The Twilight of Ares - Episode 1
A Microdose of Fiction Series
"Ten seconds. Hanger cleared."
He held his breath as plagued memories threatened to overwhelm him.
"Nine."
Private Gunnarsson saddled his rifle across his thighs.
"Eight."
Thankfully, his suit’s armor shielded the cursed thing's weight.
"Seven."
Gunnarsson flexed against the restraints, trying to maintain circulation.
"Six."
The infernal swarms drifted just beyond the ledge.
"Five."
The Ceres campaign was humanity's final gambit.
"Four."
Their shuttle trembled, and the impact resonance filled his helmet.
"Three."
The Agincourt’s railguns bellowed a response, their roar filling the air-mix atmosphere of the hanger. Soon, all would be silent.
"Two."
He exhaled.
"One."
“Release! God Speed.”
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Author’s Note
Welcome to A Microdose of Fiction, a series of genre fiction micro-stories that offer you an exclusive glimpse into expansive worlds. Every week, new installments and stand-alone adventures, all under 101 words, will transport you to far-flung worlds.
Make sure to check out the most recent releases of the current series, The Final Expedition (launching Friday) and the Twilight of Ares, which will be pinned to my profile (linked here), and prepare to embark on a journey of imagination in bite-sized portions. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures to come!
The next episode of Twilight of Ares will drop on 6/5. Subscribe to get it delivered directly to your feed.
About the Creator
Matthew J. Fromm
Full-time nerd, history enthusiast, and proprietor of arcane knowledge.
Here there be dragons, knights, castles, and quests (plus the occasional dose of absurdity).
I can be reached at [email protected]
Keep reading
More stories from Matthew J. Fromm and writers in Fiction and other communities.
Past Lives
War made for odd couples. To Private Jim Mclellan, Sepp seemed a good man; better at least than some of the monsters he heard stories of deeper into the Reich. Real monsters. This Sepp almost reminded Jim of his uncle; the one from Wisconsin he met a few times at Weddings.
By Matthew J. FrommExclusive • 10 months ago
Comments (4)
Oh, what a rush!!! I was simultaneously freaking out a bit but ready to go at 'release'! Wonderful writing :)
Ooooh...why have I put this off for so long. This was great. Using word count for the countdown helped in build so much tension. Splendid and now set up for what looks to be a gripping adventure!
This is great, and I found myself doing the countdown outloud. Oh dear, what have you done to me. lol
Short and kinda suspenseful. Nice story Mr. Fromm. I'd be thrilled to publish any of your short stories on Ficspot.Com, a platform I recently launched specifically for engaging works of fiction.