A Blue Sky by Jesus Cervantes

A Blue Sky is the Second place winner in the October 2023 Flash Fiction Competition.

A violent red sky. The wind blows. The smell, it captures me and guides me. At moments like these everything is hazy. An old gas station.

The doors and windows boarded up. I hear others that also see the red sky like me. We are not a group, but in sync nonetheless. I watch as one bangs on the door, his left arm missing. his Humerus on full display. Another four lunge towards the door. I join them.

We claw, kick, and hot our heads against the door . The smell grows stronger. My nostrils flare and my white pupils expand in size. We bust the door open. The One without an arm enters first.

Bang.

He is now missing his right arm.

Bang.

He is now missing his head.

Five of us now run inside. Our minds fixed on that sweet scent. I spot three of them. An old man with an eyepatch, a woman with bright red hair, and a little girl with a pink backpack. Those that see the blue sky. I can tell. Their faces are filled, their eyes have color, and most obviously they scream at the sight of us.

Two of my colleagues go after the redhead on the right . The other two go after the eyepatch man on the left. I go after the little girl in the middle, she will be much easier. In less than a minute I am reaching over her. The flakes from my flesh sprinkling on her. Does she look familiar? I shake this thought, my mouth opens.

“You turned?” the little girl said.

I close my mouth. But I don't want to close it. I try to open it again, but my body doesn’t let me. It's as if I'm fighting with myself. Why is my body doing this? Day one was a lot like this, but by day five I was fully in control. The mind we share, I thought it was all mine now.

My eyes shut, when they open, The sky is blue, I’m holding the hand of this little girl.

“Why is she like this?!”

Now I am with the red haired woman. She’s mumbling something at me while drinking a beverage. She’s laughing. I think I am too?

“No! No! Fuck, shit.”

The man with the eyepatch. He looks younger. He’s much taller than me now. We are in a vehicle moving fast. He pushes buttons on the box in the middle. It’s calming.

“Why have to end it.”

The little girl, i see her again. But she’s smaller. Her face shrunk. I watch as she’s attempting to walk but falls on herself. She weeps. I get up to comfort her.

“No, Let’s go! we can’t!!”.

Quiet.

Quiet. Quiet.

When my eyes open I'm alone in the gas station. I turn and see all my colleagues splattered across the room.

What do I do now? Look for the next source to go to? Do this over again. It feels like second nature. I can already smell the next meal a few miles away. But that girl with the brown eyes, who is she? I want to see her again. I have to see her again. I see the backpack she had on.

It’s small and pink. I go to smell it. My eyes again grow. Both parts of me want to find her.

____

I travel for many days. I know it has been days as the moon and sun go up and down, up and down.

I run and run, passing crumbling buildings, animals. The days begin to feel like a blur. The smell of the pink backpack continues to propel me forward. I spot a man getting eaten by my friends. I decide to stop for a quick meal. I bend down and go after his calf. I rip the tendons out. It has no taste, simply fuel.

A large thud is heard a mile away. They all run towards it. One by one they begin to reveal more of the man. As the last one leaves, I see his face. An eyepatch.

As I go towards the thud all the others are gone.. I spot a the girl with the pink backpack. She’s taller now. Her eyes dart at me. I come growling at her, she moves to the side, pushing me on the ground. Again I sense the second part of me trying to fight, but it is much much weaker now. I easily take back my limbs and run at her. I use my strength to pin her down. My mouth near her

neck.

STAB.

I feel much, much lighter now. I fall to the side and notice my legs are separated from the rest of me. The girl with the red hair holds a sword. I groan.

The girl with the backpack gets up. She takes out her weapon and aims it at my head. I look into her eyes. They are a bright beautiful brown. I wanna see the world she sees.

“I can’t do it.” she says. Tears bubbly up from the top of her cheeks onto the ground.

My mouths moves. Nothing but groans come out. I feel that part of me is desperately trying to come out. I’ve been fighting her for so long, each day is a battle.

I'm tired of fighting. I let go.

All my groans stop. I am an Observer. My head tits up and nods. Our eyes look at one another. The girl shakes her head. Yet my head nods, a slow accepting nod. As if saying,

It's okay.

Bang.

I feel myself falling asleep.

I’m scared.

As I drift away I gaze at the window, a blue sky.

The End.