Sunday, July 31, 2022

Heroes die needless deaths

The moment Parker opened the car door a shot rang out.

He bolted to a low wall.

Jackson cowered behind the vehicle, babbling into his radio receiver.

‘Come-on,’ Parker urged.

‘We need to wait for back-up.’

‘She could be dying in there.’

‘And so could we.’

‘You’re just going to let her bleed out?’

‘Heroes die needless deaths.’

‘They save the day.’

‘This isn’t a Hollywood movie, John. That fucker’s killed before.’

‘Will you at least cover me?’

‘No.’

The first shot sliced through Parker’s neck as he vaulted the wall.

‘Idiot,’ Jackson muttered.

In the distance, sirens sparked into life.

 

A drabble is a story of exactly 100 words.

1 comment:

Margot Kinberg said...

You really capture that dilemma so well, Rob! On the one hand, letting someone die is a terrible consequence. But playing hero almost never works, and it has its own terrible consequences. Hard to know what to do, and you've nailed that here.