{"id":2410,"date":"2022-08-06T14:48:55","date_gmt":"2022-08-06T21:48:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2410"},"modified":"2022-08-06T14:49:23","modified_gmt":"2022-08-06T21:49:23","slug":"score-one-for-the-nutters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2022\/08\/06\/score-one-for-the-nutters\/","title":{"rendered":"Score One for the Nutters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Start your story with a couple sharing a cigarette in a parking lot.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ember glowed as the tall, lanky, reddish-brown woman with close-cropped black hair took a drag. It dulled as she passed it to the pale-skinned, gaunt, red-haired woman a full head shorter beside her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTa,\u201d the red-haired woman said before taking a drag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou think it\u2019s over, Red?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope so,\u201d Red said. She held out the cigarette to the other woman whose gaze seemed to be fixed on something on the horizon. \u201cLT?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNah, kill it.\u201d The lieutenant leaned back against the truck, the only vehicle not reduced to a smoldering puddle of slag in the parking lot by virtue of arriving after<\/em> the initial attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The low-hanging clouds made the transition from the rising smoke of the ruined city to the sky invisible. Occasional shifts of the breeze brought the heat of the burning mall to the two women and embedded the stench of burning plastic into their ragged uniforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShit,\u201d Red said as she ground the butt under her shoe, \u201cthat\u2019s the last.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that, Red?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was the last one, Ma\u2019am.\u201d She pointed at the mall. \u201cI bet they had some in there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou want to go into a burning building to find smokes?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019ll just have to cope.\u201d Red turned her attention to the display in the truck\u2019s cab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny response?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot yet. I just hope the response comes from people rather than\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou and me both. I don\u2019t think the machines will ping our comms before they show up, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A rumble from the burning mall pulled their attention. Both raised rifles, held at the ready for whatever would show. A six-legged machine forced its way out of the mangled doors, its normal high-speed gait hindered by two non-functioning legs and one that seemed to lack a full range of motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cScout runner,\u201d the lieutenant said, \u201cand it\u2019s broken. At this range, take your time, take out the good legs.\u201d She took careful aim at the joints of the working legs, firing only in the moment that leg was supporting the machine\u2019s weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lieutenant did her best to remain calm, knowing that any moment the scout could fire its energy weapon and reduce the truck she hid behind to slag. As the scout continued to drag itself toward them, however, it never fired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its progress was halted a few meters away, after sixty-four rounds. The lieutenant grabbed the tire iron from the truck. \u201cCover me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019re you doing, LT?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to find out what sick bastard made these things. The crazies were all shouting \u2018Aliens!\u2019 yesterday.\u201d She hefted the iron and walked to the downed machine. \u201cNo markings, but I see a seam.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the flat of the tire iron driven into the seam, she tried to pry it open. When that failed, she pounded on the machine with the lug end of the iron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, LT! Why don\u2019t you try the rescue kit?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lieutenant returned to the truck and threw the tire iron in the back. \u201cThe what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRescue kit. If everything\u2019s there, it should have a jaws.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After wrangling the jaws of life into the tight seam on the machine, a hole began to open. A viscous, blue liquid, shimmering with sparkling particles, sprayed out under pressure. The women stepped back, waiting for the pressure to drop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you reckon that is?\u201d Red asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe something to protect the electronics from shock. I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBloody hell,\u201d Red said, \u201cit\u2019s all over the jaws.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the spray slowed to an oozing trickle, the lieutenant returned to the jaws to see if she could get a better purchase for the spreader arms. As her hand neared the blue liquid on the jaws, the liquid moved away from her and dropped to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLooks like there\u2019s some static effect or something,\u201d she said, more to convince herself than Red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, LT. You\u2019re intel for a reason, but I\u2019m a mechanic.\u201d Red pointed at the ooze on the ground, where it was pulling in toward a central puddle. \u201cAnd there\u2019s no bloody way that<\/em> is static.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay, Red. It\u2019s weird, I agree. Let me see the electronics in here, though, and I\u2019ll have an idea where it came from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the pressurized liquid gone, the jaws of life ripped the case open with ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow that\u2019s<\/em> weird,\u201d Red said. \u201cWith internal pressure it should have been easier<\/em> to open, unless\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnless?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red pointed at the shrinking circle of blue liquid that was slowly pulling itself into a domed pile. \u201cMaybe the goo was holding it shut somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lieutenant shook her head and looked inside the open machine. More blue liquid oozed its way up the sides of the machine to drip down and join the coalescing pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2014there\u2019s nothing in here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere has to be a power supply of some sort, innit?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing. An empty case except for the blue slime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red moved closer to the open drone and peeked inside. \u201cWell, I can tell you where it didn\u2019t<\/em> come from. Score one for the nutters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lieutenant sighed and stepped away. \u201cYou\u2019re right, it\u2019s not human-made, for sure. Shit. I wish we could get to the continent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, it wasn\u2019t my idea to blow the Chunnel. Maybe there\u2019s still some boats somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe.\u201d The lieutenant began to laugh. \u201cAlien machines\u2026come out the sea…everywhere\u2026and Her Majesty\u2019s government thinks it\u2019s a good idea to collapse the Chunnel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ignoring the lieutenant\u2019s momentary madness, Red said, \u201cMe nan has a fishing boat in Weymouth. We could try to get down there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe. Would be easier if this thing ran.\u201d The lieutenant kicked the truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, even a mechanic can\u2019t fill the petrol tank out of thin air.\u201d Red leaned against the truck. \u201cI thought for sure we\u2019d find some here in the car park, but that\u2019s buggered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow far to Weymouth?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAbout 130 miles, give or take.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sure there\u2019s nothing closer?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore everything went silent, the coast from Cromer to Worthing was hit. Isle of Wight, too.\u201d Red shrugged. \u201cProbably more, but nan\u2019s boat is small; it might still be there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSmall is fine. At this point, I\u2019d even row.\u201d The lieutenant realized she hadn\u2019t been paying attention to the blue liquid. When she looked for it, it was gone. \u201cWhere\u2019d it go?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red pointed. \u201cIt\u2019s going back into the mall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ooze had formed itself into a sphere and rolled toward the still-burning mall. It made no deviations in its course, rolling over the slagged vehicles and detritus without slowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have a feeling it\u2019s going back to report. Let\u2019s get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, Ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of walking. First usable car we find, we\u2019re taking it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAye, leftenant. Nick the first car we see that drives.\u201d Red stood watching as the lieutenant walked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you waiting for, Red?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She pointed in the opposite direction. \u201cThe M3, and Weymouth, is that<\/em> way.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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