Joshua G. J. Insole

“Montis Absentia Pt. VIII” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #63

1The wind whips against her face, cold and pure. Around her squawk her brothers and sisters, her friends and companions, her children. Somewhere in the flock is her mate — her companion of many years. Their youthful I-can’t-spend-a-minute-without-you intensity has faded, but their love has not diminished. If anything, the bond between them has grown more solid and stable.She flaps her wings, powerful and adept. Her trajectory controlled, her speed strong, her destination ingrained. She honks once, a cry of happiness and belonging. Some of he...

26 likes 5 comments 5

Read story

“Montis Absentia Pt. VII” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #62

The man who staggered out of the shadows looked an awful lot like Rasputin.He shambled towards them, hands raised in a zombie’s posture.The man had grey and tatty clothes, little more than rags, which hung from his bones. He wore no shoes, and his feet scraped across the concrete, naked and raw. Beard long and bedraggled, hair matted and wild. His eyes shined like black coals in his pale, wrinkled face.Steve glanced at Mary. “What the hell is he? Mary, is he real? Is—” he wet his lips “—is this one actually there?”They’d retreated as far as ...

22 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“Montis Absentia Pt. VI” by Joshua G. J. Insole

“Is this real? Mary, is this real?” Steve’s voice wavered. “Think so.” Mary’s voice was little more than a whisper. Her gaze remained fixed on the ceiling. They’d escaped to a stairwell and scampered down the crumbled steps. Overhead, dust and debris coughed down onto them. A pitch-black hallway stretched off into oblivion. The cold and damp air down here added an extra layer to the mustiness. “Are—” Steve wet his lips “—are those soldiers?” He sat on the concrete steps. Mary didn’t avert her gaze. She stood, eyes glazed. She nodded....

12 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“Montis Absentia Pt. V” by Joshua G. J. Insole

1The air raid siren moaned through the fog. It was the death-song of a whale. It was the cry of a million mourners. Mary’s stomach churned and her skin prickled in gooseflesh. The town had awoken.“Steven?” He had to hear it too, he had to.The hospital remained dark and silent. It sat before her, squat. The building waited. Patient and eternal. The mechanical grind continued its perpetual death march. The corroded cogs and gears squealed against each other. The siren rose and rose, a whine that reached fever pitch. It coul...

10 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“Montis Absentia Pt. IV” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #59

1A wind blew through the trees behind them and pine needles skittered across the asphalt. The sound was familiar. It was the noise of the year’s demise, of autumn, of Halloween. It was the sound of orange and brown, the warmth of a thick jumper, hands wrapped around a mug. It was teeth as they fell from gums. It was the shatter of glass. It was a million spiders as they scuttled on the ground. It was death.“Do you think there’s anyone down there?” Steve asked the thought that had crept up into her mind.Mary swallowed, throat dry. She shook h...

26 likes 6 comments 6

Read story

“Montis Absentia Pt. III” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #58

The two paths split, and the righthand branch — which led down to the cemetery — descended further into the nebulous fog, whilst the one they followed rose up an incline. A steep bank of mud separated the two, and before long, Steve felt waves of vertigo wash over him.Although neither one said it, both Mary and Steve were puzzled that they’d not cleared the greyness that encroached upon them. It pooled around them, thick as soup, swirls left in their wake as they waded through the haze.“It’s not as simple as all that,” said Mary.“How is it n...

29 likes 2 comments 2

Read story

“Montis Absentia Pt. II” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #57

They’d walked on through the fog for what seemed to be hours, but they’d not stumbled across the signposted town. Their footsteps did not echo, the walls of grey that pressed in at them from all sides dampened the sound. Steve still walked with limp, but he hadn’t grumbled about it at all. “A spelling bee?” Mary grinned at him. The blood had congealed on her forehead. “Are you pulling my leg?” Steve held one hand in the air, the other he didn’t move much, and Mary suspected it was broken. “I’m not pulling anything. I swear to God—” he pl...

