Stephen Drivick's Blog - Posts Tagged "facebook"
Facebook Book Fair
Remember those book fairs you attended as a kid? Here's a cool one on Facebook.
http://tinyurl.com/of9y2zf
Of course, Sometimes We Ran is there and representing the zombie nation. Go see.
http://tinyurl.com/of9y2zf
Of course, Sometimes We Ran is there and representing the zombie nation. Go see.
Flash Fiction - Floating City Style
"There it is," he whispered, "the safest city on earth." I took a step toward it and said, "Do you wanna knock or should I?"
"I'll take care of it," said the young lady with the rocket launcher on her back. "Just stand back, and get the ammo ready." She unpacked the parts in the case, and began assembling the weapon. She was fast. In just a few minutes, the launcher took shape in her hands. It was a huge and majestic device, almost as big as the girl trying to put it together.
"Are you sure about this, Alyssa? I could make the launch," said the young man. They had traveled far from their home for this mission, and his legs ached.
Alyssa gently blew some stray hairs out of her eyes as she completed the self-test on the launcher. She hoisted it onto her shoulder when the green check light appeared. "Yes, Peter. I got it. Just watch out for bad guys, and prepare to load this damn thing." To Peter, the strong, stocky blonde sounded a little pissed off.
Alyssa took the weapon into some cover by a few sharp rocks. Peter followed behind, with the rocket for the device in his hands. It was a small, spear-like object filled with high-tech explosives and expensive electronics. Just the trick to bring down the floating city.Peter thought of all the people above his head, unaware they were about to fall and die. To them, Alyssa and Peter would be considered terrorists but Peter thought different. He was taught by the elders that he was a freedom fighter, striking a blow for all the people left behind by the floating city people to scratch out a living on the poisoned earth while they lived in luxury in the clouds. Today, they would know pain as they crashed to the ground. Peter jammed the missile into the end, and pressed the small button on the back of the launching tube. He tapped Alyssa on her blonde head, and yelled, "Armed, and ready to go."
The girl looked carefully through the sights at her target. She seemed uncertain at what to hit. "The power couplings at the base," Peter said.
"I know, I know." After a few more seconds of aim, she pulled the trigger.
With a great roar, and a lot of smoke and flame, the missile leaped out of the tube at great speed. The force of the launch threw Alyssa and Peter to the ground. They quickly got to their feet to see the results. This was it. They would never be able to do another launch. The weapon was too expensive and rare for a repeat performance. Peter and Alyssa started to swell with pride as the powerful missile neared the floating city. Today, the pampered population of all the floating cities of the earth would hear the ground people.
They watched as the missile streaked past the city, missing the power couplings and impacting into a stand of dead trees. Peter heard the dull boom of a distant explosion. The city would not fall today.
Peter and Alyssa looked at each other. The girl's mouth was in a perfect "O" shape of disbelief. Peter could hardly speak. "You missed. How the hell did you miss?" he said, not quite believing what happened.
Alyssa dropped the mega-weapon to the ground, and sank to her knees. "I ...I don't know. I can't believe it. We walked for days to get here. What do we do now?" Tears formed in her pretty, green eyes.
Up above, the proximity lights on the floating city changed from green to blinking red. The city was on alert. Infrared sensors were turning on, drones were flying, and soon agents would be on the ground looking for whoever fired on the city.
Peter kicked the rocket launcher down the embankment, and grabbed Alyssa's hand. "We've got to get out of here."
As they started their long journey home, Alyssa said, "How are we going to explain this?"
Peter just shook his head, and continued to run. They had to get away from the city. Peter and Alyssa were selected for this mission. They were supposed to be going home as heroes, but now they were laughing stocks. Peter didn't know how he was going to explain it all, but at least he had a hundred miles or so to think up some kind of excuse.
**********************************
Flash fiction inspired by the picture from this Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/bando...
It was supposed to be 300 words, but mine is about 740 or so. I can't cut any more, so I'll post it here. :)
"I'll take care of it," said the young lady with the rocket launcher on her back. "Just stand back, and get the ammo ready." She unpacked the parts in the case, and began assembling the weapon. She was fast. In just a few minutes, the launcher took shape in her hands. It was a huge and majestic device, almost as big as the girl trying to put it together.
"Are you sure about this, Alyssa? I could make the launch," said the young man. They had traveled far from their home for this mission, and his legs ached.
Alyssa gently blew some stray hairs out of her eyes as she completed the self-test on the launcher. She hoisted it onto her shoulder when the green check light appeared. "Yes, Peter. I got it. Just watch out for bad guys, and prepare to load this damn thing." To Peter, the strong, stocky blonde sounded a little pissed off.
