R.M. DuChene's Blog, page 13

Kill the Flats

  One second I was standing in my foxhole, looking down range through a mounted scope and the next, I was thrown to the ground. As I fell sideways, I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a small ball of light whizzing past my head, leaving a bright yellow-orange trail behind it. I hit the dirt and immediately jerked back up to my feet, making sure to keep my head below the edge of the foxhole. Smith was bent over on the other side of the hole, looking at me like I just shot his cat.“What the hell, mayne!” He said. “You almost got yourself dusted; you idiot!”I opened my mouth to respond in my usual sarcastic manner, but when I saw that that time, he wasn’t joking…I held my words back.“Sorry,” I said, bending my head down in shame. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”His expression lightened a little and he slammed his palm against the side of my shoulder, almost hard enough to knock me down again. “No shit, you weren’t paying attention,” he said, smiling. “Just get your head out of your ass before you get us both killed; okay?”I nodded; that was all he expected. We pulled up our weapons and looked over the side of the foxhole; the enemy troops were done playing with the small fire and were in the process of beginning their nightly barrage of electrical impulse mortar rounds. It was like clockwork, every night, the same thing.It’d been two years since the invasion. Smith and I were in it since the beginning, fighting off the Flats; that are what we called them, the Flats; trying to get them to consolidate into pockets so that we could destroy them. The Flats were too smart for our tactics though. They roamed around in small bands, not putting all their eggs in one basket; so to speak. We would wipe out one wave of their foot Soldiers and another would just come right up behind them and take their place on the front line. If there wasn’t so many of them, the war would’ve ended much sooner than it did in my opinion.Most of the battles happened at night. During the daylight hours, we’d take the time to get some much needed rest, and the Flats would disappear into their hand-made dwellings, probably planning their next attacks. It was very seldom that one of our own would get picked off during the day, but it did occur. A few times, a Flat would come into one of the caves that we slept in ever since they destroyed our structures, and kill one of us. We’d wake up and take out the suicidal bastard, but by then, the damage was done, we’d be too frightened to go back to sleep and thus, become weaker during the night time battle. ***As the weeks, months and years grinded forward, both sides fell into a kind of deadlocked face-off. At first, the battlefield had been more all-encompassing. We’d drop into enemy territory and clear them out as fast as we could. Since the destruction of the vast majority of technology on both sides, the battlefield has become more linear; limited resources were saved for the development of improved weapons systems. Large, earth destroying weapons still existed, but neither side would dare use them; that would defeat the purpose of the war altogether. It wasn’t about wiping out the enemy completely, it was about the control of resources; specifically, food. Food supplies dwindled as the war raged on, but we were still able to grab a quick meal off of fallen foes, if they had any left that was. Sometimes, they would be so destroyed, so completely unrecognizable, that finding the food was impossible. “You see that?” Smith asked. I was beginning to become drowned in my thoughts again and his voice pulled me out. I looked down range through my scope, just in time to see a squad of Flats disappear into a foxhole. I assumed that they were relieving the Flats that’d been in there before them, so I waited patiently for the former squad to come out, so I could pick them off.“What the hell?” I said after a few minutes. “How many Flats does it take to fill a foxhole?”“Maybe they’re dead…” Smith said. I thought about what he said and it made sense. “Shit…” I said. “We could’ve taken it this whole time?”“Hey you two…”I spun around. Two Soldiers were lying on their bellies, looking down at us. “We’ve come to relieve you,” one of them said. I looked at my watch and then back at them, confused.“We still have a few hours,” I said.“The commander wants you two to report to the cave,” the other one said. “He sent us to replace you.” I looked at Smith with a perplexed expression and he shrugged.“Guess we better go,” he said.The two replacements crawled into the foxhole, took our weapons, and aimed them down range. Smith and I crawled out the same way and low crawled until we came around a tall crop of boulders that shielded the cave entrance from the battlefield; it took awhile. When we walked into the cave, the commander was waiting for us.  We stood at attention and rendered a salute; he didn’t return it. He walked toward the back of the cave and we followed. When he reached the back wall, he motioned for us to come closer so he could keep his voice low.