Kestrel
I tensed as the door opened, waving at the silent kid to get down. I picked up the rifle and eased my way to the right, so as to have a clear field of fire if necessary. I felt my pulse quicken. There was silence for a few moments. Then-
"Byron!" Came the low hiss.
My heart leaped. "Pope!" I called back softly. In response, a gloved hand reached out, clicked the trapcatch, and then withdrew. Then Max stepped through the door. As usual, she looked unintentionally beautiful; her red hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and her features were accented by the tension in her eyes. I hadn't expected her; the Ox and I had planned this as a two-man operation. For a moment, I let myself pretend that she had wanted to see me again. I moved back to the bench and sat down.
The Ox came through behind her, adjusting his glasses. He looked at the children, then swung his gaze on me. "And 112?" he said, raising his eyebrows. I pointed to where the girl huddled in the corner, muttering in her sleep. "Ah", he said, and then walked over and squatted in front of her.
Max, meanwhile walked to me. "You made it out safely," she said. It was a statement of fact. I nodded. She sighed and sat down on the bench next to me. "Eastbridge is lost. There's no word from Oak or the Harpy. The Butcher made it out, I'm sure-- we had radio contact with him for a few moments before he went into the subways-- but who knows what he'll do." I nodded again. She looked very, very tired. "How long have you been up?" I asked; then, before she answered, I handed her a bottle of water. "Get some sleep. The Ox wants to take a look at her-" here I gestured towards 112- "and we can't risk moving for another three hours anyway. I'll stay on guard." At that moment, the silent kid, who had been still up to then, walked over and handed me his notebook.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Freegans part 33
Ben
Kestrel led us into a small alcove, and tapped part of the wall. To my surprise, it slid away, revealing a hidden cavern! He brought us inside, and tapped the wall again, closing it. Lucy gratefully sank to the floor in exhaustion. Kestrel said, "We'll wait here until reinforcements arrive."
"Reinforcements?" asked Cara. "There are more of you?"
"Of course," Kestrel said with a smile. "You didn't think I was the only Resistance member, did you?"
"Well, no," she admitted. I noticed that Madiza was sitting on the ground too. She had her chalk out, and was writing again. This time it caught me by surprise. She was writing over and over the number 112. Kestrel had noticed it too. His eyes widened.
"112?" asked Matt, staring at it. He looked up at the Kestrel. "Does this mean anything to you?"
"Maybe. But I can't explain right now. Later."
There was an old paraffin stove and some provisions in the cavern, and the Kestrel soon had things rather nice and cozy. He produced some sleeping bags when we were done eating, and Lucy (of course) was the first to crawl into one and fall asleep. Matt and Cara soon followed, and I didn't keep my eyes open for much longer. The sleeping bag was wonderfully comfortable, much better than the old pile of rags I'd slept on for the past five years. Madiza was now drawing cross sections of several different eyes, and I left her to it.
I woke abruptly, after what seemed not a long enough amount of sleep. The Kestrel was still keeping watch, and Cara and the others were still asleep. I realized what had woken me. Madiza had dozed off some time previously, and was now tossing and moaning.
"No...no...no, you can't have it! No! Go away! It's mine! My preciousssss!" The last word came out in a loud hiss. She snapped awake, eyes wide. Her eyes darted this way and that before she suddenly realized, "Oh. It was a dream." Then she lay down and went back to sleep. Kestrel raised his eyebrows at me. I shrugged; things like that had happened so many times that I was used to it. Kestrel asked, "Does she always do things like that?"
I nodded. He then asked, "Do you know why she can do that?" He indicated the chalk drawings. I got out my notepad and wrote, 'It's because of the experiments the government did on her, right?'
He replied enigmatically, "Basically, yes." I was about to ask on paper what he meant, but suddenly the door to the cavern began to open!
Kestrel led us into a small alcove, and tapped part of the wall. To my surprise, it slid away, revealing a hidden cavern! He brought us inside, and tapped the wall again, closing it. Lucy gratefully sank to the floor in exhaustion. Kestrel said, "We'll wait here until reinforcements arrive."
"Reinforcements?" asked Cara. "There are more of you?"
"Of course," Kestrel said with a smile. "You didn't think I was the only Resistance member, did you?"
"Well, no," she admitted. I noticed that Madiza was sitting on the ground too. She had her chalk out, and was writing again. This time it caught me by surprise. She was writing over and over the number 112. Kestrel had noticed it too. His eyes widened.
"112?" asked Matt, staring at it. He looked up at the Kestrel. "Does this mean anything to you?"
"Maybe. But I can't explain right now. Later."
There was an old paraffin stove and some provisions in the cavern, and the Kestrel soon had things rather nice and cozy. He produced some sleeping bags when we were done eating, and Lucy (of course) was the first to crawl into one and fall asleep. Matt and Cara soon followed, and I didn't keep my eyes open for much longer. The sleeping bag was wonderfully comfortable, much better than the old pile of rags I'd slept on for the past five years. Madiza was now drawing cross sections of several different eyes, and I left her to it.
