Absolute Write May Blog Chain Post

Currently Listening To: A Little Piece of Heaven, by Avenged Sevenfold

This post is part of Absolute Write’s May 2012 Blog Chain. This month’s theme? Zompocalypse Now!

I whipped up a quick little piece. Take a read!

–

Winner Takes All

Zacky placed the remote charges on the stone door and hid behind the thickest pillar he could find. He detonated the explosives, gripping his rifle as tightly as he could. The ground shook and smoke filled the air. The solid barrier was nothing more than a maw after the explosion. Dark pill bugs and other crawlers were the only witnesses to Zacky’s vandalism.

“It’s about time,” he said. He looked over his shoulder, wishing his comrades were alive to see this.

Zacky turned on the rifle’s flashlight and stepped inside the hole. The chamber was much cooler than the entire temple, to the point where Zacky was shivering. He traversed cautiously in the dark room. There wasn’t a single trap set out for him. In fact there wasn’t anything in the room.

“Where is the elixir? This is the final room,” Zacky said. He waved the flashlight towards the ceiling, hoping the prize was on top. There wasn’t anything there either, not even a crack or a critter.

“All that…for nothing?” he said. He snarled and fired his rifle around the room, ruining the pristine condition of the room.

Zacky finished his venting and walked out of the room. With nothing left he began retracing his steps out of the temple.

He heard a distant splash. He took a deep breath and reloaded his rifle. He approached the other end of the room and peered out the entrance. Down the hallway were four humans walking towards him. He recognized them and nearly dropped his weapon.

Matt, Gerald, Boris and Chelsea? How are they alive? he thought.

Zacky looked back at the chamber he desecrated earlier.

“Perhaps…the elixir was released when I opened the chamber?” he said out loud.

He then began walking down the hallway, increasing his speed as the figures became more clear.

“Guys! I found the prize! It seems it was-”

He stopped and froze as the figures approached the flaming torches. The figures stopped walking as well.

Their skin was a dark purple and their flesh was rotting off. The irises of their eyes were gray and void of life. Instead of their voices, Zacky heard bloodthirsty growls.

Before he could react, his former friends grabbed his arms and placed him on the ground. The female zombie licked her teeth as she picked a spot to bite.

“No don’t! Someone help me!” Zacky yelled.

Just before the zombie could bite him, he broke free and kicked the zombie away. He grabbed his weapon and ran down the hallway. He shot at the zombies, hoping to slow them down.

They were heavily wounded. Did this virus heal them too? Zacky thought as he entered another room. The traps had been deactivated or already sprung so he was able to escape quickly.

Soon he entered a room with a deep pool. Walking across a thin bridge suspended a few inches above the water was the only way to the next room. Zacky held onto his rifle and slowly walked across the pool. He remembered there were vicious fish in the waters. Hopefully they got to the victims in the water before the virus did.

Just as he crossed the halfway point, he heard bubbling. He spun around and fired into the water. Nothing floated up. Zacky shook his head and continued walking.

Something suddenly grabbed his foot and he fell to the ground. He managed to stay on the bridge but his rifle fell into the water. He turned his head and saw a purple, decaying hand grabbing his boot. Zacky repeatedly kicked the hand off using his free leg. Soon the hand fell back into the water. Zacky got up and stared into the water. He couldn’t make out the figure.

He reached the sun chamber, where rays of light shined from the ceiling into the room. He decided to take a moment to catch his breath.

“Is anyone here? I need help! Please!” he said. He was panting as he looked all around the room, hoping to see someone crawl out of a corner. He was alone.

A familiar growl caused him to whip out his pistol and point it at the monster behind him. It was the female zombie.

“Chels…” he said, slowly moving back. The zombie kept lurching forward, hungry for Zacky’s blood.

He held back tears as he pointed the pistol at her head. The zombie wasn’t intimidated. It knew nothing other than hunger.

“Please Chelsea. It’s me, your little Zacky,” he said, looking at her, then at the engagement ring on her rotten finger. His face was soaked with sweat. Zacky’s eyes widened when he realized he was cornered. The zombie had a slight grin on her face.

Zacky closed his eyes and fired his pistol. A perfect shot to the forehead. The blood-thirsty creature fell to the ground. Black blood poured out of the wound. The smell made Zacky somewhat nauseous. He didn’t hold back, as the thought of killing his fiancee was more than enough to make him vomit.

