A Preferred Silence
Words break into the silence like a weapon, sending me scurrying for cover, my heart pounding as the Seekers appear on the trail. There are two of them, their camouflage gear making them more visible than normal on the stark grey of the dusty road, their arrogance negating their concealment.
She’s still out cold from falling over earlier. We should be away from here, travelling. Away from this world of pain and moving on to anything other than this. The rifle is cold in my grasp, her hand warm in mine, a reminder of the vow we made. Some words can be spoken and forgotten, other inscribe themselves on your soul.
Soul sisters we: we fight, or we die, but together.
The road is the only reminder of before the Fall in this area. The winding grey ribbon stark against the verdant green to either side. Yet this is the hostile territory we must cross to get to the Citadel; last bastion of hope against the Seekers and their dark kin. Her mind is our protection, yet her mutation is silenced by unconsciousness. Useless now, so it appears I am the only hope.
I prefer silence: the silence of nature, the silence of the land dreaming and the increased potential for peace. There is no peace at the moment, only fear and the stale stench of my own trepidation as I slip off the safety on the rifle. I kiss her forehead, and wait for the inevitable…
“I think I can smell something…”
This time bullets break into the quiet, but leave only silence in the wake of their passing. Panting in the pale light of the Wasted Lands, I can only hope she wakes before more Seekers come our way.
We’re running out of time… running out of silence.
~
Based around the song Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode. Another one of Jewel's neat little challenges, this round had us picking a tune from a selection of four, and in this round we had to base our micro short in an apocalyptic scenario (sci fi).
Word count 300 words exactly.
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Short StoryREAD my SHORTS! ('cos eating them isn't very tasty) - A collection of very short stories, micro-fiction, one-shots, drabbles, flash-fiction and other random stuff. Call 'em what you will, they're bite size little morsels from the brain of me. Crossi...
