Monday, April 21, 2008

Virus

[Today's Scribbler's Corner freewriting topic]

The minibus had dropped people off at the side of farmland and ditches, so when the curve of the M50 appeared over the hill they gawped.
"Isn't it usually a car park?" Jess moved to turn on the radio. Brendan shook his head at her hand which she withdrew.
"We'll have you home in no time" Brendan said, a spliff in one hand and a tinny resting between his knees.
The bus croaked and wheezed as he swung it around the feeder road to join the empty tarmac.
"It'll be weird to have tv and radio again."
"You'll feel great. These retreats just reset your media noise to neutral. Sometimes I go months without picking up a newspaper." Brendan grinned.
They took the Dublin ramp with still no vehicles in sight.
"Drop me off here" she said. "I can walk the rest of the way."
"Nice one. Stay loose!" Brendan made a peace sign. She raised her hand as thick smoke from the engine engulfed her vision.
Trudging through the wasteland towards her parents' house, she tried to remember a time the place had been as quiet. She passed the corner shop, a closed sign swinging in the breeze. She'd never known Jimmy to pass up making a bob. Even on Christmas Day. Another breeze gaped the door open; a bell rang, but there was only darkness inside. She shivered within her heavy winter coat.
Crossing the empty main road, her stomach tightened as she spotted the high fence erected in front of her estate. Two soldiers were sharing a smoke in front of it, leaning on their machine guns.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think "Dublin 28 Later" is a scary start

Karen said...

I like this. It sounds like the start of something I might be too scared to carry on reading though!

Lane Mathias said...

Intruiging! Why the soldiers? Estate? Is this part of a longer piece?
Like it very much:-)

Yvonne said...

Will, should have called it that!

Karen, thanks a lot!

Lane, it might be part of a longer piece - just something that came out of a ten minute freewrite about the topic 'virus'. I reckoned the soldiers have cordoned off Jess' housing estate because everyone's infected with a virus inside.

HelenMWalters said...

Very atmospheric and chilling.

Alix said...

Very creepy but I want to know what happens next! Novel 2 perhaps???

Yvonne said...

Helen thanks, that's what I was aiming for!

Alix, I'm not 100% sure what happens next, but it's something I've been thinking about since - definitely at least a short story in there!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like the Scribblers' Corner is fertile ground. I definitely want to know what happens next - and how the virus spread in the first place.

Yvonne said...

Jen, I'd have to revisit my Biology schooldays! It's very fertile like you said - everyone had a completely different take on the term 'virus'. Very interesting.

Keo said...

Great readinng your blog