff.” He crushed the cigarette under his heel and

The carnation had been left on the bar. A message, maybe. A taunt. Someone knew he’d been there. Someone wanted him to remember that even the flowers in that place were bred for one purpose: to look beautiful while they rotted. The pale carnation pressed against his heart like a promise

Chapter 4, Up.5, ends.

He lit a cigarette with trembling fingers. The smoke tasted like the inside of a hospital tent. He didn’t mind.