Yup, it’s flash fiction time again!
As always, this is based around Laurence Simon’s weekly challenge for the 100 word-stories podcast. It’s a great exercise for writers – writing a good drabble is a lot harder than it appears, but is still a "small" task so you can get around that idea of it being too much work. And then you get a random (and often bizarre) writing prompt to shoehorn you out of writer’s block! Go read the rules for the Weekly Challenge and participate! Heck, Chris the Nuclear Kid does when he remembers to (and I can drag him away from video games)!
The player below should have the audio for this week; if it doesn’t, you can find the audio here to download. You can also read and hear the rest of the entries at the 100 Word Stories podcast site!
I am now – when I remember to do so – updating these in a podcast feed (dubbed "Radio Free Steven the Nuclear Man" by Laurence). You can subscribe with this link (https://bit.ly/stevereads) in your podcatcher or phone, or swing by https://bit.ly/stevesdrabbles.
Conversation dropped to pure meaning when shit hit the fan.
Marc’s voice, terse, fast. “Four, suppression right, third advance overwatch.” Squad leaders were moving as he spoke, diagrams and instructions morphed into movement.
Susan loved it; loved ripping the bullshit social niceties away to raw information and meaning. She hefted her rifle and sprinted. A sprinkle of bullets at first, then a shower, then a zinging ricochet storm. Marc hit the dirt next to her, panting. Cooper fell past him, unbreathing.
Lead mosquitoes zipped between them.
Susan looked at Marc. “Love you,” she said.
It meant more than any poem.