The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!
Death’s Miracle
by Bailey Hunter
It started like any regular day. Or so the world thought. Then the news started trickling in about miracles of life– reverence followed closely on its heels.
By midday the news had spun those miracles into panic, as news is wont to do. After all, the motto had been “If it bleeds, it leads” for so long, but now, on this day, bleeding meant nothing. No one died, no matter how much blood was shed. Soldiers across the planet shot and bombed, only to live to scream the tale from metal flayed bodies. Heart attacks, car accidents, and even plain old age took not one life. Within twelve hours almost everyone knew that death was no longer a concern.
Like a dark little seed an idea grew, twisted and poisonous. No death, no real consequences.
Some saw the joy in it, but many more saw it as an opportunity to exact the most violent revenge they could imagine on whomever they felt earned their wrath. By end of day, the bloodshed was beyond anything the world had seen since its existence. No death, but plenty of pain. The streets were stained with years of anger and fear that had been pent up. What should have been death had become torture in a few short hours.
Scientists flooded the airways with speculation, as did the conspiracy theorists. Governments worldwide scrambled to try and get some control over things…but they were the centre of so much rage. Many fell victim to the pandemonium before they could form a thought. Some learned how many times they could be shot in a single day by their own staff. Others discovered they couldn’t out run a machete wielded by their most trusted advisors.
By the time day turned to night, the world had devolved into pure chaos. Hospitals were overrun, many unable to function as there was no safe space anymore. Others hid from it all, grateful for one more day with a loved one, while equally terrified that someone with a grudge would come tear down their doors with destruction in their hearts.
No one looked forward to tomorrow.
They will never know the reason, but I do. It was a miracle, just not the kind they expected– certainly not one any of us were prepared for.
Death gave birth today and nothing will ever be the same.
Fiction © Copyright Bailey Hunter
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
More from Bailey Hunter:
Bailey is a publisher with Dark Recesses Press.
Dead Women in Love
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What a wonderful concept, and chillingly put-across!
Wickedly chilling.
Thank you. It was fun.