Stories tagged “duty”

  • To Whatever End

    Still now, the maiden asked, “And what would I do at this time for the cause of faith, Reverend?” “Obey your mother and your -” She turned. “Honor. I am to honor them, and this I will do for the first soldier that I slay o...

  • Alert

    The siren wailed, ringing through my skull violently. The alarm sent shivers down my spine. My flesh goosepimpled. I wondered if I would ever get used to this. I did not want to awaken, but bolted from my tiny bed, the light stinging my eyes, cramping ...

  • Donner: Party of Two

    “You know that only one of can leave this room.” I wondered if I felt as tired and worn out as Bruce looked. “I know. Now that there’s two of us it feels real. I wish we had better odds. Fifty-fifty is not that good.” I sa...

  • Homecoming

    The 737 was painted in a red-and-white color scheme. The air rippled in the wakes of its engines as it taxied down the tarmac just off the Las Vegas strip. It was a blazing hot night; the casinos were giving out fans with imprinted logos and that laste...

  • to acquiesce in blood

    Would you understand if I couldn’t explain If words were held back, and cradled in pain Would you loose my bound tongue and listen again, Or leave me in flames where the sky gives no rain? If the notes of a song could not, my soul, express Would ...