100 Words a Day 709

They pulled up outside the wall surrounding the factory, composed of cinderblocks that had been scavenged from the ruins of the nearby city. The gate was a tall, long vehicle they had cobbled together. The outward-facing side was armored with large pieces of steel. Two men looked down at them from above. They each stood behind a high caliber gun mounted on the wall. They could hear shouting from the other side of the wall. A few moments later, a woman appeared.

“Why have you come to Cinder Bullet?” she shouted down.

“We’ve come to trade for ammo,” they replied.

100 Words a Day 708

“For the king’s son, the rightful king!” the army shouted, banging weapons on black shields. They dropped their chant for rabid cheering when a man in black armor with a winged helm and flowing blond locks rode before them, sword brandished overhead. When he reached the middle of the line he was joined by a woman who wore strange robes festooned with charms and fetishes. The army fell silent when she raised her arms and began shrieking in a tongue unknown to them and gesticulating wildly. She concluded her strange ritual by casting the bones of animals into their ranks.

100 Words a Day 707

The bike had been singed by the fire, but looked like it might still work. They discovered the tires were unsalvageable when they hauled it from the ruined heap.

“Do you think you can get it started again?” Klag asked.

Hazarad made a face, “Maybe. Won’t know until we start working on it.”

They walked it over to their truck and pulled out the toolkit. Klag kept watch while Hazarad got to work. Dusk was falling by the time the engine stuttered to life.

“Yes!” Klag shouted.

“We aren’t out of the quicksand yet; we still need some new tires.”

100 Words a Day 706

Grumsh sprinted down the hail while the klaxon wailed overhead. The smoke and flickering lights made it hard to see, causing him to trip several times. When he arrived, the engine room looked like an anthill that someone had poured boiling water on; the crew were running helter skelter trying to repair the damage. Not seeing the Chief, he grabbed Laconia as she rushed by and asked her where he was, shouting over the noise. She pointed towards the back of the engine room before hurrying off. He went in the direction she had indicated as fast as he could.

100 Words a Day 705

“Damn it!” James shouted, standing up and flipping the board. “This game is bullshit!”

“Dude, calm down,” Chris said, hands extended, fingers spread.

Joe meanwhile was doubled laughing. When he finally stopped, he wiped his eyes: “That was the best! I can’t believe you fell for that!”

Matt nodded vigorously, tears in his eyes, as James stalked out of the room.

The laughter was dying when the doorbell rang.

“Yes!” Matt exclaimed, leaping from the couch and sprinting towards the door. After a moment, he rushed back into the room, grabbed his wallet, and charged back to the front room.

100 Words a Day 704

I hit the brakes and sighed and waited as another asshole blew through a stop sign. Once the offending car was clear of the intersection, I resumed driving. I checked the address one more time at the next light. I was on the correct block, so I slowed down and squinted into the dark until I found the correct house.

I parked, grabbed the pizza, and rang the bell. “Who is it?” range out from the house.

“I’ve got your pizza,” I responded.

“One second.”

I waited a few moments before the door opened. Behind it was an older woman.

100 Words a Day 704

Jeff groaned and rolled over. He then proceeded to deposit the reminder of his dinner in the large bucket he had placed next to his bed for that purpose. Guts aching, he fell back onto his bed. It was several moments before he mustered the gumption to wipe the flecks of vomit lingering on his chin. The tissue he used joined the pile in his trash can, which had been positioned next to the bucket. The taste in his mouth screwed up his face. He took a swig from his water bottle, swishing it around before spitting into the bucket.