FLASH FICTION #1
“You have, one life, remaining-maining-ing,” an artificial voice says in the hollow darkness.
I draw in an unsatisfactory breath but have no time for a deeper one.
“Ready . . .”
I’m not.
“Set . . .”
Even if I was, it wouldn’t matter.
“Go!”
Fuck.
The darkness shifts and brightens. At the other side of the hazy whiteness, the words “The End” dance in the air.
My lip curls, my jaw tightens, but I charge straight for it. I duck as the first roar erupts from my right and the invisible creature crashes several feet to my left.
Forgetting where the other comes from, I hesitate, flattened on the ground for a moment too long. Something digs into my ankles and pulls.
Yelping, I flail as The End starts zooming away from me. But I can’t fight what I can’t see.
The white flashes red. “You have, one life, re-maining.” It flashes again. “You have, critical, damage.”
“No, fucking, SHIT,” I roar as I tear my bloody leg free of the invisible jaws. “ARGH!” I kick the creature in what I assume is its face before I scramble to my feet. Breathless, I stagger towards The End.
The demons behind me covered in my blood now tear themselves apart. I look down at the crunch of glass, then back up to the shiny letters.
“Game. Over,” the unnatural voice chirps.
The glass letters explode and I raise my arms in an attempt to shield myself.
Blackness.
I blink once, twice, but the darkness persists. A heartbeat later, the distorted voice echoes through the empty once again.
“You have, one life, remaining-maining-ing.”