Darryl backed up his partner. “Citizens should find a safe location and shelter in place,” he said. He left his feelings towards Daytrippers unspoken. Dawn scowled.
“There aren’t any safe places left. This is the end of The City. And it might be the end of the world if we don’t boot this guy!” The police drew their own guns. “You will stand down or be booted.” There was a cry from farther up the hill. The zombies were coming. “I will count to three. One. Two.” Ingmar fired first. Darryl and Victoria were already booted before Connie returned fire.
The City: 130: Darryl
March 27, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Connie, CPD, Darryl, Dawn, Drabble, The City, The Daytrippers, Victoria Leave a comment
The City: 129: Victoria
March 26, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, CPD, Dawn, Drabble, Ingmar, The City, The Daytrippers, Victoria Leave a comment
The Daytrippers reached the Beach House at just about the same time as the cops did. Traveling on foot had reduced their numbers, even with Dorothy’s traps and the Cat Lady’s spies. The original group of fifteen was down to eleven, but they had managed to protect Ingmar and his boot gun. Victoria practically jumped out of the swat van when she saw them.
“Where did you get that weapon?” she demanded. Ingmar froze. Dawn stepped in.
“That’s not important. The CEO is the cause of the virus.”
“This is a police matter,” Victoria growled. “You will stand down, now!”
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An open challenge to anyone who doesn’t read diversely
March 25, 2015
Uncategorized books Leave a comment
So you say you don’t judge a book by it’s author, that you don’t ‘notice’ race, gender, or national identity. Fine. I’m calling your bluff. Below are ten excellent genre books, listed only by their descriptions. Each one is a link to amazon. Some are bestsellers. Some are classics. Some are even *gasp* self-published. But they’re all stories of the highest quality. I challenge you to pick out the one you find most interesting, and read it. If you aren’t afraid to read something that without checking the cover first, that is.
A retelling of the Hades/Persephone myth with Zeus as the villain.
A falsely imprisoned man is consumed by his quest for revenge.
The Son of a Spanish nobleman and a Shoshone woman fights injustice in 18th Century California.
The City: 128: Ben
March 25, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Ben, Connie, CPD, Drabble, The City Leave a comment
Ben was the last one out before CPD headquarters melted down, or whatever happened to it. They were only a handful of survivors, with a few more strung out through all The City. He knew it wasn’t enough, but he asked anyway. “What do we do now?”
“We’ll do what the Commissioner asked us to,” Connie said. “We’re going to have a talk with the Midas CEO at his little beach house.” They were able to fit in one of the swat vans that escaped the overload. She started it up, and they slowly rolled their way towards the bay.
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The City: 127: Jess
March 24, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Jess, The City, The Daytrippers, Zombies Leave a comment
Once the first zombie attacked, the rest followed. It was an inexorable tide, a domino effect. Jess took deep breaths and reminded herself it wasn’t real, all a simulation. She touched the bridge of her goggles, and waited for the zombies to get in range. The team rushed past her, and the zombies were right behind. She reached down and pulled the line at her feet taut. The tripwire was lined with improvised weaponry that bit into the zombie’s flesh and ripped through them at the ankles. The trap bought them five minutes before the undead found its way around.
The City: 126: Marcus
March 23, 2015
Uncategorized 140 Characters, Marcus, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers, Zombies Leave a comment
Marcus was the first sentry to fall. The roads to the Bay were clogged with abandoned cars, and the zombies were lurking everywhere. They wandered around earlier in the day, but now they hid. They lurked in backseats and under bridges, waiting.
The Cat Lady summoned a small army of her artificial intellegences to scout ahead, but the zombies left them alone. They weren’t alive. Marcus wondered if they were the only living people left in The City.
The one that picked him off had wedged itself underneath a storm grate. When it burst out, he stepped in its path.
The City: 125: Adonica
March 20, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Adonica, Dorothy, Drabble, The City, The Daytrippers Leave a comment
It took surprisingly little time for the group to launch into action once the plan was formed. The strike team would be fifteen people, small enough to sneak past stray zombies, but large enough to hold off an attack and give Ingmar time to escape.
Dorothy guided the rest of them to choke points and traps she had set up along the way. It was their job to clear a path. Adonica was positioned by a hidden lever and given instructions. She watched and waited for a signal that she prayed would not come. She hated the thought of violence.
The City: 124: Aiguo
March 19, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Aiguo, Dorothy, Drabble, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers Leave a comment
“Where the hell did you get a boot gun?” Dawn asked. Ingmar blushed and couldn’t meet her stare. Aiguo came to his rescue.
“It doesn’t matter how he got it. If he can fire it, we have a chance of stopping this guy. We just need to find him and shoot first.”
“With the tower destroyed, Underwood will likely retreat to the beach house until things are settled.”
“But there is a city full of zombies between here and the bay.”
“I can get you there,” Dorothy said. “I specialize in unlikely accidents, and I’ve been clearing routes all day.”
The City: 123: Neva
March 18, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Drabble, Ingmar, Neva, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers, The Robbery Leave a comment
“His motive is to take down Midas and let the world go with it,” Neva said. “The question remains, how do we stop him?”
“Underwood is only in control of the situation as long as he remains logged in. If we can disconnect him from the system and shut the City down, the backups will restore most of the damage he’s caused.”
“If he’s in control, isn’t he invincible, though?”
“Not from a boot gun.” Ingmar slid down the embankment and into the hidden section of the park. Renee and Dorothy followed. “Get me a shot, and I’ll boot him.”
The City: 122: Idris
March 17, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Drabble, Idris, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers Leave a comment
“Wait,” Idris said. “are you saying that this guy will have that much control over the economy of the entire world?”
“For a start,” The Cat Lady said. “The City intersects with every major computer system on the planet in some way. Given enough time, he’ll be able to hold every man, woman, and child on Earth hostage.”
“But this will destroy Midas. Why’s he doing it?” Dawn asked.
“To show the world he’s done it. Or perhaps revenge. Babbage’s real name is Simon Underwood He was a security consultant about the time I quit. Midas fired him shortly afterwards.”
Hugh J. O'Donnell 