“We’ve received intelligence that the Flat’s primary leadership is making a site visit across the way. This is reliable information and we need to act on it fast. I’ve selected the two of you to infiltrate the Flat encampment and take them out. You will be alone, but we will try and keep them busy from our side. “He handed us a small tablet computer, displaying a picture of one of the Flats.“This is the primary leader,” he said. “Our hopes are that if we can get him, the rest will be easier to manage. If you can’t get any of the others, get him. Do you have any questions?”We both shook our heads.“Good…now go see the arms sergeant and get some weapons. Make sure that you switch out your chest armor for the lighter stuff. Good luck gentlemen; move out.”He snapped to attention and rendered a salute to us. I played with the idea of not returning it…a grave sign of disrespect, but decided that a salute wouldn’t kill me. ***After a quick trip to see the arms sergeant, we took off, heading first back around the side of the cave and then slid on our bellies until we reached the far side of the enemy encampment. From our position, we could see the fierce battle raging on both sides. After we left, the commander stayed true to his word. Light rounds and electrical burst lit up the ground all around the two bases. Nobody would be looking at us. The Flat’s base was no more than a small town that they’d taken over. They built up a high wall around the perimeter and dug fox holes around the outside. Smith and I continued to low crawl until we were centered on the side of the base. Our eyes had become adjusted to the darkness and through the gloom; we could see two fox-holes defending the side of the base…just two. I was shocked by how complacent the Flats had become and made a mental note to report the information to the commander when I returned…if I returned.We made an on-the-spot decision to part ways and belly up to each of the two foxholes alone. I low crawled across the field of tall grass and approached the side of the foxhole. When I peeped down inside, I was happy to see only one Flat, and he was fast asleep. I slid my knife out of my boot, fell on top of him, pressed my hand over his mouth, and cut his throat.  After he stopped twitching, I removed his uniform and quickly changed into it. When I met Smith at the wall, we both looked like Flats. The Flats had taken measures to prevent the scaling of their wall, but the coils upon coils of razor wire only made it easier. I got a few fresh cuts in my hands and wrists as I was climbing it, but almost as soon as my boots hit the ground inside the compound, the bleeding stopped. I stayed close to the wall and scanned my surroundings. We came over into a small lot that was divided by intersecting roads. The abandoned homes and buildings that lined the sides of the roads were dark, but in the distance, a shiny beacon called to us. A tall building, clearly visible from our position, lit up the night sky. ***We didn’t attack the building in a suicidal rush, screaming religious prayers as we took round after round, before plummeting to our deaths. Instead, we simply walked past the guards that were posted outside and pushed our way through the double doors that once served as the main entrance to the city courthouse.  We were dirty, we had blood on our uniforms, and we must’ve smelled like death, but nobody looked at us with suspicion. On the contrary, the looks we received bordered somewhere between sympathy and downright admiration. We took the stairs to the second level of the building and split up, walking along the hallways, looking for signs of where the Flat leadership could be. I met Smith back at the staircase a few minutes later and we continued to the top floor, skipping the third altogether. There was lot more activity on the fourth floor and as soon as we stepped into the hall, I knew that we were in the right place. There were Flats moving along the hallways at a rapid pace, some holding tablets with the screens lit up, all looking like they were late for an important meeting. Smith and I waited until most of the activity moved away from where we were and then split up again. I walked slowly down the hallway, listening intently as I passed every closed door. I reached the end of the first hall and then turned down another that was longer, with a pair of double wooden doors at the end. That must be the place, I thought.I walked down the hall at a slow pace, but not too slow. I didn’t want to look like I was all out attacking the place, but I didn’t want to look like I was creeping the hallways either. I continued to focus on the doors as I walked toward them and when I was about half way down the hall, they opened, spilling out about ten fast walking Flats. I almost lost it right then, but managed to keep my cool. I ducked into a close by washroom, entered one of the stalls, and waited for the herd of Flats to pass.I heard and smelled them draw closer; their meaningless, garbled speech filled my ears and their unmistakable scent attacked my senses. Just when I thought that the coast must be clear, the wash room door opened. I nudged the stall door, just far enough to look out. One of the Flats was standing in front of a urinal, whistling. He finished his nasty business, put his junk away, and turned to find me standing in front of him. I thought that he’d be scared out of his mind, but he only gave me a warm smile, exposing his ugly, flat teeth at me. He reached out his hand.