flash fiction #29

I'm not 100% pleased with this one but I'm just too tired to fight with it any more tonight. I'll go back and edit it another time. Also LJ is being an ass about posting AGAIN tonight so I'm putting it here for the time being. Will move it to LJ when they finally get their shit straight.

Title: Flash Fiction #29
Fandom: The Walking Dead
Word Count: 1442
Characters: Bicycle Girl, Milo
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I don’t own Bicycle Girl (so named Teri by some guy we met in Omaha – I STILL can’t remember his name!) or Milo or any other characters associated with The Walking Dead. This is unbeta’d and unedited – all errors are my own (and I’m sure there are quite a few). If you see anything that needs correction, please let me know! Concrit is always welcome!

***

 “Cheers!”

The loud voices and raucous laughter of the others at her table broke into Teri’s thoughts. Tonight was Milo’s last night in town for a while; he was leaving in the morning for a month-long contract with one of Atlanta’s top graphics agencies. Teri was proud of Milo, and she appreciated the gesture from their friends; Milo was having a great time at his going away party. Teri didn’t want to bring him down but she’d really rather just go home and enjoy the rest of their night together alone.

“Don’t you think, Teri?”

She reluctantly brought her attention back to the group at Milo’s question. She smiled and said, “I’m sorry, you caught me daydreaming.”

Milo grinned and squeezed her hand. “I was just saying that it’s time for us to head back to the apartment. I don’t want to cut the party short but my flight leaves at six AM so we should get some sleep.”

Teri nodded and gave Milo a grateful smile. He just seemed to get her, almost like he could read her mind. Their friends protested and tried to convince them to stay “for just a little longer” so it was nearly midnight by the time they were able to make their escape anyway. Teri leaned back in her seat on the way home, cradling her wrist against her stomach. Milo glanced over, concerned, as he said, “Still hurting, babe?”

She nodded and rubbed her wrist. “Yeah, it hurts a lot worse than I expected. That’s one of the hazards of working in a daycare – sometimes they bite.” She grinned and reached out for Milo’s hand. “I doused it with alcohol and bandaged it; it should be ok soon. He really got me though, drew blood and everything.” Her expression grew wistful. “I really wish you weren’t leaving tomorrow. I know it’s a great opportunity for you but I’m really going to miss you.” Milo smiled and held her hand to his lips, kissing her wrist, as they pulled into the driveway. “I’ll miss you too but the month will fly by. You’ll see. And it’s a great opportunity for us, not just me.”

As they walked up the stairs to their front door, Teri smiled at the way her life was turning out. She had a great job that she loved, and Milo was turning out to be more than she’d ever imagined. Sometimes, though she rarely admitted it even to herself, she thought that he might be “the one.” She threw her jacket over the back of the couch and turned to Milo, gripping the lapels of his shirt in her hands. “So, we’re home now. I think you should take me to bed and show me just how much you’re going to miss me, don’t you think?”

Milo laughed and scooped her up in his arms. “I think we’d better get started then.” He carried her into the bedroom and kicked the door shut behind them.

The next morning, Teri woke up to find a note on the pillow next to her. She rubbed her eyes and propped herself up on her elbow to read it. “You were so tired and sleeping so peacefully, I didn’t have the heart to wake you. I caught a ride to the airport with Mark. I’ll call you as soon as I land and get settled in Atlanta. I can’t wait to talk to you! I miss you already. All my love, Milo”

Teri smiled and snuggled back into the pillows, holding the note against her chest. She knew she should get out of bed and do something productive with her day. She just felt so wretched, she couldn’t quite manage it. She was burning up and she ached all over, especially her wrist. She decided to go back to sleep and hope she felt better when she woke.

Teri slept for six straight hours. She was so out of it that she didn’t even hear the phone ring when Milo called to check in. When she finally did wake up, she felt worse than she had before. Her fever was worse and her skin felt clammy to the touch. “Maybe I’ve picked up a touch of the flu or something,” she thought. She dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. “I just need to go get some medicine. I’ll be ok if I can just get something to fight this off.”

She threw on some clothes and pulled her hair back in a ponytail; she knew she looked like a drowned rat but she just didn’t care. She grabbed her credit card and stuffed it into her back pocket. She figured that she’d only be gone a few minutes; nothing ever happened in Cynthiana so she felt safe enough to not worry about taking her ID or cell phone.

