Skip to Content

Rodger Jacob's noir parody serial enters the final two thrilling episodes!

It was then that the ground trembled with a vengeance. At first I heard a loud slam that I mistook for the steel loading ramp of a delivery truck smacking the asphalt. You’re familiar with that sound, right? But there was no delivery truck in sight and suddenly the sky itself began to shake or perhaps it was the ground below my feet that had suddenly abandoned all natural laws and began churning like quicksand. It was an earthquake, alright, one mother of a shaker that would bring down the rafters of the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel, killing my girl Zivi in the process, but I would only learn this way after the fact, after my own body was laid out on a slab in the L.A. morgue with a bunch of other stiffs who suddenly got chatty. They knew all about Zivi. They knew all about me, more maybe than I knew about myself. Did you know, for instance, that I was a cop? A narcotics agent, I’ve been told. And that girl in the bar? The one who caused all of this ruckus in the first place? Well, she was a quarry of mine and I had her cornered like a canary in a coal mine until she slipped a hallucinogenic compound in my cocktail while I had my eyes trained on the black midget and the tall albino, all dead now at the hands of the man wielding the killer typewriter.

Or were they real at all?

The earthquake. That’s the only thing that’s certain. The earthquake had really happened.

Previously...

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

L.A. TACO Officially Rebrands as I.E. TACO. Here’s Our First Guide

Home to nearly 5 million people, the Inland Empire is one of Southern California's most misunderstood communities. Written by actual Inland Empire natives, our official guide cuts through the stereotypes and takes you straight to the real spots, including dishes and vibes you just can't get in L.A.

Daily Memo: Hospitalizations, Car Crashes, and Kavanaugh Stops Continue with ICE

ICE has continued targeting courthouses, jails, sending folks to hospitals still, crashing their vehicles, and performing Kavanaugh stops still, which, if you’re still unfamiliar with the term, are basically Supreme Court-endorsed racial profiling stops.

Supreme Court Rules In Favor of Christian Counselor In Colorado Surrounding ‘Conversion Therapy’ for LGBTQ+ Youth

In an 8-1 decision issued on International Transgender Day of Visibility, the Supreme Court struck down Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors as an unconstitutional viewpoint-based restriction on free speech, siding with a Christian counselor who argued the law prevented her from offering certain talk therapy to clients.

March 31, 2026

‘Papers Please’ at Marine Boot Camp Graduation: ICE to Check IDs at Parris Island Family Days

ICE agents will be stationed at the access points of Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island during Recruit Family Days and Graduation ceremonies to conduct enhanced screening and check visitors' lawful immigration status.

March 31, 2026

Another Death at Adelanto: Family Seeks Truth as L.A.’s Mexican Consulate Highlights ‘Alarming Trend’ of ICE Custody Fatalities

Detainees who witnessed the 14th ICE detention death made several outbound calls to rapid responders for help. 

March 31, 2026

You’re Not Too Strong, Smart, or Pretty to Be Raped: A Survivor’s No-BS Guide to Ending Gender-Based Violence 

"We must acknowledge that [society] works by promoting perpetual war against girls, women, and femmes," writer and survivor Myriam Gurba says. "Your job is to decide which side of the war you’re on and commit to that fight."

March 31, 2026
See all posts