A Short Story : A Story?

The sun was high in the sky, gleaming down on us. The air was breezy, but not cold. The day was ordinary, or so it seemed. But what was out of place? That would be my brother, the only person who could possibly get himself into such a situation, with his impossible ability to almost die, but just miss the mark. As he sat there on the ground with his back to us, legs sprawled out in front of him, we didn’t even realize that there was anything wrong. Hold on a second. Let’s rewind this just a little.

"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.

It was very late and the living room was beginning to smell of a foul odor. A woman was sitting on a wooden stool near the east-side window, crouched. She had a rosary in her hands and kept murmuring something to herself. The man, sitting down in her chair, was waking up. He opened his eyes and wondered where he was, but he didn’t panic. Seeing the white carpet beneath him, his naked feet feeling the Afghanistan wool, he knew he was safe. Wherever he was. His lungs were waking up too, for he coughed uncontrollably for a few seconds. His cough pierced through the soft quietness of the room and caught the woman by surprise. She had thought he was dead.

I held open the door for the boy and he mumbled something inaudible as he shuffled past me. “It’s just sitting on that first pew over there,” I told the boy as I slowly began to pull the athame from having had it tucked away in my waistband. “Ah, man!” the boy exclaimed. “What the hell is that… did something die in here?”

The sky was dark and threatening rain as I pulled up to Moore Family Funeral Home. I had passed by the old white building many times, but I never thought I’d be attending a funeral here. And I never thought it would be one for my best friend.

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.

Now Jungkook had seen many interesting and strange things in his life. Skinny dippers, seaweed enthusiasts, people attempting to hold octopi, etc. However, catching someone in his fishing net was not something that had ever happened before. He stood there on the old dock, gaping at the captured boy.

I started spinning out of control. There were distorted faces smearing my vision, all crowded around me in a huge circle, not allowing me to see any of my surroundings.

“Fuck,” Neil hissed as a sharp pain shot through his hands, his phone dropping to the concrete with a clang. Neil looked down at his hands, wrapped in thick, white gauze, and tried not to think of the dull throb in his fingers. He ached for a cigarette and wondered if Andrew would swat at him if he tried to grab the carton between them.

The carrier shakes as the flames lick its belly. My fingers grasp the lip of the door as the heat of the fire flushes my skin. My hands are the only things keeping me up and they’re quickly failing. The world is a blur of panic and exploding carriers.

There once was a beautiful baby that lived with her parents who had just enough money to pay the lease and feed the family. One day, a man named Cole snuck into their home and stole the majority of their family's cash and assets. He then strolled into the girl's room and saw her resting in her bed and grabbed her. He held his hand over Victoria's mouth and escaped the house inconspicuous. Once they reached the grounds, he saw her name on the pajamas her mother had sewn for her. It spelled "Victoria”. They got into the man's car and headed out to his home at 1307 Gallard Street. A woman was sitting tight for him in the lounge. "Hello girl, did you get the-what the?" She said as she walked to see a sack of things and a little girl. "Look I'm sorry, but you said you wanted a child and well, voila." Cole tried to account for himself without burrowing his grave while doing it. Cole’s wife Emma was stunned, unable talk or think of anything really. Emma was unable to have children, however; she took Victoria out of Cole's hands and took a good look at her. She saw the child's pajamas, "Victoria? Well, it sounds pretty." "I believe that is her name." Cole clarified putting his arm around Emma. She gazed toward Cole and let him know, "We can at long last be a family, however, we have to go. They will search for her in the morning." "I already planned ahead hun, we simply need to pack up. The car is prepared whenever you're ready to go." That morning they went out bringing

Her feet crunched on twigs and dried leaves. It was almost autumn. The winds were getting colder. She could tell by the harsh cold grazing her cheeks. Pristine wove in and out of Silva’s legs, curling her tail around her ankles. Silva brought along Pristine for protection incase whatever was out there in the world would harm her. She felt the need to be a little more precautious. She was after all venturing into the world, without any idea what was going to happen. Now that she thought about it, doubt clouded her mind. Should I have done this? Should I have left grandmother all alone? She must be worrying. Now, I am worrying. Would grandmother be alright by herself? She will be fine,, and you will be too. Now get a move on and hurry, the sun has almost risen. Silva sped up her pace, and tripped over a tree root. She let out a squeal, her arms spreading out to catch her when she fell, but before she could, a hand grabbed her arm pulling her up.

Hange could still hear the low ringing in her ears once everything around her settled down. She had plenty of gas left to get herself out of the well, and to go where she needed to be afterward. She didn’t know how long she was knocked out for, but the dust from the blast settled down. The whole section of the town was destroyed and crumbled. Small smoke trails billowed from things that were turned to ash. She didn’t see any of her squad members. There was little chance of survival from something that powerful. Deep down Hange hoped that they managed to get far enough away, or even took cover, from the explosion.

"   Doctor Millred glanced at the grandfather clock across from Lady Carol's door. He checked his pocket watch. "Oh, my look at the time Sigmund do you think they will be delayed any farther ?"

After a few days I was released from the hospital and I was going back to school tomorrow. I couldn't believe mom broke up with Butch I mean it didn't bother me weather they were together or not but it was her choice. The boys took turns on who came to come visit me Monday it was Victor Tuesday it was Patrick Wednesday it was Belch. Mom was on the phone in the Kitchen when there was a knock on the door I called "I got it!" I walked to the front door and answered it to reveal Henry. I smiled at him and said "Hey." He tried to hide it but I saw him grin I moved aside and asked "Coming in?" he stepped in the house and I walked into the kitchen and grabbed two sodas and walked back into the living room handed Henry his drink and laid across the couch getting comfortable and I looked to him and asked "What's brought you here Mr Bowers?" He rolled his eyes and said "Coming to check on you brat." I nodded and he asked "You sure you're ready to come back tomorrow?" I giggled and nodded my head "Yeah I'm sure plus I'll have you four boys there if I need anything." Henry nodded "Yeah that's true." I noticed that he was more worried about me coming back than I was. I grabbed his hand and got up and said "Let's go watch a movie and relax a little. He nodded and we went to my room and he sat on my bed as I picked up a random movie and put it in. I walked over and laid down on the bed laying my head down in Henry's lap. He looked down at me with a smile on his face and I looked up at him