Fluff Article - Short Short Story
Since this is the first one of these I've put to the blog, I think it is worth explaining that I am an unpublished author. I love any excuse to work the writing muscles. Today on The Tyranid Hive forums, I came across a short short story "competition" that encouraged writers to contribute a story in 400 words or less, relating to the Tyranids in some way. While I couldn't get this particular piece down below 600 words, I went ahead and posted anyways. From time to time I may post my short stories and army background here. For those who are interested, enjoy!
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The girl was six years old. It was the only thought of self that remained in her broken mind.
Sometimes the air vents felt too claustrophobic, and the shadows seemed to close in around her. Nightmares from her previous life came back; irrational memories of ghosts and monsters, gliding out of her short memory. It seemed so silly now, to remember those nightmares. They weren’t even really scary anymore. When she opened her eyes, the ghosts and monsters always disappeared. A few moments to catch her breath, and then she’d remember it was all just a dream.
It was the nightmares of her new life that were truly terrifying. They didn’t go away when she opened her eyes.
She still wasn’t sure how her new life came to be. All she could remember was blood and screams, then a terrible blackness where her memory knew nothing. If she were older she may have realized that madness gripped her for quite some time. She was simply too young to comprehend what was going on.
She closed her eyes when the air vents felt too tight, and she remembered the smell of fresh air. She remembered the sunlight, and longed to go outside and play again. Then she remembered the red darkness, and the monsters that ran across the front yards. It was safer here in the air vents.
Hunger had nearly completed the drive to madness before she learned to make quick scavenging trips from her small burrow. In a more open space in the air vents she had formed a cubby hole in which to sleep. From there she would make foraging trips to the old apartments, trying her best to ignore the rotting, slaughtered hunks of meat that had once been her neighbors.
She lost track of time, and tried not to think about what would happen tomorrow. She didn’t know she had been in hiding for three weeks before the Imperial Guard came.
*****
The Tyranid fleet was long since destroyed. A tide of Hormagaunts leapt from their nesting places to charge the men of Ghana as they deployed to secure the township. The beasts were cut to pieces as they met a disciplined lasgun volley, transformed to a carpet of twitching corpses.
The lieutenant could barely believe his eyes as the small girl staggered out into the sunlight, smiling and letting the warmth wash over her. He carefully navigated the field of corpses, shooting those that still moved, before lifting the little girl into his arms. His heart broke at the stench, and at the torn rags that covered her. Yet when he looked into her eyes, he saw a chilling confidence that seemed alien on such a damaged child.
“Sir, the colonel ordered a quarantine on all rescued citizens.”
There was something wrong with her eyes. The lieutenant couldn’t quite figure it out, but something about the girl’s unblinking stare made him incredibly uneasy.
“She’s five, maybe six,” the lieutenant replied. “Surely that doesn’t apply to her.” He could sense her unease, afraid that she’d be left behind again.
“That Inquisitor won’t care how old she is,” came the warning voice of a Guardsman. His unspoken support of the lieutenant was evident.
“We’re not leaving you here. C’mon sweetie,” cooed the lieutenant. “Let’s go get you something hot to eat.” With that, the young girl was bustled onto the lander and secured for return to orbit.
*****
The Genestealer watched with mounting anticipation as the prey checked over the child. When she was bustled onto the ship, tension uncoiled from its muscles. It faded away into shadow, its mission accomplished.
________________________________________________________________________________
The girl was six years old. It was the only thought of self that remained in her broken mind.
Sometimes the air vents felt too claustrophobic, and the shadows seemed to close in around her. Nightmares from her previous life came back; irrational memories of ghosts and monsters, gliding out of her short memory. It seemed so silly now, to remember those nightmares. They weren’t even really scary anymore. When she opened her eyes, the ghosts and monsters always disappeared. A few moments to catch her breath, and then she’d remember it was all just a dream.
It was the nightmares of her new life that were truly terrifying. They didn’t go away when she opened her eyes.
She still wasn’t sure how her new life came to be. All she could remember was blood and screams, then a terrible blackness where her memory knew nothing. If she were older she may have realized that madness gripped her for quite some time. She was simply too young to comprehend what was going on.
She closed her eyes when the air vents felt too tight, and she remembered the smell of fresh air. She remembered the sunlight, and longed to go outside and play again. Then she remembered the red darkness, and the monsters that ran across the front yards. It was safer here in the air vents.
Hunger had nearly completed the drive to madness before she learned to make quick scavenging trips from her small burrow. In a more open space in the air vents she had formed a cubby hole in which to sleep. From there she would make foraging trips to the old apartments, trying her best to ignore the rotting, slaughtered hunks of meat that had once been her neighbors.
She lost track of time, and tried not to think about what would happen tomorrow. She didn’t know she had been in hiding for three weeks before the Imperial Guard came.
*****
The Tyranid fleet was long since destroyed. A tide of Hormagaunts leapt from their nesting places to charge the men of Ghana as they deployed to secure the township. The beasts were cut to pieces as they met a disciplined lasgun volley, transformed to a carpet of twitching corpses.
The lieutenant could barely believe his eyes as the small girl staggered out into the sunlight, smiling and letting the warmth wash over her. He carefully navigated the field of corpses, shooting those that still moved, before lifting the little girl into his arms. His heart broke at the stench, and at the torn rags that covered her. Yet when he looked into her eyes, he saw a chilling confidence that seemed alien on such a damaged child.
“Sir, the colonel ordered a quarantine on all rescued citizens.”
There was something wrong with her eyes. The lieutenant couldn’t quite figure it out, but something about the girl’s unblinking stare made him incredibly uneasy.
“She’s five, maybe six,” the lieutenant replied. “Surely that doesn’t apply to her.” He could sense her unease, afraid that she’d be left behind again.
“That Inquisitor won’t care how old she is,” came the warning voice of a Guardsman. His unspoken support of the lieutenant was evident.
“We’re not leaving you here. C’mon sweetie,” cooed the lieutenant. “Let’s go get you something hot to eat.” With that, the young girl was bustled onto the lander and secured for return to orbit.
*****
The Genestealer watched with mounting anticipation as the prey checked over the child. When she was bustled onto the ship, tension uncoiled from its muscles. It faded away into shadow, its mission accomplished.
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Nice short story.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brian! I appreciate any input, and hopefully will have more short stories in the future.
ReplyDelete