Friday, July 11, 2008

Entry #11

Alone in the Dark
by Mike Martinez


For now, there was only the sound of the bike surging through the night. He had to keep going, head east, outrun the dark, and get to safety. How many hours had he been awake? Who knew any more? He had been awake since Topeka at least. It was days since he last slept well, and even then it was in the shelter of an old steel water tower.

This whole thing seemed more a nightmare than reality. It was late or early if you were precise. But his vision was clouded. His sight became fatigued and blurred the lines. The lines of the dials and the beams of the headlight merged with the lines of the road, and became the cold replay of what he had seen since it began. In real traffic he would be dead by now. Or maybe, undead was a better word.

Every twisting shadow was becoming a danger in his mind. The occasional house with lights blazing, only added to the feeling of being alone. He couldn’t trust they still contained people. It seemed as soon as he let his guard down they were there waiting.
Those dark things that logic said could not exist. They were the stuff of legends and bad movies, and they were here taking control. They were waiting to grab him, eat him, and savor each juicy bit of his brains. This damn bike better not run out of gas.

What the hell was with all the damned Zombie anyway?


[Mike Martinez is a life long Chicago resident. He writes in a number of genres, specializing in dark stories where Chicago is as much a character in the stories as it is a setting. He was most recently published by Killer-Works.com as part of their flash fiction section. Mike is currently the Scheduling Manager and organization Secretary/Treasurer for Twilight Tales, Chicago's longest running readers' and writers' series.]

14 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

I like a good zombie tale.

Pallav said...

what is a contest without a zombie tale! way to go man:)

N

JaneyV said...

Zombies and Bikes - what a magic combination! I love all the different directions this contest is taking! Nice one Mike.

Anonymous said...

This reminds me of my running out of gas on a desolate stretch of road, once. I was afraid of the Zombies too.

BernardL said...

The reserve tank takes on a whole new meaning here. :)

Esther Avila said...

Zombies. Yeah! (gave me goosebumps thinking of that man on that bike out there with all the zombies)
:) nice work.

Sarah Hina said...

Very nightmarish quality to your piece. I liked the blurring of reality, and the waiting menace.

Well told!

My crazy life said...

Good job. I'm always up for a good supernatural story. -Rita

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

Very creepy

AngelConradie said...

i LIKE! i like the genre and your piece feels like much more than 250 words!

Scott said...

I'd sure hate to be that guy!

laughingwolf said...

sssssssssspooky! :)

Aine said...

LOL for bernardl's comment!

The fear that those legends are true surely is heightened in the dark. I hope he makes it!

Anonymous said...

Don't run out of gas, indeed! Good feel to the running in the night. Good pacing.