Bulmer and his team worked in the locked-down government building sub-basement, collating all the facts from the events over the last two weeks.
The reports, backed up by eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage were coming in from every Megacity in the civilised world. Contact with the Megaslums of the third world had been lost eleven days ago.
No-one knew where these things had come from, just that they were here... now.
The facts:-
They were strong:- They had been seen to flip vehicles over, and rip doors completely from their frames. They were also very adept at ripping people limb from limb.
They were fast:- There are reports of them running alongside trains and cars travelling in excess of forty miles per hour.
They were nimble:- They could scale buildings and high walls with unnerving speed, and leap wide distances between structures.
They were virtually bulletproof:- There were hundreds of accounts of small arms fire just bouncing off their scaly skin leaving no apparent damage.
They were organised:- Many massacres involved dozens of them working in unison rounding up the human victims.
They were smart:- Their learning curve was disturbingly steep. They had learnt to utilise lift keypads and the like, and they were learning more, rapidly.
They were cunning:- They were masters of concealment and ambush, they seemingly appeared and disappeared at will.
They were carnivorous:- They ate anything in the food chain, including humans... especially humans. And they had voracious appetites.
They bred fast:- Only two weeks after the first sightings, infants were seen on the streets joining in the hunt.
They were numerous.
The phone rang, Bulmer picked it up and curtly said “Yes?”
“Mister Bulmer, this is the president, what do you have for us?”
“Well, Mr President Sir, after assessing the massive amount of data we have collected, and collating all the facts at our disposal, studying thousands of hours of CCTV footage, speaking online to many hundreds of eyewitnesses, and bouncing dozens of hypothetical ideas around the think-tank, my team and I have run several possible computer scenarios, and in the final analysis, and after much deliberation, our considered opinion is....”
“Just give me the bottom line, will ya?”
“Well sir, we believe that the human race is very soon going to be in a world of shit!”
- - - - - - - - - -
Awakening (Part 1)
©2011 Stephen. J. Green.
Soon? Looks like they're already there! Good story and good last line!
ReplyDeleteInteresting how both episodes so far had punchy, list-like elements. Still waiting on that arrival!
ReplyDeleteI like the to the point, unemotional, "just the facts Ma'am" attitude of relating the scenario before the president's call, followed by Mister Bulmer's beating around the bush. Sounds like quite a serious infestation when he does finally get to his point. Keep it coming!
ReplyDeleteHi guys, I wasn't sure how this one would go, as I wrote it as a stand-alone short, then changed it slightly to become a follow-on from last weeks.
ReplyDelete@Eric - I almost tagged onto the last line, "Mr President sir, have you ever heard the tale of the dodo?"
@John - On the outside the human race is on the run, but "Bunker" Bulmer and his team will probably survive a while longer than most.
@Harry - I posted this as horror, but as with most of my stories, my tongue was stuck firmly in my cheek when I was writing it.
I'm with Eric, the human race is already in a world of shit. I guess I just don't have much faith in the teams in the bunkers.
ReplyDeleteAnd do keep your tongue very firmly in cheek please-it takes the story to another, much more satisfying, place.
ReplyDeleteHi Steve - just found your blog & really enjoyed this short story.
ReplyDeleteI thought the 'list of facts' idea worked really well & 'They" certainly scared me.
Loved the last line.
Thanks
@Tim - I have to agree, I think it takes a special type of person to have any faith in anything to do with governments. Bulmer & co will come back to reality when the scratching starts at the bunker door.
ReplyDelete@Justin - Thanks, I know a lot of my flashes are harsh, sometimes brutal, but I try to have some kind of irony or ambiguity running through them, usually on the punchline.
@Mjshorts - Hi, and thanks for reading, I know this sort of stuff is not to everyones taste, I'm glad you liked it.
Bullet-proof, hungry aliens and an underground think-tank with no answers...what's not to love?
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to next week's story.
Thanks Peggy, apocalyptic fiction, be it story, book, or film, really hits the spot for me.
ReplyDeleteOh, that last line is priceless. In fact, I'm still laughing. The President can't complain, though; he did ask for the bottom line. It just came as raw and unmerciless as the new predators. Great story, Steve.
ReplyDeleteI love the tone of this, although it'll be interesting to see what their flaw is. They do have one...right?
ReplyDeletethe humans are definitely in deep do-do. I have had nightmares where I couldn't escape from a beast that wanted to eat me. scarry stuff.
ReplyDelete@Stephen - Thanks Stephen, I'm glad it gave you a chuckle, I doubt that the President will be laughing though. :-)
ReplyDelete@Icy - given their voracious appetites, I think their problems will start when they've eaten up all the food supply.
@Gwen - Nightmares like that can be so vivid can't they? Scary stuff indeed.
Wow, I'd say they already are in a world of shit. Sometimes all the scientific anaylsis in the world can't save you from the truth.
ReplyDeleteHi Danielle, I think the truth will be biting them on the bum before very long. :-)
ReplyDelete