Author Archives: Paul Baughman

Chuck Wendig’s Latest Flash Fiction Challenge. Part Three of JDFitch’s story: Unpredictable Magic.

JDFitch:
God, how she hated dance music. Tony blared that crap every day at work, and after four years, she couldn’t take it anymore. Most had their I-phones or mp3’s and earbuds to stuff in their heads. The rest of them had to suffer. Her fist smashed the bread dough with a vengeance. One fist beat the soft, yeasty mass over and over.
“Screw this.” [Gloria] reached and ‘touched’ the electric plug that asshole’s antique radio was plugged into. Sparks crackled from the outlet, … more →

Part Three of Chuck Wendig’s Latest Flash Fiction Challenge. Part Three of Angela Barry’s story: Sylvia’s World.

A. Carina Barry Sylvia’s World

Blood, the taste of blood in her mouth? Running her tongue along the inside of her lip, Sylvia confirmed it. Her blood. Stiff muscles knotted with pain while her nose brought the scent of twisted metal and smoke. Their spaceship, it must have crashed. Clearing her eyes of the gummy residue of fallen ash and protective tears, Sylvia climbed to her feet and surveyed the crash site.
The long nose and proud, cupped wings … more →

Part Two of Chuck Wendig’s Latest Flash Fiction Challenge. A continuation of Matt Cash’s story: Angel?

Angel?
I woke up the other morning with wings and thought,’what the fucking Hell am I supposed to do now?!’
Like many of the tales I’ve told this one begins with……Once when i was pissed….

Once, when I was pissed I decided to mix as many different spirits I had in my kitchen in a pint glass. Gin,vodka,rums of white and dark,some
weird dusty bottled supermarket liqueur and some bourbon.
And after a couple of glasses of foul tasting … more →

Part Two of Chuck Wendig’s Latest Flash Fiction Challenge. A continuation of Mr. Urban Spaceman’s story: Joe’s Bar.

“Buy me a drink,” he said, bloodshot eyes meeting mine from further down the bar, “and I’ll tell you how I broke the world.”
I gave a snort, took a long swig of my G&T, and turned my attention back to the game being shown on Joe’s decrepit TV.
“Go on,” he insisted, in a voice ravaged by years of strong alcohol. “It’ll be worth it.”
Glancing around, I looked for help, but none of the … more →

(a chained story writing prompt from Chuck Wendig’s blog: http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/11/22/flash-fiction-challenge-200-words-at-a-time-part-one/ )

Listening Post

Greg Evans slapped off the com alarm while he was still prying open eyes gummed shut by sleep.

The vacc-suited figure in the screen was standing at the near relay station, by the visible background.

“Lieutenant J.G. Jenna Ballard,” the woman’s voice said. “I have an emergency and I need directions to your station.”

“Uh,” Greg said. “Just follow your inertial tracker.”

“I don’t have a tracker,” the lieutenant said.

“Who sent you here without a tracker?”

“No one sent me!” the woman shouted. “I told … more →