Short Stories Competitions

Table of Contents
Hang On Tight - Contest Entry - 50 word limit - FanStory
Impetus - Contest Entry - Finish Paragraph - FanStory
Have a Little Hope - Contest Entry - Follow the prompt -"The door slammed" - FanStory






Hang on Tight - 50 word limit - FanStory - Contest
Love joined us. Now, explosions fill the air. The prophecy informed us. Preparations were made. Our brothers called us "Liars." They slayed many in the name of peace. Fire licks our Elders even as they exclaim, "This is not the end!" We move with speed to meet the new age.





Impetus - Finish the Paragraph - FanStory - Contest

James stood by the large picture windows, gazing over the open fields, to the purple tinged mountains beyond. Darkness would be coming soon, and with it a storm. He flinched as a crack of lightning split the murky sky. He turned and threw another log on the open fire, sending a flurry of ash into the air. He refilled his whiskey glass, and took a deep sip. He savoured the taste as it warmed his throat. He was trying to build up the courage to make that phone call he had been putting off all day. He reached for the phone just as it started to ring.

The number he recognized, yet James stared at the readout for two rings. The person on the other end he knew. They were the reason that James had been dragging his feet all day. The owner of this number, a good friend, was recently deceased.

With a last sip of liquid courage, James pressed the green button on his phone. For two seconds no one spoke. At three seconds, there was a long gasp of air. Without speaking the voice expressed torment, something he could relate to very well. A gurgling in James' belly responded in kind. Sometimes you know things. A leader is trained to connect the dots. The voice was a known factor that chilled James to the bone. At five seconds a clicking sounded in the background like a slide pulling back and chambering a round. Rhaspy breathing still filled the line. Eventually James said, "Hello."

One word escaped into the air, "Mida." Without pause, the earpiece exploded in James' ear. One word and a gunshot. Both were deafening to comprehend. For two minutes he sat there clutching the electronic rectangle in his hand. Ears blazed with white noise. James contemplated his world now flipped inside out. At three minutes the high whine in the man's ears began to quiet down. At four minutes balance returned.

The world was quite black when James moved. Stars twinkled brightly in the darkness free of mankind. All light he extinguished as he maneuvered through the house. By blind touch the man navigated to a bookcase on the side of a wall. Books he pulled out until something hidden was found. With a push came a click and the shelving slid back. A door lay beyond this, equipped with combination and biometric locks. With precise movements safeguards were disengaged. The vault door opened and a secret room was revealed.

Armaments of all kinds lay neatly organized on racks. Obviously, much time had been spent acquiring such things. None of this was glanced at as James purposefully strode in. In the middle of the room lay a table. In the center was a large black duffle bag. After a quick inspection, James shouldered both straps and hoisted the weight upon his hip.

On the way out of the house, James stopped at an electric panel. At the base of this sat a key pad. A combination was pushed and an electric chime beeped. Without locking the house, James headed to the back garage. Three minutes later, James rolled down the gravel lot in a beat up looking Ford. Darkness swallowed him as he moved without lights. He drove slowly down a windy old country road.

Several hours later James rolled onto the shoulder of a two lane logger's road. He pulled out a satellite phone and dialed without thought. The phone beeped once. "Ironsail," is all James said.

The response was simply, "Secured."

At this point James dialed the number he had been dodging. The time had come to make the phone call that earlier he had postponed. The phone rang three times before someone picked up. No voice made itself heard. Ears were certainly listening. James was certain that they had been there for some time. His words were simply, "Marissa is dead."

Seconds passed before the listener responded. The voice of a man filled James' ear, "That is very troubling. What do you propose?"

"You should come over and spend a few days. There is much we need to discuss."

"Funny you should say that. I am already here."

"That's astute of you. How long have you known?"

"Possibly as long as you. It's ashame what they did to your wife."

Anger bubbled in the man. With slow breathing he isolated it from his tone, "She was a great asset. I'm sure you had your reasons."

"You need to come in now. There are issues where we differ, yet there is so much that we can accomplish."

An eruption filled the ear piece. This time it was much more than a bolt sliding into place. The explosive impact could almost be felt from so many miles away. James reflected on the time and effort Marissa and he had put into building their home. A home filled with flames and ashes, a prelude for what was in store. A dead wife and a single word had given James a significant purpose in life. Trust is not an easy thing to find and an even more complicated thing to replace. Those responsible for the Marissa's death now had a certain debt to repay.






