You are DETECTO , a detective living in Chicago. You have a pistol and a police badge. You enter the forest where you believe the criminal you're searching for fled to. Suddenly, you hear a twig snap behind you. You whirl around, your hand going for your pistol as you scan the area for any signs of movement. The forest is dense and quiet, but there's a strange feeling in the air that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It's about time i find some crack rock to score As you reach for your pistol, your heart races in your chest. Your senses are on high alert as you scan the area intently, trying to catch any movement out of the corner of your eye. The forest seems to close in on you, the trees forming a dense canopy overhead that blocks out most of the light.
As you continue to search for any signs of movement, the twig snaps again. This time it's closer, and you can hear the rustling of leaves as well. Your heart is pounding in your chest as you reach for your pistol, ready to defend yourself if needed. heck with this, shout "hey you got any crack cocaine for sale"?
As you shout out, there's a sudden rustling in the bushes to your left. You tense up, your hand gripping your pistol tightly as you slowly inch towards the sound. Suddenly, a figure emerges from the bushes, causing you to jump back in surprise. you got my crack muthafucka The figure steps out into the small clearing, their face obscured by the shadows cast by the dense foliage. They're holding something in their hand, and as they step closer, you can see it's a small plastic bag. "You want this?" they ask, their voice barely above a whisper. what is it? You approach the figure cautiously, your pistol still gripped tightly in your hand. As you get closer, you can see that the plastic bag holds a small amount of a white powdery substance. Your heart races as you realize what it is - crack cocaine. "Yeah." how much? The figure hesitates for a moment, sizing you up before finally nodding. "Fifty bucks." You reach into your pocket and pull out a wad of cash, counting out five twenties and handing them over to the figure. ok , I'll take four The figure hesitates for a moment before slowly reaching out and taking two of the twenties. "Four it is," they mutter, turning away from you and disappearing back into the bushes. As you watch them go, you can't help but feel a sense of unease wash over you. shit he forgot to take my money You reach out to call after them, but they're already gone. With a sigh, you stuff the remaining cash back into your pocket and turn around, ready to head back to the city. As you walk, you can't help but feel like you've just narrowly escaped something dangerous. stop, find my crack pipe smoke an entire bag of crack before continuing As you reach for your pistol, your heart races in your chest. Your senses are on high alert as you scan the area intently, trying to catch any movement out of the corner of your eye. The forest seems to close in on you, the trees forming a dense canopy overhead that blocks out most of the light. check the bus schedule on my phone You suddenly feel a surge of energy course through your veins as you inhale deeply from the crack pipe. The world around you seems to fade away, replaced by a hazy euphoria. You can't help but laugh out loud as you continue to smoke the pipe, the warmth spreading through your body. You cough violently, the sudden rush of smoke causing your lungs to spasm. As you catch your breath, you realize that the forest has started to shift and change around you. The trees grow taller and thicker, their branches twisting and turning into grotesque shapes.
get on the bus You stumble backwards, dropping the crack pipe as you try to make sense of the shifting landscape. The forest has transformed into a nightmarish realm, filled with monstrous creatures that seem to stalk you from the shadows. You feel a sense of panic rising up inside you, your heart pounding in your chest. You frantically look around for a way out, but everything seems to be closing in on you. Suddenly, you spot a bus in the distance, its headlights cutting through the mist and fog that has descended upon the area. With renewed determination, you push yourself towards the bus, ignoring the strange noises and movements that surround you. As you get closer, you can see that the bus is old and rundown, its paint peeling off and revealing rust underneath. The door creaks open as you approach, revealing an empty interior.
You climb aboard the bus, taking a seat near the back and pulling out your phone to check the schedule. As you focus on your phone, you can feel the bus lurching forward, jolting you back in your seat. You look up, startled, as you realize that the bus is moving on its own accord. smoke more crack on the bus You reach over to the seat next to you, rummaging through the trash and debris that litters the floor. Your fingers close around another crack pipe, and you quickly fill it with more of the drug. You light it up, inhaling deeply as the bus continues to move down the winding road.

This is a response to a CW prompt A story that loops perfectly. The first two sentences should also be the last two.

<Cyberpunk>

— We were messed-up kids who taught themselves how to live. We were messed-up kids in a world that forgot how to live. We were messed-up kids living in a messed-up, yet a beautiful world. Or at least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

Although calling Ceres a beautiful place would cause others to scoff and maybe question my sanity, I did believe there were some hints of beauty in this far, desolate corner of the galaxy. Even in this sad corner of the universe, beauty had found a way to grace us with its presence.

For others, Ceres was a hideous planet—a space dump, if I ever wanted to be more precise.

Located on the east side of the Kuiper Belt, Ceres was originally conditioned to be an administrative annex of planet Pluto. The artificial planet was supposed to be inaugurated during the first half of the 22nd century.

However, due to a revolt that started on Pluto and the separation of the planet from the League of United Planets as a consequence, Ceres ended up being abandoned for about three decades. Over time, it became a sort of an industrial and nuclear dump for nearby planets and habitable meteors.

“Jackie! Come on, we're going to be late!” Andrew, my best friend and business partner, elbowed me, interrupting my train of thought.

“Sorry, I zoned out.” I apologized, trying to keep up with him.

“Yeah, I figured.” He stifled a laugh. “You should know by now that I can tell when you are body and soul with us and when your brain is a million light years away from here,” he said in jest. "Though, please, try to be more present. Today is an important day. For both of us.”

“Aye, aye, Captain Washington!”

“What a goof!”

I responded to his comment with a wide, sheepish smile.

