Alex Writes You Things

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  • Tag: Flash Fiction

    • In the Shadow of the Facility

      Posted at 12:24 am by Alex Aloi, on March 10, 2018

      The building taunted Arthur every time he walked past it. It stood there, all steel and glass, a modern architectural style designed to evoke medical cleanliness and peerless efficiency. No matter how hard he kept his eyes on the ground, the image of that facility remained burned into his consciousness, a reminder of the grisly deadline that lurked ever closer in Arthur’s future.

      He would have just as soon have avoided walking past it except that it happened to be so close to the coffee shop. His daily cup of coffee was the only luxury Arthur had been able to fit into his current budget. His walk down to the shop had become a sort of ritual. It got him exercise, and got him out of the apartment and away from the constant pressure of bills. He felt that without this ritual, he really might be in danger of losing it.

      Entering the shop, Arthur walked over to the counter, ordered his usual (a medium cup of coffee with cream), and took a seat by the window. He made sure he was facing away from the facility, and yet it still lurked in his mind. Arthur thought back to when the first facility of its kind opened in Washington, D.C. He remembered the president’s speech, promising an end to the nanny state, to the do-nothing parasite who suckled themselves on the government teat. Arthur remembered that he used to think the facility was a great idea. He had felt ecstatic when one had opened right here in Cleveland. Finally, he wouldn’t have to see so many transients on the way to work.

      Arthur had continued to think this up until the day his manager called him in to talk about his performance. “So you see, Arthur,” the manager had said, peering at Arthur through his spectacles, “you just aren’t processing software change requests at an efficient pace.”

      “But my work has been improving,” Arthur had protested. “Everyone has been saying so!”

      “Yes, the individual requests you complete are quite thorough. But you see, it’s not just about the quality of thew work. We also have to consider the rate at which the work is done. Efficiency is key. Do you see what I’m saying?”

      Arthur had, in fact, understood. The modern world worked at a blinding pace, and those who couldn’t keep up were left behind. Arthur had seen then that his protests would be in vain. The manager, for his part, had been nothing but cordial. He had even walked Arthur to his car to make sure he was OK to drive. This politeness didn’t stop Arthur from cursing the manager out as he pulled away, however.

      In the months that followed, Arthur fervently applied to every business that would take him. And every week, he had received another email apologizing to him for the inconvenience and wishing him luck on his job search. Around the three month mark, he had begun having nightmares about men in clean, crisp uniforms coming to his apartment and dragging him screaming into the metal and glass doors of the facility, never to be seen again. These nightmares had continued unabated throughout the rest of his job search.

      Shaking his head, Arthur brought himself back to the present. Though the nightmares were terrifying, the future they predicted was not yet a forgone conclusion. There was still a few days before the six month deadline. and just last week he had attended a promising interview with a local tech support call center. Sure, it wasn’t the most glamorous work, but it was better than the alternative. And besides, in all likelihood it was the last chance he’d get.

      Suddenly, Arthur felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Taking it out, he saw that he had gotten an email from the tech support company. Arthur felt his heart begin to pound. Opening the email, Arthur read the words “We are sorry,” and then the room began to spin. Arthur felt himself take shallow breath after shallow breath. He felt beads of sweat form on his brow. His sight became unfocused, and he couldn’t read the rest of the email. He didn’t need to, anyway. He knew what it said.

      Then Arthur heard the tiny ringing sound of the bell on the coffee shop’s door. He didn’t need to see who had come in. The men from the facility were here for him. Arthur knew this in his very bones. “Run,” said a voice in his head. “Run, run now!” And Arthur did run. He ran out of the door and straight into the street.  There was the honk of a car horn, a screech of the brakes, the crunch of bone under rubber, and then finally, nothing.

      This is a story I wrote a couple of months ago, basically just as a way to deal with the stress of being unemployed. It’s completely self-indulgent and over-the-top, but MAN was it cathartic to write. Writing is good therapy, even if the result is kind of grim.

      Posted in Stories | 0 Comments | Tagged creative writing, Flash Fiction, Science Fiction
    • One Moment in the Life of a Private Dick

      Posted at 8:04 pm by Alex Aloi, on November 13, 2017

      She walked into my office and shot me. I stared at her face, covered by a black veil, and at the gun in her hand, smoke rising from the barrel. Then I looked down at my chest and saw the flower of red that was spreading across my shirt. “Shit,” I said as I collapsed to the ground.

