Short Stories

Click- BOOM

She pulled a photo from the pocket of her uniform as the jeep trucks across the road. It was a Polaroid of two girls, one on the others back in their pajamas, the one on top had icing on her nose while the other held a spatula covered in the same icing. 

"Sister?" the man beside her asked. He'd glanced over and away from the desolate desert landscape on his other side.

"Wife, actually," she said under her breath, unsure how he'd respond. 

"Oh. She's pretty. My uh son he- he asked his boyfriend to prom just before we got shipped back out," he nodded, smiling. 

She couldn't help but smile. That happened often, especially with parents or people her age. She didn't usually mind. 

"Thanks. When I get back, we're going out for her birthday. Its next week, I was hoping to be home," she smiled. 

The jeep lurched, making her drop the picture. She leaned forward and snatched it up, shoving back in her pocket.

"Hey what's-" she started but was cut off by a fist in the air. 

They all waited in stiff, thick silence. Waiting for something, someone.

"Everyone out. Keep an eye out, move slow, step light, stay quiet." 

She nodded with the man beside her and they all exited the jeep, just in time for a small pop and the jeep blew. She was thrown back with the four other people who'd got out just in time. Her ears were ringing as another small blast made sane not two feet from her shoot in every direction. She scrambled to her feet and whipped about, looking through the scope on her gun. Another blast and a body hit the sand, someone shouted. She caught sight of a man peeking out from behind a large rock formation. He wasn't watching her. She took a breath and aimed. Just as he was about to fire again, she shot him in the head. The ringing in her ears grew louder and she looked around. Silence. 

"...do you hear me? Get in the jeep!" She turned to see the driver jumping in. She got in the back seat again.

"Keep in eye on him," she was told by a woman with a tight bun like hers.

The man who's son was going to prom slumped against her. He was holding his side which was covered in blood.

"H...hang in there, bud," she whispered.

***

"Hey! You're back!" she smiled as a man lumbered in the room to get his breakfast. 

"I am," he chuckled. He pulled something from his pocket and presented it to her. "That's what they had to pull from my side."

She scrunched up her nose as the two sat down. "Oh that is gnarly," she grunted in between bites of scrambled eggs and jelly.

"Yeah," he laughed as he slipped it back. "Hurt like hell. Barbs and shit. I don't know where they'd come up with that."

"Porcupines," she shrugged. 

"What?"

"Porcupines. Their quills have barbs on the ends so its a lot harder to pull them out again. Same idea behind fish hooks. So the fish don't slip off. Barbaric I think but smart."

He nodded. "Well we know what we're looking for now I suppose. Doc said I was lucky there wasn't any organ damage. Nothing bad anyway."

***

"Holy...ay you gotta see this," a familiar voice called her over.