I had known Andrew since I was seven. After both my parents passed away in a spaceship accident, and since I had no insurance or any sort of relative to look after me, I was placed in an orphanage on Ceres.

The first couple months were particularly hard. Especially since I was a Martian. A lot of orphans picked on me because I was born and raised on one of the planetary system's richest planets.

In order to avoid bullying, I used to spend most of the day in the barns when class was over and the library was closed. That was until that day.

Andrew was assigned to clean the barns and refresh the animals’ water. He was about to start cleaning when he noticed me sitting in the far corner, reading.

“Interesting choice, but I don’t think this is the right place to read Tolstoy.”

Panicked, I dropped my book as I tried to run away from him.

“Waaaaaait! You dropped your book.” I heard him call out from the distance. Afraid it was a prank to lure me in, I ignored him and ran to my dorm room.

A few days later, I found said book on my table with a small note slipped inside it.

You dropped your book the other day. It’s a great one; it would be a shame if you don’t finish it.

After that, he started protecting me, and then he started walking me to my dorm room or to the library after classes. By the end of the year, we had become close friends.

After graduation, we both started a small business together. With his mechanics knowledge and my programming skills, we managed to become one of the workshops in demand on the planet.

“If everything goes according to plan, we will finally be able to get out of this place for good,” Andrew said. “I can’t wait to go and see what the world looks like.”

Growing up, he used to pester me with questions about Mars and the moon. He wanted to know what people ate, what the sky looked like, and so many other things. Although I never said this to him, that day, when he pushed away one of my bullies and threatened to break his nose if he ever saw him near me, he saved my life. Not only did he save me from bullying, but he also saved me from my dark thoughts. He saved me from my solitude.

“I will finally be able to see Jupiter, and Mars, and the moon,” he said excitedly. “We will finally be able to have a decent life on a decent planet.”

His contagious smile got me to smile as well as I listened to him reiterate the list of all the places he wanted to visit, all the food he wanted to try, and all the things he wanted to try.

I was about to make a joke about it when, out of nowhere, a semi-automatic’s gunshot echoed in the air, followed by the sound of a body hitting the hard, cemented ground.

Looking back at Andrew, I was met with the horrifying sight of my best friend laying on the ground. Trembling, I pressed my scarf against his wound. Crying, I called and begged for help.

“Help, please!!” I screamed at the top of my lung, hoping someone would hear me as I applied pressure to his injury.

Finally, someone responded and called an ambulance.

“Jackie.” Andrew’s voice was barely audible.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get help. Please, save your forces,” I implored him. “You need it for our interview. Remember, we said we would make it out of here.” I checked my surroundings, looking for an ambulance, but there was nothing.

“Hey, listen to me,” he stumbled over his words, breathing hard. “Please go to the interview. Don’t waste your time here. Don’t waste this opportunity.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Andrew! I’m not going anywhere without you!”

“Why do you have to be this stubborn?” he groaned. “Listen, go to that goddamn interview. Go and show them how talented you are.” His body convulsed as he coughed blood. “Live, Jackie, live and explore the world,” he panted. “Go on and show the world what you are capable of. Go watch the sunset, eat lemon pie, meet people, fall in love, and start a family.”

“No, no, no, no, I’m not going anywhere without you,” I hiccupped, shaking my head as my tears clouded up my vision.

“Please, Jackie, do it for me. Promise me you will get out of here.” His hazy gaze kept zoning out, and his lips were turning blue.

"But I don't want to do it without you, Andrew," I cried. "Heeeeelp, please, anyone!" I called out desperately. "No, Andrew, no, stay with me!" I begged him as I felt his body become heavier. "You morron, I still haven't told you that I love you," I wailed.

"I already knew you loved me," he laughed. "I was just waiting to get out of this place to confess my feelings to you." A feeble smile made its way across his lips. "Jackie, I have always loved you. Since the first day I laid my eyes on you in that barn, It had always been you."

"I love you," I kept repeating, unable to contain my tears. "Please, there are still so many things we need to do together. You still owe me a kiss and a date," I whispered, watching his eyes flutter shut.

"In another life. I'll find you again, and I'll make it up to you," he breathed. "But please, promise me you'll live. and promise you'll recognize me in our next lives."

"I promise, I promise."

Feeling his hand against the back of his neck, I leaned in and kissed him before I watched life leave his body.

Sitting in the middle of this empty street, I held on to the man I loved and cried my heart out. I cried over all these things he wouldn't get to experience. All the things I wouldn't be able to tell him. And all the years I would have to live without him. Still clinging to his inert body, I cried until I could no longer breathe. I cried until my eyes ran out of tears. Sitting in the middle of the empty street, I kissed my only friend, the only one who loved and cared about me, goodbye before the ambulance took him away from me.

Dragging my feet against the streets of the doomed planet, I went back to the apartment we shared, changed clothes, and headed to the company that was interviewing us. From now on, I had a promise to keep and a life to live.

I was a messed-up kid who taught herself how to live. I was a messed-up kid in a world that forgot how to live. I was a messed-up kid forced to live in a cruel and hideous world. —

Word count : 1471 words

Thank you for reading my story, crits and feedback are always appreciated.

r/AnEngineThatCanWrite

Time Travellers are real.

For years Time Travellers have been showing up everywhere. But not in the way we thought they might. In order to prevent a Paradox, Time Travellers appear as Holographic Shapes (Cubes, Spheres, Cones, etc), visible but not able to alter anything or communicate.

Seeing groups of Tourists, as they are now commonly called is pretty normal. However, suddenly seeing a large group appear somewhere is always a concern...

In this world, magical people have to sing and/or dance to release use their powers, like a musical number. The problem? You've been rendered mute since birth and are a quadruple amputee