By: Joshua Ginsberg.

Rebecca gazed longingly into her empty coffee cup. “You know, I’d kill for another cup of Joe…”

Jill frowned. “I think we’re out, but I’ll check.”

She rushed down to the basement. There, suspended over a darkly-stained tub was the girls’ most recent catch, with a hook through both ankles with his throat slit.

The pin on his barista uniform identified him as Joe.

She gave the corpse a good shake, but not a drop of blood remained.

“Sorry,” Jill said upon returning to the kitchen. “Joe’s totally empty. But, hey, we could open up that Jason we’ve been saving…”

© 2026. Joshua Ginsberg

Joshua Ginsberg is the author of Tales from the Dusty Tiger and six non-fiction books, including Secret Tampa Bay and Haunted Orlando. His work has appeared in podcasts, anthologies, and publications, including Penumbric, Apex Magazine, Stygian Lepus, and others.

Posted July 17, 2026.