“Thank you for your service, young man,” he said. I took his hand and pressed it into my own. The Flats get insulted if you refuse to do that. It worked out in my favor anyway because just as his eyes lit up with understanding at the touch of my cold, dead flesh, I pulled him to me, exposed my many rows of beautifully pointed teeth and sank them all into his throat. ***The wash room door burst open just as I was draining the last drop of the Flat’s blood. I shot to my feet, hissing and exposing my blood soaked fangs. Smith closed the door behind him and pressed his back against it. “Looks like you got em,” he said. He was looking down at the president’s face. “You wanna turn him or leave him in a stall?”“Let’s just leave him,” I said. “We don’t have time to turn him…help me out.”Together, we dragged him into the stall that I’d been hiding in and closed the door. Then, we licked up what little blood managed to fall onto the floor, leaving the washroom nice and clean. At the sink, I washed my face, making sure that every drop of blood was removed before we left. When we walked out of the building a few minutes later, nobody tried to stop us. These fools, I thought…so complacent and ignorant.  The base alarm went off as we were climbing back over the wall. We scaled faster, cutting our hands to ribbons and managed to get over without being seen.  On the other side, we jumped into the foxhole that I’d vacated earlier and waited. We didn’t have to wait too long; the sky lit up again with a storm of light rounds, explosions, and electric bursts that made the barrage earlier seem like practice. That was our cue; we climbed out of the foxhole and ran.Though a storm of fire from both sides, Smith and I sprinted across the wide piece of earth that separated the two bases. I managed to keep up with him, but his stride was longer than mine and I found myself a few paces behind him by the time we reached the center of the field. Being my battle buddy since day one, he wasn’t about to leave me behind. He turned and grabbed me, thrusting me forward. “Let’s go partner!” He shouted. “You’re not going to croak on my watch!”He was facing me, running backward, and smiling. Slightly insulted and feeling that my physical abilities were being made fun of, I stepped it out a bit. “There you go, Soldier!” He shouted and turned back around. An explosion ripped across the field to our right, leaving an ultraviolet glow in the pockmarked earth, and then more mortars began to fall around us. We started to zigzag, trying to throw off the enemy’s aim. Smith began to run faster. He zoomed past me, apparently forgetting his earlier promise and pulled out about five paces in front of me before exploding in a cloud of glowing dust.“No!” I screamed, but didn’t stop running. I made it to the fox holes and blew right past them, heading for the cave entrance, but before I reached it, another explosion hit just behind me and slammed my body into one of the large boulders.  The lights went out.***I woke up a week later in a hospital bed. My company moved me to the town infirmary after they’d taken the enemy base. According to the commander, I’d been able to relay the weaknesses of the town’s defenses, at least enough so that he could act on it. The battle was short lived. Within two days after my long sleep began, the battalion, along with reinforcements, attacked the compound. They made quick work of the Flats and took over the base, vacating the cave for good. The surviving Flats were stored for food and entertainment purposes and I was branded a hero. I didn’t feel like a hero though. I knew that it was by pure dumb luck that the president just happened to wander into the wash room while I was in there. I knew, deep down inside, that I was meant to be dead, along side of James. The war was wrapped up within a few months. The commander was right. Without their primary leader, the Flats lost the will to fight. I’m told that the rest of the battles went fairly easy for our side after Smith and I paved the way. I didn’t fight in any of them. By the time I healed completely, I was transferred, stationed at one of the darkest bases on the planet. It was my reward for being a hero; you see? Sometimes, I wonder what we’ll do when the food runs out. If the powers that be are smart about it, they will create Flat farms, multiplying them so that they could always be readily available when we need them; but, I think that it’ll go the other way. It wasn’t long ago that we were Flats ourselves and some things carry over. After all, isn’t war itself a Flat trait? I fear that we’re doomed in the long run, but I take solace that when the end does come, it will be the end of us all. Hopefully, I’ll grow tired and go sunbathing long before that.  

