The Nursery

Arnold Cheek is a big city P.I. and his world is just like ours… except for one thing. In Arnold’s world, the funguses are a little more aggressive – mushrooms grow through bedrock and cement, and vinegar washes are the only things that keep mold from springing up on human skin. While investigating the disappearance of a girl, Cheek finds himself caught in a web of confusion and deceit, where his own actions and thoughts can’t even be trusted, and the everyday horrors of his life and his world are nothing compared to the horrors he’ll find in the Nursery.

A detective/horror short story. Approximately 7,000 words.