Rescue

A 26-post collection

Challenge #03165-H256: But Did They Though?

In their world, they were shown, from the time they were very small, movies where aliens of all sizes and shapes were killers. Taking children and eating them, powerful, cunning, and deadly. Their world, gone now due to a planet-killing radiation storm thanks to an unstable sun, never prepared them, and all the others, from child to adult, for being around actual aliens. The therapist teams had a lot of work ahead of them. -- Anon Guest

There were halls upon halls of identical houses. Not the kind Jorn was used to at all. They were used to bright ochre plaster and gentle, handmade curves. This place had too many bare, flat planes.

The houses were the same on the inside. A space for seating, a table, some shelves. A space on one side with niches and enclosures and a seat with... a lid? The space on the other side was... artificial outdoors. Plants from Jorn's neighbourhood, true, but the weeds and the food plants and the decorative ones were all smashed together as if someone had done it in a hurry[1].

Families found each other, having been herded into the gigantic boxes of ships by the frightening beings in heavy armour. They were capturing everything, even the pests[2]. And in a situation where the sun was visibly growing and throwing off chunks, even an alien invasion looked good. Jorn ran, with all the others, and was now trying to find their friend groups, family, and some level of familiarity.

Support me on Patreon / Buy me a Ko-fi

Continue Reading

Prompts remaining: 75 Submit a Prompt! Ask a question! Buy my stories!

Challenge #03081-H173: Assisted Retirement

She was middle aged, approaching her 50's, her lower back hurt so bad she could barely move. Working in those damn factories for so long, ever since she was orphaned when the last big fire that swept through the city killed hers and so many others' families, had broken her. Then they came. It was late in the night, she'd gathered a huge amount of old, scrap, cloth stolen out of dumpsters and did her best to make it comfortable for her

Read more »

Challenge #02805-G248: A Need of Dragons

They arrived from many places around the world, and yet, they all seemed to know how to get to the village. Those from other nations found funds and tickets to planes waiting for them, as well as all information they needed to get to that place. The ones already in that continent traveling on foot, by surprisingly convenient rides, by rail, etc., all the same, to find themselves on a wide, easily traversed, path into the forests. The strange thing is, the

Read more »

Challenge #02791-G234: The Weather Outside...

"FLAKK IT ALL TO HELL!!" Human Bear roared as he punched his way out of the ice and snow of the Avalanche that had just swallowed him. "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT!?" He raged at the mountain.

"Human Bear!" Vren cried. "We have 3 that are still trapped in the ice!"

Bear's rage instantly turned to terror. He had to find the lost ones before there Livesuits failed to to their jobs... -- Anon Guest

[AN: Bear's other stories are here and

Read more »

Challenge #02607-G050: This is MY Baby

The most dangerous place in the whole world is between mother and child.

A: She's not even a human!

B: You can take this child from my cold, dead hands. Don't worry, little one, I will not let them near you. -- Anon Guest

There are indisputable, largely unwritten, laws of the universe. Some of them are common sense like, Do not drink water that smells bad. Some are a little more specific like, Never eat the food at a place called

Read more »

Challenge #02499-F309: A Different Key

I have a highly adaptive tendency to assume that the people around me know better than I do. -- Anon Guest

Anthe had spotted the weakest link. It was hard to avoid, really. A beefy boy not nearly yet a man, perhaps twice the size he should be and clumsy with it. His tasks were always the ones with heavy lifting. Take things in, take things out. Take things up, take things down... and always, always, take the blame. They called him

Read more »

Challenge #02466-F276: One Game Round

"I won't let you harm this child!"

"It's not even your kin, why would you protect him?"

"His mom will whoop my ass if I don't." -- Anon Guest

Of all the occupations in Human history, childcare has to be among one of the least respected. It is expected to be easy. It is not. Especially when the child being cared for is not one's own. Especially when that child has a fae-wrought destiny.

For those unfamiliar with the Fae, they are

Read more »

Challenge #02231-F041: Workarounds

"You're being stingy."

"Yes, I know." -- Anon Guest

"I warned you," said Lady Anthe. "These caverns are not as friendly as the rest of the Underdark. You won't find luminous mushrooms or special glowing crystals here, and most of the fungus among us is either deadly poison or just plain carnivorous. I used to survive in places like this."

"You mean you used to live--"

Anthe cut Marvin's well-meaning correction off. "I wouldn't call it living. After three more days, neither

Read more »

Challenge #02002-E178: Double Scheherazade

Alien crew explores a likely-haunted spaceship wreck they found floating around -- TheDragonsFlame

Afterlives are one of the more complicated cultural complications in Galactic Society. Though citizens are not encouraged to insist on inserting their beliefs into others' heads, the topic of assorted beliefs is not taboo, either. One is expected to not judge, and not be judged in return. For instance: most cultures believe that some form of animated spirit persists after the mortal shell is deceased. Where it goes and

Read more »

Challenge #01868-E044: The Stepford House

As early 20th century houses go, it was fine. Neat, tidy, clean, owners polite to their black maid and cleaner and paid them well, children loved by their parents, and parents whom loved their children.

So WHY did it reek like a stinking dungeon in a necromancers castle? The Doctor lasted 10 seconds before leaping in with both boots. -- Anon Guest

It was almost a cliché, really. Lost traveller, wicked storm. Can't stay out in this mess. Would it be too

Read more »

Challenge #01704-D243: Collateral Self-sacrifice

Humans as the S&R species/Space!Rescue Dogs (I know you've seen the first part dozens of times, but this is a different chain of posts, that goes a different way) -- RecklessPrudence

Everyone knows that humans are indomitable. Against level five or above Deathworlders[1], they are dogged and determined. Against disaster, they have a thousand ways to triumph. Even the most mundane of their species has exhibited what they call hysterical strength in times of ultimate stress.

But

Read more »