New Year

The clock was striking.
"Here's hoping this year will be better than the last."
Glasses were clinked together, but they knew it was going to be another shit year.

Home Straight

He screeched around the corner. The finish line was only a hundred yards away.
He glanced in the rear view mirror. Nobody else was in sight.
He slowed down to enjoy the moment as he cruised to victory.
The plane which had been forced to make an emergency landing had flattened him and his car before he could notice anything was amiss.

Nostalgia

She sat looking at her photo album, tears running down her cheeks.
The rest of them were all long gone and she was the only surviving member.
She closed the album and placed it on the coffee table. She knew what needed to be done.

Burglary

He tried the door. It was open. This was too easy.
He didn't noticed the wire that was pulled as he opened the door. He didn't notice the crossbow pointed at the door either.

Mouse

There was cheese in the trap.
They must have thought he was stupid. He'd lost his brother to one of theses traps and he wasn't going out the same way.
Mind you, the cheese both looked and smelled very tasty.
He took a chance.

Boxing Day

It was turkey again.
The novelty had worn off very quickly.
She emptied the jar of sleeping pills into her glass of wine and took a huge slug.

Christmas Day

The kids were awake at 4am, racing downstairs to see if Santa had been. The lights went on and the children screamed.
A man in a red suit was lying on the linoleum floor of the kitchen in a pool of blood.
Did this mean there were no presents?

Christmas Eve

The shopkeeper closed and locked the door and headed back into the darkness of the shop.
There was a loud knock at the door behind him.
He turned.
"I need to buy a present," pleaded a man through the glass.
The shopkeeper shrugged and headed into the room behind the counter.
The banging on the door continued.
The shopkeeper reached for his rifle.

Cheers

He loved coming to this place. The people were friendly. It was a home from home for him.
He finished his drink.
"Same again please."
"What were you drinking?"
"You know me!" he laughed.
"I don't. What's your name?"
He sighed. It wasn't as good as he thought.

Noise Pollution

"Hello, I'd like to report a crime."
"Certainly, madam, what has happened."
"My neighbours are listening to music."
"Is it loud?"
"Not really, I can barely hear it."
"Then what's the problem?"
"They're playing Phil Collins."
"We'll have two units there ASAP."

Not Many Left

The newspaper seller stood next to his huge pile of papers. He glanced at them. He would never sell this many.
He took a bottle from his bag and poured it over the papers.
He struck a match and dropped it on to the petrol-soaked papers.

Zoo

Her son wouldn't stop crying.
He'd begged for weeks to come to the zoo and now they were here he was making a scene.
"I'll give you something to cry about."
She picked him up and threw him over the wall into the gorilla enclosure.

Man Overboard

"HELP!"
He ran to the back of the boat and saw the other man in the water.
He was prepared to dive in or do whatever it took to help him.
But then he saw who it was and turned away.

Fish and Chips

"Large cod and chips, please."
"We don't have any cod."
"What do you have?"
"There's jarb."
"What the hell is jarb?"
"It's a new fish they've just discovered. Totally sustainable and tastes just like haddock."
"OK then. Jarb and chips, please."
The food was dished up on to a polysytrene tray and he paid for it.
He used a tiny wooden fork to start eating as he left the shop.
The fish tasted geat, much better than haddock. He took another forkful.
He felt his throat close and dropped the tray to the pavement.

The One with the Question

What?

Can It Get Any Worse?

He opened the front door. Cars were ablaze and he could hear the rioters in the distance. It sounded like they were getting closer.
He went back inside, closed the door and bolted it.
Today was going to be no better.

The Decision

He looked at his two options. He couldn't decide.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. He flipped it and it landed on the table in front of him.
It was heads.

Death Bed

"Come in closer."
She leaned in.
"The money." He struggled to breathe. "The money..."
"What about the money?"
"It's in the..."
"Where? What?"
There was a long pause. Was he still breathing?
He grabbed her hand.
"I'll never tell you or your vulture of a brother where it is. Now get out."

Carbomb

He turned the key in the ignition.
The car exploded.

Television

The family sat watching the talent show where there was an ironically small amount of talent on display.
The television exploded, showering them all in various components.
They all went outside and experienced real life.

Infection

The pills had run out almost a week ago and he had a fever.
The gun sat on the table in front of him.
It was time to use it.

Better Off Dead

They found the old woman's body in her flat. It was freezing cold in there, the heating and electricity having been cut off weeks ago.
Behind them the letterbox clattered. An envelope containing a very substantial cheque landed on the doormat, too late to matter.

Filler (Reprise)

This is definitely the last one of these.

Win

"Ha ha! Now you won't beat me!"
His brother picked up the dice and rolled a Yahtzee, all sixes.
The dream was over.

The Spaniard

He was easily recognisable due to his thick black hair and tanned skin.
He entered the marketplace of the quiet town and removed the guitar from its case.
He played the last song he would ever play.

The Best Story in the World

Spoiler alert: it isn't.

Filler 5

This is the last one in this short-running series.
What a relief.

Sick

The stench was unbelievable.
He felt an uncomfortable watery sensation in his mouth.
The projectile vomit reached a distance of 30 feet from his body.

The Voice

"Are you there?"
He turned around, but could see nobody.
"Are you there?"
Where was the voice coming from?
"Are you there?"
He looked down. The sound was coming from the drain.
A hand reached through the bars of the grid and grabbed his ankle.

Stranger

A man sat in the corner who none of them had ever seen before.
None of them knew he would be the last person any of them would ever see.

Filler 4

Here's another one.

Any Regrets?

"Do you have any regrets?"
"No."
"None at all?"
"No. And I don't have any other kind of bird either."
"Birds? What are you talking about?"
"You said 'egrets' didn't you?"

Bard Religion

They stood waiting in the church.
According to the clues they'd found in his work, today was the day he would return.
Quite why 200 people thought Shakespeare could possibly come back over 400 years after his death was baffling.

The Last Bus

She got to the bus stop just in time to see the bus leave without her.
She would be stuck there until tomorrow.
There was a howl in the distance.

Incomplete

They walked along the corridor. The smell was getting worse.
And then they saw

Is There a Way Out?

She stood in a room with no doors or windows. A lone bulb flickered in the ceiling.
She had no idea how she'd got here.
The walls seemed to be closing in.

Going Underground

They were rammed into the carriage like baked beans in a tin.
He knew it would soon be his time.
He put his hand in his coat pocket and gripped the cylinder of gas which would be used to cause the biggest disaster the city had ever seen.