Writing Prompt

VISUAL PROMPT

Tilak Baloni @ Unsplash

Write the story leading up to, or leading on from, this scene.

Write the story leading up to, or leading on from, this scene.

Writings

The Boy

The day started out as any other. Mark had gone to work with the intention of getting an early start to the day and headed out onto the lonely stretch of road that led to his small office on the other side of the valley. This morning though things would not be normal by any stretch of the imagination.

Learning down to turn up the radio for his favorite song ‘Beat It’ by Michael Jackson he started to tap the steering wheel and sing along. His voice sounded good in his head, but it wasn’t like that at all, he was terrible, and he didn’t care. As he pulled onto the small bridge that crossed the valley a fog started to drift in obscuring his view, so he flipped on his lights and slowed down.

This bridge wasn’t one of those fancy new bridges. It had been there for years and was due to be shut down in the next year or so, but it was the quickest way across to reach work, so he took it every day. The supports made the bridge seem narrow and each side was divided by small posts to separate vehicles from each other and the metal bridge wasn’t starting to rust. You had to drive extremely slowly and the creaking was a little unnerving, but Mark didn’t mind because no one drove on here early in the mornings except for maybe the occasional bike.

As he approached approximately the middle of the bridge something appeared on the bridge, and it appeared to be a person. He slowed down even more just to be cautious when all of the sudden he slammed on his breaks. There in the middle of his lane was a young boy dressed in a school outfit that could be like the one Angus Young of AC/DC wore in his shows. He stopped and leaned out the window.

“Hey, what do you think you are doing out here?” He yelled towards the boy, but there was no response, so he yelled again. Still there was no response. The boy seemed to be just staring at him with a blank expression as if he hadn’t heard him.

Mark sat back in his seat and thought for a second. Maybe I should honk my horn to make him at least get out of the way he thought. He honked his horn, but the boy didn’t move, in fact it was as if his expression became more intense as though he was becoming angry. This actually scared Mark, and then he saw something that scared him even more. The boy began to float off the bridge, his eyes began to glow and then he started moving towards the vehicle.

Mark began to panic and began to back up his jeep. He kept looking forward and then back hoping that no one else had decided to take the bridge this morning. When he got to the beginning of the bridge he looked up front again and saw that the boy had disappeared. “There is no way he could have gotten off the bridge that fast.” He said out loud.

He jumped out of the vehicle and walked down the bridge a little and looked down, but didn’t see anything there either. Mark shook his head and got back in his jeep and finished the trip to work.

When he got to work and finally settled into his desk, he turned on his computer to check out the morning news a story popped up that brought shock and fear to him. There was a headline on the first page ‘Boy hit by car on local bridge’. Below the headline was a picture of the boy he had seen that morning. He was dressed in a uniform from the local private school. The story said that his body hadn’t been found, but Mark knew he saw him that day and never drove on the old bridge again.

Obstacles Of Passage

My butt was aching from sitting for so long. The van kept bumping over imperfections in the road so I couldn’t lean my head on the window or I would hit it over and over again. My eyes felt so droopy. It was raining outside, the scenery outside somehow made the rain seem magical. The van’s headligts made certain things sparkle in the foggy dusk.

      Sam’s head dropped onto my left shoulder. _He was snoring so loud. _I nudged him off and he woke up with a start. He opened his eyes for no more than two seconds, then his head flopped over to the other side, on Tara’s shoulder. She shoved him off without ripping her gaze away from the window. Sam didn’t even open his eyes this time and just flopped forward. 

      It was really the perfect condition for falling asleep except for the bumpy road. The soft hum of the car engine, the rhythmic pit a pat of the rain on the windows, the absence of sunlight and the dusk setting in… I was feeling quite drowsy myself. But not in a good calm sleepy kind of way. I didn’t want to sleep.

      My overgrown brown bangs tickled my face so hard my hand shot up with the speed of light to push it out of my eyes, but I jabbed my eye instead. Sam flopped onto my shoulder again, breathing the deepest sleepy breath into my face. Then we hit a particularly deep ditch, sending my head into the window so hard I yelped. 

