Science Fiction Dystopian Micro Fiction: Hunger Cycles

Here's a piece of Science-Fiction-Dystopian Micro Fiction. What is Micro Fiction? By my definition, it's any story no longer 500 words, though every writer probably has their own personal word count in the realm of flash fiction.

So sit back, relax, and don't take too long! Enjoy!

Hunger Cycles  

            Mike is hungry. He walks the streets in silence, but the city speaks to him in the language of flash-buy-flash-consume. The language tells him a new product has been created, a new product he cannot live without. Mike’s stomach grumbles. He steps over a lifeless body and into a shop.

            The crowd is thick. He can barely make it to the product. It’s said to decrease his boredom by entertaining his core neurons. He only needs to download the software into his brain for six hours a day.

            Mike reaches into his pocket and pulls out just enough for the device; not enough for the device and a cure for his rumbling stomach. The flash language speaks to him and he accepts its demands.

            Mike crosses the lifeless body as he exits the store. He walks with his device down a narrow alley. His living quarters are just around the block. His feet splash in the oil puddles, one by one. Two by two, four by four he hears.

            “Stop right there.”

            Mike stops in his tracks and turns to face the voice.

            “What’d you have there son?”

            “I just bought it. I even have the recite,” Mike reaches into his pocket.

            “Keep you hands right there!” the men pulled out their bloated clubs. They take a step toward Mike.

            “But I can show you-“he reaches deeper. But before he can reach the piece of paper, the men bash their clubs into his skull.

            “Now we saw you just last week stealing from a fruit stand a few blocks from here. You remember that?”

            “Yeah,” Mike grunts, barely able to tell if he is alive or dead. “I didn’t have the money. I was starving.”

            “But you have the money to buy this thing,” he holds up the device. Mike has no words.

            “Listen son, you’re coming with us-“

            “John.”

            “What Jackson?”

            “Get off his case. We have bigger problems.”

            Mike hears in the distance the sound of gun fire. It echoes in the air with the sound of cries of innocent children, women, men; and a murderer.

            “Come on John!” and they were gone.

            Mike pulls himself to his feet. His entertainment device was crushed by his fall. His stomach rumbles. He has no money to cure it. He knows John and Jackson will visit him again next week. 


-Written by Cherise Randle

Images of the Apocalypse! Getting in the Atmosphere of the End!

The end of the world is coming! Are you prepared? Don't wasted time. It could be right around the corner!

Prepare your bug-out bag, fire arms or blunt objects, and escape plan. Here's a look at the Apocalypse!

Friday Night Flicks!

When Friday night arrives there are two things I usually do: Watch E!’s The Soup at 10 pm, and AMC’s Fear Friday’s at 11. There’s nothing like a terrifying flick late at night to get your weekend started!

Though most Friday night flicks are scary movies, not all are in the horror genre and not all are featured on AMC. But one thing all Friday night flicks have in common is that they are dark and simply pleasing.  

Here are my 9 picks!

1. First on the list is 1984’s Night of the Comet. During New Years Eve after a comet wipes out 99.9% of humanity, two valley girls and a Mexican guy try to survive in a world infested by mutated humans.

The eighties were probably one of the best decades in the realm of horror cinema. I found this movie around the same time I found movies like Night of the Creeps and The Blob. One of the biggest reasons I like it is because of the Uzi welding young women featured it. You don’t see that every day!

2. Not a horror film, unless you’re horrified by the thought of your life being taken over by a live-action game, is The Game, a movie about a man whose life is taken over by an actual life-action game – a gift given to him by his younger brother. The Game is considered one of the best films ever written and acted. Its dark tone sets a mood perfect for watching it late at night in a dark room. Though it’s not scary, its atmosphere is said to give anyone chills.

3. Now we all know and have see John Carpenter’s masterpiece 80s classic about a man who comes to the realization that aliens live among us and have turned our world into a dystopian society. They live is actually based on a short story titled "Eight O'Clock in the Morning" by Ray Nelson. In that version, there are no sunglasses that give our main character the ability to see the aliens. In the short story, he just wakes up after being told to do so after hypnosis.