Once he was able to stand on his feet again, he continued running out of the temple. The sun chamber was right near the entrance.

Zacky could smell fresh air. He ran outside, where a spaceship was sitting. A rival group had landed first. Without waiting, he ran inside. He found the control room easily. He sat down where a guard sat before Zacky killed him to prevent the others from leaving. Zacky quickly turned on the engines, preparing for takeoff. He took one last look at the temple, which sparkled as the sun was at its peak. Soon the ship took off, blasting into the sky. He held on tight as the ship cruised through the atmosphere and into space. He had escaped. He won.

But Zacky’s relief soon turned to horror.

Where’s the body? he thought.

–

Check out the other participants!

dclary - www.hardhobbittobreak.com (link to this month’s image)
orion_mk3 - http://nonexistentbooks.wordpress.com (link to this month’s post)
randi.lee - http://emotionalnovel.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
Ralph Pines - http://ralfast/wordpress.com/ (link to this month’s post)
writingismypassion - http://charityfaye.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
dclary - http://www.davidwclary.com/ (link to this month’s post)
SinisterCola - http://acgatesblog.wordpress.com/ (link to this month’s post)
PragmaticPimp - http://www.unfoldingmyth.com/ (link to this month’s post)
magicmint - http://www.loneswing.com/ (link to this month’s post)
SuzanneSeese - http://www.viewofsue.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
J.W.Alden - http://www.authoralden.com/ (link to this month’s post)
AFord - http://writeword.blog.com/ (link to this month’s post)
Diana_Rajchel - http://blog.dianarajchel.com/ (link to this month’s post)
pyrosama - http://matrix-hole.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
areteus - http://lurkingmusings.wordpress.com/ (link to this month’s post)
pyrosama – http://matrix-hole.blogspot.com/
pangalactic – http://sonofflash365.blogspot.co.uk/
Sweetwheat – http://gomezkarla.blogspot.com/
Penelope – http://poet-slash-writer.blogspot.com/
kimberlycreates – http://kimberlycreates.com/

So much for a good start

Currently Listening To: Nightmare, by Avenged Sevenfold

I was going to start writing yesterday.

Too bad my wallet went missing. As in it was nowhere to be found in my house.

The day before yesterday, I knew I had it before the bus ride home.

I made a call to the lost and found for the buses and waited for a call back. None came.

At that point, I told my managers I had to work from home. No way I could get around without any ID. I was beginning to yell at every little thing wrong.

Eventually I calmed down and focused on what to do.

I called the banks to cancel my debit and credit cards. I then called other credit card companies I have cards with and canceled those.

I worked for a few hours then got a ride to the DMV to get a new license. Then I went to my bank to get a debit card so I could have access to my funds.

I then filed a police report…well more like a cop came to my house and took my information.

Finally, I notified the big 3 credit bureaus and they placed a fraud alert. This way, if some punk tries to take out a loan in my name, they’ll have to produce some legit ID (and they’ll call me to verify I am actually applying for credit).

Most stressful day I’ve had in a while (it doesn’t help I panic easily). Fortunately the initial shock has worn off and everyone I called was very, very helpful.

I still have some things left to do, but the major items I took care of. It’s important to minimize damage done!

Hopefully I can get to writing! Also, make sure to do all the things I listed in case you ever have to go through this ordeal!

Planning for May-sanity.

Currently Listening To: Shattered, by Pantera.

So I am behind on my writing. I need a boost.

Why not spend a whole month catching up..and seeing how many words I can write? Sure that usually happens in November, I figure a summer one won’t kill me. It’ll allow me to get fit for the fall.

Fit for writing that is…

Anyway, so this weekend will be spent making sure I have my plot holes plugged in and my characters know what to do.

Why am I choosing to torture myself? It’s because I realize that I spent so much time trying to make just one chapter perfect, I never get to move on. If I ease up on that kind of stuff and just get content down, then I’ll be more than willing to clean it up. I guess it’s just my style.

How NOT to say hello to an old friend

When you see an old friend on the train, it’s best not to draw attention to yourself. Example: by not dropping your iPod on the ground, breaking its case in half, and have everyone near you look at you as you pick up the pieces with out looking anyone in the eye. That said, it can get your old buddy’s attention.

Now, how does this apply to writing?

This is a way of showing, not telling. I could easily have written:

I was nervous when I saw my best friend on the train this morning.

But that’s not very exciting is it? Show how that character was nervous. It’s a technique that took me a while to become a habit.