      I very suddenly sat up and straightened my back, letting Sam fall back in to Tara, who finally exploded: “STOP BREATHING IN MY FACE!!! 

      In the front passenger seat Caleb was humming something and scribbling into his notebook, unfazed my Tara’s yelling. And Frank, our super-reliable driver, was staring at the road with the emptiest look you could fathom. Sam was now rubbing his eyes looking bewildered. Overall, the vibe in the van was _tired_. 

      “Why don’t we play a game?” I asked the occupants of the van abruptly.

      Sam slowly looked toward me with dazed eyes, his face showing no signs of enthusiasm.

      “Sure.” Caleb responded rather cheerfully, closing his notebook. 

      “Great,” I said, “let’s play 20 questions!”

      Tara groaned. “We’ve played that too many times already.” She slumped forward in her seat, dramatically dropping her hands to the floor. 

      “Well I’m not hearing any better ideas.” I crossed my arms. 

      “I have a better game,” Caleb said. “I’ll start a story, and then we’ll go in a circle adding on to it.” He turned around in his seat to face us in the back. 

      “Sounds fun!” I was so bored, anything sounded fun. 

      “Sure, I’ll have a go at it,” Frank said this in a yawning kind of way, “I’m starting to see doubles.”

      “Tara? Sam?” I looked at them. 

      “Nughmgm.” Sam mumbled.

      “Fiiiine.” Tara’s voice was muffled due to her face being stuffed into her lap. 

      “Great! Now lemme think…” Caleb tapped his pen to his chin. “Ah! Okay, once upon a time, there was a forlorn, depressed, lonely man,” Caleb was making dramatic hand motions and facial expressions, “He lived in a hut at the edge of a dark wood. He had lost his family years ago to a vicious monster in that same forest. He lived there because that’s where he felt closest to them. No one ever heard him speak, so naturally due to his circumstances, rumors went around about his strange behavior. Then one day…” He looked at Frank. 

      “Frank it’s your turn.” I whispered. 

      “Oh, me? Erm okay… hmmm…” Frank’s brows furrowed. “One day, he came to town. Everyone was avoiding him because of all the rumors. He walked into the grocery store and then… and then… uhm,” Frank glanced at Tara through the mirror.

      “And then he bought some food, and left, back to his shack next to the forest. And resumed his regular life doing whatever it is he does in that creepy place all alone.” Tara didn’t even lift her head. 

      Sam was folded forward on himself snoring again. Tara shoved him with her elbow. 

      “Huh!” He shot up. “What?”

      “It’s your turn!” Tara mumbled.

      “Oh. Uhhh…” He rubbed his face and shook his head. His voice was tired. “The man’s family was at a party next door. They had a dog named spot and he got lost in the forest. The man and his family went out to look for the dog, and then… ok I’m done. Next.” 

      “That’s not…” Tara began, but gave up and resumed staring out the window. Caleb was holding back his laughter. Frank just looked tired. 

      “Alright, my turn.” I said. “The man lives in his house, but he went crazy since his family died, so he started imagining they were still there with him. His dog, Spot, is very old. This old dog went out exploring one day and didn’t come back the whole day. The man decided to go look for him thinking Spot was in trouble. But in reality he was alone, and there was no dog named Spot, cuz he was really just imagining him.”

      Frank took a turn and we rumbled onto a foggy bridge. 

      “The man wanders through the forest alone, talking to himself the entire night.” I continued. “He started following a light that guided him through the feral forest. It whispers things to him, pleasant things, until eventually the things it was saying started becoming more gruesome. The man started to get kinda worried, and started running away from the hovering light. But now the light was following him, and it wasn’t whispering anymore, it was wailing and screaming, bringing a cold terror to everything it’s light touched.”

      Celeb looked delighted, and everyone else looked to be more interested now. 

      I glanced out the window. We were still driving across the bridge, the end of it not visible because of the fog. 

      “And then the man made it out of the forest onto a long, foggy bridge.” I continued. “He started running across the bridge, but the screaming thing was still following him, and just as he thought the light would catch up to him…” I looked at Caleb to continue the story.

