A Short Story : A Story?

“Uh, yeah! Sure!” When I knew I was l alone I ran all over town looking for the source of the snow. I finally found it at an abandoned warehouse just outside of town. I waited a couple of seconds before saying something but before I could, someone spoke.

Her mind grew fuzzy when she stared into her father's eyes, “Barry.” Was the only thing she could bring herself to muster out when she heard that Cisco had succeeded in bring him back home, back to Central City with her, where he belonged. The Iris West he had fallen in love with, was she still that same person? She tired to do what he told her too. She tried to keep running, never stopping to look back and in the process she lost a part of herself. She put up walls, never allowing the others see her mourn for the man she had lost to the speed force, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. It was changeling trying to convince everyone around her she wa fin when she wasn’t really fine. She feared at any given moment she would lose what little composer she had, crumbling to the floor in a pool of tears and heartache. She might not have been the Iris that he had fallen in love with all those years ago, but hopefully with help from him she could pick up the broken pieces of herself, putting them back together the best she could. So she could somewhat resemble the woman he once knew.

Pulling on her arm, Laban drags her through the dirt, her legs scratched from rocks and debris and her hair a tangled mess. She pulls away, but he is too strong and his grasp on her arm sends shooting pains up into her neck. As they approach the tent she screams, “You can’t do this! Jacob is mine, we are in love.” Shoving her inside the tent, she fell to the ground cutting her arm on the crook of her shepherd staff; blood covers her gown. Her body aches from the jostling and cut arm, but pushing herself onto her knees, she glares up at her father, “Jacob won’t accept my sister; he will rescue me, you’ll see.” Without a word Laban leaves his daughter alone on what was supposed to be her wedding night.

The dirt men marched into the valley of death, they had just retreated from a bloody battle in enemy territory. Their enemy, the forest men. They stopped in a small cave as the sun sunk below the horizon.

As I look out my window, all I see is a deep, dark void. Then my eyes adjust. Sparkling lights slowly appear out of the blank. I look to my left, and see a brown marble, the size of my fingernail. I look back inside the ship. Machines buzz, buttons click, the engine hums. The symphony of sounds slowly faded into faint white noise.

You struggled for breath as you sprinted through the dark woods. You didn't dare look behind you at the demon on your heels, too afraid of tripping on something. You could hear fast paced footfalls getting closer and closer. You ran faster.

While driving down Lemon Grove Blvd. after leaving the motel, Marlene smiled, recalling the past few hours she had spent there and wanted to get home before Jerry and Andrew arrived. Driving down her driveway she parked, brushed her hair, freshened her lipstick before rushing into the house, calling out, “Honey, I’m home” Hearing no response, relieved that she was safe, going into the kitchen, she made a fresh pot of coffee. While waiting, she sat at the counter and glanced through the morning paper. Answering the phone when it rang, Marlene asked, “Barnes residence, may I help you?”

The year is 2100 and swirling flames of destruction are engulfing New York City. Alone in the hostile environment stood Duncan Smith, a thin 16-year-old boy with blond hair and wire rimmed glasses. Duncan came from a poor family and he always felt like things never quite went his way in life. He had never really believed in himself before, and most other people hadn’t either. Regardless, he loved life. But one day, two years ago, everything was taken away from him. In the middle of the school day, a UFO landed on top of the Empire State Building. Shortly after, he watched in horror as more and more flying saucer’s swarmed the city, destroying everything in their paths, including his family. After the smoke cleared and the destruction was finished, Duncan and the other survivors from the attack hid in the dark alleys of the city.

I quickly unpacked the few things I had and laid them on the bed. I walked around the room, seeing if there was anything special about it. There wasn't much, but it was enough. The bottom trim was lined with cheap gold. The bathroom door was covered in hand-painted lilies. I walked over and admired the intricate designs. I opened the door and walked in. It was just a bathroom. Shower, toilet, sink. It was all there. Simple. Their entire house was. My house was a mess of old paintings and stains on the wall, reminding me of my childhood. On the back of my old room door was two hand prints. Exal and me. I realized I was staring into the simplicity and snapped back. Just as I was heading back into reality the door creaked open. "Hey." I looked over my shoulder expecting Exal. Her mom was standing there instead. "Um, hi." I knew she could hear the slight disappointment in my voice. " Listen, I know it's hard now, but it'll be okay eventually." I didn't know how to respond. "That's what you say, but it doesn't feel like it at all." I whispered it through hard breathing. It seemed as if we had an understanding, so we stood in silence for a few moments. "If you need to talk, about anything, let me know." Her words were soothing and I nodded as she left.

The sky had been darkened by thick gray clouds. The brown wooden fences that bordered colorful houses all seemed as if their color had faded away. Small drops of water slipped gracefully off of the delicate leaves to the ground. The whole scene had a certain elegance to it, however mysterious the thin veil of fog made the familiar setting appear.

The smell of antiseptic filled my nostril as I gripped my coffee tightly. Swinging my bag over my shoulders, I watched as the other nurses and doctors walked into rooms checking on patients. The sound of familiar beeping rang through the air, as I strolled past the front desk into the hospital break room. I opened the doors and heard the voice of my coworker.

“When will that dumb bell ring?” Kenzi thought to herself. She was sitting half off her seat to get a head start to her car. Her and her friends were supposed to go to a corn maze after school and she knew she couldn’t be late. She jumped out of her seat as soon as the bell rang.

Wake up Jax, wake up! This was the first thing I heard before a hefty bucket of water was discarded on to me. I woke up with distraught, complaining that it was a Saturday and that I needed more sleep. I turned on my phone, noticing that the date on the screen read May 7, 2022. That was when I realized, today is going to be one of the biggest days for me. I am going to be taking both my Math and English SAT. I felt ready, yet I also had an uneasy feeling stuck inside me. I had been studying for the past 3 months, taking PSAT’s and what not. I didn’t have to go to my school to take the SAT’s for another 3 hours, so I decided, why not take a little nap before I go? JAX, IT’S 1:15 PM, YOU ARE GOING TO MISS YOUR SAT’S! “This is just a dream,” I thought, “I’m going to keep sleeping, there’s no way I slept more than 3 hours already.” Then it came, Slap!

“ No one can know that I killed her, got it john?” Okay lizzy, I understand. But what if- what do you mean what if john, there’s no what if’s there has to be no evidence that I killed her, so drive over here and bring plastic wrap. Do you think that’ll be good enough? John stuttered and then replied back to lizzy with a yes. While john is driving over to get lizzy and the dead girl, he sees a cop out of the corner of his eye, and starts to panic. Everything changed that night, the world and his friends aren’t what they use to be anymore, the girl he thought he knew, had some issues he or no one never knew.

The sun bakes down across her shoulders as she trudges forward. With every kick, a bit of sand flies upward into Nix's eyes. Her arms burn with exertion and her legs scream with every single step she takes. There's nothing around her but a myriad of sand. Two backpacks are tied on her shoulders, but they feel like boulders, weighing her down. Nix grinds her bicuspids into powder, pure stubbornness giving her the strength to keep going. She wasn't going to die out here; she wouldn't give those monsters the satisfaction. So she kept walking, each step strengthening her spirit, yet draining her body. No matter what happened, she would continue.