Campaign Challenge 1 #writecampaign

Purrsonal Thursdays will continue next month, but as a campaigner from Rachael Harrie's Fourth Platform-Building Campaign, we have these nifty little challenges, so here's mine.

The Challenge is: Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these:

Done! · end the story with the words: "everything faded." (also included in the word count)

Done! · include the word "orange" in the story

Done! (This is a sneak peek from Fighting Gravity, book two of the Gravity series) · write in the same genre you normally write

Done! · make your story 200 words exactly!

Crash and Burn

Shadows crept across the wall. Orange flames smoldered through the metal. She would bake in this intergalactic oven. Acrid smoke coated her tongue with bitter ash. The soft ticking from earlier crescendoed into a pounding beat rivaling her heart’s.

Would the spaceship explode?

Marissa had to leave. Now.

Her footsteps tinned against the floor as she neared the cockpit. A little farther, she would be outside. Sweat collected on her upper lip and seeped into her hair. She blinked her eyelids to clear her cloudy vision.

“Ow!” Her arm knocked against the wall.

Crrraaack!

The spacecraft rocked and pitched forward. Marissa lost her balance and fell. The breath whooshed out of her. Stars flashed before her eyes. She stumbled toward the instrument panel. Broken glass shredded her palms and knees, but she fought to escape.

She tumbled from the window. Fire lapped against the dried leaves. Another crack echoed throughout the forest. Run, her mind urged, but her body begged for sleep. She staggered toward freedom.

Whatever happened to the alien inside?

That last thought struck her as the spaceship exploded. The blast flung her into the air, and she crashed to the ground. Her eyes closed as everything faded.

I'm #165, so if you like this, please go to Rachael's blog here and click "like" at my name. Thank you!