Wings and Things

Prompt: Wings, 13 minutes on the clock. Here's what I came up with:

Seamus saw blood. It was dark and sticky and it covered the feathers on the back porch. He stooped to pick up a discarded wing, unfolding the feathers and holding them up to the light. It was nice to know they would have meat tonight, but he hoped Shanna didn't make it into stew. She made everything into stew – even the tender brace of bunnies he'd snared two nights before. Stews stretched their meager supplies, though. He couldn't argue with that. 

He dropped the wing carelessly, not bothering to watch it flutter to the ground, lifeless. He pushed open the door while shrugging off his canvas bag. It was empty of food, so he carefully placed the 6 shells he had for his shotgun in it before hanging it on the nail on the hall wall. He heard laughter, tinkling and bright. It shot a smile to his lips before he could even acknowledge Tany was here. Tany was hilarious! She was also cute and a great hunter. He walked into the mud room, pulling off his tattered gloves. 

He stepped into the living area, feeling the blush of the heat from the fire roaring in the pit. He looked around the room at faces he had come to love in the past 6 weeks. It was amazing how they were sworn enemies back then, but now they had come together as survivors. Petty disagreements and land ownership were things of the past. Nothing mattered but getting through each day alive. There were so many empty chairs already. The thought tightened his smile, and the light went out of his eyes. Sweeping a glance across the group, landing a moment on Tany brought it back. 

Their eyes met briefly, and he saw her spirit buoyed as well by that brief contact. He dipped his head and eyes in case she could read his desire. He didn't want to be obvious – there were no guarantees and this wasn't the time or place to be thinking of starting a family. It wasn't just the fire that tinted his cheeks red.

Hope you have a great weekend - thanks for stopping by!

What's a Little Ice Cream Among Friends?

Rusty and Dolf collapsed into a giggling pile after leading Mone and her friends on a tag team trip through the closed factory. They loved playing in the factory because there were dark nooks and crannies everywhere, and it was rather spooky at night.

“Dolf, did you see how high Mone jumped when you stood up out of the pile of metal bands? I thought for sure she was going to spew ink at you. Gretch went completely blue, too.” Rusty collapsed again in a heap. If someone were watching them they would have thought he was having seizures. Dolf giggled, his numerous rolls of flab undulating like waves on the ocean.

“It’s a good thing there aren't humans around at night.” Dolf opened a bag of snacks and handed his friend a sack of crispy fried worms while he selected salted palmetto bugs for himself. He loved the delicious way they crunched but still had gooey centers. He swigged some eyeball ale to wash it down. “Ah… that hits the spot!”

“The night’s still young. Come on - lets go up on that conveyor way up high and see where it leads. We’ve not explored in quite some time.”

“I don’t know, it’s getting pretty late.” Dolf checked his moonmeter. It was two peeks before sunrise. “Well, if we just keep it short. I can’t be late again, though.”

Stuffing their snacks in the bag, they made their way over to the elevator. It clanked and groaned, but still faithfully made it to the top floor. Scaffolding with some maintenance panels comprised the bulk of the floor, offering a bird’s eye view of the machinery below. They walked along the metal grate floor, looking down at various vats and blending chutes. The scaffolding swayed with their weight and groaned loudly.

“Rusty, we need to go back.”

“Are you scared, Dolf?”

“No. I just don’t want to explain a fall to Mom, and I don’t want to leave evidence we were here for the humans. You know we have to be careful.”

“I know, I know. Just walk to the end. I want to look out over the place from that end platform.”

Dolf gave him a stern look. Then softened and said, “I hope you appreciate what a good friend I am and tell everyone when I die.” They both half giggled and turned to continue walking out. Reaching the platform, they could survey the entire plant. The soft whirring sound of different blending machines and cold processes echoed on the metal roofing. They knew this plant churned out gobs of ice cream for the humans. They didn’t understand what humans liked about this confection. It seemed gross to them.

“Hey, look down there.” Rusty tapped Dolf on the shoulder while leaning out over the guard rail.

“Be careful, man, you’re gonna fall!”

“Just look - lean a little farther. Is that Mone’s jacket? We have to get it for heeerrrr!!” The guardrail broke, sending Rusty tumbling into a pile of cardboard tubs on the line to be filled with ice cream. Dolf stumbled and pitched over the edge, dropping his sack of treats in an effort to grab the nearest scaffolding segment. They would never live this one down.

Have a great week, and thanks for stopping to check out this week's story!


~Chade