The prices were impossible. Single malts for the price of a deli sandwich. Bourbons that usually required a locked cabinet were listed for twelve dollars.

He typed four words into the search bar that he knew were a gamble: buy cheap liquor online.

Elias looked at the bottle, then at the empty room. He wondered which memory he’d lose first, and more importantly, if he even cared.

He poured a glass. The liquid was dark as maple syrup. One sip, and the flickering neon light outside seemed to steady. The cold draft in his apartment vanished.