by John Xero
Marking the days made Dr. Cooke feel more human, somehow. Her battered almanac predicted an eclipse.
The sky revealed nothing. Just clouds of ash, as usual.
She tried to remember daylight, the sensation of sun on skin – tantalising memories, out of reach.
The wan light dimmed further and she saw something slink between crumbling tower blocks in a scuff of shadows and dust. She stiffened. In this penumbra between bright civilisation and the new dark ages only the hostile survived.
She licked her knife of jagged bone. Only the hostile thrived. All that remained were predators, preying on each other.
Author bio: Who knows what monsters lie within us civilised folk? Waiting for an excuse to take control, to lose control, to save us from the monsters all around...
John Xero is at one with his monster, they discuss humanity over tea and crumpets.
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That's one civilised monster you have there! (That sounded less like a euphemism in my head)
ReplyDeleteI like the glimpse of the world and the sense that somehow the lack of light as much as the post-apocalyptic setting has lead to the loss of humanity.
Thanks, Pete. =)
DeleteI think light is one of those modernisations we take so much for granted. Power cuts are such shocks to the system (pun-unintended). I know I don't have candles in the house, I'd have to rely on natural light...!
you can almost feel the saliva dribbling on to the knife. What happens during the change for daylight saving/British Summer time I wonder?
ReplyDeletemarc nash
At least they don't have to cope with wondering whether their mobile is going to update automatically. It's not as if they can really turn up late to their crumbling office... ;)
DeleteIt sounds like only a fraction of the hostile survive. Predators get what's coming to them, eventually.
ReplyDeleteSuch predators as these, certainly.
DeleteThanks, John. =)
Eternal cloud cover. Sounds like Michigan in winter. :-P
ReplyDeleteI like how the end ties up with the first line.
Heh. =) Thank you, Larry. =)
DeleteOh what a sad world! I too liked the last line.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Helen. =)
DeleteYou know, you don't necessarily need to assume she kills other humans. This works just as well if she kills non human animals. Predator/prey, zombies, etc. Either way, I like this, the way you show her coldness in the face of survival.
ReplyDeleteThat's very true. There could be a multitude of badnesses out there but, human or no, if she doesn't get it, it's gonna get her... ;)
DeleteI always like hearing people's different interpretations. Thanks, Catherine. =)