March 26, 2015
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, CPD, Dawn, Drabble, Ingmar, The City, The Daytrippers, Victoria
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!”
Read from the beginning!
Support the author on Patreon!
March 25, 2015
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, Ben, Connie, CPD, Drabble, The City
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.
Read from the beginning!
Support the author on Patreon!
March 24, 2015
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, Jess, The City, The Daytrippers, Zombies
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.
March 23, 2015
hughjodonnell
Uncategorized
140 Characters, Marcus, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers, Zombies
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.
Read from the beginning!
Support the author on Patreon!
March 20, 2015
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, Adonica, Dorothy, Drabble, The City, The Daytrippers
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.
Read from the beginning!
Support Hugh on Patreon!
March 19, 2015
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, Aiguo, Dorothy, Drabble, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers
“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.”
Read from the beginning!
Support the author!
March 18, 2015
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, Drabble, Ingmar, Neva, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers, The Robbery
“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.”
Read from the beginning!
Support Hugh on Patreon!
March 17, 2015
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, Drabble, Idris, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers
“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.”
Start from the beginning!
Support The City!
March 16, 2015
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, Drabble, Jemma, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers
The Daytrippers were talking in circles. Even if they did have a good idea of what Babbage was doing to The City, thanks to The Cat Lady, they didn’t know how to stop it. If the virus even could be stopped. It had already spread so far throughout the system.
“Do we even need to stop him? Let’s just find a way to escape!” Jemma said. The Cat Lady scowled at her.
“In addition to the massive amounts of fraud and data mining he’s already committed, Babbage is making himself the sole proprietor of a fifth of the world’s economy.”
Start from the beginning!
Become a patron!
March 13, 2015
hughjodonnell
Free Fiction, The City
140 Characters, Dorothy, Drabble, Savio, The City, Zombies
Savio watched from a rooftop. When the zombies first started shambling, he had gone for higher ground and pulled the fire escape ladders up after him. He was trapped, but unreachable, unless the viral avatars took up skydiving. He used his vantage point to document what he saw in open messenger. He didn’t know if he was getting through, but he wrote anyway. He watched the young woman get overrun, and the boy reluctantly sprint to catch up to the other fleeing woman. Then he saw a flash in the night and a water tank fell, crushing the zombies below.
Read from the beginning!
Patreon
Older Entries
Newer Entries
Hugh J. O'Donnell 