Lizzy Loomis is the Readers’ Choice in this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. The winning entry is decided by the popular vote and rewarded with a special feature here today. (In the case of a tie, the writer who submitted an entry first is the winner per our rules.) Without further ado, here’s the winning story:
Zombies
by Lizzy Loomis
The line formed outside the arena; I scratched the chip in my left arm. Initially only used to track violent offenders now placed under the skin of all residence at birth. Thick scar tissue encapsulated the foreign object trying to reject the tracking. Hooded men separated us from our parents; our left wrists flashed with beams of blue light. The data mined, exposing every transgression. Anyone who broke the rules no matter the reason, paid a deadly price.
Agents shouted orders sorting the mob into groups. Terror and anticipation filled our hearts; today, one of us seals the fate of the guilty. I looked over my shoulder, bursting with pride, searching the long line for my mother. Lieutenant John escorted me to the center stage, calming me with his gentle eyes as I waved at the surging crowd. He placed a sash over my shoulder, identifying me as the Executioner. The citizens in the audience had escaped punishment and frantically searched for family members.
The accused silently marched onto the stage, each remorseful head hanging low, awaiting instant death. A red button raised out of a trapdoor; a hush fell over the stadium. I raised my hand dramatically, slamming it down on the shiny dome. I heard a familiar voice screaming, “I will always love you.” Turning my head toward the sound and watched my mother’s lifeless body hit the stage.
