Friday, October 19, 2012

The Sentinels

"The Sentinels" was first published in Alternative Coordinates, March 2009. It can now be found in SPECULATIVE JOURNEYS.   

"The Sentinels" is about a body part salvager caught up in the middle of an intergalactic bug war.

This snippet is the opening scene of "The Sentinels." Its writing grew out of my fear for spiders.

***

Jacs and his partners found the Sacarvian village, Eelon, at sunrise. Never, in all his years as a freelance salvager, had he encountered something this strange. Fungi-like plants circled Eelon, and a spidery mist entwined the huts. He tugged at the green jumpsuit he wore that stuck to his body at uncomfortable places and dropped his backpack, harvesting tools and PD (preservation/decontamination) sacks spilling out by his feet.

Soop stood beside him, his red dreadlocks swaying as he scanned the village. "Maybe we're at the wrong place."

Not possible, Jacs thought. The attack had been here. He had been given the coordinates by the Hutans themselves.

But where were the bodies?

9 comments:

  1. Last line definitely gave me the chills...interesting snippet.

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  2. Nice! Got my attention, like TM, especially the last line. Oh, and had a chuckle at his clothes sticking in uncomfortable places. Hee hee...clothes wedgies! Been there...

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  3. Where are the bodies? The spiders got them! *slurp*

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  4. Missing bodies are never a good sign! >.<

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  5. Oh jeez. You definitely tweaked my fear of spiders too. I could see the scene very clearly in my head. Good snippet!

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  6. I'm guessing he doesn't want to know where the bodies are >.<

    Ugh, this is creepy! I don't like spiders either.

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