Strange. Surreal. Shocking. Beautiful. APEX MAGAZINE is a digital dark science fiction and fantasy genre zine that features award-winning short fiction, essays, and interviews. Established in 2009, our fiction has won several Hugo and Nebula Awards. We publish every other month. Issue 138 contains the following short stories, essays, reviews, and interviews. EDITORIAL Editorial by Lesley Conner ORIGINAL SHORT FICTION The Relationship of Ink to Blood by Alex Langer Ncheta by Chisom Umeh Thank Mother for Your Life by Mary G. Thompson Chupa Sangre by Tre Harris Salas A World Unto Myself by P.A. Cornell Lady Koi-Koi: A Book Report by Suyi Davies Okungbowa FLASH FICTION Measure Twice, Cut Once by K.R. March Smoke Fire Wind Sea by Valerie Kemp CLASSIC FICTION A Mastery of German by Marian Denise Moore An Inventory of the Property of the Escaped Suspect, Confiscated at the Time of Her Arrest Following the Incident on Ash Street, with Annotations by Acting Sheriff Helena Fairwind by Tim Pratt NONFICTION Words Wielded by Women by Carina Bissett INTERVIEWS Interview with Author Alex Langer by Marissa van Uden Interview with Author Tre Harris Salas by Marissa van Uden Interview with Artist Robson Michel by Bradley Powers