The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Finding Tranquility
by Elizabeth H. Smith

She’d put her fury to rest long ago, opting for a peaceful life in a quiet place. She settled there with the wish of being left alone, of being unfound. She decided she’d be happy there, content to live out her years.

The past could not be forgotten, only put into the back of her mind. The horrors she not only witnessed, but was forced to bring down on the undeserving. So much pain, death, rot, and decay she left in her wake. But it was not by choice. She never would have willingly used such power against those who couldn’t fight back.

She’d vowed never to use magic again when she left her old world behind. She promised herself she’d never harm another living thing. But fate brought her past back; it would never let her escape. A dozen soldiers approached the home she made for herself. They brandished tools of death, swords and spears sharp and ready for blood.

Despite her promise, she would not let them take her back. She would not allow them to destroy the tranquility she’d found. She raised her arms, and the air whirled around her. Birds flew from the treetops, their instincts telling them this place was no longer safe for any living thing. She saw the fear in the young men’s eyes, for they knew what they were to face. She pitied them, knew the loss their loved ones would feel, but like her, they had no choice.

Fire rose from the ground around their feet. It burned bright and hot. The metal armor they wore was to their disadvantage, as it burned into their melting flesh. Their screams rang in the deep forest, but no one but the animals would hear their end. Once they were all burned to cinders, she conjured a gust of wind to blow them away, and her sanctuary was peaceful once again.

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Fiction © Copyright Elizabeth H. Smith
Image courtesy of Pixabay

More About Elizabeth H. Smith:
Elizabeth H. Smith is a storyteller who writes while trying to keep her cat, Luna off the keyboard. The musical group, Rasputina is her muse. She was born in the state of New York and would never feel at home anywhere else.

Through Clouded Eyes: A Zombie’s Point of View

Through Clouded Eyes: A Zombie’s Point of View: a collection of twelve stories told from the Zombie’s perspective.

They’re shambling toward you, feet dragging on the broken roadway. Arms outstretched, faces slack, they move as if they’re tracking your scent on the wind. You want to run, but you know there’s nowhere to hide.

Aware of their insatiable hunger, fear paralyzes you. These things were once human, people someone loved. Is there anything left inside them – some sliver of humanity that may save you from this nightmare? Your mind doesn’t want to accept the inevitable, a single thought consumes you: what are they thinking?

With your chance of escape dwindling, you snap out of it and run like hell knowing there is little to no hope; fate is coming for you. Soon you will see what they see Through Clouded Eyes…

Featuring stories from Maynard Blackoak, Calvin Demmer, Paul M. Feeney, Stacy Fileccia, Trevor Firetog, DH Hanni, Shannon Lawrence, Josh MacLeod, Zachary O’Shea, Neal Privett, Mark Steinwachs, and Alex Woolf

Available on Amazon!