      “The screaming stopped, and he—“

      Caleb was cut off mid sentence as Frank hit the brakes so hard the van skidded on the wet bridge and almost hit the rail on the left side. Me and Caleb, who were not buckled at the moment, were flung forward— me into the back of Caleb’s seat, and him into the dashboard. 

      “Frank what the heck!” 

      We all looked out onto the road in front of us. 

      “What the—” Tara breathed. 

      In the middle of the road in front of us stood a man. He was wearing a fancy suit, and he was standing 2 feet away from the van. We were literally _this close _to running him over. 

      “Why’s he staring at me?” Sam was looking at the man with wide eyes. He was wearing sunglasses, so it was kind of hard to tell if he was actually staring at Sam. 

      The man was just standing there, being rained on, wearing a fancy suit and sunglasses. If he didn’t look so life-like, I would’ve assumed he was a statue.

      But why was he there? It was a little bit strange.

      I pulled the handle on the door next to me and opened it a crack. 

      “Excuse me sir, would you care to step aside so we don’t run you over?” I yelled into the crack of the door I’d opened. 

      The man didn’t even flinch, or show any sign of hearing me. 

      Frank rolled down his window, “Sir, are you alright? Do you need help?”

      Once again the man didn’t show any signs of hearing us. 

      “Should I just try to drive around..?” Frank mumbled. 

He turned the wheel and attempted to go around the guy on the right. He didn’t make it two seconds before the man moved for the first time we had seen him and blocked our path once again. He stood in the same stance again, except this time he was wearing a crude smile on his face.

      “Uhmmm…” Frank looked nervous. Sam looked terrified. Tara was super stiff and looked kinda uncomfy. I couldn’t really see Caleb because he was in front of me, but I could see his hand gripping the arm rest super tight. 

      My palms were getting kind of sweaty. I was getting chills all over. Time slowed down. And then, a cold, grating voice emerged into all the parts of my brain: “Daniel, get out of THE CAR.” 

      My hand moved without my wanting to. I pushed the car door open and jumped out. 

      “Daniel what are you doing?!” Alarmed voices floated from the car, but I was already strutting up to the man. I was strangely not as terrified as I should have been in a situation where I wasn’t controlling my own body. I walked around the van and faced the man in the suit. He grinned, but it looked forced. I could see that his lips were turning blue from the cold. His clothes were soaked. 

      Frank was yelling at me, then he jumped out of the car and stood a few feet away. “Dude, get back in the car!” 

      I looked over at him. He looked terrified. The man in front of me put his hand on my shoulder. I turned to face him again, and I was surprised when I saw he wasn’t wearing his glasses anymore. I could see his eyes. They were wide and terrified. They were also red and puffy. It was like he was staring into my soul — real unsettling. 

      I stumbled backwards, but bumped into the van right behind me. The man put his other hand on my other shoulder. He was grinning, but his eyes were not. His grip was crushing my shoulders and it felt like he was pushing me into the ground. I couldn’t look away from his bloodshot eyes. For some reason I couldn’t even tell what color they were… 

       Why was I thinking about the color of his eyes? _I needed to get away. _

_ _ So I twisted away and ran like the wind. I didn’t know where to run — I just ran — and I didn’t look back. Finally the weird trance I was in left me and a terror filled me up. I felt like a wild animal looking for anywhere to hide. I leaped over fallen trees and brushed passed wet branches, getting dirt and wetness all over me. I finally plopped down behind a tree and sat there in my crazed senses, trying to calm down.

      I was all alone in a dark wet forest. 

Great. __ I started to think what to do next, when a hand clamped down on my shoulder.

      I was too stunned and horrified to move. I froze. And I waited. It felt like an eternity. My eyes were wide, and I was too scared to look up, and see who was holding my shoulder. I finally inched my face around, and I burst out laughing from relief. 

      I don’t think I’d ever been happier to see Frank’s face in my life.