She drove a little faster than she probably should on the way to the pharmacy; she just wanted to get back home, take her medicine, and crawl back under the covers. She wasn’t quite halfway to town when she fell asleep at the wheel. Her car swerved across the road and rolled down an embankment, finally ending up on its side against a tree. Teri was knocked unconscious as the car flipped; mercifully for her, she never felt the pain of her legs being crushed as the front end of the car crumpled. A spark from the car ignited the ruined gas tank, engulfing the car in flames. The fire department responded within minutes, but it was too late for Teri.

***

“Hey Doc! Got one for you!” Greg Stevens, a paramedic with the Cynthiana Rescue Squad, rolled the gurney through the swinging doors that led to the morgue. “Single car accident victim, trapped when the dash crumpled. The car caught fire too so the damage… well, it’s pretty bad. I hope she was out when it happened. If not, she suffered a lot.” Greg handed the file to Dr. Ryan and set the wheel brakes on the gurney. “No ID on her but the car was registered to a Teri Watkins. I’m assuming this is Teri but you’ll have to make the final match on that.”

Dr. Ryan nodded as he looked the chart over. “I’ll have to do a tox screen as well. Thanks for bringing her in, Greg. I’d better get started. Help me move her over to the table and then you can go. I’ll be here late, I’m sure.” Working together, Dr. Ryan and Greg moved Teri’s body to the examining table, placing her legs as they would ordinarily be. As Greg left the morgue, Dr. Ryan pulled the sheet back to assess the damage. He sighed and shook his head as he spoke into the recorder. “Dr. George Ryan, 6:45 PM on Friday, July 29. Single car accident victim, female, age undetermined, ID as yet undetermined. Will obtain dental records to match against ID from vehicle registration. Victim lost a great deal of tissue when the vehicle caught fire. Also it should be noted that the victim’s lower extremities are both removed at the knee. Per report from the paramedic on scene, the victim’s legs were most likely crushed and separated from the impact of the crash. Lower extremities were recovered from the scene and transported with the victim to the morgue.”

Dr. Ryan turned away to begin gathering the tools he would need to perform the autopsy on Teri’s body. He heard a low growling sound coming from somewhere in the morgue. He knew he was alone and assumed that Greg was probably playing a trick on him. “Greg, if that’s you, that stopped being funny in the fifth grade. Knock it off!”

Dr. Ryan turned back to the table and was shocked to see that Teri’s eyes were open, bloodshot and unfocused. The growling sound seemed to be coming from her. “What the…?” He stumbled back from her as she reached her hand out to him. Barely able to believe his eyes, Dr. Ryan turned and fled from the morgue as fast as he could run. The force of him hitting the doors caused their locking mechanism to take hold, catching the doors in an open position.

Teri was barely able to move but, somehow, she managed to crawl off the table. From beyond the doors, she could hear sounds coming from the hallway; people running, screaming. She began to pull herself out of the room, her movements slow and awkward as she pulled herself along with her arms, what remained of her legs trailing behind her.

She was ravenous; beyond the doorway, there was food.

flash fiction #27

I'll put this here until LJ gets it's shit straight.

Title: Flash Fiction #27
Fandom: The Walking Dead
Word Count: 616
Characters: Sophia
Warnings: None
Author’s Note: This is set before the CDC went boom. I thought that a girl Sophia’s age would be into keeping a diary if she could – I kept a diary when I was her age. And it would be something special for her since no one would know about it. Plus I hadn’t written about Sophia yet and I’m trying to get everybody in before my clock runs down.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Sophia or any of the other characters associated with The Walking Dead, sadly. I just like to take them out and play with them from time to time. This is unbeta’d and unedited – all errors are mine. If you see anything that needs correction, please let me know! Concrit is always welcome!

***

Dear Diary,

Mom doesn’t know I’m writing this. I found it on the bookshelf in the library here. I guess someone put this notebook on the shelf by mistake. I’m glad I picked it up to look at it – I need someone to talk to besides Carl and my Mom.

It’s been a hard week for us all. There have been some good things though. Carl’s dad found the camp! It was really weird cause we all thought he was dead. Shane said so. He met up with Glenn and the others when they went into the city for supplies and came back with them. Carl is so happy! His mom seems happy too but something is wrong with her. I don’t know what but Carl says that Shane is making her sad. I don’t see why – I like Shane. He was always nice to me and my mom.

That’s another thing that happened. I found out about it later – I overheard Andrea and Amy talking about it. My mom was down by the quarry with some of the others, washing clothes, and my dad got mad and hit her. Shane hit him back, a lot. My dad’s face was all bloody and bruised – he couldn’t even see. He wanted us to stay with him that night but the others were having a party and Mom wanted me and her to go.