I woke abruptly, after what seemed not a long enough amount of sleep. The Kestrel was still keeping watch, and Cara and the others were still asleep. I realized what had woken me. Madiza had dozed off some time previously, and was now tossing and moaning.
"No...no...no, you can't have it! No! Go away! It's mine! My preciousssss!" The last word came out in a loud hiss. She snapped awake, eyes wide. Her eyes darted this way and that before she suddenly realized, "Oh. It was a dream." Then she lay down and went back to sleep. Kestrel raised his eyebrows at me. I shrugged; things like that had happened so many times that I was used to it. Kestrel asked, "Does she always do things like that?"
I nodded. He then asked, "Do you know why she can do that?" He indicated the chalk drawings. I got out my notepad and wrote, 'It's because of the experiments the government did on her, right?'
He replied enigmatically, "Basically, yes." I was about to ask on paper what he meant, but suddenly the door to the cavern began to open!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
My Abduction
Last night I was abducted by aliens. As I recall, I had been in bed, fast asleep, when suddenly I woke up, for no good reason that I could figure out. It was dark in my room, with only the faintest light from the cracks in the window blinds. Then I realized that my closet door was glowing and shivering slightly. I thought at first that the monsters inside were breaking their oath, and were about to come and dispatch me (it's a longer story than this one), so I was shaking in my socks. To my surprise, the door flung itself open, and out came a spaceship!
It was a lot smaller than I had expected: only about the size and shape of a really big beach ball. Then I realized that it must be a pod, and that the spaceship must be outside, perhaps hovering above the house! I broke out in a faint cold sweat. The pod cracked open in the middle, and an alien popped out. It was rather small and thin, with glowing, bulgy blue eyes, webbed hands and feet, and ears that looked a lot like a bat's. Those were the most obvious details. When the alien saw me, it pulled out a tiny gun and zapped me with it. The next thing I knew, I was completely paralyzed, and lifted into the air. The pod with the alien still inside floated back towards the closet, with me floating behind, unable to move an inch, except perhaps my heart and lungs, which were doing calisthenics in my chest.
We went into the closet, and as soon as the door closed behind me, a blaze of color swam before my eyes, mixed with sight and sound. I half wondered if I had stumbled into the Twilight Zone. Suddenly, we were on the inside of what couldn't be anything but a spaceship. There were hundreds more of the aliens bustling about, obviously hard at work. The corridor we were in faintly reminded me of the ones aboard the starship Enterprise. My alien guide got out of his pod, which floated away. He then made a pulling motion with the stun gun, and I floated after him into a room. Inside were a dozen of the creatures, all of whom were seated around a table, talking and munching snacks. My heart started beating faster, if possible, when I saw the quantity of surgical instruments at one corner of the table. The alien at the head of the table asked, "Is this the one, Leroy?"
"Yes, sir!" said my capturer, saluting.
"Good. Put her on the table. And turn that thing off; we want her to be able to answer our questions."
Leroy did so, and I instantly found that I could move again. My first action was to pinch myself to make sure I was awake, even though I knew I was, since I had never had a dream this real before, and I wouldn't have remembered to pinch myself in a dream.
I looked at the aliens. They stared back. Some of them were glaring at me. Suddenly, the one at the head of the table, obviously the captain, demanded, "Why haven't you written more of your story on your blog?!" It was as if he'd pressed a button that set the other aliens off.
"We've been waiting to find out what happens next!"
"I want to know if the Kestrel gets the children to safety!"
"Me too! How do they get away?!"
"Stop holding out on us!"
"Please! Please!" I begged. "It's my ghost writer's fault! He's supposed to ghost the next chapter, and he's been too busy to do it!"
"Excuses, excuses," muttered one of the aliens. "I say we just dissect her now."
"No!" snapped one of the others. "She can't write if she's dissected!" That started a new flood of shouting and arguing, and even a short fistfight, until the head of the alien council jumped onto the table and yelled for order.
"Alright!" he said, "You have all made your points clear! Fisher, Jenkins, that's enough! (Two of the guard aliens pulled the combatants apart) Now, I will give you my decision. Because she has a legitimate excuse for not writing more on her blog story about the Freegans, I will postpone this girl's dissection for a couple of weeks. However, if by that time she has not written anymore, well then-" he picked up a scalpel and turned it so that it caught the light. I hadn't known that knives could glint evilly before. It made the hair on my neck stand on end.
"Do you understand?" the captain asked, staring at me with his bulgy eyes.
"Y-yes, sir," I squeaked out, my voice several octaves higher than usual.
"Good," he said, "It is done."
After that, they took me back home, relatively unharmed, unless sheer terror and fear of the inevitable counts as being harmed. I just wanted to say, except if my ghost writer finds time to write the next chapter, that it's been nice knowing you.