4. The Thing of 1982 sets around a group of scientists researching in The Antarctic who discovers an alien creature who can assume the appearance of any other living creature. The alien assumes the appearance of its captive by also consuming its captive.

The Thing is one of those perfect late night horror films because it has that certain atmosphere where you’re unsure of what’s going to happen next. You don’t who who’s going to die next, and you don’t know who’s an alien and who’s not.

5. The Return of the Living Dead. Huh? That’s sounds familiar. Wasn’t this movie on a past list? In fact it was! I guess I just can’t get enough of flesh-eating, or rather brains-eating, zombies terrorizing teens in a cemetery. True, I cannot, especially on Friday nights. I downloaded this movie (no, not illegally. I got it from Youtube. Geez!) specifically so I could watch zombie madness whenever I wanted.

6. Halloween is a classic slasher flick that’s not just good for watching on Halloween. Don’t get me wrong, I watch this movie about five times on Halloween day every year, but it’s also a great film to watch late at night in a pitch black room. You know the story – Lori is a goodie two shoes babysitter who has a bad night after all her friends are murdered by her supposed brother. Oh sorry. I think the brother thing came later in the series when the producers were trying to revamp the franchise, or rather create one.

7. For some reason there are a select group of people who seem to dislike the sequel to number six, Halloween II. It continues the story of Lori after she is taken to a hospital to be treated for the wounds she received in Halloween. Of course, Michael Myers follows her there and continues to terrorize her. Halloween II received a 6.3 rating on IMDb.com while the first Halloween received nearly an 8! Honestly, and I'm telling the truth here, I cannot figure out why some regard the sequel as less than deserving a near perfect rating also. If it’s because of the sex scenes, there were also sex scenes in the first Halloween. I don’t get it. I love this movie.

8. By now it’s quite obvious that I enjoy John Carpenter flicks. And Body Bags is another little known Carpenter film. Body Bags is actually a collection of three shorter films. The first about a woman working late at a gas station who is terrorized by a crazed man; the second (more of a comedy) about a guy who hates his balding scalp so much be embarks on a hair transplant that gives him deadly locks; and the third about a base ball player who loses his eye in a car accident and after gets surgery and has a new eye inserted into his socket which causes him to start seeing dead bodies.

John Carpenter actually stars in this one as the narrator or rather the guy who introduces all the tales. This movie can be seen as a comedy/horror which makes it perfect for a light hearted Friday night.

9. Not all the films on my list are rated particularly well (Body Bags, Night of the Comet, and Halloween II come to mind). This one is no exception. I like B rated horror and Children of the Corn nearly earns a C. Children of the Corn is based on Stephen King’s novella about a town where all the parents have been killed by their children who worship a violet, monstrous force living amongst the corn fields. As much as some people hate this film, it’s one of my favorites. Like Return of the Living Dead, I downloaded this one too, and it sits inside my computer allowing me to watch it whenever I want.

So, that’s my list! You have your own Friday night flicks you love, or Saturday or Sunday? Put them here in the comment section.

Retro Game Review of the Week: Grand Theft Auto 3!

GrandTheft Auto 3, created by Rockstar games, is considered one of the most ground breaking video games of all time. Why? Probably because it allowed you free range to do almost anything you liked. This included such acts as killing prostitutes, pedestrian hit and run, randomly throwing grenades at passing cars, you name it.

This of course caused major controversy with some parents groups, but we really don’t care about that here. I was lucky enough that my parents didn’t give a care what video games I played as long as I stayed out of their hair.

So here we go with retro video game of the week (and yes GTA 3 is retro now, at least in my opinion) – Grand Theft Auto 3!

Story

GTA 3 is set in Liberty City – the filthiest city in America! You are Claude Speed, young bank robber who rises through the ranks of the Italian Mafia. Eventually you kill their leader and take on missions given to you by Yakuza crime lords and crooked district attorneys. Your two main enemies are the Chinese Triads, and especially the Colombians. … to be honest, I didn’t really follow the story all that much as I was too busy playing pedestrian hit and run during missions. ツ (star!)