#555

I packed my bags to run away from Di. While he lay sound asleep, I depleted my savings to book a one-way plane ticket to Colorado. Anger burned inside me for what he did. I slid out of bed. I quietly crept to our closet to grab a suitcase. A sudden sharp pain shot through my skull, making me stumble. I stepped back onto the stupid creaky floor panel Di never fixed. I stood frozen watching him toss and turn almost awakened by the sound. A feeling of great relief rippled through my body when he didn’t wake up. For a second, I saw everything — our first date, his promises, the bruises, the nights I cried myself to sleep.

Once everything was packed into the car, I hopped in ready to be on my way. I tried to start the car in fear of the loud engine sounds waking him up. My mind raced at high speed causing my heart to beat out of my chest. It wouldn’t start. I checked the fuel meter to discover that Di left the car completely empty. _Did he know? _I thought to myself.

I sat hopeless in the car for five minutes. I took a deep breathe thinking about my next moves. Then, to my worse nightmare, our bedroom light flicked on. I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. My heart pounded, each beat slamming against my ribs, desperate t break free.

It began to down pour. Give me a break.

When I looked back at the window the light was off. The darkness in the window felt eerie. Di always had trouble sleeping. The thought of him just lying back down that easily sent chills through me. I used my rear and side view mirrors to scope the area.

I checked the left side view mirror one last time. Empty. Just the rain streaking down the glass, blurring everything. But then—. A shape. A shadow. No— him. Standing right behind car. Unmoving. Staring. _What’s he going to do? Why doesn’t he attack? Oh wait!

A flashback of Di and I’s first time at the gun shop. He was talking to me about staying safe and to always keep a self defense weapon in important areas.

I reached in the glove box. It was gone. Then, an overwhelming sensation filled my gut. I looked back at Di. He pulled the gun out from his back pocket. I knew I’d die right there.

I stepped out of the car with my hands up. I yelled out to Di “Why can’t you let me go?! This isn’t love” He remained quiet and stationed. He slowly raised the gun and shot. I ducked. My ears rang so loud and everything got blurred. I ended up back in the car. I turned the key for the heck of it. The car started. I sped off.

I ended up on an eerie bridge. There was a man in a suit standing in front of the car. When I got out, he gave me a grin. I couldn’t let this be another thing to stop me from making the flight. I asked the man to please move out of the way. He stood there with a stupid grin on his face. I got back in the car and inched forward hoping he’d get the message and let me go. I checked my rear view mirror anticipating Di’s appearance. Nothing. I heard whispers echo in the car. One of the voices said “Wake up.” The man walked up closer to the car. I stepped out of the car to get away from the voices, but they were louder.

The man reached in his pocket and pulled out a sealed scroll. He handed it to me. When I opened the scroll, I was in disbelief by what was on it. It read “Death Certificate for #555” I saw two dates— my birthdate and todays date. I asked the man what it meant. He leaned in closer to whisper in my ear. He said “I am the keeper of those who no longer live. I am the one who handles the numbers. I am the last stop.”

Suddenly, I felt an agonizing pain. My body went limp. I fell to the ground. Everything came flashing before my eyes leading up to me standing outside of the car facing Di with the gun pointed at me. Something felt off about it. I was so close.

“No, this can’t be right. I was just in the car. I was just—“ But the memories came flooding back. Di. The gun. The shot. My body crumpling before I ever made it to the car. I never made it to the car.

The man stood over me. He looked at his watch, then he bent down. He looked callously into my eyes. He revealed that I had been dead the entire time.

Hexed Holidays

This road trip had been peculiar from the get go. Ashley had no desire to drive in the first place, but Derrick insisted. He said it would be a fun mini vacation before their actual getaway. If Ashley wasn't so freaked out right now, she would be singing 'I told you so' right in his ear.

It started, oddly enough, with the animals. Now Ashley loved animals. It was animals darting in front of their car and looking at them with beady yellow eyes on a long stretch of country road. Ashley was familiar with most animals, but not these ones. She had never seen these animals before and she hoped to never see them again.

Then the weather became eerie. Swirling winds and darks clouds produced green lightening. Ashley almost could have been convinced it was a trick of the light if not for the way Derek's eye's widened as he audibly gulped.

