Matthew R. Stitt // The Writer’s Archive

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  • The Reaper

    “Dad Stop!”

    The words pierced Darrin’s ears like tiny, sharp knives.  His foot reacted first and stomped on the brakes.  The Jeep lurched forward followed by every passenger.

    Stopped in the middle of the road.  An empty, backwoods road Darrin waited for something to happen.

    “Sarah!”  Darrin shouted as he turned his head.  He stared at his young, teenage daughter.  She stared back then pointed to an object outside the front window.  Darrin turned back toward the steering wheel and watched as the trees on the right rustled.

    “What is it?”  His voice quiet.

    “I don’t know,” Sarah replied.

    Small branches broke.   A tall, human-like creature stepped from the woods.  It wore a thick, black, hooded cloak and had it’s head down.  Darrin took in a sharp breath and instructed the girls within the Jeep to stay silent.  “It’s a reaper,” he whispered.

    The reaper stepped from the trees and the brush on the right side of the road and rose up the embankment.  Darrin watched as it stood three feet from the front of the Jeep.  It’s attention was focused on an object on the left side of the road.  It stopped and waited.

    Janice, his wife, noticed it first.  It was a rustle within the brush on the left side of the road.  After a moment it appeared.  A white cat with black stripes stood by the road.  It searched for something… the reaper moved forward and stood near the center of the Jeep.

    “You can’t let it eat the cat,” His younger daughter Tracy pleaded.

    Darrin scolded her silently.

    The reaper moved forward as the cat continued to search.  Once the tall, strange creature became close enough it almost snatched up the cat.  The event so fast it looked as if the reaper disappeared for seconds.  Once it had the cat it bite down upon the soft belly while the cat fought.  The reaper seemed to ignore the scratches till the poor cat had enough and passed away.

    “This is disgusting,” Tracy said anger evident in her tone.

    Her mother, Janice leaned back.  “Do you want it to be us,” she asked.

    Tracy folded her arms and sat back.

    After the reaper finished it’s meal it disappeared within the trees.  Darrin put the Jeep into Drive and pulled forward.

     

  • Eye Candy

  • Curious Shortz

    Darrin looked up into the sky.  He stood, covered between and large maple tree and a white birch.  He was still able to see the mass of leather and keratin flying above the house.

    “Dad!  What are you doing?”  Shouted Sarah from the large picture window.  Darrin waved her off, hoping to assure her he was safe under the tree.

    The Pterodactyl flew above the house.  The large creatures filled the sky.  Darrin counted nine winged predators.

    “Why do you think they are circling above the house?”

    Darrin jumped, not expecting his wife to join him outside.

    “What are you doing out here?”

    “Hey, if your safe under the tree I am.”

    Darrin noticed that a single creature began to sink lower followed by a second.

    “You know they are actually about a mile away.  The dumb things are so large…”

    “That doesn’t matter, they are still dangerous.”

    “Right.. rude to interrupt but right.”

    “What do you think they are looking at?”

    “Not sure, maybe a Harkin passed out in this heat and they are taking turns pecking at it’s armored abdomen?”

    “I heard there was a new creature?”

    “Really, what?”

    “Christine was saying it was a centaur.”

    “How?”

    “She saw it.  Says it was very friendly and cute.  Six pack abs and everything.”

    “Of course, she would think that.  She needs to get married.”

    A sudden noise jolted both Darrin and Janice as something galloped toward them.  Appearing from the darkness of the church next door was an insect-like Harkin.  The giant bug galloped quickly toward them.  It’s multiple legs looked like oars on a strange armored ship.

    Janice looked to panic and wanted to run toward the house.  Darrin wanted to fetch his crossbow but stopped and watched.  Janice stared at Darrin in disbelief but stood still.  They both watched as the Harkin passed by the house within seconds.

    It then took an awkward right at the intersection and headed toward the hovering Pterodactyl.

    After the Harkin disappeared down the road Darrin and Janice took a breath.  “What was that about?”

    “I’m not sure,” Darrin replied.

    “Leave the kids here?”  He asked.

    “What if something happens to us?”

    “Ok, we will get them.  We need to check this out.”

  • Angek Test 2

  • Angek Test 1

  • The A-130

    “I’m telling you.  This is not going to work.”

    “It’s has to work, Marcus.  Do you understand what this could do to help us with the fight for dominance of the monsters in the country.”

    “Darrin, listen.  I understand that.  Believe me but you pushing this hard is going to force a mistake.  The July 4th massacre was a terrible event.  I didn’t lose anyone, luckily, but dude…You have to back off a bit.”

    Darrin stepped back and bit his lip.  He took a breath.  The images pounded in his head as his heart began to race.  He took in a second breath.

    “Ok, sure.  I’ve been pushing too hard.  I’m still going to insist you finish this weapon.  Have you got a name for it yet.”

    Marcus smiled.  “A-130.”

    “That’s simplistic.”