Missions

I found the missions in GTA 3 to be a lot harder than those in GTA 4 yet easier than GTA: San Andreas. The hardest mission was “S.A.M” in which Claude must shoot down a Dodo and collect packages of S.P.A.N.K. The trouble I had with this mission was that I could never get to the air port in time! If you try to drive to Francis International Airport in south Shoreside Vale, traffic will normally catch you before the plane lands. So, the best way to get to the air port is to cross the ocean west of Staunton Island.

Funess Level

GTA 3 is one of those games you never get tired of playing, or at least you never get tired until the latest GTA game comes out with all the new up grades. Even after you’ve fully beaten the game there is still so many fun things to do. Home made games include: seeing how long you can last with five wanted stars, turning on pedestrian riot mode therefore starting an apocalypse, and standing on top of vehicles then shooting at them and seeing how far and fast they go before you’re catapulted off!

Graphics

For a 2001 video game, GTA 3’s graphics are not that bad. The characters’ heads are a little blocky, and Claude runs kind of weird but other than that, the graphics are pretty good. Actually, when I first played GTA 3 back in 2001, I thought it looked pretty awesome primarily (and this is kind of weird) because of the puddles seen on Staunton Island near Kenji Kasen’s casino. Those puddles looked pretty darn realistic for its time.

Music

Now this was my favorite part of the game. GTA 3 radio stations and my opinions of them include:   

Double Clef FM – I never really listened to this station but I always respected it.

Flashback 95.6 – This station featured songs from the 1983 film Scarface. My favorite songs included Debbie Harry - "Rush Rush", Elizabeth Daily - "Shake It Up", Paul Engemann - "Push It to the Limit", Amy Holland - "She's on Fire", and Elizabeth Daily - "I'm Hot Tonight". Yes that’s … all the songs.

Game Radio FM I never really listened to this station but I always respected it. 

Head Radio – Head Radio was the pop/rock station of GTA 3. It featured catchy, ironic tunes with my favorite being Whatever’s "Good Thing", though I have the entire twenty minute station on my iPod.

K-Jah – K-jah featured easy dub reggae listenings all by the “Scientist”. The best song on the station is “Your Teeth in My Neck”. Try not getting high after listening to that track.

Lips 106 – Lips 106 is another pop station featuring the most ironic songs ever written. Featured is one past GTA 2 theme song called "Grand Theft Auto (Joyride)" by Da Shootaz. Yes, I also have this entire soundtrack on my iPod.

MSX FM – MSX FM is the drum and bass station of Liberty City. This station is best listened to whilst driving one of the fastest cars in the game and bobbing your head back in fourth until you go into cardiac arrest.

Rise FM - I never really listened to this station but I always respected it.

Chatterbox FM – Chatterbox FM was hosted by annoyed DJ and host Lazlow Jones. It featured the craziest callers ever created calling in to the station about pure nonsense, and two guests – one, a supposed gay, karate, vegan master, and the other a pimp.

Everyone knows GTA 3 really was and still is one of the best games ever made and was followed up by even more best games ever made including GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas. Even though GTA 3 is 10 years old this year, there’s no reason to sell this one on eBay. Keep it and play it over and over again. Trust me, it may get graphically and mechanically old, but it will always be enjoyable.

Fast Zombies vs. Slow Zombies - Which is More Fun?

There are some huge debates on the internet on whether it’s possible for a zombie to run and/or sprint. Most zombie purists believe there’s no possible way a zombie could run. Why? Because their bodies are not only decomposing, but are also going through rigor mortis (which makes their bodies “stiff and difficult to move or manipulate” Link). Other zombie fans like the idea of a challenging zombie apocalypse – fast zombies. Most zombie fans don’t really give a damn.