It was a lot smaller than I had expected: only about the size and shape of a really big beach ball. Then I realized that it must be a pod, and that the spaceship must be outside, perhaps hovering above the house! I broke out in a faint cold sweat. The pod cracked open in the middle, and an alien popped out. It was rather small and thin, with glowing, bulgy blue eyes, webbed hands and feet, and ears that looked a lot like a bat's. Those were the most obvious details. When the alien saw me, it pulled out a tiny gun and zapped me with it. The next thing I knew, I was completely paralyzed, and lifted into the air. The pod with the alien still inside floated back towards the closet, with me floating behind, unable to move an inch, except perhaps my heart and lungs, which were doing calisthenics in my chest.
We went into the closet, and as soon as the door closed behind me, a blaze of color swam before my eyes, mixed with sight and sound. I half wondered if I had stumbled into the Twilight Zone. Suddenly, we were on the inside of what couldn't be anything but a spaceship. There were hundreds more of the aliens bustling about, obviously hard at work. The corridor we were in faintly reminded me of the ones aboard the starship Enterprise. My alien guide got out of his pod, which floated away. He then made a pulling motion with the stun gun, and I floated after him into a room. Inside were a dozen of the creatures, all of whom were seated around a table, talking and munching snacks. My heart started beating faster, if possible, when I saw the quantity of surgical instruments at one corner of the table. The alien at the head of the table asked, "Is this the one, Leroy?"
"Yes, sir!" said my capturer, saluting.
"Good. Put her on the table. And turn that thing off; we want her to be able to answer our questions."
Leroy did so, and I instantly found that I could move again. My first action was to pinch myself to make sure I was awake, even though I knew I was, since I had never had a dream this real before, and I wouldn't have remembered to pinch myself in a dream.
I looked at the aliens. They stared back. Some of them were glaring at me. Suddenly, the one at the head of the table, obviously the captain, demanded, "Why haven't you written more of your story on your blog?!" It was as if he'd pressed a button that set the other aliens off.
"We've been waiting to find out what happens next!"
"I want to know if the Kestrel gets the children to safety!"
"Me too! How do they get away?!"
"Stop holding out on us!"
"Please! Please!" I begged. "It's my ghost writer's fault! He's supposed to ghost the next chapter, and he's been too busy to do it!"
"Excuses, excuses," muttered one of the aliens. "I say we just dissect her now."
"No!" snapped one of the others. "She can't write if she's dissected!" That started a new flood of shouting and arguing, and even a short fistfight, until the head of the alien council jumped onto the table and yelled for order.
"Alright!" he said, "You have all made your points clear! Fisher, Jenkins, that's enough! (Two of the guard aliens pulled the combatants apart) Now, I will give you my decision. Because she has a legitimate excuse for not writing more on her blog story about the Freegans, I will postpone this girl's dissection for a couple of weeks. However, if by that time she has not written anymore, well then-" he picked up a scalpel and turned it so that it caught the light. I hadn't known that knives could glint evilly before. It made the hair on my neck stand on end.
"Do you understand?" the captain asked, staring at me with his bulgy eyes.
"Y-yes, sir," I squeaked out, my voice several octaves higher than usual.
"Good," he said, "It is done."
After that, they took me back home, relatively unharmed, unless sheer terror and fear of the inevitable counts as being harmed. I just wanted to say, except if my ghost writer finds time to write the next chapter, that it's been nice knowing you.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Help
Does anybody know how to delete posts? I wrote one earlier, and realized there was some stuff in it that others might object to, but I couldn't figure out how to delete it, so I just deleted all of the content. But now it's going to be annoying me for the rest of my life, unless I can get rid of it.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Freegans part 32
Madiza
Mustn't think about it, no, don't think of it, don't want to remember. Not worth the pain, not worth it at all.
In the leafy tree-tops the birds sing good morning! Where did that come from? Don't really remember tree-tops. Or birds. Haven't seen them in so long. Wonder what they look like. Maybe ask Cara-cara orange. Do you think the bird man's friends will be okay?
He's nice! He wouldn't be with bad people, would he?
Can't be too sure. Have to keep an eye on him.
Well, we'll see, won't we?
We already can see.
I mean, we'll find out.
Oh. Yeah. Right.
Mustn't think about it, no, don't think of it, don't want to remember. Not worth the pain, not worth it at all.
In the leafy tree-tops the birds sing good morning! Where did that come from? Don't really remember tree-tops. Or birds. Haven't seen them in so long. Wonder what they look like. Maybe ask Cara-cara orange. Do you think the bird man's friends will be okay?
He's nice! He wouldn't be with bad people, would he?
Can't be too sure. Have to keep an eye on him.
Well, we'll see, won't we?
We already can see.
I mean, we'll find out.
Oh. Yeah. Right.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Gettysburg
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's got Jeff Daniels, Martin Sheen, and a few other people whose names I don't remember. Regardless, it's about one of the most important times in the Civil War, and I love it. The music and the acting are both incredible.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Having a Party
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