Zero Hour Part 4: Survivors, page 3
God I’m hungry. My mouth feels like sandpaper.
I see a ration pack floating a few feet away and try to reach it, but my arms and shoulders won’t budge. How the hell am I going to get out of this?
That’s when I hear it. Something’s moving out there. My mind races through every possible scenario. What it comes down to is whether this is a rescue or capture, and rescue seems highly unlikely. Do I shout to tell them I’m here or shut up and hope they leave so I can starve to death in peace?
That question is answered when a metallic object slams against the back door of the vehicle. It’s been badly damaged and won’t be opening by traditional means. Whoever it is, they’re trying their best to gain access, but it’s not happening. The sound stops and there is complete silence for a minute, followed by a tiny spark igniting from the top corner of the door. The spark transforms to a brilliant glow and begins to move steadily in the outline of a rectangle, raining sparks that dance on the water with tiny hisses. As the rectangle is completed, the glow fades, and the entire panel is torn away, the sunlight blinding me as I await my fate.
As my eyes become accustomed to the light, a figure appears, leaning in to look. It’s an android. I haven’t seen any like this before, throughout this war there were no humanoid machines. It looks almost new, covered in white armour, its head human-shaped in every way—even with simple facial features. Now I just need to wait and see if it’s going to free me or kill me.
It stares at me in silence for at least a minute, then raises its arm and waves, speaking with a voice I thought I’d never hear again:
“Man, Sheppard’s gonna be pissed.”
Acknowledgements
We’re almost there folks! I’ve started work on part five and I hope it does the rest of this story justice. It’s been a fantastic experience for me so far, and thanks to everyone who has joined me and also to those who have helped out.
Once again, and at the danger of sounding like a broken record, if you have enjoyed Zero Hour so far, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. For indie writers, every review is sacred, as it greatly affects the visibility of our books on the website, and it’s a marvellous help to those of us who don’t have huge marketing budgets.
I’ve had messages from many people asking if a print version is available, and I can confirm that the original Zero Hour short story is now available in print from Amazon. I’ve decided not to sell the other parts in print as I’ll be releasing an omnibus edition in May, so I don’t want people spending their hard-earned cash buying all five books in paperback, as print on demand copies are quite expensive. If anyone would like to purchase a signed copy, I will have them available soon on my website www.eamonambrose.com
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Until next time,
Eamon
Email: eamonambrose@gmail.com
Twitter: @eamonambrose
Amazon Author Page
Eamon Ambrose, Zero Hour Part 4: Survivors