37 likes 4 comments 4

Read story

“Montis Absentia” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #56

1The two sets of headlights intersected each other in the midnight’s blackness, shades of yellow and orange sliced through the inky gloom. The still of the mountain pass was shattered by the squeal of tires, the screech of metal, the sound of broken glass. There was a moment of silence, in which a preternatural hush fell across the ridge like a winter blanket, followed by the unmistakable — yet wholly alien — cacophony of two vehicles experiencing the profound effect of gravity.Mary let go of the steering wheel the second her SUV tore throug...

32 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“In the Dark of the Zombie City” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #55

“So, the first item on our agenda is killing Ethan.” Lilly looked up from the sheet of paper on her judge’s desk. “Are we all in agreement?” A few glances were exchanged between the children seated in the crowd, but no objection was voiced. One of the boys shuffled in his seat, eyes wide. Ethan, who was gagged and bound like a trussed turkey in the space between judge and jury, screamed into the cloth that muzzled him. Outside, the perpetual rain drummed onto the roofs of the now-dead city. “Very good.” Lilly shuffled her papers. “Any su...

30 likes 3 comments 3

Read story

“Eye to Eye” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #54

A glimpse was all I needed to recognise my childhood sweetheart; I’d never forget those killer’s eyes. I swallowed hard, my throat like sandpaper. That blood-pumping muscle in my chest began to thud so violently my whole body vibrated. She slowed and turned to face me. The whites of her eyes told me she’d not forgotten me either.Time slowed, the microseconds tick-tick-ticked away as our eyes locked. I willed her to turn back around, to keep going. But, as I knew she would, she allowed herself to be guided by the primal instinct tha...

29 likes 4 comments 4

Read story

“18.01528” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #53

The old man spoke, pale blue gaze resolute. He ignored the barrel of the assault rifle that was aimed at his forehead. “We were neither prepared nor equipped to cooperate.” His voice was hoarse but powerful. He spoke into the bloodshot eyes of the kid who held the weapon. “I said shut up!” The muzzle wavered, the sweat dripped, the air rippled in the heat. The boy stood over him, rifle clutched in a white-knuckle grip. Undeterred, the bound man continued. “The demand outstripped the sustainable supplies.” “Stop talking!” The boy’s cra...

30 likes 2 comments 2

Read story

“Lights Shined Into Pried-Open Eyes” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #52

The plasma glow from the television was the only source of light in the apartment. All the curtains were drawn — they always were, day or night. Al glanced towards the obscured window of the lounge and searched for a trace of sunshine that might indicate the current time, but his gaze was watery and pulsated from hours of screen time. Al returned his red eyes to the display.The air inside the flat was lifeless, he could smell it, could taste it, but he didn’t care. The odour was that of old food, sweat, gas that has been long-since...

34 likes 4 comments 4

Read story

“In Circles” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #51

I just woke up in this place, and I don’t know how I got here. I’m not alone, but I don’t know any of the people that are with me. We’re all dressed rather formally, so perhaps there was a party or a ceremony of some sort?The thing that really puzzles me is why we’re all covered in dirt.And why we’re just walking around the same plot of land, over and over, going round in circles, going over our old footsteps, over and over. I’m just following those in front, and I have the sneaking suspicion that the ones behind are just following me. But w...

35 likes 4 comments 4

Read story

“Where the Children Used to Play” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #50

They couldn’t climb, so she knew she was safe, even if only temporarily. Mary let the sunlight fall upon her face, closing her eyes in the warming glow. She knew she should be doing something, as opposed to the nothing she was currently doing, but did it really matter that much, in the grand scheme of things? It wasn’t as if there were many people left to judge her, any more.The rough square that had been sawn into the boards offered her a perfect view of the lush green trees swaying in the wind and the endless cobalt blue of the o...

26 likes 3 comments 3

Read story

“The Lonely Earth” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #49

She stepped barefoot onto the grass, feeling the dampness of the night against her skin. She breathed in slowly, relishing the fresh air, feeling it cooling her throat and lungs — it was delicious. The aromas of the evening danced on her tongue. A chilly breeze, wet grass, darkness. It was strange to say that darkness had a taste, but it most certainly did. She would be the first to argue so, even if she couldn’t quite articulate what she meant. She sighed and craned her neck to look at the night sky. Far above, the stars glinted down at h...

24 likes 4 comments 4

Read story