Alyssa took the weapon into some cover by a few sharp rocks. Peter followed behind, with the rocket for the device in his hands. It was a small, spear-like object filled with high-tech explosives and expensive electronics. Just the trick to bring down the floating city.Peter thought of all the people above his head, unaware they were about to fall and die. To them, Alyssa and Peter would be considered terrorists but Peter thought different. He was taught by the elders that he was a freedom fighter, striking a blow for all the people left behind by the floating city people to scratch out a living on the poisoned earth while they lived in luxury in the clouds. Today, they would know pain as they crashed to the ground. Peter jammed the missile into the end, and pressed the small button on the back of the launching tube. He tapped Alyssa on her blonde head, and yelled, "Armed, and ready to go."
The girl looked carefully through the sights at her target. She seemed uncertain at what to hit. "The power couplings at the base," Peter said.
"I know, I know." After a few more seconds of aim, she pulled the trigger.
With a great roar, and a lot of smoke and flame, the missile leaped out of the tube at great speed. The force of the launch threw Alyssa and Peter to the ground. They quickly got to their feet to see the results. This was it. They would never be able to do another launch. The weapon was too expensive and rare for a repeat performance. Peter and Alyssa started to swell with pride as the powerful missile neared the floating city. Today, the pampered population of all the floating cities of the earth would hear the ground people.
They watched as the missile streaked past the city, missing the power couplings and impacting into a stand of dead trees. Peter heard the dull boom of a distant explosion. The city would not fall today.
Peter and Alyssa looked at each other. The girl's mouth was in a perfect "O" shape of disbelief. Peter could hardly speak. "You missed. How the hell did you miss?" he said, not quite believing what happened.
Alyssa dropped the mega-weapon to the ground, and sank to her knees. "I ...I don't know. I can't believe it. We walked for days to get here. What do we do now?" Tears formed in her pretty, green eyes.
Up above, the proximity lights on the floating city changed from green to blinking red. The city was on alert. Infrared sensors were turning on, drones were flying, and soon agents would be on the ground looking for whoever fired on the city.
Peter kicked the rocket launcher down the embankment, and grabbed Alyssa's hand. "We've got to get out of here."
As they started their long journey home, Alyssa said, "How are we going to explain this?"
Peter just shook his head, and continued to run. They had to get away from the city. Peter and Alyssa were selected for this mission. They were supposed to be going home as heroes, but now they were laughing stocks. Peter didn't know how he was going to explain it all, but at least he had a hundred miles or so to think up some kind of excuse.
**********************************
Flash fiction inspired by the picture from this Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/bando...
It was supposed to be 300 words, but mine is about 740 or so. I can't cut any more, so I'll post it here. :)
Another Facebook Story
Just a little something I put on Facebook. It was a writing prompt from the Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans....
It had been years since I had seen another human. The face that disappeared from the upstairs window as I approached my house told me that was about to change.
I broke into a run. My supplies...the sonofabitch is in my bedroom, I thought as I hit the porch. Checking out the door revealed it dented and broken. I ran my hand over the splintered wood. “Dammit to hell!” I said to myself. Something else to fix. I pulled my trusty shotgun out. Nobody broke into my house and took my supplies.
I pushed the door open, and burst into the living room. A dark shape was hunched over a pile of stolen items. My stuff. My entrance startled the thief, and they tried to get up and run. The interloper tripped over their own boots, and fell hard to the ground.
Shuffling forward, my mind raced. I debated shooting the intruder. The thief sat up against the wall, faced me, and fumbled under their clothes. I was soon staring at a huge revolver. “Stop! I'll kill you,” the supply thief yelled in a feminine tone.
It was a girl. She couldn't be more than twenty years old. She was wearing a tattered dress covered by a large jacket. She was just a wisp, a ghost...all hollow cheeks and pale skin. Her gun shook as she pointed it at my heart.
The ghost girl pulled the hammer back. “I mean it. I'll kill you.”
She had just been a baby when the war came. I wasn't going to kill her. I couldn't kill a kid. Putting the shotgun down, I reached into my pocket, and pulled out a granola bar. Maybe the last granola bar on the whole planet.
The girl put her head down. She placed the gun in my hand, taking the granola bar at the same time. She sank to the floor and began to cry. I kneeled down to comfort her.
She was too weak to open the granola bar. I did it for her. Looking up with watery eyes, she said, “I'm sick. I think I'm dying...the radiation...”
I put my arm around her. “You're not sick...just hungry.” As she ate, I checked out her gun. Rusty and covered in mold, it was not operable.
“I wouldn't have killed you. Even if the gun worked,” she said.
“I know.” I placed her weapon on the nearest table. It joined a pile of other rusty and moldy guns.
It had been years since I had seen another human. The face that disappeared from the upstairs window as I approached my house told me that was about to change.
I broke into a run. My supplies...the sonofabitch is in my bedroom, I thought as I hit the porch. Checking out the door revealed it dented and broken. I ran my hand over the splintered wood. “Dammit to hell!” I said to myself. Something else to fix. I pulled my trusty shotgun out. Nobody broke into my house and took my supplies.
I pushed the door open, and burst into the living room. A dark shape was hunched over a pile of stolen items. My stuff. My entrance startled the thief, and they tried to get up and run. The interloper tripped over their own boots, and fell hard to the ground.
