Gorge, a novel in progress by Michael Gullo (2026)
“Stefanie, James is here.”
“Fernandez?”
“Yup.”
“Why?”
“I think I don’t know.”
“Speak English.”
“I don’t know, but I have an idea.”
“He didn’t tell you he’s coming?”
“Nope.”
“I don’t see him.”
“Check the Ring ping.”
“Is he driving that truck?”
“The Unimog, yes. The newer one.”
“He’s so funny!”
“And there it is, in all its glory.”
“Like, does he still live in it?”
“I haven’t talked with him.”
“Why’s he here?”
“You asked that already. I think it’s – It’s everything that’s going on.”
“Look, I don’t have a famous end-is-nigh guy in my head, but call yourself that.”
“Claude, name a famous end-is-nigh character.”
-The best single name for your purposes, besides Jesus, is William Miller — because "the Great Disappointment" names the whole phenomenon: the prophet who's certain, gathers followers, sets a date, and is wrong, and the wrongness becomes the famous thing. That's the shadow over every end-is-nigh figure-
“I don’t like that thing --- William.”
“Settle down, Clover. I know he looks weird, but that’s just James, and – stop growling, sit, easy. You’re a frickin’ Golden Doodle, Clover. And nobody buys the killer guard dog bit with a Snuffleball in your mouth.”
“Just walk in, James.”
“Come in. What’s with the track suit, bro?”
“Why do you look like homeless person?”
“I’m so glad you’re here, James. This guy – without a filter – it ain’t easy.”
“Hi, Stef. You’re the best hugger.”
“Don’t hug me, dude, you’re all hands.”
“Come on, give us a hug, Michael. Don’t run away. Hey, get back here.”
“See? I told you it’s the end of the world.”
“It’s just a hug, Michael. Hug the man.”
“He grabs my butt and stuff.”
“James, Michael doesn’t like to be loved. One tushy touch and break off.”
“Fine.”
“Heya, brother. I’m glad you’re here – Okay, let go now.”
“So, the house is done – close? Done?”
“Close. Why are you here?”
“You know.”
“Say it. She doesn’t believe me.”
“He’s not wrong, Stef.”
“James, you realize I’m a first responder, right? They tell us stuff.”
“They tell you how to serve them.”
“Well, they haven’t placed their order yet, so.”
“Look, I drove down, and I’m here. Let’s talk it through.”
“So it’s real?”
“Looks like. But I had a meeting scheduled in Atlanta tomorrow, and I left Hammond around four yesterday, and I filled up around Bowling Green, and I crashed in back as soon as I hit the forests.”
“But?”
“I had a meeting scheduled, and they cancelled it this morning.”
“They just cancelled it, like no reason?”
“Email too. Usually it’s a call, but I’m sorry for the short notice, and no real reason.”
“That’s weird. Who was it?”
“When IBM bought Aptio, and they folded in my accounts, they gave me a bunch of companies they considered similar to my portfolio.”
“But it’s not?”
“Delta and Equifax don’t treat me this way – some logistics firm I never heard of.”
“They can’t keep a meeting with a rep traveling a thousand miles – some logistics.”
“Exactly.”
“So, now you’re here.”
“Now I’m here.”
“How long you staying?”
“I’m trying to get the meeting back online. It’s double my year if they order what I think.”
“Honey, do you want to play with us, or do you prefer we go away and let you have your last few normal days in peace?”
“Is it that bad?”
“It’s gonna be a very long time before things get back to – whatever the new normal will be when - Wow. I’ve prepared for this all my life, and I don’t even know how to say it.”
“James, don’t encourage this.”
“It’s not that. I mean I just drove five hundred miles, and a lot of stuff was closed.”
“It’s Easter.”
“Yesterday.”
“You’re saying stuff’s still closed today?”
“Bowling Green’s like five hours away.”
“So?”
“So you had to get on the road at like four AM to be here.”
“Three in Bowling Green.”
“So, three in the morning on Easter, and you’re surprised everything’s closed.”
“Yeah, in the forests too, but I’ve been in civilization since like Oak Ridge, and I’m telling you it ain’t right.”
“Traffic. Was there traffic?”
“It looks real this time, Stef.”
“Come on, don’t encourage this.”
“Sorry, girlfriend.”
“Fine. Take it downstairs at least.”
“Is it done yet?”
“You know it’s not like some government sponsored underground congressional fortress bunker, right?”
“Is it like the one in Hardin Valley?”
“Super similar.”
“Let’s go see.”