Hello all. Here’s a quick Flash Fiction bit I’ve bashed together for a challenge set on Chuck Wendig’s blog – Terribleminds.
The gist of it is to write a 250 word character description, or a short scene introducing a fresh character. Next week someone else can choose one of these characters, and write a story with them.
I’ve written a short scene to give a taste of the character, but I don’t expect anyone to write following on from this necessarily. Leaping to a different chronological point, changing the zombies to aliens, or throwing her into a different world altogether would all be great, the main thing is the character.
Okay, without further ado…
Chastity Jones stashed her tips. These were the last she’d need, enough dollars to buy one ticket. Just her, not the boyfriend. Venice, Zurich, or Paris, anywhere but the doomed U.S. of Z. Still, her shift wasn’t over. Ribs and cheese-fries to serve.
She checked her reflection before heading back. Peroxide blue hair and enamelled X-men nails, the quietest part was the Hooters uniform.
Chastity sidled up to the new-girl as she struggled with the register, her customer irate. “Let’s fix this.”
The customer left, the girl got her tip, even tried to give it to Chastity. She refused.
Later they sang happy birthday. The girls rubbed shoulders, trying to put the family in ‘family restaurant’. The birthday girl, a rosy-cheeked toddler, smiled so hard she missed blowing out the sparkler.
“Hip-hip!”
HurraAAAGHHH!!
The response seemed off, and Chastity looked around.
A fist was thrown, and bodies collided. Alarming, not unheard of, but then the blood…
She grabbed a co-worker. “Dial 911.”
One man started eating the other, right there in the aisle between booths. Entrails amidst peanut shells and serviettes.
Customers trampled each other to escape, and Chastity’s thoughts tumbled as well. Zombies meant an outbreak. Outbreaks meant quarantine. The cash under her mattress would be useless. Ashes.
One thought remained, as she grabbed a bullwhip from the wall décor. That little child, crying alone at the table, ice-cream cake already melting.
Chastity grabbed the new-girl, and shoved an extinguisher into her hands. “Let’s fix this.”
Thanks for reading.
Best regards,
D.R.Sylvester
D.R.SYLVESTER FICTION 
Love the mirroring with the “Let’s fix this.” She seems like a bona-fide badass.
Thanks mate! Bad-ass is always good.
Ugh, 250 words is so tiny though… I had heaps of other things I wanted to do with the character. Should have just gone the description route.
I love the sudden break in plans. Like there was no sense of any danger until the birthday song. Love it. Also says a lot about the parents who would throw their child’s birthday party at a Hooters. Lol.
I know right? It was a weird thing when friends had a birthday dinner there and there were so many families in attendance… the oddness stuck in my head afterwards, and I guess made it to the page as a result!
Ravenous zombies tearing apart a birthday party. Love it. Do they eat the cake for dessert?
It’s a tacky restaurant ice cream cake, with no grey matter content, so they’d probably pass. Shame really, since brain freeze might be like kryptonite for zombies…
…or it might be like dropping an E.
Wouldn’t that be dropping a Z?
Ha ha! Yes.
Let’s fix this! WOOOO… *calms down* okayokay, okayokay, nice ending.
Haha thank you!
I wanted to do more with it, but 250 words is a limit that begs for a one-liner finish 😉
Reblogged this on 'Christopher Morris'.
Oh cool! Thanks mate, that’s hella nice of you 🙂
Loved it, very, very, good David, I could feel the tension rising fast, brilliant, no kidding xxx MUM
Haha love ya mum! 😀 my biggest fan
You got me. Excellent tension building up. Where to go with it? Fun!
Thank you! And yep, I have no idea where to go with this one now… I hate re-treading familiar ground, and Zombie stories have come so thick and fast lately that it’s surprisingly difficult to think up something fresh (though fresh with zombies is a bit of an oxymoron, no?)
Thanks again so much for the kind words! Very glad you got something out of it
I confess I am a fan of The Walking Dead!
I love how she’s sensible and fearless. Great introduction to a strong leading lady!
Thank you! I hoped she’d come across that way. 😀
I left out a few of her vulnerabilities because of the word count, but I’m hoping if anyone picks up this character they’ll fill in the gaps. Cheers!