The Club

It was a very closely guarded secret, members had to stake their lives on new recruits when they joined.

They met every twenty-three days, at night, in a basement that had been adjusted to host said meetings.

The members, to a man or woman depending on how you counted them, felt their lives were better for the activities involved. It made their lives more vivid, sweeter.

Now, at this point, you probably want to know what, exactly, said activities are. This is a natural reaction to have.

But sorry, I can't tell you. You're not worth risking my life over.

Jumping To Action

I saw him outside the window.

I was on the 37th floor.

By the time i worked out how to open the window latch, he'd already moved to the corner of the building.

I leant out the window, and I realized i wasn't sure what to say. I'd never thought of what to say to someone clearly about to jump.

"Hey man, you wanna talk?"

It would have been a decent opening line, except he said it.

"I'd like that."

He snorted.

"That's the problem, everyone just wants to talk. No action!"

So i got out and dragged him inside.

An Idea

She hugged me.

When i didn't react or move, she slowly broke the hug.

"You don't like hugs?"

"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do."

She looked confused.

"It's pretty simple, you put your arms around the other person and squeeze."

"No, no, I know how to hug people, that's not what I meant. I meant that i have no idea what to do about my troubles."

"Oh. Right. Well, I have an idea about that."

"Really?"

She hugged me again, as I waited for the idea, until i realised that the hug was it.

I hugged back.

Dead Man's Curve

It could have been avoided.

Everyone knew that corner was dangerous, it had the nickname of Dead Man's Curve after all.

It could have been avoided.

The first time a wagon almost went off, they put up a wooden barricade, for all the good it would do.

It could have been avoided.

Successful governments and departments updated the supports after every near miss.

It could have been avoided.

It had the best ones available, strong steel and heavy concrete.

It could have been avoided.

But someone abused and driven to suicide and driving straight off?

It could have been avoided.

Small Act Of Healing

I found her on my doorstep, blood slowly trickling down her forehead, a stone with an obvious sharp point on the sidewalk nearby. Running footsteps in the distance finished the scene.

She looked up at me with a resigned sigh on her lips, and she slowly stood up as if to leave.

I told her to stay put, and fetched my first aid box. It was fairly easy to clean and dress the wound, although she just stared at me as I worked. Once I finished, she smiled for a split-second then walked away.

I hope I healed her, slightly.

Balancing Act

It was a balancing act to get Billy to attempt his. We couldn't just dare him to walk across the cable strung between the school buildings. We had to say that it was impossible, so Billy would declare it was easy. We had to mention how the guy we saw at the circus had a big stick, so Billy said he could do it solo. Someone asked where we could get a net, Billy declared he didn't need one.

All of this was important, so that when the teacher came running, we could truthfully say it was all Billy's idea.

Drowning Personas

The personas knew of each other, just enough to not be confused every time they woke up in control of the body, in a new, unfamiliar location.

But this was different, all of them were awake, sort of, at the same time. After a brief moment of confusion, they all sensed the inability of the body to breathe.

Most felt they were the 'true' or dominant persona, but all of them knew they needed the body to survive. Working together, they managed to get out of the water.

Then fell apart almost instantly arguing about whose fault it had been.

Targeted

He woke me up with a bucket of ice water, a few of them I think, given how soaked the ropes holding me in the chair were.

He then gestured to a corkboard on the wall, upon which was a mass of papers, photos, notes, string, the whole nine yards. I genuinely thought that sort of thing only existed in movies.

He then explained to me, in exacting detail, just how he knew I was behind all his pain and misery, that I was deliberately ruining his life.

He wasn't important enough to target, but I didn't tell him that.

Catch A Light

She lit the match with a shaking hand, needing a few strikes on the box before it caught.

Holding it out in front of her, the sole illumination in the room, the red-tinged light danced across the tears on her face.

She had only to drop it, and it would all end. The trail of fuel would catch, the fire would reach the cans, boom.

All the memories. All the pain. All the hatred. Gone.

She watched as the flame consumed the match, until it began to burn her fingers.

She dropped the match.

Then caught it with her foot.

Attention To Detail

I knew gunshots weren't as quiet as they were on screen, but I was still surprised by the noise. Being in such an enclosed space didn't help, I'm sure.

The blood was a brighter shade of red than I thought would splatter out from the wound. I guess I was so used to dried blood rather than the fresh stuff.

But most of all, I was confused as to just how I was able to focus on so much meaningless detail, rather than the fact I'd just shot myself.

I guess I was trying to ignore it until it ended.

A Second Figure Study

A car sat on the edge of the road. Hood up, steam rising.

A figure stood before it, focused on the exposed engine.

Another car approached, stopping nearby.

After several moments, a second figure emerged from the second car.

As they approached the first car, the second figure pulled an item from somewhere.

And in response, the first figure, by the first car, pulled out a second item.