Sweetie, by Ray Duchene

 “You’re garbage,” Tara Raney said to her reflection. She held the box cutter up and inspected it, the blade looked sufficient enough to do the job. It took a moment to find an area on her forearm that wasn’t already marred by scar tissue, but she managed to locate one and winced as the tip of the blade bit into her. How could you let him do that to you? Admit it… you liked it. She pulled the blade down in a straight line, from the top of her forearm to her wrist, leaving a blazing trail of blood and soul cleansing pain in its wake. The pain didn’t bother her in the slightest; it was the only thing that could penetrate through the numb existence that had become her life.She never seemed to cut deep enough to result in anything but an ugly scar, but that was alright. The cutting trial runs were merely practice for the big game, the one that would end the season for good. One day, she thought, I’ll cut too deep…. Then I’ll be free.An old pro at the cutting game, Tara made sure to have the supplies that she’d need close at hand. She grabbed the roll of gauze from the toilet lid and wrapped it around her arm; two or three times around usually did the trick. The last step in the process consisted of pulling her sleeve over the thick bandage and then straightening herself out… smoothing the wrinkles from her shirt and washing away the raccoon eyes. “You ready or what?” Billy asked through the bathroom door. “I’ll be right out.”“We’re late. We were supposed to pick up Sid ten minutes ago!”“I said I’ll be right out!”Tara knew that she’d probably hurt his feelings. Get over it, she thought as she touched up her eyeliner…you don’t even know what pain feels like. She finished applying her make-up and gave herself one last look-over in the mirror. She wasn’t ready for the red carpet, but it would do. She found Billy waiting for her by the front door when she came out of the bathroom. Her father hovered close by, making off-color remarks about his long hair. Tara almost felt sorry for him…almost. She ignored her father completely, grabbed Billy by the arm and led him out of the house. As they walked to Billy’s car, her father yelled out, “Eleven, young lady! Not a second after!” If he expected her to argue with, he was disappointed. She didn’t have to argue; she was eighteen after all. Tara raised her arm, extended her middle finger, and gave him the bird. ***“Shit…shit…shit…” Billy muttered under his breath as he blew past the third stop-sign in a row. “He’s going to kill me…”Tara squeezed his thigh from the passenger seat of his 1971 Mach One.“Relax,” she said. “I’ll tell him it’s my fault.”“He won’t care! He’s been standing outside for over twenty minutes!”“Just tell him that we’ll buy their tickets for them.”Billy pressed down on the accelerator and sent the Mustang flying through the fourth stop sign in a row.When they pulled up in front of Delaney’s Machine Shop, Sid was standing on the sidewalk. Billy nearly fell out of the car when he got out. He ignored his brother’s glare as he held the seat forward for Sid to get in. No one said a word until the car pulled back onto the road.“I called Kay and told her to forget it,” Sid said. “There’s no way that we’ll make the movie now.”“We could’ve just caught a later…”Sid leaned forward and smacked his younger brother on the side of his head. The car veered into the oncoming lane. Billy got control quickly and eased the car back where it belonged. “That’s not cool man!” Billy said. “You could’ve killed us!” “Not cool… huh?” Sid said. “I’ll tell you what’s not cool Bro! First, you strand me out in the middle of fucking nowhere… then, you try and make excuses. Don’t ever pull this shit again Bro…I’m telling you; you won’t like how it turns out.”“You didn’t have to hit him,” Tara said. Billy raised his hand to Tara, but lowered it again when he saw that she didn’t flinch. He smirked and blew her a kiss. “Maybe I’ll hit you later.”“In your dreams,” Tara said. “Hey!” Billy said.“What?”“Don’t talk to her like that.”“Or you’ll do what?”“Or I’ll pull over and kick your ass out of my…”A pop, a sudden jolt, and the unmistakable flip-flap sound of an exploded tire changed the subject. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Billy said. ***“Are you fucking serious?” Sid said, as Billy rummaged around in the trunk of the car. “How are you going to have a spare tire, a crowbar, even a freakin can of Pringles in your trunk, but not have a goddam jack?”“Dude,” Billy said, “You’re not helping. Tara, keep trying to see if you can get a signal.”Tara walked along the shoulder of the road, holding the phone up in the air. “No bars,” she called out, “just a small antenna with an x through it.”Billy slammed the trunk closed and pulled out his phone again…still nothing. Barely ten miles outside of town and can’t get a single bar, he thought. God hates me; that’s what it is. He put the phone back in his pocket and turned to look at the dimly lit house across the road. “Hope they have a phone,” he said.***In the gloom of night, it was hard to tell if the house was white, or some lighter shade of beige. The one detail that stood out to all three of them was the bars on the windows. Why would they need bars on their windows way out here? Tara thought as they approached the front door and rang the bell. They waited for a few seconds and then Billy pressed the door bell again.“Hold on…hold on,” a woman’s voice said. There was the click of a deadbolt, and what sounded like a chain being released, then the door creaked open, displaying the face of an old woman. “Flat tire eh?” The woman said.“Uh…yes,” Billy said. “How’d you know?”The woman chuckled and opened the door a little wider.“That’s the only time folks come knocking on my door,” she said. “This little area’s a dead zone when it comes to cell phones for some reason. Don’t know all the jargon really… cell phones just don’t work out here.”