After that it had been the people. Ashley had nothing against hitchhiking in and of itself. It wasn't a choice she would ever personally make, but she could understand how someone might find themselves in the situation. What she couldn't understand was how 50 people in a 2 mile radius required the services of hitchhiking or where they were trying to get in the first place. The long country roads that had traveled on were flat, giving Ashley and Derek the ability to see for miles in every direction. They didn't see much once they got past the whole animal situation, and they certainly didn't see any structures that would indicate where on earth the hitchhikers could possibly be traveling to.

All of this to say, a figure appearing on the bridge right in front of their car was Ashley's last straw. She looked to her left to be met with the sight of Derek as white as a ghost with clenched hands gripping the steering wheel. It was when the figure started to approach the car in an uneven yet intimidating gait that they both spoke at the same time, finally coming together in agreement for the first time on this cursed trip.

"Yeah no, I'm done. You win, let's go home."

"Forget it, absolutely not, turn this car right back around and drive."

Outrun Me

Triggers: Dark plot idea

The radio buzzed to life as he fiddled with the dial of the beat up jeep. His brother, Darren, in the passenger seat sighed and crossed his arms, head thumping back against the seat,

"Ya know, he is probably across the border by now right?"

Aster hesitated, his fingers finding their way back to the wheel after turning off the radio. He gripped the wheel, eyes darting to his brother a few times. He ran a hand through his dark hair and tugged at the length with a sigh, "Ya...Ya."

Darren rolled his eyes, uncrossed his arms and suddenly leaned forward to jerk the glove compartment open where a gun lay nestled in the documentation papers stashed in the space. These papers listed a couple: Ann and Willis Parker, "Relax. If he comes after us, we got this."

His eyes narrowed on his brother, "So relax for once in your life." He slammed the compartment closed with his shin. The gravel under the tires crunched for the final time as they passed under the archway to the bridge that lead into the zone outside of their city.

The headlights of the jeep fell over the road as Aster tried to follow his brothers advice. He took a few deep breaths and his fingers started tapping on the wheel.

He and his brother had escaped.

They are free now.

They are free.

They are safe.

Those thoughts died when the lights fell upon a single figure in the middle of the road and he heard Darren curse.

Aster felt his heart skip multiple beats in that moment, his panic rising to new heights. He slammed on the brakes, the jeep skidding across the ground until it stopped inches away from the man who barely flinched.

The man was dressed in a suit, a long overcoat draped over top, a style of hair slicked back, a steady look in his dark eyes, lips pressed together as he rose his leg and slammed his dress shoe on the bumper of the car,

"You boys got some explaining to do."

Aster felt his palms sweat as he glanced at his brother who glared at the figure with hatred in his eyes,

"Run him over, Aster." He said stoically, his voice deathly quiet. Aster was shaking, his mind running miles a minute, "I...I..."

Darren suddenly lunged towards the steering wheel and Aster screeched as he ducked back, holding his hands over his ears, "We deserve it!" He cried out as Darren grunted and manuevered his body over the console amid the noises from his brother, "We deserve to die for what we did!" Darren shoved the door open and pushed his brother out of the jeep, "Shut up."

Aster hit the ground with a sound of pain as he landed on his shoulder. The man in the suit seemed amused as he slammed the bumper again with his shoe and leveled his eyes on Darren. Aster rolled to his knees stiffly and shuffled back against the railing of the bridge, hugging himself as he rocked.

"...You really want to do this? After everything we have gone through together?"

The man in the suit called out in a slow, almost haughty tone as he stepped back on the bridge, looking out of place in his clothing,

"We could have been great. You both using your abilities for the greater good!"

He raised his arms, palms open as if presenting something majestic, "Me, my brain, my intellect. You, your blood. Your brother..." He turned black eyes slowly on Aster and his lips curled up. Before he could say more, Darren hit him with the car while the man was occupied.

Aster watched as the body flew back and skid across the pavement, rolling a few times until the body came to a final stop. Darren reversed the jeep in the lane before stopping right in front of Aster. Knowing that the man will rise again, Aster felt tears well up in his eyes as he sat frozen, staring at the unmoving body of the Master.

