ach crow was frozen, anticipating Adam's movement. His foot instinctively let off the accelerator when he saw the birds, and when he told that foot to move, it disobeyed. He slowly covered his head with his hood and gripped the steering wheel. "Breathe," Adam closed his eyes, "slowly, move - move!" He urged himself on, and inch by inch his toe reached for the pedal.
"Caw! Caw!" The closest birds rustled their wings. Adam adjusted himself in the seat and pulled the belt across his lap. The ax lay next to him, just to his right.
He pounded his foot to the floor and the forklift lurched. Adam's hood flew off and he grabbed at the ax as a black cloud threatened to consume him; they clawed at the metal bars and bounced off the frame surrounding Adam. Some of the birds hit their mark, knocking Adam back momentarily. And then, all at once, they were at his eyes.
Adam swung the ax with his right arm and shielded his eyes with his left; the forklift veered and glanced off a dumpster. Several crows were crushed and many others retreated at the impact, giving Adam time to prepare for their next assault. He honked the horn and yelled as he drove on, swerving and swinging the ax. Finally, the birds kept their distance, though they followed Adam all the way home.
The three-story house loomed on the horizon. Made of stone, the structure stood out among smaller, more colorful buildings. Adam opened the gate and drove the forklift into the shelter of the garage; as he pulled the double doors shut, the crows lined up on the property's wall.
Adam pressed his head against the closed doors and began to sob. "I'm safe," he said aloud, "I'm safe, and this is all a bad dream." He composed himself - Zoe would be waiting, and he could already see her blank stare that would bore a hole through him.
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Check out the rest of the A-Z crew here! And come by tomorrow for 1.6 of "Dystopolis."
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Read the idea behind the story.
3 comments:
Okay, this dude is having a really bad day--and doesn't have anyone to talk to about it. Great job so far.
That gave me creeps, made me think of the movie the birds, and when I was attached by seagulls and ran to get into the car on a camping trip. Comment above indicates this guy's having a bad day...tell him I make good martini's and will be serving about 7...does he prefer Gin or Vodka, lol
A-Z
It really is creepy. I found myself squinting as I read--to protect my eyes and to protect myself from whatever horrific thing might happen. I've been wondering if you're writing this by the seat of your pants or if you're plotting it out. Great suspense. Needless to say, you're creating some wonderful anticipation in your readers too.
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