Chapter 7 - The Grave Little Toaster

The Grave Little Toster
By: Chester Gifford

Janet was preparing her morning breakfast as she always did. It was a dark morning. She dreaded work. The lab was a cold and dismal place and her research into nanotech was getting nowhere. She couldn’t fathom the 12 hour shift she was about to have to pull.

She turned on the stove and cracked three eggs into it. She then grabbed some bread out of the cupboard. She threw it into the toaster and pushed down the lever. She then continued about her breakfast routine and sat down at the table. Then, realizing she forgot the toast, she got back up.

She approached the toaster and placed her fingers only slightly into the opening. The toaster then shot up from the counter, Janet marveled at the springs which were launching it upward rather than recoiling in horror. She was still in a morning daze. The opening at the top of the toaster was now surrounding her fingers as razor sharp claws clamped down on her hand. Blood shot out from the opening and she could hear it sizzle on the cooking elements, along with her fingers now hopelessly trapped inside.

She screamed in horror as the toaster, seemed to look at he with its cocked blinking lights on the front. The lights which were previously LEDs Janet could now see housed fiber optic lenses.

“AHHHH! GET OFF ME GET OFF ME AHHHH!” She screamed.

She hobbled over to the silverware drawer and grabbed a butter knife. She jammed it into the jaw like opening on the toaster. She attempted to pry. As she did, as if it knew what she was doing, the toaster’s jaws clamped shut. And janet was free. It lept back a couple of feet as did Janet. She then realized the horror of what it was doing.

Chewing.

She looked down at her hand. She was missing her middle ring and pinky fingers. A jagged slant went from the second knuckle of her middle finger to the base of her pinky finger which was entirely consumed. She oggled it in horror, feeling nearly no pain, but a rush instead. She noticed a silver fluid surrounding the cut. It was like the toaster had saliva. It looked like mercury.

She recognized it. She knew it well. They were nanites. She had been working on prototypes at Boston Dynamic but so far had been unable to get them to replicate or work together. Clearly they had found a way. They must have hitched a ride home on her body somewhere and multiplied. Suddenly she lost focus of her hand, her instincts were kicking in, the toaster was hopping around on its springs and positioning to leap directly at her face. She caught it in mid air. It was fiery hot. She threw it across the room. It began leaping back at her as she grabbed a chair from her table. She was now glad that she had opted for the metal and glass dining set as opposed to the oak set the salesman tried to talk her into.

She came down on the toaster and it was dented. Now its hopping was off kelter but it was still attemping to come at her. Another blow. Another. Another. She continued to beat the kitchenware until it was little more than twitching motors and wiring.

Now she felt the pain. Her hand throbbed and stung. Her fingers hurt despite their being gone. She searched for her cell phone. She dialed 911. She put the cell phone to her face and then realized the stupidity of what she’d done. She threw it across the room as it exploded, with a notable boom. Had she waited a second longer she would have surely been killed. Now her can opener sprang to life, the blade which was supposed to be only a quarter inch long was now 6 inches long and probing in and out. Two telescoping fiber cameras shot from its bowels and a propeller began rising from the top of it.

Janet ran, as fast as she could. She dodged her flat screen which was tearing itself from her wall, and her printer which was spitting acid from its cartridges. She dove out the front door and kicked it shut behind her. She began looking around her suburban neighborhood as she noticed several unpiloted and highly modified cars were closing in on her at impossible speed.

She closed her eyes.

Big Bug Art

By: Alex K. Barton

Chapter Six - Monster Sword

Chapter Six

Monster Sword

By: Alex K. Barton

Drip, Plop, Drip, Drip, David watched drops of water splash and mix with the dark purple ooz covering the floor. He had been waiting, waiting to wake up. Slowly he realized he wasn’t going to wake up, and that it may not be a bad idea to look around. At least try and find someplace that made him feel safe. The knowledge he was not alone still lingered in his mind. He rolled onto his knees and then stood. The feeling of saggy wet pants is never a desirable one. So, he began to try and wring out the moister to no avail. He settled for wiping his hands off and changing his focus. He was glad he had a sword. He felt powerful with it. A primal urge and excitement flooded over him. One of a need for survival. Almost holding his breath he took a step with no more than the hope he was headed toward the exit. The dripping sound was almost soothing he thought. Like a fountain, like ocean waves. The white noise of the drops were suddenly interrupted with a splash. David froze and looked around with wide eyes. Trying to conquer the darkness. He took a few more steps. Another splash, followed by the sound of slithering and clicking. He began to move faster. The sounds grew and began to follow him growing more and more frantic. David ran. The walls of the cave came to life with small creatures like the one that had dragged him into this world. They spat their tentacle like arms and threw them self’s from the ceiling trying to latch on to him. Clumsily he lifted his sword and sliced one of the slugs in half. He turned a corner and saw a bright light. “The exit” he thought.

In a dead sprint he ran into the light. His eyes adjusted to the bright white around him only to reveal a large cavern with a hole in the ceiling. He quickly turned to face his pursuers. Nothing. The cave had fallen into a dead silence. He could hear his heart beating, his breath, hot in his mouth. He took a deep sigh. And began to walk with caution into the large chamber before him. Its never a good sign when what scares you gets scared. He thought. As he walked he saw in the shadows the little creatures scurrying around. What are they waiting for he thought.