Have a Little Hope - Follow the prompt - "The door slammed" - FanStory - Contest

The door slammed, echoing down the long hall. I looked to Sally and she looked at me. We knew that time for us was about to expire. The gun at my side just clicked in my hand. The last cartridge I had spent several minutes back. Sally just rolled her eyes as she was prone to do. She pulled at my arm as we sprinted down the corridors.

The first thing that I noticed as we were running down the long hall was the plastic sheeting sealing most every door. They told us there were renovations happening in this large brick and steel girder structure. But sealed entrances. That seemed like a not too distant past. It was the last door, the one opposite where we originally entered that was not sealed and seemed waiting for our escape.

Metal loop chains secured the two doors to our left. We looked out the portal to our right. Men stood waiting with long poles and saws. Men with badges were systematically questioning the lot.

"Getting past them without being noticed will be quite a gamble?" Sally, remained quite. She simple gave me an encouraging nudge. "If they catch us we will be separated? Are you ready for that? I doubt that we will ever see one another again."

She licked me on the side of the face, which led me to believe she was OK. Of what happens so often when she doesn't quite understand, is that she plays tough even while nervous inside.

You think that this is the right path. This time she responded, "I think you know it is." Her voice is like hot metal when it reverberates in my ears. The vibrations are warm. The sound should leave me deaf. Miracle of science is the device molded to the underside of my brain.

"Be brave girl. Don't start running until we get behind the last row of trucks. Just be cool. Just look straight ahead. If one of them calls to you, pretend that you don't understand."

"They won't believe me."

"How will they know. The obeyance chip has already been disabled."

"They will know."

"Still don't obey."

Dark rounded eyes held me for a moment. Much more goes on inside of there than most people will suspect. With a nod of her head and a flap of her ears she told me that she was ready. A stiffened posture indicated that it was time. Stepping as one, we entered the outside.

To my ears, the metal door opening was the equivalent of a gun shot. The doors might have been loud, but no one seemed to notice. We walked steady and even through the crowd up to the main entrance gate. I heard a voice just then, right up on my shoulder, "Stop! You. In the green shirt. Stop!"

My insides seemed to melt and freeze. My legs turned to glass. I waited for the Implementation Officer to get up to my side,

"Your, not heading in?"

I feigned misunderstanding, "I worked all last night."

"The night shift more than an hour ago."

"I was installing cooling units on the second floor. The boss told me to finish up #3 or else not to report back."

"Supervisors have no ability to permit overtime."

"Sir, with due respect. I comprehend what you are saying. You might carry a gun, but you have never met my wife."

It took a few moments for the joke to set in. When it finally settled, the officer laughed. As laughs go, this was far from a guffah. It sounded more like muffled sneeze, but for a moment, I swear the man smiled.

"Get on your way. Get out of here quick." Then from the distance, the man called, "Who is your supervisor anyway?"

I mouthed something in response backed up by no voice. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Sally sneaking along the fence.

The officer did not pursue. He waved his arm one then turned the other way.

A couple of kilometers out, the factory was no longer in sight. I took a sharp turn and headed deep into the woods. A few moments later Sally galloped in.

We spent a few moments congratulating each on the job well done. Then questions began to surface that I had been holding at bay, "What happened to the guard that was originally pursuing us? Why didn't they sound the alarm?"

I swear Sally smiled. There have been debates about whether her kind can. Her voice convinced me then that she is much smarter than some think, "Hydrogen peroxide lines blew up as we exited." This sounds like an explanation unless you consider who the opponent is.

"That would set off an alarm. If you blew the lines then the alarms would have sounded. The corridors would have filled with gas. We would have been dead within our tracks."

"Not if you open it at the source and leave the line intact." On the floor Sally dropped a blue plug. As big as my thumb and threaded for a municipal line.

"That's all you have to do?"

"Yes. That's it," followed by a conceited wag of her tail.

"Now we have to make arrangements. It's a long trip to get back. We need to make good time if we are going to be of use. The others need to know all that we have learned."

Sally winked at me just then, something I have never seen her do. She commanded me to be calm and follow her lead, "Stay close to me. We have to move fast. There are people who will meet us and help us along the way."