A stand off occurred for one or two moments.

Arguments were put forward.

Answers refuted.

Figure one's second item was first to be used, on the third figure the second didn't see.

Highway Snobbery

I hadn't seen morning TV in quite a while, I hadn't realised it was so dire. But I left it on while I packed, waiting for the weather report. But then they began to talk about the traffic, and so I called Brian. It went to voicemail.

"Hey baby, I hope you get this before you leave work, you probably want to take the C31 road home. I know you prefer the 8 lane, but there's a massive pileup near the river, we'll miss the plane if you get stuck behind this crash that...

That you're in the middle of..."

The Careful Bureaucrat

The bureaucrat had spent over a decade hearing every single sob story. Every day was another tale of woe and distress. Every day was the same questions, the same dedication to focus on the actually relevant issues at hand, namely the correct forms.

In all that time, there was only one story that really got to him. One person that his heart really went out to. A young woman, within a year of getting married, lost her parents, her husband, her home, her unborn child.

He helped her. And then her case was the one audited.

He's more careful now.

Anyone Helping Someone

She was drawn to him, his hunched over figure outlined against the flickering streetlights bringing her close while driving everyone else away.

"Are you ok?"

He raised his head.

"The hell you care?"

She sat down next to him on the curbside.

"I'm just someone who wants to help, and you look like you need some."

"You must be new around here, if you approach strange men like this. You don't know who I am!"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters! I could be anyone!"

"You're someone. That's enough."

He tried to think, then just collapsed into her arms.

She Fell

She fell out of the plane after the hole got blown in the side of it, I jumped after her.

She was screaming as she fell, I couldn't hear her.

She had managed to hard arch despite her panic, I dove towards her.

She seemed surprised when I caught up to her, I slammed into her.

She clung to me with seemingly inhuman strength, I began tethering her.

She realised what I was doing, I finished securing her.

She tried to communicate something. I pulled the cord.

She screamed again as the chute took and I fell away from her.

Battle Of The Ages

It wasn't a clean, scientific fight, with textbook strikes and dodging. The punches were wild, some landing, some not. Fingers raked at eyes, heels searched for groins, and the two of them spent more time rolling around in the dirt than actually striking each other.

Eventually the two fighters were separated by simultaneous punches staggering them both. They both paused, glaring at each other.

Maybe this was the point they could work this out, stop the battle. But one of them repeated what they said about the other one's mother, so it started back up until the end of recess.

Never Stop Running

"Never stop running."

Her mother's dying words were always the first thing on her mind when she woke, the last thing she thought about before falling asleep.

What she was running from had changed over the years. At first it was the pain of the loss, then the fear of joining her in death.

But there was no shortage of things to run away from, no end to the amount of people wanting to dig their claws into her.

At least, that's what she had to tell herself. Otherwise she might have to look back. And that she couldn't do.

Real To Me

I walked into her office to ask about the TS-799 forms, but froze when I saw her try, in vain, to disguise the fact she had been crying.

"Um, are you ok?"

She smiled weakly.

"Oh, yeah, it's nothing, really..."

I sighed, running a hand through my beard.

"Try me."

She squirmed in her ergonomic chair.

"Well it's just that, I mean, it's silly to get emotional over a TV show."

I shook my head.

"No it's not, fictional characters are just as real as you want them to be. If a wedding or a divorce or whatever has an emotional impact on you, then it's real. Hell, I'm still not completely over when Skuwiff stabbed Princess Sevilla in the back with the Sword Of Chance in Super Bounce Brothers 128!"

She stared at me blankly, then chuckled.

"I have no idea what you just said, but thank you for understanding."

I nodded.

"Of course, you'll have to tell me what the show was, I'll go mad otherwise."

"Oh, well, Ethonia died on Lust For Glory."

I immediately went and hugged her.

Poor girl, she clearly hadn't read the books, else she'd know about the Rise of the Zombie Princess.

21 In A Row

I saw her at the no limit blackjack table, and went into a dead sprint towards her. But then I slowed down as I saw the pile of chips that was pushed towards her. A few people were around her as with a smile she bet it all. She noticed me as she waved to hold on 20, and then tilted her head as the dealer busted out.

"OK, so your stupid idea has worked, that's enough to pay the debt off, let's go."

"One more. I want a holiday. Let it ride!"

Cards were dealt.

"Blackjack!

For the dealer."

The 21 Story

He sat there for a dozen or so hands, just staring at his stack of chips, before finally shoving them all into the betting square, the exact upper limit bet.

He was in the middle seat, so everyone could see him get the ace.

They didn't know his story, but they could sense that this was a moment that would change his life, and there was a silent willing for him to get a face card.

He got a five, but everyone somehow knew he'd draw another one to get 21.

Except the dealer hit blackjack so he lost automatically.