One Short Story A Day

July 13, 2024

Prompt: A boy finds a strange red device with a black button in the mud. The boy presses the button upon which, the people who are alive die immediately and dead people start coming to life.

It was a rainy Friday afternoon when young Tommy stumbled upon the strange red device in the muddy fields behind his house. He had been playing hide and seek with his friends when he spotted the odd object lying half-buried in the wet earth. Curiosity getting the better of him, he picked it up and examined it closely.

The device was unlike anything Tommy had ever seen before. It was small and rectangular, with a shiny red exterior and a single black button in the center. There were no markings or symbols on it, just a smooth surface that felt strangely warm to the touch. Without thinking, Tommy pressed the black button.

In an instant, a strange and eerie sensation filled the air. The birds stopped chirping, the wind died down, and a heavy silence fell over the fields. Tommy felt a chill run down his spine as he looked around in confusion. And then, he heard it.

A low, guttural moan coming from the ground beneath his feet. He took a step back, heart pounding in his chest as he watched in horror as the muddy earth began to move and shift. And then, to his disbelief, a hand burst through the soil, followed by an arm, then a head.

It was a corpse.

Tommy stumbled backwards, tripping over his own feet as he tried to make sense of what was happening. The dead thing stood up, its empty eyes fixed on him as it staggered towards him. Tommy screamed and ran, his heart hammering in his chest as he fled for his life.

But it was no use. The dead were rising all around him, their unearthly moans filling the air as they shuffled towards him with outstretched arms. Tommy could hardly believe what he was seeing – the once lifeless bodies were now moving, animated by some unseen force.

In a panic, Tommy raced back to his house, his mind reeling with fear and disbelief. He burst through the front door, yelling for his parents to wake up and help him. But when he reached the living room, he froze in horror.

His parents were lying on the floor, their eyes wide open and unseeing. They had stopped moving, their bodies cold and lifeless. Tommy felt a sob rise in his throat as he realized the truth – the device had somehow caused all the living people to die, while bringing the dead back to life.

The dead were now everywhere, filling the streets with their ghostly presence as they wandered aimlessly, seeking out the living with an insatiable hunger. Tommy could hardly believe the nightmare that had unfolded before him, the once familiar world now transformed into a hellish landscape of death and decay.

With no other choice, Tommy knew he had to find a way to undo the horror he had unleashed. He frantically searched for the red device, the source of all his misery, determined to put an end to the nightmare once and for all.

After what felt like an eternity, Tommy finally found the device hidden in the depths of his room. With trembling hands, he picked it up and stared at the ominous black button. Taking a deep breath, he pressed it once more, praying for a miracle.

And suddenly, the world around him erupted in a blinding light. Tommy shielded his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest as he waited for the light to fade. And when it finally did, he looked around in disbelief.

The dead were gone.

The world had returned to normal, the living once again walking the streets in peace. Tommy let out a shaky breath of relief, feeling the weight of the nightmare lift off his shoulders. He had done it – he had reversed the effects of the device and saved the world from the horrors of the undead.

But as he sat on the floor, the red device still clutched in his hand, Tommy couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered in the air. He knew the device was too dangerous to keep, too powerful to exist in this world.

With a heavy heart, Tommy made his decision. He walked out into the rain-soaked fields behind his house, the red device in hand. And without hesitation, he threw it as far as he could, watching as it disappeared into the distance, never to be seen again.

As he stood there in the rain, Tommy knew that he had learned a valuable lesson – some secrets were better left buried in the mud, for the sake of all humanity.

And with that, he turned and walked back towards his house, the echoes of the nightmare still haunting him in the shadows of his mind. The rain continued to fall, washing away the sins of the past as the world carried on, unaware of the horrors that had almost consumed it.