75 WORD WRITING CHALLENGE - April 2012 -- VICTORY TO DIGS!

[HareBrain]

Horsemen


Four came riding out of hell-dust. Bethany gripped the farmhouse doorframe.

‘You’re all that’s left? Where’s David?’

‘Dead,’ Ruben said through his kerchief. Sunglasses mirrored devastation. ‘He made us promise not to let you suffer.’

He drew steel. Bethany quailed, but imagined the approaching alternative. ‘Quickly then.’

‘Oh, we shan’t be keeping that promise.’ Ruben removed his kerchief, revealing the diseased grin of the Converted. ‘We gave the Flesh Lord a very different one.’

 

[Glen]

Empty Date

The muzac is bland and depressing, the zombie waiters are dull and have no conversation, the restaurant itself, its dank stone walls carved from rock deep underground, is dark, damp and uninviting. A single candle on the table is almost burnt out, revealing the two unused place settings.

Captain Fantastic sags in his chair. He feels empty, hollow, hungry, and wrung dry.

She promised she would be here this time, he thinks, she promised.

 

[Ursa major]

Irredeemable​

Once, I promised much, and not just on paper. Until comparatively recently, people took great interest in me. They could see my worth, my capacity for sterling service.

Not any more. I have been cast out; my period of currency is over. I have become virtually worthless, so that even the vultures’ funds of greed have waned. A flock of them flew west only yesterday.

You ask who I am. The name’s bond. Greek bond.

 

[RJM Corbet]

“Plastic promises to become the material of the future. Possibilities are endless for this versatile substance. Manufactured from natural oil hydrocarbons, it will be used to make everything from clothing to spacecraft.” (Science Talk 1912AD)

“The Plastic Age followed the Iron Age, the Bronze Age and the Stone Age. Possibilities were endless for this versatile material, manufactured from oil hydrocarbons that no longer exist is a natural state upon our world.” (Archeology Talk 3012AD)

 

[Phyrebrat]

Love Consumes All

The lovers stood, porcelain, atop the fifth level of their perfect world. Beneath, white expanses of increasing radii, held aloft by marching pillars and arches lit from within, glowed with a homespun lambency. Love sang in each sugary cloister whilst lushly ruched swags swooped from pillar to butte.

Outside, in another world: ‘I do.’

Later, the giant knife cleaved their world. Aromas of rich fruit and brandy choked them as their home was devoured.

 

[Tisiphone]

Hope in Death

Deep in the mountains I’d hid. Waiting; so much time passed.

Where was he; he’d promised to reach me, to be here.

I’d carved marks into the wall. Eight months, twelve days.

Supplies almost gone; I had to leave; would he find me?

I wandered out into the barren desert with its smoke filled skies, scorching sun, scattered corpses; devastation obvious, and walked; my stomach swollen; a promise of new life.

He didn’t even know.

 

[nixie]

Freak​

​

My brother says I can go with him and his friends to throw stones at the freak, if I don’t tell anyone.
We’re nearly there; I’ve never seen a freak. That must be its house.
Oh my, what is it? It only has one nose, 2 eyes that don’t glow, one mouth, so different from us. Someone said everyone looked like that before the cleansing. I think they’re lying, look at it, hideous creature.

​

 

[The Spurring Platty]

[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Strolling Down Hunger Avenue[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The empty food can bounced off the curb, stirring up a fine layer of ash.
Another swift kick sent it clattering down the lane, the sound mixing with playful giggles muffled by a gas mask. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Food was becoming scarce. Every parent hopes the future will be more promising for their child.
Does she dare hope that now? She marveled at her little girl. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Only childhood innocence could turn a symbol of hopelessness into a plaything.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]…[/FONT]

 

[Aaron Stone]

Haunted Hero

​

Nobody knows why the world ended. Except me, and I’m dead. But should dead people be tormented by memories?

I see a young woman, silver hair dancing. Her smile shines. The picture shatters, replaced by another.

Silver hair tangled. Crimson soaks her dress. Her hand flails desperately; grasps mine. “Promise me,” she says, anguished. “Promise me you’ll save them.”

The human race was beyond saving. But I tried, for her. I saved them from themselves.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

The Feeling's Mutual


Emerging from the bunker, they surveyed total destruction.

"How could this happen? We promised the people:
if both sides had enough to destroy the world, we would be safe.
Are they crazy over there?"

"Yes, it's complete madness."

"The people believed us. They elected us to prevent this."

"No more elections now." The president opened his case. "But we can assure it never happens again."

He pressed the button.

Halfway around the world, sirens wailed.

 

[digs]

Broken Things

"The moon's beautiful, Alice."

I've called her after my daughter, dead by now, I hope.

"A comet!"

A missile flares through the dust and smoke.

"And listen: a party down the hall."

Their howling is growing closer.

"You look lovely today, honey."

The girl is so withered it looks as though the life-support machines are feeding on her.

I take her little hand, and for once I don't lie.

"I'll be right here, Alice."

 

[Boneman]

Heaven on Earth​

He only made one promise. And he kept it.

He promised us the Earth. And we took it.

We promised to look after it. And we didn't.

The final trump was the most beautiful sound. Unearthly. Heavenly. The graves opened, and all our loved ones returned. Those that believed, anyway. Our paradise is a barren wasteland. We don't need food or water, and we have each other.

We'll live here forever.

Happily ever after.

 

[Highlander]

HOPE.

The landscape was devastated. World Wars III had laid waste to continents. Groups huddled together - fighting each other for supremacy.

Our farsighted leader sought to bring law, order and justice to a disintegrated society. Many times we entered the City to find the Book without success, but dialogue between the factions improved becoming commonplace.

Eventually, the inscription we searched for was recovered. He started reading, teaching us all, giving us hope...

“WE THE PEOPLE…”

 

[slindeman]

The Good Samaritan of Pt'komo

From the comfort of his spaceship, the alien watched as nuclear winter claimed the last humans.

"Kr'opo l'tma," he said, which translated means, "I will save their boney hides." Using his time machine, he did so, making them promise not to destroy Earth again.

Seconds after he returned to Pt'komo, and the future he had come from, a cluster-quark attack blasted his planet to smithereens.

The human space fleet had arrived, their promise kept.

 

[The Judge]

Genesis 9:13


A dying sun bleeding over a drowned land. The stench of rot, the hum of decay. We should have stayed inside the pod. Died there. Better that slow famine than this horror.

“What’s a covenant?” Lily. Her nose in some stupid book. “Is it like a promise?”

I don’t speak. I think of the promises made, the promises broken.

“It’ll be all right, Daddy. Look.”

Above us, one bright arc of colour.

One final promise?

 

[Culhwch]

Gone Fishing

‘It’ll work this time. Promise.’

‘How do you know?’

He doesn’t answer, just looks back towards shore. ‘How far out d’you think we are?’

I shade my eyes from the unrelenting sun. ‘Two clicks?’

‘Good spot, I reckon.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Your granddaddy was a fisherman, you know. Before the war.’ He casts the hand-woven net. ‘Weren’t out far enough last time. This time it’ll work.’

‘Promise?’

‘Has to. Ain’t no more food on land.’

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Fabulous stories everyone! Congratulations to all for meeting the Challenge in this record shattering month.

You can find the poll by following the link:

April 75 Word Writing Challenge POLL

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Congratulations, digs!