It Happened in 'Loontown'
ShortStory 3,411 words
"Hold it right there, gasbag.’ The red balloon turned. The beam of a searchlight from high above momentarily crisscrossed the dark alleyway, catching the smooth surface of his face and the scotch tape scar on the left. ‘… Oh, it’s you,’ he said. Three big balloons drifted menacingly along the alleyway towards him."
Content warnings 3
deathsubstance-useviolence
Quasar links out; the story lives on Apex, where the author gets the click.