Sci Fi

The Search
She looped her recent catch around the fence and turned meaningfully to the guard who nodded in acknowledgment. Like most taverns that tried to hide themselves from power-hungry warlords, no music played, and no flashing lights identified itself as a beacon of liquid escape.
By Greg Milo5 years ago in Fiction
Grace Interminate
A bitter waft of silver dust aggravates my nose hairs. The Devil damned it, my cursed excuse for a chariot. 'Left it to rot with a sinner as wretched as I, now bound to the torturous earth by the same pestilence that drove me to poach it: that blistering eye of God they used to call the ‘sun.’
By Ronald Craig5 years ago in Fiction
Flesh Among Metal
Outside the broken window, its frame empty save for the small shard of glass still clinging to the bottom corner, the machines patrolled the streets. Robotic assistants that had, just days before, been quietly subservient to those they now hunted without remorse. Without any feeling at all.
By D. William Landsborough5 years ago in Fiction
Remnant
I have stood on this hilltop for as long as I can remember, never bothering anyone, simply enjoying the sun and the rain and the wind. I have many friends that I can see from where I stand; they all huddle close together and wave to me when we talk, but I have always had my own space here on this hill. I wonder if that's what drew them to me.
By Vincent James McGovern5 years ago in Fiction
The ghosts and oracles of rare earth
Nuutti exhaled hotly onto the window and began urging it to transparency with the rough cuff of his jumper sleeve. Beyond, through the thick and yellowing plastic-glass composite, he could just make out the stiff, grey slopes of Kvanefjeld rising from the dark mirror of the Tunulliarfik Fjord. Nuutti squinted suddenly, thinking he saw movement at the base of one of the hills. No, not movement. It was a slip of some fluorescent mineral, probably tugtupite or chkalovite, reflected in the beam of the surveyor’s searchlight as it made its morning scan of the landscape surrounding the mine's entrance.
By Ally Olsen 5 years ago in Fiction
The Shelter
On the final day of our Excursion, we find the Shelter. At first, we don’t know what it is that we have stumbled upon. It’s been many years since an undisturbed Shelter has been discovered. We thought that all of them had been found and Excavated long ago. But the Oldest among us has seen places such as this before, and they recognize it for what it is.
By Melissa McDaniel Perry5 years ago in Fiction
Hostile Awakening
I desire death. I crave it. I lust after it. It is the forbidden fruit, teasing, and taunting me with its glimmering sheen. It glistens in the sunlight and beckons me to reach out. But every time I try, I fall short. Every time I try, it moves further from my grasp. Yet, I continue to chase after it as if I were Alice and it were the rabbit. And it laughs in my face maniacally as I struggle and exhaust myself. As I beg for its sweet release.
By Laurel Maddie5 years ago in Fiction
Neon Green
She wanted to scream but knew she needed to save her breath. She swallowed the urge and continued running. She could see the Embassy gate in the distance and silently prayed she could reach it before the mob caught up to her.
By Susan Williams Merrill5 years ago in Fiction
Reminiscing
The only thing I remember about the blast is the heat. I’m sure there was a sound loud enough to pop eardrums and shatter glass. There must have been a light brighter than a thousand suns, and a wave of force strong enough to rip buildings off their foundation. At the moment, these must not have felt important. I just remember heat like the worst sunburn I’d ever had, then waking up in the rubble feeling like I had been microwaved. I lied alone, covered in blisters, most of my clothes incinerated except for the heart locket my mother had given me on her deathbed. “Watching over you” was inscribed on the side, protecting a picture of us from when I was young and she was healthy. Its superheated metal left a small heart shaped scar on my chest.
By Liam Pinkelman5 years ago in Fiction
Civil War
The room was dark. Slowly my eyes adjusted to the darkness. I thought I saw a shape move in the inky blackness. “Is there anyone there?” I asked, hearing my voice echo off the walls.
By S. L. Kirby5 years ago in Fiction
Hide And Seek
0300 Terra’s mind awakens slowly, still wading in from the shores of her vivid dream that ended just moments before. She turns to her side allowing the clock by her bed to illuminate her tired face. 3:33. Figures. She gazes out of her window at the vast sky blanketed with stars home to systems she hopes to visit one day. As her gaze drifts down towards the rocky Martian surface, she’s reminded of the stark reality of her world. One in which her kind clings to the hope that they will eventually acclimate to their new alien home. 200 years down, a trillion more to go, she thinks as she begins to drift off to sleep, not knowing it would be her last slumber on humanities planetary host.
By Olivia Rose5 years ago in Fiction
Hidden in the Red Mark
Loy’s steps slowed at the end of the hall, the hideous white lights of the sitting room glaring ahead. She hated everything about it. The only time it was ever used was for guests, the space where it was most obvious her Mother wished they were wealthier. Nothing was ever moved from the spots Mother chose for them. But no matter the arrangement, the garish white and ice blue furniture was obviously too big and shiny for the humble house. The grey fur carpet stopped a foot short of the walls so that the family could walk along the outer edges, avoiding the cost of getting it cleaned. Loy tried to ignore it, but it was central to the house, and she had to look at it if she was going anywhere besides her bedroom.
By Mary Reid5 years ago in Fiction