He felt a hand drag him up as the body twitched then contorted. The Master groaned and flexed his body as Aster allowed Darren to pull him to the car, him numb, his brother swearing.

Aster couldn't take his eyes from the Master, their tormentor for years in this delusional war of his. Darren shoved his numb brother into the back seat and slid in the front. He swore again as he tossed the gun in the passenger seat and gunned the car backwards.

Aster sat numbly in the backseat as the Master rose up on the pavement slowly, getting smaller and smaller as they went, his fingers cracking back into place, his limbs shifting and his skin healing. As the sun started to rise behind the Master, Aster could see that maybe the Master was right.

With the sun came a shadow casting itself over the bridge. The ship was coming. Aster blinked slowly, tears dried on his cheeks as Darren took over in driving but who knows if it was worth the rebellion. The young man who lived under the Master's wing for years with his brother whispered softly, eyes vacant,

"They are coming. Master was right all along. Our suffering really was for the greater good."

I have no clue

'Give me back my phone,' I hiss, to my brother. He smiles smugly and continues tapping incorrect passwords in the rose gold phone. 'Mumm!' I shout, pulling her arm for her to pay attention. She turns her head away from watching the rain drip and says, 'Zach, give your sister her phone back.' She waits then adds, 'Now.' After he sighs he he reaches over, goes to go give my phone back and.... grabs it back at the last second. 'Zach!' My Mum shouts barely heard over his roaring laughter. 'Listen to your Mother!' Dad shouts from the drivers seat, twisting his body to the side to sneer in our faces. Mum screamed. I think. It was too late. The raining patting down the car, the bridge and the person standing two feet away from us with widened eyes. My Dad cursed, turning the wheel in any direction he could. He couldn't save us. The wheels slipped and turned, falling to its side, glass breaking. I cried and held my brothers hand, the phone forgotten, and closed my eyes. Darkness invaded my mind, eyes and soul.

Beep. Beep. Beep, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! The sound became unbearable. Suffocating. Intoxicating. Horrible. Annoying. Basically anything that described Zach with sugar in him. Zach. The words ping-ponged in my mind and i couldn't quite place what I had just been talking about. Who the hell is Zach? The words felt foreign. I sat up, a flashlight being brought into my eyes. 'Oh thank god you're awake.' The woman in the white coat said. Her eyes full of sadness as she said, 'You where in a.. accident.'

Fog

I’m roused from my sleep, Otto’s hand gently squeezes my shoulder. I pry my cheek from the fogged up car window. I rub my eyes, clearing the sleep from my eyes.

“We’re almost to the bridge.” He says, his voice slightly raspy. His tired eyes focused on the road ahead.

We’re driving through a forest, tall dark spruces rise high above the road. Fog creeps from between the trees, spilling out onto the road in front of us, limiting visibility.

“How long was I out?” I yawn, rubbing the chill from my arms. I stare at the heater dial, it quit on us miles ago. I still turn it, nothing.

“Couple hours.”

“You coulda woke me earlier, I would of switched with you.”

“It’s ok,” He gives me a slight smile. “I don’t trust your drivin’ skills anyways.”

I chuff at his remark and roll my eyes. I turn my head back towards the window, watching the rather gloomy forest pass by. I shivered as I stared out, the smaller trees almost appearing as human shapes in the rolling fog. I swear I saw them move, walking, so very slowly.

“There it is.”

I jump at Otto’s voice, he slows as the bridge comes into view. Only half of the steel framed bridge is visible, the rest blanketed in dark fog. Old red paint flakes from the metal and I swear I heard a creaking groan. The road ahead appears clear. My hair stands on end as we near the bridge, butterflies flutter in my stomach and my hands sweat.

“This is it.” I say softly as Otto glances at me, his face complacent. “We’re gonna be safe.”

He nods, and we drive onto the bridge.

The fog grows thicker, I could almost feel it. It chills me, goosebumps rising on my arms. My knees bounced nervously. Otto looked calm enough, but his jaw clenched tighter and tighter. He sped up, the fog thickened.

