Bikes

They'd stood for hours along the roadside in the pouring rain waiting to see their idols. There was a blur of colour which they'd have missed had they blinked.
"Was that it?"
"That was it."
It was over until next year.

Running Out

There's not much time, so I'd better tell you where it is. You need to go into that field behind the church and go to the far... Was that another bomb? It's five feet along to the right from the big tree, under... That one was a lot closer. Anyway, walk due south from there and you... Here comes another one. It's about three feet below the surface. That's just the key, though. The box is... Shit it's going to hit u

The Speech

They had gathered to hear him talk, there were thousands of them.
He came out and headed towards the stage. There was some applause, but it was mostly booing and jeering.
He smiled and waved, seemingly unaware of the hostility.
The first object - what looked like a bloated orange - struck him on the cheek and there was a cheer.
The floodgates opened and all manner of items were hurled at him. Within seconds he was buried beneath a pile of rotten fruit, shoes and all manner of debris.
The cheers grew louder.

The Wait

He hated being late as much as he hated standing around and so he'd arrived at the airport three hours early and drank six cups of coffee. He'd smoked almost a full packet of cigarettes too as he paced up and down outside, staring at his watch every two minutes.
Now the flight was delayed and he was hitting the bar. He was on his fourth gin and tonic already.
It wouldn't end well.

Restart

It needed to be done.
His attempt the previous week to begin again hadn't really worked and now enough time - more than enough time - had passed.
He stepped into a world that felt different than it had three weeks ago and resumed his life as best he could.

Paradise

The sea was bright blue and the beach was white. The trees along its edge were as green as you could get. It was totally quiet apart from the occasional tweet of a bird. There wasn't a soul as far as the eye could see.
She was sprawled on a towel smiling to herself at how amazing this place was.
The serenity was shattered as a plane crashed into the water not 50 yards from the shoreline.

Endgame

He'd fooled enough people to get to where he now was. He'd turned people against each other, all for his own gain.
And now he sat smiling as the brink of war was reached. He had the power to stop it if he wanted, but he didn't want that. Instead his finger hovered above a button which would finish everything.
He wouldn't go down in history. There would be no history.

The Day

They'd looked forward to it for ages and had had a near sleepless night in anticipation of the event.
They arrived early, excitement levels through the roof.
Everyone else arrived and there was the kind of squeaky, high-pitched chatter of primary school days.
He appeared and told them it was cancelled.
It had all been for nothing.

Goodbye

They watched as the curtains closed, her favourite song playing.
It's the way she would have wanted it.
They exited and exchanged stories about her before going back to where the world was still turning.

Accidental Diver

Too much to drink, a walk along the river to the next pub to make it too, too much.
A stumble on a protruding tree root.
The drinker went headfirst into the drink.
Nobody saw.

Trust

"When did you see him?"
"Yesterday."
"And he really said that?"
"Yeah, I was shocked."
"I bet. That's quite unexpected."
"I never thought he was the type."
"It goes to show you can't trust anyone."
"You can trust me."
"Me too."
They both knew that they were both lying.

Cancellation

"I want to cancel my subscription."
"Why?"
"What does it matter why? I just want to cancel it."
"I need to put a reason in the system to proceed."
"Fine. I don't like your magazine any more."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"So can I cancel it then?"
"No, I'm afraid not."
"Why?"
"You don't fulfil the criteria."
"Criteria? What criteria? The only one that matters is I don't want to read your bloody magazine ever again."
"Are you still alive?"
"What? Of course I am. How else would I be talking to you?"
"There's no way out."
The line went dead.

Two Words

It happened.

Cold Caller

"Yes?" she said as she opened the door to a stranger.
She was sick of people coming here trying to sell things or preaching religious nonsense.
The gun was thrust in her face almost immediately and she listened.

Timing

The door was locked.
09:28:00.
They didn't open until half past, but everyone inside was ready.
At 09:29:30 a member of staff put the key in the lock and the masses outside stirred.
The clock reached 09:30:00 and the door was opened.
The incoming zombies trampled the worker almost to death.

Bus Trip

He was the only passenger on the double decker bus and he sat upstairs about halfway down the vehicle.
The heating was on full.
"Can you turn it off?" he shouted down to the driver.
"It's broken, just open the windows," came the return shout.
He did that and it became bearable.
Another passenger got on the bus at the next stop and came upstairs. They made the universal sign for it being too cold, hugging themselves and mimicking chattering teeth.
They went and closed all the windows, sealing in the heat and the rising smell of dried piss.

Headphones

The doors opened. Hundreds got off the train and hundreds more got on.
One man wearing headphones was noticed by many. This was because the music he was listening to could be heard by everyone in the carriage. They stared at him, but he was unaware.
The train rumbled along and the man's music seemed to grow louder and louder.
He wore a pained expression on his face and tried to remove the headphones without success.
The music continued to become louder as he collapsed to his knees, clutching the headphones that couldn't be taken off.

Fridge

There was no milk left.
What to do?
Going to the shop was the sensible option, but he didn't have time. He would need to find an alternative liquid to have on his cornflakes.
The only thing in the fridge was a can of lager. He grabbed it, opened it and poured it into his cereal bowl.

Diary

The page in her diary told her there was nothing happening today. Why then did she have the feeling that she'd forgotten something?
Somewhere far away someone sat and waited, disappointed.

Have You Never Been Mellow?

He rolled the first joint of the evening. It was a fat offering with more herb than tobacco. He needed it after the day he'd had.
He licked the edge of the papers and rolled it into a form resembling the bag from an old upright Hoover before lighting it.
He took a massive toke and allowed the smoke to sit in his lungs for a good twenty seconds before exhaling.
He could feel himself relaxing with each draw he took. He grinned to himself.
Before he had finished the spliff he was asleep.
It burned his fingers without waking him.
It fell from his hand and scorched his jumper without waking him.
It rolled down the side of the cushion of his chair and the cheaply-made furniture caught fire almost immediately.
Nothing woke him.

Denial

"No."
"Is that all you have to say?"
"No."
"What else?"
Silence.


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