A Short Story : A Story?

Zoe dug through the bin, reasonably at first but grew franticly the longer she went down. Kevin at first stood off, watching the clothes fly out the donation bin.

Leaving the motel on Highway 74 around 3:00 o’clock, Marlene drove faster than usual to get home ahead of Jerry and Andrew. Smiling, her thought lingered on the last few hours spent with her lover. Pulling into the garage, Marlene parked her Mercedes, brushed her hair put on fresh lipstick, before going into the house, relieved she was home when her husband and father-in-law arrived. Wanting to surprise them, she went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, sat down at the counter and glanced through the mail.

For Jeongguk, the crash came before even exchanging words. The lithe frame and raging hair as red as poppies leaving his buzzed senses clipped. Burned to the very bottom of the wick while dazedly staring. Bubbly giggles and too much cotton candy leaving the tongue sugary sweet and pillowy plush catches his attention.

Athena was terrified. It was almost as if the wind was screaming at her as she was walking into the Forest. She was only going to take a few steps into the Forest. At least that’s whatshe thought. Athena could feel her heart beating in her chest so fast that she thought for a moment it was going to fly out. Slowly, she turned around, prepared to go back to her best friend. As soon as Athena turned around, the only thing she saw was shadowy trees, surrounding her, almost as if they were going to kill her.

“Will that be all?” Murdoc asked the sailor, arms folded. “Plenty, thanks,” He replied with a toothy grin, grasping the crate of supplies in both arms. “Thanks for all your help, mate. My wife and I owe you one.” He said as he shook one of Murdoc’s calloused hands. “Not a problem,” Murdoc answered back, holding back the urge to push the guy off the jetty what with his gross display of gratitude to a complete stranger like him, but hey, he gave them supplies when they had none, so it was to be expected.

Wind whistled through the partially opened driver-side window of Beth’s Volkswagen Jetta as Peter steered the car north along Interstate-91. The Eddie Vedder channel played through the Blue Tooth on Beth’s Pandora station. The Pearl Jam front man crooned a few verses from Daughter as Beth and Peter sang along, reminiscing about the 1990’s, their carefree college years when the world was exciting and new. Peter felt a rush of excitement when Beth offered to let him drive her car. In his mind, it was a sign that their relationship was deepening; it must mean something that she trusted him to drive her car. He had offered to take his Civic, but Beth needed the Thule rack on the roof of her Jetta to transport her racing bicycle.

Moving around on the bench as if trying to get comfortable before she spoke, Marlene said, “What I’m going to say will probably make you laugh. Please don’t.”

He closed his mouth, kept his head to the ground and June concentrated on the tiny cracks in his lips. He never bothered with chapstick or vaseline.

"Wait. You knew him? Personally?" Liz fights the urge to smile as the radio buzzes to life in the background, the sound of a smooth voice echoing through the silent room. All eyes are on her-- but she hardly notices, or cares. She remembers the moments, those unforgiving moments that began in Washington D.C, and lead to near human extinction.

“ 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.

“We have a few questions and want you to come down to the station and answer them,” he said without a hint of trouble in his voice.

We woke at dawn the sun early rising as me and my friend Mia,and Lala snuck out of our hotel room heading to one of the houses we saw as we drove around Hawaii yesterday. We walked up a hill where the house sat overlooking the Hawaiian beach.once we reached the top the house was there, it was small surrounded by palm trees as far as the eye can see ,it had a burned roof, broken windows, the white paint peeled off revealing red burnt brick, the lawn was burned ,but surprisingly the house was intact.”Dare you to go in.” Mia said nudging me forward “They say that this day ten years ago this place burned down with the owner’s little girl inside.They say he went back in to save her but she killed him when he did. They say if you light a match where they both died you’ll have the same faith as the father or little girl ” Lala said pushing me a bit further. “Come on do you really believe that?” Mia said arm crossed brow raised.”Eh, I believe anything.” lala said shrugging. I looked at the broken doorway that leads into the house, I turned back to them.”Fine but it’s gonna cost you,both of you.” mia and lala both shared the same smug grin that sent chills. “Ok. 50 dollars from both of us but you have to light the match to.” Lala said as that smug grin became dark as she extended her arm, revealing the matches in her hand. I looked at the box of matches ‘’of course you bought the matches” I said taking them hesitantly. I walked towards the door paused at the entrance. I slowly

A scream echoed in the darkness around me. All I could remember was that I was walking to the barn at around midnight because my horse was kicking the barn doors I got to the barn and I opened the doors. When I opened the barn doors I got hit in the head with something and crashed to the floor I can’t remember what happened after that. I woke up in a small black dark room that had no windows and nothing but a blanket inside. I tried to scream but it seemed like no one could hear me. I stood up from the blanket and dizziness suddenly hit me and I fell back to the floor. I landed on my arm and shrieked in pain I looked down at my arm and there was a lot of blood gushing out. I tied the blanket around it quickly to stop the bleeding and pain and quickly I fell into a deep sleep.

My legs won’t stop jittering in the passenger footwell of Jacob’s ute. I’m so nervous. I haven’t been back to the city since I left for Hope over three years ago. It has been easier to ignore the life I left behind when it was over a six hour drive away. But now here I am, sitting next to man too handsome and kind for his own good, heading straight back into that lion’s den. It’s not that I didn’t have a great life there. I did. However it’s a completely different life to what I want and what I live now. And I haven’t been away long enough to forget how bitchy and snobby my old friends can be. To be really honest, I’m not sure what I’m more nervous about, facing my past or my past meeting Jacob. Jacob squeezes my thigh, interrupting my thoughts, “Hey over there, you alright?” He asks.

It was 11:45 PM and I wasn’t not home. I was at my grandparents’ house waiting for a call from my mom or dad. My little brother was with me the whole time. It’s late at night and everyone’s sound asleep except for me. I couldn’t sleep, at least not until I received a call from my dad. Every five minutes I would text him; “ Anything new?”, and the answer; “ Not yet, no, or nothing.”