The Neon God (chapter 2)

This is the second chapter to The Neon God. It is the first “Zibby” chapter. Chapter 1, the first “Dio” chapter, can be found here.

The Neon God is available in paperback and e-book formats on Amazon.

Zibby

Zibby leaned back against the shelf of fiction, hands scrambling against the hardcover books as if searching for something to grab on to so she wouldn’t fall from the face of the earth. One L, a book by Scott Turow showcasing his harrowing law school experience, haunted Zibby for the third day in a row of unbearable heat that kept customers away from Oak Street Books. It was so hot, she questioned why they had even opened. She had imagined putting a sign up on the front door: Stay Inside with the Books You Already Have. Be Back When It Cools Down. But Liv had a mountain range of used novels that needed to be checked and priced and placed on the shelves, so Zibby had to get to work.

After taking a few deep breaths and returning to Uptown New Orleans from the frigid halls of Harvard Law, Zibby put down the horror story and dove into the stacks of unalphabetized Dead White Men.

The door opened, the bell jingled, and Zibby stopped herself from telling the customer that they were closed. Margaret Atwood, the calico who could usually be found curled up under the self-help shelf, came trotting out from…