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Days End
Cody Duvall
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

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Creative Challenge #4: "Romance"

1.

_X__

A chance encounter (CHANCE)

2.

_X__

No direct references to gender (he, she, him, her, his, hers--only use neutral

pronouns)
3.

_X__

The colors pink, orange, and red (put colors in bold)

4.

_X__

2 visions of the future (FUT 1-2)

5.

_X__

2 things merge into one (MERGE)

6.

_X__

Softly playing music (MUSIC)

7.

_X__

Flowers (FLOW)

8.

_X__

Candles (CAND)

9.

_X__

A parting kiss (PART)

10.

_X__

A game of chance (GAME)

11.

_X__

A perfect moment (MOMENT)

12.

_X__

Eyes meet (EYES)

13.

_X__

Confusion & Longing (CONF) (LONG)

14.

_X__

No use of the word love

15.

_X__

No references to dating, marriage, running away together, or unrequited love.

16.

_X__

No eating, descriptions of food, or direct references to anything that has been

cooked or prepared as food.

17.

_X__

No references to eternity, forever, or living happily ever after

18.

_X__

Laughter & Floating (LAUGH) (FLOAT)

19.

_X__

primarily present tense

20.

_X__

2 perspectives on the same thing

21.

_X__

something sweet (SWEET)

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22.

_X__

2 stories about the past (PAST 1-2)

Details
_X__ 5 references to lighting (LIGHT 1-5)
_X__ a detailed description of a voice (VOICE)
_X__ 5 references to body language (BODY 1-5)
_X__ 5 references to weather (WEATHER 1-5)
_X__ 5 references to a texture (TEXT 1-5)

James always carry the gun I need to get my own, every time I get into situations like this
James gets to save the day, I would be able to handle it if only I had a gun. Peeking from cover
my eyes meet my antagonists I see the shotgun rise and I duck once again, a shot it let out
spraying across the hood sending sparks over my head. (EYES) (LIGHT 1) (BODY 1) The front
window of the gas station had been cracked and broken seeing no other way I dove though
shattering the glass around me. (TEXT 1) Another barrage of lead wizzes by me landing in the
wall, looking up from the ground I see James placing the rifle over a counter and fires a wellaimed shot halting the aggressor. (BODY 2) Both of us rise from our position of cover, shaking
off fragments of glass I ask, Where the hell were you?
Just waiting for the perfect moment. (MOMENT)
Did you get what you needed, can we go?
Yeah just give me your pack Ill fill what I can and we will be on our way.

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Leaving my bag with James I go to inspect my attacker, floating in the pool of blood now
strain red was some form of devotional flier. (FLOAT) James had said something days ago
about seeing someone following us, I suspect this was them. (PAST 1) Grabbing the shotgun I
see it is a pink camouflage break action shotgun making it very noticeable and slow to reload,
probably taken from a kids room. (TEXT 2) Searching the body I find six orange shells the
casings signifies they are target load ammo, they wont put anybody down but could scare them.
(FUT 1) It is strange someone would choose to attack with this, not many people remain sane
after the earth lost its magnetic field, sending the globe spinning off its axis. (WEATHER 1)
(PAST 2) The first thing to go was electricity, solar flares that would have normally not
penetrated the ozone knocked out power grids worldwide. (WEATHER 2) Any and all forms of
electricity were now obsolete quickly people turned on each other fighting among themselves
perhaps because of the confusion or simply longing for survival. (CONF) (LONG) With the
allowance of particle storms, cosmic rays and other subatomic particles from deep space to fall
down onto earth, (WEATHER 3) (LIGHT 2) religious extremist began preaching of
Armageddon, (PERSPECTIVE 1) with hundreds of people gathering with different ideals it
was not long before one group would attack another, soon it was a fight between tribes
controlling the territory and resources. When it is dark you can hear the crazy ones in their
camps, when the sky looks like its raining fire the hymns and songs can faintly be heard
thorough the countryside, along with the enraged preaching of damnation for all. (MUSIC)
(VOICE) James and I were stuck in the middle along with every other confused soul. We teamed
up 34 days after the power went out, we were both searching for a place we felt we could
survive, so we decided to stick together until we found it. (CHANCE) (MERGE) James

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believes another ice age is upon us with the fluctuation of the weather it is not hard to believe.
(PERSPECTIVE 2) (FUT 2) (WEATHER 4)
With the shotgun in hand I return to the station in search of a hacksaw removing the stock
and all but a few inches on the barrel making it small enough to fit in my pocket. Concealing it I
return to James who is just finishing preparing to leave. Taking my bag James asks about the
mans gun, revealing it James laughter could not be suppressed. I had to save you from that?
(LAUGH) (BODY 3)
Its different when it is being shot at you.
Leaving the gas station James grabs a bouquet of dead flowers to drop on the corpse.
(TEXT 3) (FLOW) The days and night are shorter and sporadic sometimes staying dark for days
or vice versa the sun has been following the horizon for hours a time James and I prefer to travel.
5 miles down the road we encounter a rider on horseback traveling the other direction. We decide
people on horseback probably know the area well and we could get some information and decide
to try and talk to him. (BODY 4) Usually we draw straws and I lose and go and almost always
get shot, but James decided to make contact. (GAME) So we swap weapons and I quickly
position myself behind the rifle, while James pockets the shotgun and walks down the road to
meet the stranger. As James exchanges words with the rider it looked like things were going
smooth I could see the two exchange some things from their bags and both parted ways. Once
the rider had passed me on the road I regrouped with James and discovered the rider mentioned a
military encampment just down the road we decide it is worth a look so we continue in the
direction given. When we discover the camp night seemed to set in we could see guards setting
fire to barrels. We decide to watch the camp to determine if it is safe. Through the trade James
had acquired a couple candles, and after we drink a can of soda we cut a door in the can and use

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them as lanterns. (CAND) (LIGHT 3) (SWEET) Navigating thought the woods like this was
hard, an actual lantern would be preferred but we have to make due. The ground around the fence
that runs along the camp has been beaten down and eroded by patrols on horseback, (TEXT 4)
after we get under the fence we crawl on our bellies until we are at the closest building we could
see. Circling the corner of the building we could see a group of people gathering at a town
square. Through the binoculars you could see someone tied to a steak another leans in kissing the
prisoner before setting them ablaze. (PART) (LIGHT 4) (BODY 5)Retreating to the wood line
as we crawl under the fence a gallop of a horse can be heard approaching fast. Just as the glow of
the lantern exposes us James draws and shoots the shotgun sending a blast of hot pellets into the
face of the horse making it rise and send the rider off the horse. (TEXT 5) The lantern smashes
on the ground setting fire to the forest. Distracted by the flames and the distraught horse we slip
away back into the darkness and make our escape.
Looking back from the hilltop we can see the camp gathered around to suppress the
flames looking up we see the sky start to shower down asteroids and the countryside begins to
hum with songs. (WEATHER 5) (LIGHT 5) I dont know if we will ever find what were
looking for out here but we have to keep trying.