Prompt: Use the words clock, bowl, and flag
Everything seemed to happen at once. The cylinder fell from her hand and landed softly on the
ground. Her captor spun quickly, but he found himself engulfed in the flames and shrapnel of an
explosion. The force of the bomb left a charred bowl that decorated the terrain.
When the girl fell, her mind reeled. Her gaze aimed upward, where gray smoke trailed through
the air. Her ears were ringing and her sense of balance was nonexistent. When she finally
managed to roll over and push herself to her feet, she made note of the mangled creature beside
her.
Luck, she thought, if that word exists anymore.
Step by step, she forced her feet back to the door. Her heart pounded in her ears like the ticking
of a clock. Closer with every step, she turned her eyes behind her to see if she was being
followed. Another alien trailed her in the distance. The realization drove her; a fresh surge of
adrenaline pumped in her veins.
At length, she made it to the door. She slapped the device in panic and watched the door slide
upward. To her horror, she saw another creature, even larger than the first, now stood in her way.
Oh, no.
There was no time to run. Her eyes moved upward and traced across his uniform. On his chest,
a flag of many colors sat atop a set of decorative metal pins.
A soldier’s uniform, she thought. It was her last thought before the alien tool pierced her flesh. It
happened in an instant; the clear tube atop the device bubbled with intensity while verdant liquid
disappeared into her body. Her body went numb, and the world immediately began to fade. As
blackness overtook her, a sound swirled in her head – a sound like laughter.