Now, I'm not here to discuss which zombie speed is accurate or even possible because I would then have to explain how zombies are possible in the first place, and we really don’t want to get into that (there are just so many possibilities!).

Instead I'm going to discuss which scenario is most fun! 

Slow zombies are fun for one very important (yet debatable) reason – it creates a REAL apocalyptic situation, or at least in my opinion it does. Living in a slow zombie apocalyptic world allows you to stop, smell the coffee, and rebuild. Instead of dealing with an apocalyptic situation where life on earth probably won’t last more than a few days, a slow zombie apocalypse allows for a “post”-apocalyptic situation to arise. We could literally live in a slow zombie world for decades because unlike fast zombies, slow zombies are slower at killing us. This allows us to build camps, fortresses, and even cities dedicated to our survival. There’s no telling what kind of things we could do in these cities (create our own governments, reestablish hedonism, form a zombie Olympics [not sprinting allowed]).  

Now this is not with out discussion. If slow zombies are too slow to kill is, what’s stopping us from killing them all? In my observation, the only way a slow zombie apocalypse could last a long time is if the virus is air borne or water borne, or if we humans are just too stupid and allow slow zombies to kill us all. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot a stupid people out there, but not nearly enough to allow a slow zombie apocalypse to last for decades.

Now lets move on to fast zombies! Fast zombies were made popular my Zack Snyder’s remake of George A. Romero’s 1978 Dawn of Dead. Snyder’s film of the same name featured zombies that ran, sprinted, and seemed to be unphased by rigor mortis or decomposition. A fast zombie apocalypse is most fun in video games, but how fun exactly are they in a real life situation? Not fun at all I’ll say! Why you ask? Because how the hell are we suppose to survive with Olympic running zombies chasing after us? The second you leave your fortified mall to scavenge for food and water you won’t get half a foot without your body being ripped in three by a fast zombie. My tip in this situation? Pre-stuff your bug-out-bag with every kind of seed, hold out near a fenced in area full of dirt, and learn rain dancing because we all know it never rains during a zombie apocalypse.

That’s my take on which zombie apocalypse is most fun. Yeah it’s kind of short, but then again this is the internet and most readers’ attention spans are no longer than half a joint on my pinky finger. Also, because this is the internet, you should leave your comments! According to you, the real zombie experts, which zombie scenario is most fun?

One of the Greatest Films Ever Made! Gattaca: A Review

Imagine living in a society where discrimination begins before birth, where your genetics determine whether you live a life of prosperity or a life in the gutter. In 1997, Andrew Niccol explored the future of our society where genetic perfection rules all. In Gattaca, Vincent Freeman, a genetic degenerate, assumes the identity of Jerome Eugene Morrow, the picture of genetic perfection, to gain access into the Gattaca space program. Vincent’s dream was to travel to Jupiter before his heart was scheduled to stop; Jerome, who is paralyzed from the waist down, allows the use of his perfect identity to help Vincent achieve his dream.   

Acting/Characters

Ethan Hawke gives a brilliant performance as Vincent Freeman. Hawke shows the pain of a person cursed with the “genetic defect” of being what we consider a normal born child. His dedication to the role is seen through Vincent’s dedication and drive at stopping at nothing to travel to Jupiter. Vincent is cunning in his disguise as Jerome Morrow making sure to clean and dispose of every hair and nail that may reveal his true identity thus derailing his lifelong dream.

Jude Law as the real Jerome Morrow is an amusing character allowing Vincent to use his identity to pose as genetic perfect. Though he is often drunk and babbling about how much of an amazing person he use to be, deep inside Jude allows us to see Jerome’s serious and vulnerable side.

Irene Cassini is the lover of Vincent and is played by Ethan Hawke’s past real life love Uma Thurman. Irene is sort of a cold character, but this is made so by her environment which disallows her (not as genetically perfect as she may seem) to be and love who she wants. She falls in love with Vincent posing as Jerome and is shocked yet memorized when she finds his true identity.  

