Penny

Penny picked up a tray and stood behind a pair of Vylid; she had six meal allowances for a trip of three days and she was already starving. At least the food up here would be better than whatever they were eating down on the lower decks.

"You," said a voice from behind her, "are human."

She turned, looked up, met the eyes of the being towering over her: a Ryi, and at nine-feet tall, clearly an elderly one. "Yes."

"This facility is for Class C and above; humans are class D. You should depart." The Ryi nodded its elongated head towards the lift.

The Association worked on a rigidly-enforced class system delineated by race. The mysterious Class A races ruled; Class B races like the Vylid or the Grodon served as middle management or military; Class C races worked; Class D, like humans since the invasion, were little better than indentured servants to be used where needed and ignored when not; Class E were slaves, prisoners, or the barely-sapient.

"I'm Class C."

"Show me your identity card."

"You," Penny answered, before turning away, "are not Security."

One of the Vylid in front of her glanced back, but said nothing; most beings living under Association rule knew to mind their own business. The line moved forward half a step.

There was a light tap on her shoulder.

"Forgive me," the Ryi began as she turned again. "I am only curious. All Ryi are Class C, or lower if they commit a crime. I have always been told that promotion to Class B is impossible."

"It might be impossible," she shrugged, "to class B."

"How did you manage to be promoted?"

"I managed a Vylid hatchery on Whynn for ten years." Penny looked behind her, to see if the Vylid pair were listening in, which they were. "It burned. Whynn is hot, and dry, and the oxygen content of the atmosphere is high. Had to run back into the building three times, but I saved all the hatchlings. By the time the Oblogo fire brigade got there, the hatchery had burned to the frame."

"Remarkable."

"The local governor promoted me to Class C; good public relations. The Vylid didn't object, they were just glad to have all their hatchlings safe."

"I can imagine."

Two Grodon officers sauntered in, clad in their omnipresent power armor. They seemed casual, off-duty, until they spied her in the line. They walked towards her, hands on shock-sticks.

When they were close enough, the two Vylid in line ahead of her whistled something at the officers, and waved them off. The Grodon looked confused, but stopped just before they hauled her out of line. The Ryi she'd been speaking to sputtered, trying to speak but clearly intimidated.

Penny turned, fished the lanyard out of her blouse, and held up the attached ID card so they could see it clearly. "Class C."

The Grodon lost interest and moved on. She whispered to the Ryi: "I love doing that."

Fantasy Drabble #308 "Micromanagement"

She walked with a purpose, climbing and descending through the rolling hills. Only after some hours did She finally pause, stop, kneel to sift the dirt through alabaster fingers.

The newly-frocked priest stumbled up, huffing, placed hands on knees, managed: "I feared that you would lead us to the edge of the world!" The rest of the crowd stayed back a respectful distance.

"The world has no edge, Gorrick. It is round, like a grape." She reached effortlessly down into the earth, pulled to the surface a marker stone the size of a man. "Here. Build my first Temple here."

Zombie Drabble #400 "The Finals"

There were ten of them, until there were eight, and a while later, five. When they were five they came down-river; carefully, slowly, silently, because they had learned. Five came through Mount Hope, Goddard. Five went to the Witchita Airport to see if they could find a fueled plane and then there were only two.

"What now?" It was a whisper, face pressed against a black tar roof.

"Wait."

"They'll just go away?"

"Eventually."

"It gets hot this time of year. Dawn soon."

"We wait." He closed his eyes. "Until they thin out. Then we make a break for it."

Fantasy Drabble #307 "Unrestrained"

The dragon lowered his head, opened his mouth, and a fortune in gold coins spilled down his tongue and onto the already-immense pile of treasure.

From a gallery far above, Winnis — the Oreiad — called, "Still more wealth for the hoard, My Lord? I fail to see the necessity."

Midz-Aset looked up and sniffed. "I am a dragon; I collect riches. You are a wood-nymph; you… I don't know what you do."

"Merely observe, My Lord." She grinned. "Will you fill the cavern until there is no room for yourself?"

The dragon took on a wistful tone. "If I am lucky."

Soul

I knew when the church on the corner — the Episcopal one with the gargoyles — wasn't there. Not torn down, not burned, just not there. I'd been feeling strange all morning: sick, angry, lost. Now I knew why.

They're not supposed to be able to just take it. You have to bargain it away, or gamble it away, or curse it away. I didn't do any of those things. Not even accidentally. I've been good.

I went to the shop see Mama Rayes, who knew it the second she looked at me. "You're empty. Get out."

"No," I said, pleading. "I didn't do this. I've been robbed."

"That's not possible. That doesn't happen."

"But it has, I swear."

"You have nothing to swear on." She stared at me. "And I can't save you, you're already gone. This is just the meat and bone that's left over. All I can do for you is end the suffering." She produced the sawed-off from under the counter.

I left. I got on the train out to where Harry lives. He'd do anything for me; we're brothers.

The people on the train wouldn't make eye contact, but that wasn't unusual. Nobody sat next to me, even when it started to get full up. Was there a smell? None that I could detect. Did I look sick? My reflection in the car window wasn't sharp enough to answer.

I got off the train, walked down to the corner and caught the bus. There was a nun sitting in the back, and she locked her eyes on me until I got off. I'm pretty sure she was praying under her breath and white-knuckling her crucifix.

Harry's place was locked but I know where he hides the key: a little pewter frog in the front garden. I let myself in and collapsed onto the couch. I hadn't realized how tired I was; I drifted off to sleep. It was three in the afternoon.

Harry woke me by bursting through the front door at one in the morning: wearing a new suit, singing, with a girl on his arm. "Bobby! What are you doing here? Hey, meet Angelica. Angelica: this is my twin brother Bobby."

"You," I said, as soon as I understood the situation, "are an asshole. Not you, Angelica; Him. Will you excuse us?"

"Sure." She teetered on drunken high heels back towards the bedroom.

"Okay. Why am I an asshole?" Harry was laughing. I wanted to punch him but I didn't have the energy.

"You sold your soul. For money? The girl?" As I spoke he started looking confused, guilty. "It doesn't matter. They came to collect. Only they took mine by mistake, Harry."

"They shouldn't have done that…"

"You shouldn't have done it, Harry. Do you know what this feels like? And then Hell, eventually? What were you thinking?"

"I'll fix it."

"They'd just take yours, Harry. What would I tell Mom?"

"I'll fix it."

"Don't do anything." Mama Rayes would fix it.