Going Out

The anticipation had been high and now, three drinks in, the novelty was wearing off.
Forty hours of work waiting for this moment and it was such an anticlimax. The people, the pub, the whole damned experience. She realised she didn't like any of it. It was mostly her workmates though; they were insufferable in the office and now she had actively chosen to spend her free time with them.
She finished her drink and went home, where the wine was better and the company of her cats was preferable to these loud-mouthed Neanderthals.

Working Hard

She sat in the corner reading a book. The computer screen hid her activities and anyone who walked into the room would have no idea what she was doing.
This was how most days were. There wasn't enough work to go around for the seven of them and so time was filled in ingenious ways. By skiving, mostly.
Their clueless boss walked in.
"How's it going?"
"We'll probably make our target this week," said the book-reader.
The boss gave a thumbs up and left.
Seven raised middle fingers behind his back summed up workplace morale.

Memory

"Where am I?"
He was lying in a field, that much he knew, but as to where the field was he had no idea.
His head pounded and his throat was dry. It felt as if he'd been drinking heavily the previous night, but he didn't drink anymore. Or did he? He wasn't sure.
He tried to stand up, but he was too dizzy.
A man in a robe walked towards him. He looked familiar somehow.

Classroom

He sneaked in and sat at the back. Nobody would notice he was late.
"Good of you to join us, Kendall," the teacher's voice boomed.
How did he know? The door had been open and he'd tiptoed in. The teacher's back was turned and he was busy writing something unintelligible on the blackboard.
"I know, Kendall, because I know everything."
What?
"You heard me Kendall."
Fucking hell!
"I will not tolerate that kind of language."
The teacher span around and launched the piece of chalk he had in his hand at Kendall, hitting him squarely in the middle of the forehead.

Clickbait

It was just an ordinary day.
The couple walked along the street holding hands. They were on their way to eat brunch at that new place they'd heard about.
What happened next will shock you.

Coffee

First cup of the day.
It made him feel human again, or at least that's what they said.
He laughed as he caught the reflection of his green, scaly skin in the chrome of the taps.

Hole in One

He was playing the round of his life. Who cared if it was raining?
It wasn't just raining, it was persistently pissing it down. He sank the easy putt and reached into the hole for his ball.
He was soaked to the skin, but with one hole to go he was five under par and knew he was going to do it.
Thunder rumbled as he made his way to the 18th.
He was going to get a standing ovation in the clubhouse for this.
As he swung to tee off lightning had other ideas for him.

The Pier

The boy loved coming to the seaside. He stood in the arcade on the pier feeding coins into various machines which were designed to take all your money with no reward.
He was engrossed and unaware of people running out screaming.
As the tsunami tore the pier apart he fed another coin into the machine that wouldn't let him grab a teddy bear properly.

Tide

It came in and went out, depositing detritus on the beach as it receded.
What was it that it had left this time? It looked like a huge sack or something.
She walked across the sand tentatively.
As she drew closer she was filled with dread. It looked a bit like one of those bags that you put a suit in only it was incredibly bloated.
She reached the bag and opened the zip against her better judgement.
There was a suit inside. It was being worn by a man with no eyes.

Early Start

It's still dark and the streets are quiet. A flashing light on a vehicle in the distance signals the arrival of that man who's always friendly and will keep me chatting for at least 10 minutes who empties the bins.
I nip down a side road and take the long way - it's still going to be quicker. A flashing light on a vehicle appears at the end of the road. Strange.
I turn around and head back the way I came. There are two more vehicles with flashing lights on their roofs. Others appear from side streets. What's going on?
One of them passes me and a man dressed in orange smiles and waves. It's him.
Another one passes. It's being driven by the same man.

After the End

The dust started to settle and there was an intense ringing in his ears.
It wasn't just in his ears, there were alarms going off all over town. Alarms that were now alerting nobody to nothing. None of it would matter any more.
He had survived. How many others made it? Time would tell.
He climbed out from his bunker, the bunker he had dug out and fitted only a week ago on a whim which didn't seem so crazy now.

New Dawn

He sat on the beach and watched as the sun came up, illuminating first the sea and then the sand on which he sat.
The windows in the buildings behind him started to twinkle as the sun rose yet futher.
Or at least they would have done in the days before the bomb.

Escape part 15

"Was that me in that tree?"
"I guess so," Devorian answered.
"What now?"
"Now we go, I guess."
Devorian held the watch and pressed both buttons. Nothing happened.
"Shit."
"What's wrong?"
Devorian looked at the display on the watch. It was blank.
"What year do you think it is here?" he asked.
The man shrugged. Whatever the year was there wasn't exactly an abundance of convenience stores selling batteries. They were trapped.
The warriors turned and spotted them and began to advance up the hill.
"Leg it!" shouted Devorian as he began to retreat.