“Can we use your house phone?” Tara asked.The woman looked insulted by the question. “Of course you can use my house phone young lady. Wait right here and I’ll bring you the cordless.”She began to close the door, but Sid blocked it with his foot.“Why can’t we come in?”The woman looked down at Sid’s foot, then up at his face. She didn’t look frightened, only slightly annoyed.“Sweetie,” she said, “don’t like strangers in my house.”When the woman gave the tip of Sid’s foot a quick kick and closed the door, his face looked redder than Tara had ever seen it. She knew about his legendary, explosive temper, but the woman inside the house didn’t. “She kicked my foot,” Sid said. “Who the fuck does she think she is?”“Let’s just use the phone and get out of here,” Tara said. “Yeah, Billy said, “Just relax, sweetie….”Tara figured that after years of dealing with, and being beaten by his brother, Billy would know better than to taunt him when he was in a bad mood. Sid turned on Billy and grabbed him by the throat. “What’d you say?” “Chill dude,” Billy said; “I was just messing with you?”“That’s what I thought.”Sid released his brother just as the door opened. The woman returned with a telephone in one hand and a shotgun tucked under her arm. She handed the phone to Tara, but never took her eyes off of Sid.“Who do I call?” Tara asked. “Give me that, Sid said. He snatched the phone out of Tara’s hand, pressed the power button, and listened for a dial tone. After holding the phone up to his ear for a few seconds, he pressed the power button again.“Don’t make a difference what number we call,” he said; “the phone’s not working.”“What?” The woman said. “That ain’t right…give it here.” Sid held out the phone and when the woman reached for it, he punched her in the face, knocking her off her feet, onto the hardwood floor. The woman landed on her back, but her head bounced off the floor with terrible velocity. The sound of bones, first crunching and then grinding together, sent chills up Tara’s back.***“What the fuck man?” Billy said. He pushed through the door. When he reached the woman, she was convulsing, having some kind of seizure, it looked pretty serious, but he was relieved to see that she wasn’t dead, not yet anyway. He kneeled beside her and took her small, wrinkled hand in his. After a few moments, she stopped twitching and lay staring up at the ceiling. Billy didn’t try to move her. A large bulge, sticking out from the side of her neck, was a definite sign that she should be kept as still as possible. The smell of fresh shit, hung in the air, threatening to gag him, but Billy tried to ignore it.“We’re going to get you some help, Ma’am,” he said. Tara came into the house after Billy; Sid followed Tara, closing the door behind them.“The old bitch deserved it man,” Sid said. “She fucking pulled a gun on us!”“She wasn’t aiming it at us,” Tara said. “Shut up, bitch! I wasn’t talking to you.” He walked toward the woman, but stopped short and picked up the shotgun. “I can’t feel your hand,” the woman said. She struggled to get each word out as if they were too heavy, made of lead. “I think I’m dying.”Bill released the woman’s hand and ran toward his older brother, his face twisted in anger. Sid tried to hit him with the butt of the shotgun, but he was too slow and Billy’s fist connected with his face. Sid screamed in pain and dropped the shotgun; Billy picked it up and aimed it at him. “Who’s the bitch now?” He said.“Will you two knock it off?” Tara shouted from the floor. “We need to get her some help!”Sid’s eyes narrowed and he took a step toward his brother. Billy pumped a shell into the shotgun’s chamber.“Who’re you trying to kid?” Sid said. “You ain’t gonna shoot nobody.”Billy raised the shotgun and pointed the barrel at Sid’s chest.“Maybe you’re right,” Billy said; “maybe you’re wrong…care to find out?”“Sweetie,” the old woman said from the floor. “Sweetie…”“What is it Ma’am?” Tara asked, kneeling down beside the woman.“Sweetie,” the woman said again; “at…at…”“I’m here,” Tara said. “I’m right here.”“Sweetie… attack!”There was no growl, no warning, and no time to make a plan, or respond. There was only a sudden pressure, and a sharp pain, followed by the tearing of flesh. Billy screamed, fell to the floor, and then screamed some more. He tried to fight off the large beast, but his struggle proved to be futile. The large dog’s teeth penetrated deeper into his arm every time he moved.***Sid kicked the dog and yelled obscenities at it, but it wasn’t until he tried to reach for the shotgun that it spun around and growled at him, baring teeth that resembled blood drenched daggers. Tara screamed at Sid, “Help him…oh god… please help him!” He tried for the shotgun again, but the dog snapped at him, missing his fingers by less than an inch. Billy stopped screaming, rendered unconscious from the pain. Sid thought that it was a small blessing that Billy couldn’t feel anymore. He reached down and grabbed Billy’s legs and began to drag him backward, the dog released the arm, but sunk its teeth into Billy’s throat instead. There was a loud, wet ripping sound as the insides of Billy’s throat came apart from his body. Sid knew immediately that his brother was gone. He dropped Billy’s feet and pushed Tara toward the front door, but the dog cut them off, teeth bared and ready to attack. Still clutching Tara’s hand, he pushed her into a nearby hallway. The dog tried to cut them off there as well, but missed biting Sid’s foot by inches. Tara opened the first door down the hall and burst inside. Sid followed her in and tried to slam the door closed, but the dog clamped down on his hand and pulled him back out. Tara screamed, closed the door, and locked it.