It’s a good thing we did. Some of those things, the walkers, came to the camp. They attacked my dad and killed him. They killed a lot of others too – I miss Amy the most. I feel like I should be sad about my dad and I am, a little. But mostly, I’m just glad that no one is mean to my mom anymore. I hated to hear her cry.

Carl’s dad, Sheriff Rick, said that we had to leave the camp, go to the CDC. Mom told me that that’s where they cure diseases like smallpox and stuff like that. Anyway, Shane said that we had to go to Fort Benning instead. Shane and Rick sorta got real mad at each other for a little bit but then we ended up going to the CDC anyway. That’s where I am now.

My friend Carla and her family didn’t come with us though. Her dad said they had family in Alabama, I think. They were going to go there instead. I miss her a whole lot. She gave me her dolly before she left – I cried all the way to the CDC. I sleep with the doll every night and take it everywhere with me. Carl laughs at me but what does he know? He’s a boy.

When we got here, we were almost attacked by more walkers before we could get inside. The doors were locked and everyone was yelling at everyone else. It was really scary. The doors finally opened and this guy, Dr. Jenner, let us in. We all had to give him some blood – he said it was the price of admission. It didn’t hurt too bad. At least he fed us when we were done.

And we all got to take hot showers! This place is great! There’s a game room for me and Carl, but we can’t turn on any of the games. There are a lot of books too. That makes mom really happy. She told me that she thinks we can stay here and be safe for a long time. I sure hope so. I’m really tired of living in the woods and being scared all the time. Being locked in here, it feels safe.

Uh oh, Mom’s coming. Gotta go. This’ll just be my secret.

Book Review

Demons are Forever: Confessions of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Book 3)
by Julie Kenner
Jove
2008

What do you do when your daughter has learned your secret and wants to grow up to be just like you? Not so bad if your secret is that you are Batman's tailor. It’s very bad if you are in the dangerous biz of hunting demons. Kate Connor, a Level Four Demon Hunter, is right in the middle of this nightmare. Thanks to a couple of human pets kidnapping her daughter Allie and Kate's daring rescue plan, Allie now knows that Kate isn't your typical soccer mom. Of course, since Allie is a teenager, being forbidden to do something means that that's the first thing she's going to do.


It doesn't help that Kate's late husband, Eric, has somehow managed to use dark powers to take over the body of another human. She's so confused - does she stick with her new husband or does she want Eric back enough to rip her new family apart.

This is book is more emotional in a lot of ways, thanks to Allie and Eric. Allie, being an emotional, hormone-driven teenager, provides plenty of angst. She reminds me a lot of Dawn in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series - lots of emo tears and wailing and screaming (probably). That part I didn't care for - I thought she needed a good smack - but at least I didn't have to listen to it. The triangle with Eric, Kate, and Stuart was interestingly played - I honestly wasn't sure which way Kate was going to go. True, she loves Stuart and he doesn't deserve to be hurt like that but when it's your soul mate in the equation, the waters tend to get muddied. I will definitely be looking for the next book in this series - I have to know what happens next!

Book Review

California Demon: Confessions of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Book 2)
by Julie Kenner
Jove
2007

Kate Connor spent the first two decades of her life fighting demons and saving the world from the darkness. All she ever wanted after that was to retire with her husband, Eric, and raise their daughter in peace. So they relocated to San Diablo, California - demon-free thanks to the large Catholic cathedral that is the focal point for the town. Fifteen years later, Eric is gone - murdered in a mugging gone wrong - and Kate is remarried to Stuart. They have a son together and life is slowly coming back together. Or so Kate thinks. Demons come to San Diablo and Kate is once again thrust into the role of Level 4 Demon Hunter. However, she still has to keep up with her role as stay-at-home mom and super-wife to a political candidate. And she's got a new houseguest to keep up with in Eddie, a retired Demon Hunter who knows more than he wants to say.

Kate's daughter, Allie, has started high school and is quickly enveloped in all the extracurricular activities: cheerleading, working with the surf club to put on a fundraiser, and potentially dating. Fantastic! There's a new teacher at the school that seems entirely too familiar to Kate - David Long's mannerisms cut too close to Kate's late husband's for comfort. And Kate's best friend Laura thinks her husband is having an affair. Is David actually Eric? Is Allie dating a demon? Did Timmy just flush the goldfish down the toilet?

Nothing is ever simple in the life of a demon-hunting soccer mom!

Kenner's second installment in the series picks up just a few months after the second book left off. A lot of the characters are back for this second installment and Kenner does a good job reminding us that they've changed due to the events in the first book. One thing that I didn't mention before is that I absolutely love the titles of these books. Carpe Demon, California Demon - clever and catchy. California Demon is a great read that I recommend to any fan of the supernatural!

