Status Updates From Neom

Crucifixation: A synthetic drug offering a religious-like experience to the user.

Somewhere between Bethlehem and Mecca lay Neom, city of futurity, where fortunes are made and faiths are lost.

“Weird?” he said. “Yes, of course it’s weird. But this is Neom.”

They often broke us open for parts. They seeded monsters into the desert. They called themselves hackers because what they did, often literally, was hack people, usually to bits. Then they’d go for a swim in the sea and drink a beer.