Zombie Drabble #362 “Piñata”

His head was splitting, as much from being hung by his heels as from being knocked out in the first place. “I may have a skull fracture here.”

“That’s the least of your worries.” The man pointed to the bandage on his leg.

“It’s not a bite. I told you already. I got hit with some shrapnel when the Army was blasting away at anything that moved. Francine dressed the wound but it’s gotten infected. I need antibiotics—”

“Ain’t none. If you don’t turn we’ll amputate.”

He swung silently for a while. “Fine. But, can you cut me down?”

“Tomorrow.”

Fantasy Drabble #288 “Out And About”

“It’s stuck.” He wrenched at the handle, burying his boot in the creature’s massive flank to gain leverage. “Give me a hand, Rothlig.”

“How did one so weak as you, Mogli, fell a creature so great? You cannot rely on luck to keep you alive!”

“Tell that to the Chimera, Rothlig. Now are you going to help me, or shall we make camp and wait for the corpse to rot so that my axe may fall free of its own accord?”

“It would suit me fine. All that awaits me is Thorga’s cooking. And her amorous intentions. And her beard.”

SF Drabble #360 “Criteria”

On the ride up to the Liner in the lander, they sat her next to a ten-foot-tall being with vaguely reptilian features that smelled like strawberries. She wondered if it was a natural scent or some sort of perfume, but decided there was no way to politely ask an alien, “Why do you smell like that?”

He was very polite. He had enjoyed visiting earth, apparently. A lot of good food, and he loved the very tall buildings. He wanted to know where she was going. “Gwolb? No, no, go not Gwolb. Live underground, the Gwolbang. No tall buildings. Boring.”

SF Drabble #359 “The New World”

They came down on sand flats between the village and the sea, careful to avoid the primitive wood-and-vine boats lined up near the water’s edge. They lowered the ramp, and Grayson, in his full environment suit, carrying a scanner, was the first out of the airlock.

“Seems fine. Everything’s reading green. They’re all still lined up by the huts. Don’t seem particularly scared. I’m gonna lose the helmet.”

The crew watched the feed intently. When Grayson’s head was visible, and the Rithlans could see he was human, they began to amble down the beach with offerings for their new Gods.

Like A Brother

“Do I look okay?”

He was staring out the cab window when she spoke, didn’t turn to look before answering. “There’s a rule I have whenever we go out. Whether it’s everybody or just us or whatever. I see how you look, and then when we’re at the club, I find a girl hotter than you and that’s the girl I hit on.”

She laughed. “You never hit on any girls when we’re out.”

“This is what I’m saying.”

The car ride continued in silence. Eventually she said, “I’m going to have to start dressing down so you’ll get laid.”

Zombie Drabble #361 “Black Sails”

She stood at the eyehole they had drilled in the stone wall, watching the dirt road for activity. When she heard him approach behind her, she said, “They’re an hour overdue.”

“They probably just had to take the long way around. Sometimes the middle of town is too thick to risk it.”

“It’s getting dark.”

“Yeah.”

The patrol was supposed to check in every couple hours, that was the rule, but with batteries running low sometimes they didn’t bother.

“They’ll be fine. He’ll be fine. Come back inside.”

She continued through the eyehole. “I’ll be in in a little bit.”

Zombie Drabble #360 “Favor”

“Honey.” His voce was a rasp, scraping the air as it went. “Honey.”

“Yes?” She stopped packing the bag and turned to look at the twisted shape of him under the covers.

“I need to… I need to know that you’ll do it.”

“Do… what, Roger?”

“I don’t want to stay… I don’t… please. When I turn, I need to know that you’ll take care of it. I don’t want to be one of them.”

“Oh, god, Roger, I don’t know.”

“Please. Emily, please, I need you to do this. Please.”

She took a deep breath and lied. “Of course.”

Fantasy Drabble #287 “Trick or Treat”

He prodded, “You know there’s nothing out there that can hurt you. The real monsters stay home on Halloween.”

She laughed and peered into the darkness. The street seemed eerily empty, but she said, “All right.”

Her costume was some store-bought excuse for her to show a lot of skin without the usual self-recrimination. His increased attention was just an ancillary benefit.

He had told her the party was free to get in, but that was a lie: every guest had to bring food. She was skinny, and would probably not put up much of a fight, but she’d do.