MARKER 2 by Ryan L. Gordon
May 26, 2009 Short stories Tags: Ryan L Gordon
“Shhhh.†Wes whispered to John. “Get down. Do it slowly.â€
“What!?†John whisper-asked.
“Shut up!†Wes whisper-answered, never taking his eyes off whatever had gotten his attention out beyond the camp, out past the marker five feet in front of him, out into the seemingly endless black of open ground. He cocked his head slightly to the right, trying for a better listen.
You could hear a pin drop.
The wind had died down and there was now only the clear sound of low rustling leaves. Barely audible footsteps. Getting closer. Getting louder.
All five men were on high alert.
John was staring straight at Wes, who was carefully unholstering his rifle. Mick had quietly made his way behind both Wes and John, shotgun in hand. Their makeshift campfire was being put under boot by Manny in steady, deliberate thump-a-thump crunches, his pistol reaching out to the sparse field surrounding them, almost invisible in the dead of night.
Derek had not yet come out of the trees.
Wes and John traded quick glances, interrupted every few moments by another muffled sound off in the distance. Although Wes had accepted the mantle of experienced group elder with pride and a small sense of entitlement, the chill that now coursed through his system seemed to very quickly do away with any notion that as leader he was somehow immune to………to whatever was coming their way.
Four men now lay behind several trees at the back of the camp, ready to attack or to run for their lives. Derek had drawn the short straw for the night’s watch. He was well aware that the group consensus had always maintained a need for an elevated watch post. It had saved their lives on more than one occasion. As he slowly shifted his weight to the main branch to his left, he already knew that tonight could very well be his last on earth. As a human.
Manny was the first to pick up Derek’s distress signal. They had spent more than one night in the wild huddled together discussing what signaling system would serve the two most basic purposes for the watch post: alerting the others to a specific danger and doing so without giving away their position. In the end, the streetlight made things simple and easy to remember: Red meant stay put, Yellow meant get ready to fight, Green meant run like hell.
Manny had trained his eyes on Derek’s position; twenty yards ahead and twenty feet up. He even thought he heard the click when Derek cracked alive one of the fluorescent tubes from his jacket. He spied Derek turning slowly to face them, careful to keep the glowing light nestled at chest level and cupped in one hand. Then he saw the color he feared more than any other…
I would really like to hear more even though some people like that short sht.. Good story and keep it up…
Comment by Keoni on May 26, 2009 @ 7:41 pm
waaaay too quick. I got sucked in and then left at the curb. Please go on, give a back story, anything. the style and ideas are good.
Comment by brycepunk on May 27, 2009 @ 1:32 am
Ya, im not a fan of short stories at all. On the other hand i liked what you wrote and i would love to read more!
Comment by Gunldesnapper on May 27, 2009 @ 7:37 am
Although well written, I think this story is incomplete. While its similar to being left with a cliff-hanger, I don’t think the story ever left the ground. If this were to be the first chapter of a story, however, I would keep reading.
Comment by Nate on May 27, 2009 @ 11:13 pm
the suspense is killing me…hehe
I would read this if it were to get longer:)
however i did find it to be a little…. hm… wats the word…
nvm… keep up the good work:)
Comment by Jake on June 2, 2009 @ 11:28 pm
Hey this is a start to a great story!! Keep it up I can’t wait to see what happens next!!!
Comment by Jen on June 3, 2009 @ 2:39 pm
More more dear god more!! Please don’t keep up waiting.
Mark
Comment by mark on June 6, 2009 @ 1:49 am
This story is great but i hope you wright more so i can see what happens
Comment by Ben on June 22, 2009 @ 8:05 am
This wasn’t a short story but it wasn’t haiku either. What’s the hurry to post? Finish the scene, at least.
Comment by jfbranson on June 25, 2009 @ 10:24 pm
Thanks all for the feedback. “Marker” and “Marker 2” are snapshots in time, brisk attempts to peer into the lives of those struggling in the (midst?) aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. “Marker 3” most likely will not expand beyond what is known, rather provide another window into the calm, the storm and the damned.
Ryan L Gordon
Comment by Ryan on June 27, 2009 @ 8:22 pm
Would’ve liked to see how this develops. It’s a very good start, had me sitting on the edge of my seat.
Comment by Agent Anachronism on September 6, 2009 @ 3:34 am