Then there was a figure in the road. “Otto!!” I yell out as he slams on the breaks. We screech to a halt, the figure doesn’t move.

“The hell..?” I say as my heart hammers in my chest. Otto’s hands grip the steering wheel tight.

I begin to roll down my window. “Hey don’t-“ Otto starts but my head is already outside as I call out to the figure. “Hello? Who’s out there?” The figure doesn’t move. “Back in the car.” Otto says between his teeth, his grip tightening. “What if they need help, Otto?” “And what if they don’t…” he replies stilted. I gaze back at the figure, it’s form hard to tell from behind the fog. The figure doesn’t move. Until it does. It fidgets, like a strange wave moveing through its body. It gets more and more violent, as if it’s breaking bones with every jolt. Then it starts to run.

Otto slams on the gas, we speed up towards the figure. I grip my seat, my eyes wide. It continues to run at us. And then we hit it. With a loud meaty sound, the figure is thrown over the hood. It’s…grotesque, pale gray skin, black blood seeps from its eyes and mouth, and it gnaws at us. It then it’s gone, left behind on the road as Otto speeds away.

I stare ahead, my stomach doing flips. We reach the end of the bridge, and to the crossroad. We turn north and the fog begins to clear.

“Otto..” I say faintly.

“It’s ok, we’re gonna’ be safe.”

Cold Blood

The hummer buzzes as it drives down the road, the sky a odd shade of blue as fog covers everything else. We had been in a forever-lasting winter for about 5 years now, and it had only been this year when I realized there was a war going on. A war going on to stop it. The concept of fighting ‘till the death just to stop this winter was rather odd, but people were dying from starvation because not a single crop would grow, so it seemed right. The hummer slowly pulls to a stop and I find a chill running through my body, but not from the chilling cold outside. A man in a black tuxedo opens the door and black glasses holds out a hand to help me get down from the suspended hummer. Everyone knew who I was, I had been trained in combat for years—since I was 6. I knew every little trick in the book to help put us on the home stretch to bringing back the regular four seasons—Autumn, Spring, Summer, and Winter—that cycled through every few months or so. “Are you Sinthia Hall?” The man asks, his voice was smooth and unsettling. He had done this before. I nod and clench my fists tightly. His face turns grim as he sees the cold determination in my eyes, the calculated percision is every step I take as we walk towards the battlefield. The rubble and destruction was hard to manuever around and I felt another chill run down my spine as I see something under the rubble that look too much like a dead body. My combat boots clink along the debilitated street as the roads get more destroyed and destroyed the farther in we walk. “Ready for this, Hall?” His voice says again. “Ready as I’ll ever be..” I reply grimly, my eyes narrowing as the wind bites into my face and makes my eyes water. Battle wasn’t easy, it never would be. But I would do it all without hesitation. As my blood cools I finally realize I was ready. Ready for war.

Shoulda Run Him Over

I should have just run right over him when I saw him on the bridge. I almost did. If the fog had been any thicker, I would not have seen him and I would have run him right over. Or if it had been clear, I would have been going too fast and run him right over. But as it was, I was going slow because of the fog and saw him. Just in time to stop. If only…

But you cannot change the past. And I would have felt really bad if I had run over him. After all, he looked like a kid. And nobody wants to run over a kid. But since I did not run over him, I had to let him into my vehicle. And that was when I realized. I should have run him over.

Actually, I am sure I could not have run him over on purpose. It is just not part of my nature. But the way he is talking. I just want to reach over and push him out the door. While traveling 100 miles per hour. As if. This old beater cannot go that fast. And even it could… Yeah. I could not do it. Probably not anyway.

I wonder if he can really do it though. Can he really take over the world? Is that device he just pulled out of his pocket really a doomsday device? A disintegration ray?

Yep. It works. He just pointed it out the window and disintegrated those poles!

Ha ha ha. That might not have been the funniest thing I have ever seen, but it is the last thing I will ever see. He disintegrated the integral parts of the bridge. And the chasm is deep enough to get this last thought…