It's been mentioned that this forum is lacking in Writing Prompts, and I was beginning to feel the same way. Hopefully this might get some creative juices flowing during our visits here. Write an end-of-days/ Apocalyptic story from a non-human point of view (animal, tree, insect, cloud, etc.).* -or- Write an Alien invasion story from the point of view of an Alien Soldier (cannot be a commanding officer, but a soldier on the grown) Stories should be between 200 and 500 words (give or take a few). If you cannot fit your story in that kind of constraint, just try to give us a complete scene or sequence of action. I'll be working on my post soon. Hopefully we can get some people participating. Have fun!
As Promised, here is my short. Alien POV Invasion In a few more seconds the door will open and my brothers and I will jump out into the storm. We’re taking the plunge on a strange world with primitive people and a poisonous atmosphere. I’ve done all the drills, I know the mission like my own name, and I’ve tested my armor and breather, but I can’t stop my hands from shaking. And my hearts are beating out of sync. The door lock releases with a short hiss. Here we go. Three. Two. One. We fall through smoke and cannon fire, as our stealth crafts race by, laying waste to buildings and roads. The sounds of human terror reach us before we land and my stomach tightens. What are we doing here? It takes fifteen seconds to reach the ground. Earth’s military has arrived, but they don’t stand a chance. Their weapons can’t hurt us. As soon as we land, we split into groups of two and take off in different directions. Human civilians are running all around us, their faces twisted by fear and pain. Many of them are bleeding or limping, but they’re desperate, and desperation will push people to extraordinary feats. Some women struggle to run with children in their arms, and some brave men attempt to help others trapped in the debris, even if it means they might die. These are the people we were ordered to kill, the ordinary humans with nothing to look forward to but a boring day job or families at home. But I don’t know how I can do that. They didn’t ask for this. A round of bullets bounces off my armor, reminding me that I am in a war. I look for the human who fired. He’s hiding behind the corner of a building, maybe thirty paces away. Without thinking, I raise my arm cannon and fire, vaporizing him and blowing a massive hole in the building. Another soldier appears in my peripheral vision and I fire on him too. “Forget the grunts,” my brother says. He points at a tank passing across the intersection ahead, “Go left and destroy the tank. Then go set your charge on the south base of that tower.” He points at a building that stretches higher than all the others, then runs off to the right. I turn the corner and emerge into a hail of gunfire. Human soldiers march towards me in a line that stretches across the entire road. One of our stealth ships flies over head and drops an electron grenade on them. I turn my face from the blast as the shockwave hurls rubble at me. When I look back, there’s another flash and a tremendous force that sends me off my feet. A rocket. With a loud bang, the tank fires another. It’s a miss. I raise my cannon and fire twice, leaving nothing but charred scraps of metal. I know I need to plant this charge, but the soldiers slumped on the ground intrigue me as I pass them. I stop and look at their faces. All of them, blackened by the violent release of energy and frozen in their last expressions. These humans are pathetic creatures, so easily broken. They couldn't have been prepared for us. There is a whimper to my right. A soldier is still a live, though probably not for very long. I look and see that it is woman. The right half of her face is blackened like the others, but the other half is normal, scratched and partially covered by loose hair, but normal. Her right leg is missing too. While I look at her, her eye locks on me and I sense only hatred. It's probably the only emotion she has left. Her hand reaches for something in one of her pockets, but before she can get to it, she dies and the light leaves her eye. They didn’t deserve this…
"In the Eyes of Our Alpha" Animal POV We are restless. The pack must leave. We know the humans are doomed. If we don't leave, we will perish with them. The only thing keeping us is Vincent, the new pup. He wandered off, and he hasn't been back since the sun rose. The sun is above us now, and he is still missing. I growl at the pack to stay put, and I put my nose to the ground. Vincent left a strong trail, but soon it weakens. I sniff the ground again and smell a familiar odor. I snarl as I follow the pungent smell of gasoline. Just before my legs give out, I find it. A ramshackle cabin with a jeep out front. I creep to the cabin and peek in the window. There are three men in camouflage sitting around a small cage. They are kicking it, scaring little Vincent. Vincent let out a weak growl, attempting to intimidate the hunters, but they simply laughed at his pathetic attempt. One stuck his finger in the cage, and Vincent bit him. The hunter swore and threw the cage at the wall. Vincent went limp. “Shit, is it dead? ” "I don't know." The third hunter took a pistol from his hip and shot at the cage. "Now it is." The shot startled me, and I howled in despair, causing the men to jump to their feet. Before they could leave the cabin, I ran back to my pack. As I collapsed on the ground next to my pack, I howled once more. The pack understood and joined in my howling. I got to my feet, and faced the fast approaching jeep. The hunters opened fire, and as my pack attacked, they fell. One by one, their lives were erased before my eyes. I howled once more, and fell to the ground. As my world faded to black, I felt the sharp pain of my heart shattering.
Thanks. I'm almost tempted to revise it and use it for something. Yours is pretty neat too, kinda sad though with the dying dogs. My didn't the pov dog attack sooner?
He was in shock. And when his pack died, he didn't have any reason to live. He gave up. I cried when I wrote it.
Death and sadness are a part of life. Parts that we shouldn't shy away from. If we don't learn about it now, how can we be expected to deal with it later? Then again, that's just my opinion.
No you're right, I'm just kidding. I have no real issue with the dogs dying. It is a sad premise though... murder in the coldest of forms.