Shuffling forward, my mind raced. I debated shooting the intruder. The thief sat up against the wall, faced me, and fumbled under their clothes. I was soon staring at a huge revolver. “Stop! I'll kill you,” the supply thief yelled in a feminine tone.
It was a girl. She couldn't be more than twenty years old. She was wearing a tattered dress covered by a large jacket. She was just a wisp, a ghost...all hollow cheeks and pale skin. Her gun shook as she pointed it at my heart.
The ghost girl pulled the hammer back. “I mean it. I'll kill you.”
She had just been a baby when the war came. I wasn't going to kill her. I couldn't kill a kid. Putting the shotgun down, I reached into my pocket, and pulled out a granola bar. Maybe the last granola bar on the whole planet.
The girl put her head down. She placed the gun in my hand, taking the granola bar at the same time. She sank to the floor and began to cry. I kneeled down to comfort her.
She was too weak to open the granola bar. I did it for her. Looking up with watery eyes, she said, “I'm sick. I think I'm dying...the radiation...”
I put my arm around her. “You're not sick...just hungry.” As she ate, I checked out her gun. Rusty and covered in mold, it was not operable.
“I wouldn't have killed you. Even if the gun worked,” she said.
“I know.” I placed her weapon on the nearest table. It joined a pile of other rusty and moldy guns.
A Little Something from Facebook...
From time to time, the Facebook group - Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans - posts an apocalyptic or science fiction photo and asks for a 300 word story. Here's one that I posted a couple of weeks ago. It was about 340 words...still working on my editing skills. :)
“The signal is gone,” the mechanical voice reported.
“Find it,” Maize said. “We can’t lose another one.”
RUNNER, Model number 231 waited for headquarters to get things straightened out. It needed that signal to get to the evac vehicle some distance away from the bunker.
A humongous machine shook the ground nearby. RUNNER shrank back, trying to be as small as possible. The whole area vibrated as the enemy robot ambled by. Humans called them Stompers, and they had a simple job. Lock onto human life signs, and stomp them.
RUNNER had a job, too. Get the delicate babies to the evac vehicle, and get them away from here. Humans were too slow. They built RUNNERS to get their most precious resource to safety. RUNNER was fast. Faster than the Stompers that patrolled the area.
“I can't find it. It's blocked.”
“Dammit!” Maize said. “RUNNER 231 you have to move.”
“Roger.”
The robot burst out of the hiding spot at full speed. The Stompers had all moved on. RUNNER found the evac vehicles heat signature. It waited ahead, perched on the remains of a building.
A Stomper came out of the haze, and blocked the road. The enemy machine raised up one of its giant feet to flatten RUNNER and its human cargo. With a horrible squeal, the foot moved downward.
RUNNER was too fast. It ran right under the beast machine and out the other side. It cradled the baby in his arms. Almost as good as a human mother. Almost, but not quite the same.
The Stomper flipped over onto its back, legs flailing in the air. The hero robot ran to the evac vehicle, and handed the baby to the human hanging out of the door.
“Thanks,” the human said. “Good job.”
“You are welcome,” RUNNER said.
The robot turned back towards the bunker. The job wasn't done. More vehicles were on the way, and there were many babies to save.
“The signal is gone,” the mechanical voice reported.
“Find it,” Maize said. “We can’t lose another one.”
RUNNER, Model number 231 waited for headquarters to get things straightened out. It needed that signal to get to the evac vehicle some distance away from the bunker.
A humongous machine shook the ground nearby. RUNNER shrank back, trying to be as small as possible. The whole area vibrated as the enemy robot ambled by. Humans called them Stompers, and they had a simple job. Lock onto human life signs, and stomp them.
RUNNER had a job, too. Get the delicate babies to the evac vehicle, and get them away from here. Humans were too slow. They built RUNNERS to get their most precious resource to safety. RUNNER was fast. Faster than the Stompers that patrolled the area.
“I can't find it. It's blocked.”
“Dammit!” Maize said. “RUNNER 231 you have to move.”
“Roger.”
The robot burst out of the hiding spot at full speed. The Stompers had all moved on. RUNNER found the evac vehicles heat signature. It waited ahead, perched on the remains of a building.
A Stomper came out of the haze, and blocked the road. The enemy machine raised up one of its giant feet to flatten RUNNER and its human cargo. With a horrible squeal, the foot moved downward.
RUNNER was too fast. It ran right under the beast machine and out the other side. It cradled the baby in his arms. Almost as good as a human mother. Almost, but not quite the same.
The Stomper flipped over onto its back, legs flailing in the air. The hero robot ran to the evac vehicle, and handed the baby to the human hanging out of the door.
“Thanks,” the human said. “Good job.”
“You are welcome,” RUNNER said.
The robot turned back towards the bunker. The job wasn't done. More vehicles were on the way, and there were many babies to save.