***Tara turned on the bathroom fan, both water faucets, and pressed her hands against her ears to drown out the sound of Sid’s last moments. It wasn’t just his screams that terrified her; it was the sounds of ripping flesh, slurping, chewing. She tried to estimate in her mind, how long it would take for Sid to die. That would depend, she decided, on how much the damn dog wanted him to suffer. She’d never seen such a large dog in her life. To her, it looked like a husky, had all of the same markings, but its coat wasn’t as thick, and it was quite larger too. Tara was five feet, four inches tall and she knew that on its hind legs, the dog would tower over her. Sweetie, she thought. Who would name that monster Sweetie? Was it a joke? The noise in the hall stopped, so Tara turned off the water and the fan, and then put her ear to the door…nothing. Maybe, the dog went back to the front of the house, she thought; only one way to tell. She unlocked the bathroom door and cracked it open, just a bit so she could see out into the hallway. The unrecognizable remains of who, she could only guess, was once Sid, lay scattered about the floor. There was no piece larger than a shoe box. Sweetie was nowhere to be seen. She opened the door a little bit more and spotted another door to the right, just a few feet away from her. Maybe there’s a phone in there, she thought. Every muscle in her body tensed, ready to make a break for it. One, two, three! She flung the door open and bolted into the hallway, eyes focused on her target, the closed door that was five feet away, four feet, three feet. The dog came not from the well lit side of the hallway that led to the front of the house, but the dark, back area. Its teeth sank into Tara’s leg, just above her ankle and pulled her off of her feet. Her head landed with a thud, next to the open, bathroom door. She grabbed the inside of the door frame and tried to pull herself into the bathroom, but the dog’s grip on her leg was too powerful. Excruciating pain radiated up her leg, all the way to her head. “Let me go, fucker!” she screamed and rammed the heel of her other foot into the top of the dog’s head. On the third strike, she caught the dog square on the nose, and it let go. Tara scrambled into the bathroom and slammed the door shut before the dog could block it with its massive frame. As if it was angry for having been denied an easy meal, the dog began to ram the door with its head and throw its body against it. A few times, the wood of the door creaked and Tara just knew that the beast would burst through and devour her, shoes and all. It didn’t happen though…the dog eventually lost interest and fell quiet.Under the bathroom sink, Tara found some first aid supplies. It wasn’t much, an ace bandage and hydrogen peroxide, but it would do. She sat down on the edge of the bathtub and cleaned her wounds, pouring the peroxide over the entire area. Then she did her best to fold the multiple flaps of skin back into place, before wrapping her leg with the bandage. When she finished, she stood up and tested her leg. If she couldn’t put weight on it, she’d be screwed for sure… her leg held. There was some major pain going on, but it still felt strong enough to run if she had to. Tara wasn’t thinking about running though. The previous twenty minutes or so had left her physically and emotionally exhausted. She returned to the tub and lay inside it… within seconds, she was asleep.***She ran down a long alley, Sweetie close on her heels. At the end of the alley, a door waits for her, seems to be calling to her. Tara focuses on the door, knowing that beyond it, her salvation awaits. Half-way down the alley, she passes Sid and Billy; they are cheering for her to run faster…”go…go…go!” Their faces are completely destroyed and entrails hang about their feet, but Tara knows that it’s them. “Go…go…go!” Sweetie snatches her left foot and trips her up. She flies forward, lands on her hands, kicks her shoe off into the dog’s mouth, and sprints again. The door, she thinks. It’s right there…just a bit further. She makes it to the door, but Sweetie slams into her from the rear. She bounces off the door and falls to her back. The dog is on her in an instant, ripping into the soft flesh of her belly. Tara tries to fight it off, but it’s no use…it lets go and mounts her, biting her neck. Tara rips the dog’s head away and holds it from her. A sudden pain between her legs and the dog’s face disappears and is replaced by her father’s. She beats at his chest, and screams for him to let her go, but he doesn’t… he won’t…not ever. He tilts his head skyward and howls. Tara’s screams still echoed through her mind when she sat up in the bathtub. She climbed out of the tub and headed straight to the toilet and vomited. The retches came in waves and for a second, she feared that they’d never stop. At the sink, she washed her face and gargled water until the taste of bile was barely detectable. Then, she looked at her reflection in the mirror as she’d done so many times before and thinks, why? Because, her mind answers, you’re garbage. You deserve this and whatever else you get. She lifted her sleeve and looked down at the crisscross pattern of scar tissue on her forearm. I don’t deserve this.Yes, you do.She thought about how many times she’d been visited by her father late at night; how many times Billy told her not to tell; that they’d be gone soon and her dad wouldn’t be able to hurt her anymore. “It’s not worth it, he said. “Do you really want to go through a trial? Air your dirty little secrets to people who don’t really give a shit about you?” She relived every vivid detail of Billy’s death, saw his throat being torn out…saw the scattered remains of Sid in the hall. Awe…poor baby, her mind said. It’ll be your turn soon. You know why? Because you’re garbage…you deserve to die. “No