"Half-Empty City," by Jodie Snyder, in More Trouble in Tucson, Eva Eldridge, 3Sides2, 2026.
It's nice when we can occasionally escape from murder plots and heist capers.
The narrator of this story, nameless I think, is a survivor of domestic violence, now living in her car. But that's not an option in Tucson in the summer. She breaks into a home in a wealthy neighborhood where almost all the residents have vanished to cooler climes.
So she is a criminal, but one with ethics. She does not damage the house and steals nothing but food and, technically, electricity. The home gives her the breathing space to find a job and things seem to be looking up but two people are taking an unfortunate amount of interest in her.
One is Hank, the sweet elderly neighbor who assumes she belongs in the house. The other is a co-worker named Tyler who she recognizes as the same kind of bully she ran away. A guy who won't take no for an answer.
Can she solve these problems? You will have fun finding out.