Escape part 14

The noise was now a loud scream. The man's ears were bleeding.
"DO SOMETHING, DEVORIAN, FOR GOD'S SAKE!"
Dr Devorian was trying to think. They were inside the watch which seemed ridiculous. He put his hand in his pocket and there was still a watch there. How could there be two? He had no idea and he couldn't think of anything to do other than to press the buttons on the watch he was now holding one more time.
The two men landed on the top of a grassy hill, ears ringing and eyes struggling to focus on the new landscape.
Below them in the valley the warriors were charging into the forest. There was something up a tree which interested them.
A flash of light came from the tree top and the warriors shouted.

Escape part 13

The brightness was so extreme that even with eyes tightly shut and a hand over them it was too bright.
"What the hell is going on Devorian?"
The doctor didn't answer.
A low humming noise began.
The sound increased in pitch and volume until it was almost unbearable.
"DEVORIAN!" screamed the man.

Escape part 12

"Where are you?"
"Over here," answered Dr Devorian.
He could have been standing right next to him or he could have been a million miles away. Sound was peculiar in this place.
"Where are we?"
"It seems we're inside the watch."
"How is that possible."
"I'm trying to figure that out."
At that moment there was a blinding flash of light.

Escape part 11

It was pitch black, if not darker.
He felt around and there was nothing. His feet felt like they were in treacle, unable to move.
"Where the hell am I?" he muttered to himself.
He sensed he wasn't alone.
"Hello?" he called out.
Far to his left a voice replied.
"Devorian? Is that you?"

Escape part 10

Dr Devorian swore he could hear a voice shouting. He shook his head. He'd been working long hours and was probably just tired.
The faint shouting continued. He thought it sounded like it was coming from his pocket.
He reached in and took out the watch. He held it to his ear. There was definitely a voice coming from inside.
He pressed the two buttons and there was a blinding flash of light.

Unfinished Business

He put down his phone. Was that really the last part of the story? There was so much left to say about it. Maybe there would need to be another part to the saga? He thought about it briefly and then began to type...

The Break

"Where have you been for four days?"
"I was having a break."
"But why?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Well yes, I would. That's kind of why I asked."
The statement hung in the air like a bad fart.

Escape part nine

The darkness was lit up, brighter than anything he'd ever seen before and he closed his eyes.
"Why is this here?"
He recognised the voice. It was Dr Devorian, the man who had made the watch.
The man opened his eyes, but it was too bright to see anything.
"How peculiar," said the doctor.
The light disappeared and he was plunged into darkness again. He then felt like he was being lifted and then felt like he was falling. It was like being inside a washing machine, he thought, although he remained standing.
Dr Devorian picked the watch from the table, dropped it into his pocket and left the lab.

Escape part eight

He pressed the buttons on his watch and departed from the road.
He experienced the flash of light and then it was dark, pitch dark.
He was lying on the ground, but it didn't feel like the ground. It was both hard and soft at the same time, like no material he'd ever touched. It was so dark he couldn't see a single thing. He looked at his watch. Or tried to. He couldn't see the display. Had it died?
He stood and tried to walk. He couldn't.
He opened his mouth and tried to shout. He couldn't.

Escape part seven

His vision adjusted quickly.
Cars.
Cars?
Why were there cars beneath him?
He slammed into the road and heard a mass of horns and screeching rubber.
He expected to be hit and covered his head with his hands, as if that would somehow stop his head being crushed like a walnut. His eyes were tight shut, braced for a fatal impact.
A car door slammed shut and he opened his eyes. He saw a pair of boots walking towards him.
The voice of the owner of the boots said something incomprehensible too him.
A woman appeared who said something similar.
What language were they speaking?
Where was he?

Escape part six

The warriors shielded their eyes from the bright flash from the top of the tree and the man vanished once more.
He was appearing in another bright flash of light and felt himself falling. He guessed there was no tree there in his own time.
As he fell he saw the mass of colour moving below him. Something wasn't right.

Escape part five

They were getting close, very close. He had climbed the tree, but there was no way he could stay out of sight where he was - they weren't stupid.
He needed to go right away, but he wasn't sure it was safe. The field was still a field in his own time, but the trees were a different matter. Some had grown a lot and some had been cut down. How would that affect his re-entry?
"There he is!"
A warrior was at the bottom of the tree staring up at him.
It was now or never.
He pressed the buttons.

Escape part four

He sat beneath a tree with the watch in his hand. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with it.
There was only one avenue left to explore, a reboot.
He removed a penknife from his pocket and began loosening the tiny screws on the underside of the watch. He removed the cover and took out the battery.
He wasn't sure how long to leave it, but he counted to thirty in his head before putting the battery back in place and reassembling the watch.
He could hear the warriors returning.