Book Review

Carpe Demon: Confessions of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (book 1)
by Julie Kenner
Jove
2006

Life may not be completely roses and sunshine for Kate Connor - after all, raising a teenager and a toddler isn't a walk in the park - but at least she hasn't had to slay a demon in years. San Diablo has never been a hotbed of demonic activity. That's what drew Kate and her late husband to the area in the first place - a nice safe place to settle in and raise a family. Until today. On a shopping trip with her children, Kate catches a whiff of demonic bad breath and the next thing she knows, she's got a dead demon in her kitchen, a broken picture window, two kids that can't know anything about what just happened, and a husband who's bringing people over for a "small dinner party" in hopes of garnering support for his bid to be County Attorney.

Peachy.

Now Kate finds herself in a situation she's never been in before - balancing being thrown back into the wonderful world of Hunting with being a stay-at-home mom and superwife to a political candidate. The demon Goramesh has come to town and he wants something. But what? To make matters worse, she's not sure who she can trust - is her husband working with the forces of darkness? What about Cutter, the handsome but nosy martial arts expert who's trying to help her get back into shape? Just like the Transformers, there is more to this little town than meets the eye.

And how on Earth is she supposed to hunt demons with a toddler on her hip?

Kenner's opening book in the Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom series is like what would happen if Buffy grew up, had a family, and had to start slaying again. Being a fan of Buffy, that's what drew me to the series in the first place. Kenner does a wonderful job explaining who her characters are and how they all tie together. As I was reading the story, I was able to get a mental picture of the characters and the setting. In parts, the flow of the story lagged just a bit but Kenner was able to bring it back on track and recapture my interest.

Ahh, that's better!

I went to Water Moves class tonight for the first time since January and man did that feel GREAT!! The water was warm even! Bliss! It felt so good to get back in the water again. For those of you who don't know, I can't swim at all but, with the flotation belt, I'm able to workout in the deep end with the rest of the big kids *grin* I figured it would take me a while to get comfortable with the water again, after having been out of it for so long but it only took about 5 minutes.

It was just me, the instructor, and one other lady tonight but we got a great workout. I must've really needed the endorphin rush cause I've been in a fantastic mood ever since I crawled out of the pool. I cranked the radio up and sang along all the way home.

I stopped at Wendy's to grab a grilled chicken BLT salad since the kids had already been fed and it was so late. Usually, especially in my town, going to Wendy's (or any other fast food) is a frustrating experience. The order is wrong 10 times of 11 - you really have to remember to check every bit of your order before you leave the driveway. Tonight though, I pulled up to the window and the manager was working the window. The little cashier girl took my card and the manager said "Hi! How're you doing?" And she sounded like she actually cared! It kinda took me aback for a moment - you never get that! And, to cap it all, my order was right, right down to the dressing and croutons. Hells yes! I was so pleased and in such a good mood that when I got home, I ate and then I called the store to tell them that they did a great job and I appreciated it. I figure that they hear "You didn't do this or that" often enough but not "hey, y'all did a great job" anywhere near often enough. So I figured why not. And I'm telling you, you hear feel the relief when I told her that I was pleased with my service and was calling to say thanks instead of complain. :o) And that, in turn, made me feel good all over again.

It's the little things, I suppose :o)

Making friends

Isn't it funny how thoughts progress? One minute I'm thinking about reality tv and the next I'm thinking about making friends.

I started out thinking about the Jersey Shore and wondering why that show is so damn popular with some people. I don't get it, which is ok. I don't have to get it. Something about "The Situation" skeeves me though. *shudder* Anyway, the thought-train progressed to American Idol and making friends.

Years ago, I worked as a receptionist at a surgical office and most of the girls in the office LOVED American Idol. So, in an effort to make friends and have something to talk to them about, I started watching the show and tried so hard to give a damn about it.

I've never cared about this show or the people on it because it seems like such a sham. Very few, if any, of the contestants are actual musicians. I'm not saying that they don't have talent - they do. But I just have a hard time giving a damn if they get a recording contract when so many people who have talent don't have a shot because they don't "look good for the tv". But I watched anyway and went to work the following days and tried to make conversation. Unfortunately, with that bunch nothing I did was going to make any difference. We were never going to be friends, no matter what I did! I didn't belong in that office and we didn't get along from day damn one. I still can't figure out why the office manager hired me. I must've been way more qualified than their other applicant.

So my question to you, if anyone is actually out there reading this - what have you done in an attempt to make friends?