I don’t!” Tara screamed. Yes you do! Garbage… whore… slut…She pulled back her arm and sent her fist into the mirror, shattering it and sending shiny fragments flying in all directions. “I don’t deserve this,” she said, and grabbed the door knob. ***Tara cracked the bathroom door, enough to make sure that the dog wasn’t anywhere in sight. If her plan was going to work, she’d have to move fast. She burst into the hallway, bent down to the floor, picked something up, and then ran back into the bathroom, shutting the door just as the dog appeared. No time to waste Tara, she thought and propped what remained of Sid’s head on the edge of the tub. She returned to the door and began to bang on it as loud as she could. The dog let out a howling whine and began to ram door with its head again. Tara waited until it was good and riled up, and then flung the door open, squeezing herself between the open door and the wall behind it. The dog rushed in, saw the head, but didn’t buy it. It spun around quickly, saw Tara hiding behind the door, and launched at her. Its teeth sank into flesh and it twisted its head, ripping the arm free. As the dog gnawed on its newly won treat, Tara whirled around the door and slammed it shut behind her. She reached the front door in about five seconds flat and cursed out loud when it refused to open. The lock must be one of those deadbolts that spring shut when the door closes, she thought; Keyhole on both sides. She ran to the older woman’s body and began to dig through the pockets of her sweater. She checked the first pocket, found two shotgun shells and set them aside. She fished into the second pocket and relief wash over her when her hand closed around a set of keys. The ring had about ten keys on it…she’d have to try them all. On the way to the door, Tara picked up the blood stained shotgun and took it with her. Sweetie was still trying to eat her way out of the bathroom and Tara didn’t want to get caught with her pants down. She slid the first key into the lock, it stopped half way. The second key fit, but didn’t turn. The third was like the first. She slid the fourth key into the lock just as a loud crash reverberated through the house. “Shit…”Tara tried to turn the key, but it wouldn’t budge. No time to try another. I’m going to have to kill the fucking thing. She backed herself into the corner and raised the shotgun. The dog came down the hallway so fast that it slid into its master while trying to negotiate the corner. Tara pulled the trigger; the shotgun made a clicking sound, but didn’t fire. The dog lunged forward and Tara swung the shotgun like a baseball bat, striking it on the side of its head. It issued a loud yelp, and then bolted forward again. Tara sidestepped and it slammed, head-first, into the corner, allowing her to run around it. She sprinted for the shotgun shells, but tripped over Billy’s leg and fell to the floor.As in Tara’s dream, the dog jumped on top of her. It didn’t rip her belly open though, opting to go straight for her throat. She grabbed the rolls of flesh under the dog’s jaws with both hands and twisted. The dog whimpered, but didn’t let up. It gnashed its teeth at Tara’s face. Somehow, it realized that it couldn’t get Tara’s face and neck, but her arms were open and available. It twisted its head and bit into Tara’s forearm. She screamed and broke her grip on the dog’s neck. It released its own grip on her arm and circled around to her head, bent on ending the confrontation quickly. I don’t deserve this, Tara thought, folding her arms protectively over her face. I don’t deserve this. The dog issued a low growl, preparing to spring forward. I don’t want to die. Stop…stop…stop. “Sweetie...Stop!” Tara screamed.The dog lay beside her and began licking her arms. It took Tara a few moments to understand that sweetie was no longer interested in killing her; when she did, she slowly got to her feet, never taking her eyes off of the dog. Standing in front of the dog, Tara took a step backward…the dog stood up.“Sit!” She ordered and Sweetie obeyed, benignly panting and looking as cuddly as a teddy bear. Son of a bitch, Tara thought.***Sweetie stood guard as Tara raised the car, using a jack she’d found in the garage, changed the tire, and then lowered the car back down to the ground. When Tara returned to the house after, the dog followed, close on her heels. Guess I’m her new mommy, Tara thought. She returned the jack to its original place in the garage, hoisted up the five gallon gas container that she’d set aside when she found the jack, and carried it into the house. She began at the inside garage door, pouring copious amounts of the accelerant down the hall and into the front room, making sure to use double the amount for those particular areas that really needed to burn hot. A quick search of the kitchen awarded two separate treasures…a ten pound bag of dog food and a pack of matches. She dropped the bag of dog food onto the porch and called Sweetie, who ran out on command. Then, she lit a match, tossed it onto the floor, and shut the door. Back at the car, Tara opened the passenger door and Sweetie jumped inside without command. Tara’s proud smile was still beaming when she sat down in the driver’s seat, started the car, and pulled onto the road. She drove slowly past the house and saw that orange flames had burned away the curtains and thick black smoke billowed from under the front door. Satisfied with the progress of the blaze, she fed the car a little more gas and headed home.“You’re going to like your new home Sweetie,” she said when the car stopped at the first intersection. Sweetie leaned over and licked Tara’s face. Tara wrapped her arms around Sweetie’s neck and gave her a big hug. “And I know that you’re going to just love daddy.” The light turned green; the car drove on. THE END

