Hook Up

“Come on, hook a brother up!”

“I… I don’t think I should.”

There was a slightly exasperated sigh.

“Look, when I got you in, I told you this wasn’t all handshakes and networking. I said, didn’t I, that you’d have to turn a blind eye on occasion?”

“You… You did say that…”

“Well, clearly you’ll need to do more than turn a blind eye here, but come on, just do it, ok?”

“But, they-“

“Hook a brother up.”

With a heavy sigh and heavier heart, he grabbed one of the tied up black men and impaled him on a hook.

Around The Neighbourhood

“You’ll never take me alive, you bastards!” could just be heard over the sound of gunfire.

“Wasn’t our intent!” I replied.

After a few more bullets flew through the air, the target called out again.

“Aren’t you supposed to want me alive?”

We stopped firing as well, but kept our eyes open for attempts to surprise us.

“We’re not the police, Barrios just told us to-“

“I’m Barrios!”

I looked at my partner.

“Prove it.”

After a moment, he raised his head slightly from behind the bar.

I fired. Took off the top of his head.

Luckily he was lying.

Broke Through

I think the best moment was when I got to stare into the craven eyes of their ‘emperor’ as my sword plunged into his generous stomach.

I knew the day was won, so I began to explore the throne room for anything interesting.

Eventually, I found the door. Inside the room were two young girls, wearing only collars attached to chains, lying on large beds.

I strode over and broke the chains quickly, telling them in their language that they were free.

I think the worst moment was when I stared at their pathetic, desperate attempts to reassemble the chains…

Aesop 2.0: 15. The Selfish Shellfish

There was a shrimp that was very selfish. Whenever it found a new rock to hunt under, a plant to feed upon, it would try and keep it to itself, and not let any of the other underwater animals know about it. It wanted to keep its finds to itself. The other creatures of the sea noticed this, and thus, when large cages began to take away some creatures, no-one warned the shrimp, and it ended up being caught by a fisherman, who enjoyed his good fortune.

“Share good finds with others so that they share their finds with you.”

Last Defiance

The Abyss stared at him. And he stared right back.

There didn’t seem much else left to do. He knew that everyone he’d ever known was gone, that his home town, state, country, world was swallowed by this never ending darkness. But he only truly cared that it had taken his wife. He knew that was selfish, but he couldn’t help it.

So, as The Abyss hung there, creeping ever closer, he took one deep breath and spat right at it.

Didn’t do a damn thing, but it helped calm him a little before he ceased to have ever existed.

Damn Dirty Bullets

It was eighteen hours after society had collapsed.

I was running from a mob. I managed to climb up a fire escape and pull it up behind me, but it was only going to buy me a few minutes. I climbed into the apartment and there he was.

I probably would have been star struck, and told him who he was and how I’d seen him on TV, but he was dead so I didn’t. Instead, I chuckled as I began to take his gun from his cold, dead hands.

Shame rigor mortis still held him, might have survived otherwise.

Miss Green’s Power

Miss Green was very exacting. She knew that she was a catch, that being seen to be going out with her made you popular with all the inner city, trendy people. Getting the Green seal of approval, so to speak, that was worth something.

So she didn’t go out with just anyone. She examined every potential suitor carefully, and she if found a flaw, if there was something about them she didn’t like, away they would be sent.

She only wanted the best. But pretty soon, people stopped trying to go out with her.

Clearly everyone else’s fault, she thought.