The creature pulled its body forward in one painful drag of its remaining leg. It could see the terrain through the crack in its protective shell; rocky, uneven, but with just enough earth to dig its claw into and propel it onward.
With each slow crawl and teeth-jarring scrape, it could feel the interior of its shell expanding, swelling to accommodate the growing body within. It was tracking the one who had reduced it to this pitiful state. And by the time it caught up, it would be unrecognizable to its prey.
_____________
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REVENGE! Love it! I like the suspense that these Friday Flash snippets create. I keep wishing that they were longer, so I could find out what happen. 🙂
A leg!! Excellent! Once I read your post, that’s exactly what that protrusion looked like, and I could just imagine “it” crawling over the rocks. Good ending, too – it made me want to know what happens next.
Yikes. I wonder what it will look like when it catches up to its prey. Yikes.
Here’s mine: http://sweettea.kdmccrite.com/flash-fiction-3/his-way
I love a little Sci-fi with my coffee!
You did a good job with a difficult prompt. I felt sympathy for this poor reduced creature crawling after revenge. Nice writng.
Here’s mine: http://bridgesareforburning.wordpress.com/
I absolutely agree. My first thought was definitely “leg” not “shoot”. I mentioned that in my story here (http://wp.me/p1PeVl-2A) but I did go with shoot as the real version in the end.
I LOVE your story though – the revenge builds right through it and at the end I am really looking forward to the next scene. Shame we won’t get to see it!
A great story Karen.
I wouldn’t like to be in the shoes of the ‘one who reduced it to this pitiful state’
Wow — suitably dreadful, as in filled with dread. Inexorable revenge by… I wonder what? Really good.
I like the slowness of the telling, the tedious progress the poor creature makes through the inhospitable terrain and then the light at the end of the tunnel. Revenge.
Well done and insidious, just like revenge. Well done, Karen.
Sounds like a determined little bugger. Nice job.
Here’s mine: http://wp.me/s1Tjpv-cassie
You created a good continuing of the image from the prompt, making me wonder how the creature WOULD look by the time it caught up.
Here’s my story: http://wp.me/p24aJS-1h
Dear Karen,
You sprouted a rather amazing story from the photo prompt. At first I thought it light hearted but the menace grew with ‘its’ determination until I feared for its quarry. Well done.
Aloha,
Doug
My lateness link is http://ironwoodwind.wordpress.com/2012/01/14/a-womans-vows/
Love the persistence and images, Robin
i could *feel* the fury and determination in this creature. Great job!
This is the link to my drabble for the week: http://quillshiv.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/moll-white-remains/
A supervillain in the making?
Nice! 🙂
Here’s mine:
http://faitaccompli.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/when-the-going-gets-tough/
CREEPY. I like Parul’s comment. Serious supervillain in the making — it’s always about revenge, isn’t it?
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