And yes, that incident above actually happened this morning!

Productive Weekend (no writing though)

Currently Listening To: An episode of Spongebob Squarepants playing through my iPod.

Ever had any of those weekends where you have a lot to get done, and you actually manage to get all of those chores done?

Chores included:

• Reorganizing my room.
• Cleaning out the computer.
• Car work.
• Laundry.
• Vacuuming.
• Dishes.

I didn’t get much done in terms of writing done though. But since I got these chores out of the way, there will be less distractions!

I’ve been working on my plot though. I have an overall big picture drawn out for the plot, but the details are still hazy. Well, more like two thirds of the plot is pretty solid, but one third is still very shaky.

One method that has been helping me is drawing a cause and effect diagram. Remember that what you include in the story must drive the plot in some way. So any plot point I include in the story must cause a future conflict.

So for example, let’s say I have my MC spend all night playing video games and snacking on junk food, despite knowing there’s a big battle the next day. His arrogance  leads him to believe that it will be a quick fight.

Seems insignificant right? But this causes problems in the next chapter, because the MC isn’t operating at 100% and his opponents are fresh and ready for battle.

Remember, you have to get to Point A to Point B somehow.

50,000 words in May?

Currently Listening To: Martyr, by Fear Factory

Title says it all. I’m in a huge writing freeze and I need a challenge to thaw me out.

I’ll know for sure by the end of the week.

What Happens When You Have No Internet

Currently Listening To: Panic Switch, by Silversun Pickups.

Don’t worry, I’m not panicking…yet.

On Wednesday, I was going to make a post on here. However, my housemate notified me that our internet and TV had been cut…literally! Turns out landscapers accidentally cut right through the fiber optic cables.

So with nothing to do, we went out for burgers. What did I order?

1lb of sheer deliciousness. I regret nothing!

That’s 1lb (after cooking) turkey burger with pepper jack, sauteed onions, bacon and a fried egg. How did I feel afterwards? Let’s just say I had nothing but salad the next day.

It’s funny what you find time to do when the Internet isn’t around to distract you.

Took time to get some writing done. I caught up with an old friend. Enjoyed some delicious food.

How am I posting this you ask? I’m down at my favorite writing spot again and decided to swing by a Starbucks and keep my readers up to date.

Sorry, No April Fools here!

Currently Listening To: Welcome To The Jungle, by Guns N’ Roses

So I’ve probably said this over nine thousand times, but I’m never writing without music playing.

I can’t even work without music playing through my giant headphones. It’s just how I stay focused.

How does music help me write you ask? Well let’s use the current song on my iPod as an example.

Welcome To The Jungle – from the album Appetite for Destruction (1987). Performed by Guns N’ Roses.

The song is not about a literal jungle, but rather the jungle known as the big city. Imagine you’re from a small town or country and you’re moving to New York City or Los Angeles. It truly feels like a jungle in the sense that you are on your own, fighting for your own survival. Drugs, sex, violence, etc. is everywhere.

So how does this song help me?

One of my characters has been mostly sheltered from the city life. You’d have to explain to him that some people pay others to drive them (taxis). Restaurants are unheard of, since he hunts for his own food. His only glimpses of what another world is like is through small items like soda cans and lingerie catalogs.

Eventually, he does escape his isolated prison and ventures to a grand city. I can’t decide if it’s more like an immigrant arriving to New York or more like a college student living on campus for the first time, away from parents.

Listening to Welcome To The Jungle helps me think about how my character would fare in a big city. It may not exactly be like how the song describes it, but it sure gives me ideas.

Side Projects

Currently Listening To: Critical Acclaim, by Avenged Sevenfold

While Perverse Selection is the biggest project on my plate, I can’t help but branch off every now and then to write short stories or flash fiction pieces.

It gives me a break from the world and characters I’ve created to go exploring other worlds. I get ideas for other stories, but I don’t want to forget them. Why not draft a story really fast?

Obviously, if a deadline is approaching then I would put Perverse Selection above all else. Yet there are days where I’m itching to create another world, or give a character a test run.

What about you all? Do you avoid the urge to work on another story? or do you take a break now and then?

 

Being Sick

Currently Listening To: Nothing

I hate being ill. Fortunately, a big steaming bowl of Campbells Chicken Noodle Soup hit the spot!

Posts to come when I’m at 100%. Right now my bed looks really cozy…