    “Right, but this laser gun has gone through a hundred twenty seven revisions.  I rounded up.  Oh, and it’s named after a work-horse plane in the 21st century.”

    “Ok, just get it working.  What’s wrong with it now?”

    Marcus picked up the weapon.  It had a bulbous channel that covered the barrel.  It was ridged, painted yellow, and had a black ring near the front of the bulge then the back.  The trigger was underneath a small square of aluminum followed by a wooden stock.

    “It look more like a bumble bee, Marcus.”

    Marcus ignored Darrin and stepped into a large room.  At the very end of the room was a black, circular stain on the wall.

    “It keeps getting too hot to handle.”  Marcus said as he put on a pair of thick, black gloves.

    Marcus lifted the weapon and weighed it in his hands.  “It’s a bit too heavy still but the laser technology is still far behind the computer technology of the twenty-second century.”

    Marcus squared up his feet.  Pushed back his right foot and fired.

    An invisible stream burst from the barrel of the weapon and struck the wall.  Heat spread over the black stain and began to redden.  Smoke floated from the weapon, slowly at first then it began to burn.

    Marcus set the weapon down and instructed Darrin to follow him from the room.  “It has exploded at times.  I’m hoping this isn’t one of those times.”

  • Fourth of July

    “Ugh!  I’m so mad.”

    “Settle down, Darrin it’s not that bad.”

    “Not that bad!  Janice, they took twelve children.”

    “Well, that’s not completely true.. it wasn’t just children.”

    “Please, don’t…” Darrin turned, loaded his crossbow.

    “You’re not joining the Army.  You have children to protect.”

    Darrin looked at his wife.  The words struck him but the sound of all those children screaming incited him and his nose flared.

    “What about those other children?  Who is going to protect them?”

    Janice stood silent.  She knew many other families had little.  Darrin was a protector.  The best.  “If you leave…” she began.  “That leaves us vulnerable.  The best of our community is in the Army.  They are fighting.  Their families are vulnerable.  All of them.”

    Darrin set the safety on the crossbow and hung it at his side.  He struggled to think of something to say.  The screams muted slightly.  “You were there,” he began.  His eyes getting cloudy.  “The Pterodactyl came in then the Harkins.  They knew we were celebrating our freedom.”

    “Darrin,” Janice began gently.  “The war is over.  The creatures are now a way of life.  There are so many of them left over.  There are teams on top of teams removing them.  This family needs you.”

    Darrin growled and pushed past her.  His daughters Sarah and Tracy stood within the kitchen.  The sadness plastered upon their faces.  “My god.”

    “I lost my best friend, daddy.”  The youngest, Sarah said.  “I don’t want to lose you.  They both hugged him and Darrin stood motionless.

    “There is a greater good here,” Darrin said, his will almost broken.  “The recruiters haven’t called you Darrin,” his wife reminded him.  “If they needed help they would call you first.  They all know you.”

    A tear fell from Darrin’s face as the family embraced

  • Wings to Bird- potential t-shirt

  • Ideas

    As I writer one of the worse things I can say is I’m out of ideas.  I’m not out of ideas so I guess that’s good.  The problem is my ideas are spread out.  I hang out at an online Pathfinder game named woldiangames.com.  (Looking for more players btw..)

    I hadn’t experienced the details of an RPG game.  All these people that play D &D and Pathfinder and I missed all of it.. until now of course.  Within a year I’ve become a Dungeon Master in charge of an awesome group of players stuck on a Floating City.  My point being that I expend so much for this game.  I am absolutely thrilled to do so.  Problem number two, being my phone… no..no.. I’m not on Facebook all day or taking selfies and screaming like a girl.. I’m drawing/painting and creating.  I’m back to doing art after many years of quiet struggle.  Every t-shirt I post here is done from my phone.  I just ordered my Cthulhu t-shirt.   It will be in the mail 1 to 5 days.. wahoo..

    Ideas… they are always there.  Like a mole on your arm that you try to tattoo over.  It’s always there.  What I would really like to do today is write another story about the family.. wow… they don’t have a name.  I’ve wrote two shorts about them and they don’t have a last name.  Maybe Shortz… Janice and Darrin Shortz.  Tracy and Sara Shortz…

    Did you guys know I have a three hundred word minimum word count?  I’ve been short only a couple times over the years.  Today will not be one of them.

    I’m watching reruns of Code Black.. I’m angry that I have to wait for new episodes then they give me reruns.  Same with NBC.. I don’t want to watch the Olympics junk.  I missed America’s got Talent because I avoided NBC via eight o’clock.. grrr

    Well I made it…
    If you have a favorite blog or a story that just has to be shared let me know.  Send me an email at matthewstitt49259@yahoo.com.  Hey, even if you want to say hi…

    Have a great night

  • Cthulhu 2016

    http://matthewstitt49259.deviantart.com/art/Chutulu-616877039

    (Cthulhu) brokenstick.threadless.com

    shirt-1466629538-497e7035cfb3b324b492fe869f9cbc14
    Cthulhu 2016