The ground began to shake a steady rumble. He saw no path, no exit before him... Only a large red glowing dot hovering in the abyss before him . The rumble continued. And out of the shadows the source of the rumbling emerged. A beast the size of a bus pulled its body into the light. With the dropping of its weight on the cavern floor the room shook. The monstrous thing seemed to deflate and jiggle like a balloon full of water.

“Oh shit, I think I have found momma.” David said as he backed up slowly. He knew there was no escape. He felt it in his bones. In the bones of his ancestors. He knew he had to fight for his life. He readied himself and tried to get good footing as he raised his sword.

“Monster sword!, Monster Sword.” Little voices all around him whisper. There was a feeling and the sound of scurrying out side the spotlight the hole in the the ceiling made around him. The large slug in front of him began to groan.

“You'vve not hellld powerrr, over me, and minnne for agessss Canavar. What makesss you think you hoold powerr now?” The sack of flesh, shook and writhed

“I don't know what your talking about. I just want to go home.” David said trembling

“I Donn't speeeak tooo youu weak thinng.” The huge bloated legs of the slug raised up and out from under them came two tentacle arms. One thrust at David and wrapped around his ribs knocking the air out of him, and raising him off the ground. He dropped his sword and gasped to take a breath to no avale. As the blade slid from his hand hilt first the razor sharp edge sliced open his palm and blood began pouring from the deep wound. As the weapon fell to the ground it began to change in color glazed in human blood. From its former state of steel it morphed a to crimson black. A yellow light shone from it. A circle at the base of the blade began to pulse and turn to something that looked like skin. David couldn’t breath. He kept trying to pull in a breath but with every inhale the tentacles grip grew tighter and tighter. The cracking of his ribs was the unbearable panic and pain of being crushed to death slowly. The monster sword stood fully changed. An ancient power fed by human blood, and sacrifice had been awakened. Out of the skin like circle on the blade a slime covered slug like monster formed. A mating of human and monster born in a embryotic sack. It grew and burst into life breaking the egg shell of skin surrounding it. One large yellow eye looked at David. Its life giver, its father. A burst of light sliced though the tentacle holding David. He fell to the ground. The yellow eyed monster squirmed to Davids side and coiled around his ribs. With another flash of yellow light David was healed. Without question or prompt he stood in fear and anger. He charged at the red eyed slug creature pulling the Monster sword from the ground and swung it with all his strength into the red target hovering before him. Like dart into a bulls eye the sword slid into the creatures flesh. The wound the blade made began to fester and the body of the beast pulsated and shook expanding and contracting. Suddenly, it exploded throwing David across the cavern. The skin of the slug was plastered to all the walls and purple and brown slime dripped from everything. Moments later David awoke laying in the carcase of his defeated enemy. Next to him sat the little yellow-eyed slug. He jumped up in panic a shock pointed his sword at it.

“What is going on? I know you all fucking talk or some bullshit! Out with it. Tell me, or your going to look like your friend here! Show me the way out!”

It seemed to look up at him. It scurried toward the main body portion of there former bus sized enemy. David looked down at the blade and remembered small instance of what had happened. He looked at the wound on his hand. It still looked fresh and still hurt but there was no blood. It was as if the blade cleaned the wound. Or at least disposed of the blood... He felt his ribs they weren’t broken anymore. He walked toward his yellow eyed companion. It crawled though the ribs of the defeated and seemed to be leading David. In fact the flesh had been busted off a large portion of the animal that made its ribs look like a gateway. David felt oddly comfortable with following the small monster. As if something was talking to him telling him everything will be alright. As much as he wanted to deny this feeling he felt calm. Suddenly, he was crawling on his hands and knees in a carpet of guts. He kept crawling trying not to cut himself again on his blade, and following the little monster deeper and deeper inside of the corpse. They stopped at a sharp ninety degree angle up. Obviously a drastic change in the body’s placement. He shook his head as if wakening from a day dream. “What am I doing?” He said audibly. The yellow eyed monster looked back at him and shot a tentacle out rapping up his hands and the sword. They began moving at a blinding speed straight up through the inside of the monsters corps, the little yellow-eyed slug dragging David with it. Davids mouth filled with purple goop, and the feeling of a warm chunky gelatine was sliding across his face as the corridor he was being pulled up through became more and more narrow. They burst forth into daylight. As if being reborn. David was half way out of what looked unmistakably like a giant anus. He threw up a little purple ooze and pulled himself out the rest of the way. Exhausted, mentally and physically he slid off of the massive puckered hole that was protruding from the ground, threw up some more because of the smell and began to try and get a handle on what was going on.

To be continued...                                

Galrot Art

Way back along time ago. Chester wrote a story. It was about the time this blog sadly died for a very long time. Here is the Art of the Galrot

Alex K. Barton

....SYSTEM.......REBOOT!!!!!

After a very long time, what to some, seemed like forever, something began stirring in the darkness. Full of unrest, it "RISES FROM THE ASHES!" 

MACHINES AND MONSTERS

"...SYSTEM...REBOOT!"

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