      “I told you not to meddle, Johnny Coldclock,” she said. “But you had to go and stick your neck in where it wasn’t wanted.”

      “I’m not Johnny,” I coughed. “I’m Rick Stephenson. Johnny Coldclock is next door.”

      I heard her say, as if from a great distance, the words “Oh, Goddammit, not again.” Then I blacked out.

      I don’t know where this idea came from, but I just had to get it out of my head once it was there. It’s too long for a microfic, so I put it here on the blog. 

      Posted in Stories | 0 Comments | Tagged creative writing, dark humor, Flash Fiction
    • A Cover Letter

      Posted at 7:04 pm by Alex Aloi, on September 18, 2016

      To whom it may concern,

      Thank you for considering my application for the position of Specialty Assistant at your local establishment. Ever since I graduated, I’ve wanted the opportunity to really dig my teeth into the barrier between the real and the unreal. I think this position will finally give me that chance.

      In addition to a passion for the work, I bring a considerable amount of practical skill to the table. I have extensive knowledge of grimoires, skinning knives, and bloodstone amulets, as well as prior experience with Microsoft Office. I also have great customer service skills. Once, when I was working as a cashier at Heinen’s, I was able to quiet a particularly disruptive customer by removing the flesh from my face, allowing them to see the terrible visage that lurked underneath. Needless to say, they never caused another disturbance again.

      Thank you for taking the time to review my application. I can be reached via phone every evening between the hour at which the wolves first begin to howl and the hour at which the cock crows. I will follow up via summoning ritual in two weeks time. I look forward to hearing from you.

      Thanks Again,
      That-Which-Should-Not-Be
      86 Desolation Lane
      Thornwood, OH
      Phone: 555-1134

      OK, so I know I said I’d write something every week and I’m a few days late. Sorry about that. Anyway, this just popped into my head the other day while applying for jobs. 

      Posted in Blog Posts | 0 Comments | Tagged cosmic horror, creative writing, dark fantasy, dark humor, Flash Fiction
    • A Special Annoucement

      Posted at 10:40 pm by Alex Aloi, on March 23, 2016

      Steve filed in to the auditorium with his fellow employees. At the podium was the CEO, her face twisted into a smile that made dogs howl.

      “Thank you all for coming,” said the CEO to the assembled crowd. “We have a really exciting piece of news for you all. We are ready to proceed with phase two of the Great Transferal. Now is the time to ready ourselves to topple the governments of the world. We shall begin immediately.”

      As his co-workers shuffled off their flesh, exposing the alien forms underneath, Steve began to wonder if he should have chosen a different place of employment.

      The CEO of my company sent out a really cryptic email about a surprise mandatory meeting, and this popped into my head. The announcement turned out to be that the CTO is retiring. I guess you humans get to live another day.  

      The photo is yet another one from my trip to Wales. It depicts the newspaper where Dylan Thomas worked. 

      Posted in Stories | 4 Comments | Tagged cosmic horror, creative writing, dark humor, Flash Fiction, humor
    • The Lady in Blue

      Posted at 6:11 pm by Alex Aloi, on March 12, 2016

      “If you get lost,” said Anna, “the Lady in Blue will get you!”

      Anna saw James stop in his tracks just ahead of her. She smiled. An imagination like James’s was a feeding ground for ghost stories, and the tale of the castle’s signature ghost had terrified him. “Come on now,” she said, catching up to him. “Let’s go find everyone…” She paused. Down the corridor, she saw a woman in a blue dress. They locked eyes.

      And suddenly Anna was the lady in the blue dress, standing over the graves of her murdered children, knife in hand, ready to plunge the steel into her breast…

      And then she was Anna again, and the woman had gone. Shaking her head, she took James and walked up the steps and down the corridor. Only when they had gotten back to the tour group did Anna realize she was crying.

      This was done for the Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers weekly challenge. The Photo is by Louise with the Storyteller’s Abode. 

      Posted in Stories | 4 Comments | Tagged creative writing, Flash Fiction, Writing Challenge
    • TLT: The Meeting

      Posted at 12:14 am by Alex Aloi, on March 11, 2016

      “Isn’t a public venue like this a bit…unusual, for this kind of thing?” she asked. He smiled, the points of his teeth gleaming in the midday sun. By the time they finished their coffee, the blood on the parchment was dry.

