"It seemed harmless. Benign. Beneficial, even! It could bring nothing but good to humanity, four out of five scientists agreed. The fifth scientist disappeared quietly under mysterious circumstances.
The corporations grew ever bold, seeking to profit. People could not get enough, my grandfather told me. Farms sprang up overnight, to create vast fields of the bacilli. It was spectacular, the brilliant colors, as binary fission occurred.
People traveled for miles to photograph that, believe it or not.
Then suddenly, not so harmless anymore. People died, writhing and screaming in hideous pain, nothing we could do.
Then they came back."
The prompt was to pick a word from page 99 of the Oxford English Dictionary and write 99 words. Can you tell I've seen one too many Activia commercials?
Ohhh! What a chilling final line! I absolutely love it. :)
ReplyDeleteFrom your opening to your creepy final line, this is a great ride. Well written. Thanks for linking up and tell everyone to come and join our 99 party!
ReplyDeleteTelling a story...I felt like I was sitting with you (eating shoe cupcakes) and you were telling me this story.
ReplyDeleteIT was so good, so honest and moved so well. (that last line, whoa, you always get me with your last lines my friend.)
so good.
You sucked me in right from the beginning and my imagination started effortlessly. I loved this all the way to the end (as I always say, you do dark/creepy extremely well!
ReplyDeleteA great tale. Loved that last line - chilling.
ReplyDeleteOh, what an evil, EVIL last line!
ReplyDeleteAnd I read 4 out of 5 scientists, but am still thinking dentists. lol
That last line holds a promise I hope is never fulfilled. ;)
ReplyDeleteI really like this!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely brilliant. Best this week! :D
ReplyDeleteThat last line was chilling. It makes them dying seem like a happy ending!
ReplyDeleteThey should have seen it coming.
ReplyDeleteNow this was creepy! I need some of Kir's shoe cupcakes now, and then I won't be scared any more:)
ReplyDeleteExcellent writing!
Creepy is the right word! Great horror story!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite this week. yOU KNOW what a word nerd I am so dropping bacilli, rules.
ReplyDeletegreat piece
Thanks, Lance!
DeleteEeeek! This is creeptastic. That last line is gonna keep me up tonight.
ReplyDeleteI have said it before and I will say it again, there is nothing like a good zombie apocalypse to brighten one's day. Good choice of "B" word. :)
ReplyDeleteChilling end!Best not to mess with nature,huh?Loved this take TMW:-)
ReplyDeleteOh this was very good.
ReplyDeleteNot a big fanboy of the zombie genre, this was damned near perfect, and "The fifth scientist disappeared quietly under mysterious circumstances," was my favorite line of the week thus far!
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