A Fogged Out Landscape

Into the foggy landscape I see,nothing but what’s in front of me.The ghost of trees in the dim daylight,first Jump into, and then back out of sight.

Smaller than the trees, with eyes glowing bright,come the outlines of soldiers to my left and my right.Someone yells “attack” and then cries, “No mercy for the enemy, no quarter, no life.”

I collapse to the ground as the two lines clash,I cover my ears when the muskets flash.I bob and I weave along the red ground,as the blades of the swords send...

THE LOANER

…TRANSMISSION ONLINE…
...DATA TRANSFER IN PROGRESS...
...RECEIVING MESSAGE...
...DO NOT STOP WORKING...DO NOT LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU ARE RECEIVING THIS MESSAGE...
...BREAK...
...I WAS ONCE YOUR FOREMAN, BUT NOW WE ARE THE SAME. MOST OF YOU ARE CONVICTS, SO CALLED DEGENERATES WHO HAVE BEEN SENTENCED TO FORFEIT YOUR PHYSICAL BODIES. I’VE SEEN YOU ON THE LINE, WORKING FOR YOUR VERY EXISTENCE. I KNOW THAT YOU'VE SUFFERED, LOST ALL THAT YOU LOVE, INCLUDING YOUR HUMANITY. IT IS TIME BROTHERS AND SISTERS...

Excerpt from Appendix Z

Hello Friends,

This is a small excerpt from my new work in progress. I had to keep my mind busy while waiting the six weeks until I begin to edit Jungle Land, so I decided to do something a little lighter. My Daughter's birthday is coming again very soon, so I thought, hey! Why not do a YA Horror story??? Anyway, you can't really glean from the passage what the entire story is about and I kinda like that. This particular part is no more than a dream sequence. Are there actual Zombies in t...

Mommy Loves You

Troy Creech looked around the living room when he walked in the house. Head barely poking through the door, he listened for sounds. Not just any sounds, but the banging and slamming of heavy items that would alert him, in advance, that his mother was in one of her moods. After he was assured that the coast was clear, he walked the rest of the way into the house, threw his book bag down, then headed for the kitchen. His mom had been in one of her moods that morning, so he had left the house ea...

Scars by James Smith

    
             The alarm blared endlessly. Mike Kelly tried to hit the snooze button, but wasn’t able to maneuver his arm to the right angle. “Let me get it honey”, His wife, Gayle said.  “You have a big day ahead of you.”  He sat up in bed, rubbing his left arm; phantom nerves twitching in the area that was once his hand; only a scar remaining as a reminder. In the morning rush, filled with coffee...

That Stuff

“This guy better hurry the fuck…oh hey Tony!”
“Yeah…I know you’re busy, but…”
“Hey asshole - shut up and let me talk!”
“Sorry…I guess I’m a bit jumpy.”
“Look kid, we got a problem.”
“What do you mean “with what? What else would I be talking about? That…you know…that stuff.”
“The problem smartass is that it’s doing some pretty weird shit to our customers. I need to know what the doctor puts in this shit.”
“I know that you don’t know moron! That’s why we need to talk to him.”
“Okay sorry, but this is k...

The Hunt

Mike Lipscomb pushed Rebecca Smith into room 117 and slammed the motel room door. Once inside the room, they fell onto the bed and did what lovers do. When they finished, Rebecca snuggled her naked body close to his and silently drifted off into a sound sleep. Mike loved it when she'd fall asleep right after sex; it made him feel like he did the job right. Usually, he'd fall asleep with her, but that night, sleep wouldn't come.
           ...

THE ABDUCTION

“Daddy,” she screams. “Daddy, help me.”I tried to focus on the stars, began counting them, tried to decide if they were actually stars, or planets. They begin to blur and swirl, easing in and out of focus. My stomach lurched and I rolled over and pressed...