      Here’s another entry for Sonya’s weekly challenge. The photo is by Samuel Zeller. 

      Posted in Stories | 9 Comments | Tagged 3LineTales, creative writing, Flash Fiction, Writing Challenge
    • TLT: Grimoire

      Posted at 3:19 pm by Alex Aloi, on March 3, 2016

      Even among the thousands of tomes that lined the walls, this one stood out. It hummed with the promise of secret power. He opened the cover and drowned in its madness.

      This story is for the weekly challenge by Sonya to create a three line story based on an image. Photo by Glen Noble.

      Posted in Stories | 9 Comments | Tagged 3LineTales, creative writing, dark fantasy, Flash Fiction, Writing Challenge
    • A Last Resort

      Posted at 3:07 am by Alex Aloi, on February 29, 2016

      They were in trouble, there was no doubt about that. The rent was due in a week and she had no job, no credentials, not even a high-school diploma. She had run away with that son-of-a-bitch a year before graduating, and now look where she was. Carol slumped into her armchair. Empty. The entire apartment had never felt so empty, so devoid of life, despite the fact that her baby daughter was sleeping quietly in the next room. It seemed so desolate and hopeless, yet there was nowhere else.

      She rested her gaze on the nightstand. There, next to a picture of him, was a small jewelry box containing the few meager items of adornment that she owned. She could pawn all of it, but it would not yield nearly enough. However, if she could double the amount…

      Carol was tense as she dialed the phone. For the life of her she could not stop thinking that what she was about to do was desperate and crazy, that it would never work. The phone rang and rang. Stephanie should be home, and even though Carol knew that Steph had her own fistful of problems right now, she needed a babysitter. The ringing stopped, and someone on the other end said “hello?”

      “Steph, it’s Carol. I-I need you to watch Jessica for a few hours.” Carol’s voice was shaking.

      “Carol? Are you all right? You sound worried,”

      “I’m fine, Steph. I just need to run a few errands.”

      “All right. I’ll be over in a few minutes.”

      They barely exchanged pleasantries when Steph arrived. Carol was nervous and decided it would be best to leave right away. Steph’s face showed concern, but she didn’t pry. Good old Steph. Carol could always count on her to listen.

      The drive happened in a blur, as though she was watching a movie in fast-forward. There was the pawn shop, now she was selling her jewelry, now the man was inspecting it, now she was taking the money, now she was back on the road. The highway blurred past in a blaze of red and yellow lights that must have been other cars.

      Soon the Casino loomed over her, tall and ominous, a commanding tribute to opulence. Jazz music flowed from within, dancing on the breeze, a dazzling tune of sensuous sound. The neon sign mocked her, daring her to step inside. She clutched an envelope to her chest. Inside were a few hundred dollars, the sum total of everything the pawn shop had bestowed upon her. She would need to at least double it if they were to make rent.

      This story was originally published in the Spring 2013 issue of Ty Celf, Cardiff University’s Art Magazine. I have edited this version slightly to correct a few mistakes.

      Posted in Stories | 0 Comments | Tagged creative writing, Flash Fiction
    • Three Line Tale: After the Rain Storm

      Posted at 2:56 pm by Alex Aloi, on February 26, 2016

      image

      The rain had finally stopped, leaving a trail of colors scrawled acoss the sky in its wake. I poked my head out of the apartment window and looked over the streets below. The city was soaked through, but I was dry.

      This is a challenge by Sonya to write a story or poem only three lines long based on a picture.

      Posted in Stories | 5 Comments | Tagged 3 line tales, creative writing, Flash Fiction
    • Two Phrase Story Challenge

      Posted at 3:03 pm by Alex Aloi, on February 25, 2016

      This is a challenge by hbhatnagar. The gist is that you have a unfinished phrase you have to complete and turn into a story. Here goes:

      “The plane will be landing in ten minutes,” I heard over the intercom, and so I spent those minutes wondering what I was going to say to her. But when the moment came, I found that I couldn’t speak.

      Posted in Stories | 0 Comments | Tagged 3LineTales, creative writing, Flash Fiction, Writing Challenge
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