Script

Unlike most other first time screen writers, Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca script was beyond brilliance. He takes us in deep at the very beginning of the film during Vincent’s birth. Vincent’s father refuses to name his first born son after himself as his name would be tainted by Vincent’s genetic deformities.

We are taken along with Vincent through his childhood where his is out-shinedGattaca physically by his younger brother and shunned by his parents. The emotion digs even deeper as Vincent is denied job after job because of his poor genetics. He ends up as a janitor cleaning the ins and outs of the Gattaca building. It seems he will never travel into space even though the very building he cleans specializes in space travel.

Niccol finally gives us hope as Vincent decides to take on Jerome Morrow’s identity which is considered illegal in their society. Succeeding at literally becoming Jerome Morrow, Vincent is finally given the chance to travel through space as he is accepted into the Gattaca space program. But before he gets his chance, Niccol hits us again with a major stumbling block for Vincent – murder at Gattaca.

Niccol continues to engage us as Vincent and Irene fall in love, and Vincent tries to conceal his true identity as detectives (including his own younger brother) rummage through Gattaca trying to find the murderer. Niccol gives us intense romance and thrill in this science fiction drama that once you've seen, it will never be forgotten.

It’s quite obvious I am in love with this film. It came out when I was only seven years old. I remember hearing Michael Nyman’s brilliant score and remembering it up until I was about fifteen years old when I finally saw Gattaca in full. It’s a shame Nyman didn’t win best score back in 1998. If you want a look into the future of our society ruled by genetics, check out Gattaca. You won’t be disappointed.

It’s the Apocalypse! Assemble Your Team!

It’s the apocalypse! Zombies, natural disaster, economic collapse, aliens, rapture, whatever you prefer. The sky has burst into balls of fire. You’re desperately running out of food and water. And a mysterious stranger with a knife and/or razor sharp teeth is right behind you. As horrible as this may seem, it’s actually your lucky day. You’ve stumbled upon a group of random people with random occupations and you’re allowed to take five of them with you. Who do you choose to assemble your team?

I asked this question on Yahoo Answers and have so far gotten five answers.

Excluding one’s family I gave six choices to choose from including:

a nurse?
a scientist?
a marine?
a plumber?
a high school math teacher?
anyone else?

Answers ranged from “a scientist” to “anyone who wanted to come along as long as they worshiped the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as their God” to “Chuck Norris” (of course) to “a marine. If it was a viral situation. If it was an end of the world, no one can do anything about it. A Priest,” and finally “my high school math teacher....when im in a sticky situation i'd just push him onto the zombies and run...”

I’ve personally thought about this question for a very short period of time and have come to a conclusion of who I would like to take with me during an apocalyptic situation (excluding my family of course, because that would be too easy (or would it?)).

1. A Doctor – this is a simple one. The doctor is there to heal my broken bones and cure any diseases I acquire on the way to the promised land (which includes malls, theme parks, or Mount Everest.).

2. A Marine – we all know the marines kick more ass than the army, navy, and air force combined (or so I’ve been told, don’t kill the messenger). So when the crap hits the fan and you’re being chased down fifth avenue by a pack of mutants don’t hesitate to pick up the marine (though I suggest following his orders since you’re no longer the leader of the group after this, though I'm fine with that ‘cause I can’t shoot a gun worth crap).

3. That old Survivalist Guy Down the Street – you know, the one who uses barbed wire as a fence? Though we know the marine can survive almost any tough situation, he’s going to be busy chewing bubble and kicking ass. So how the hell are you and your team going to live off of wild berries and Twinkies? And for that matter, how are you going to find any Twinkies? That’s where That old Survivalist Guy Down the Street comes in. He’s been living on spam since the 1969 and trust me, he knows where to find whole dusty boxes of those things.

4. The Hot Chick or the Hot Guy – this is pretty easy. He or she is just there for eye candy and maybe for you to fall in love with depending on if he goes for the sexy doctor or if she goes for the bad ass marine first (or the other way around depending on their sexuality).

5. The Scientist – he’s just there to find a solution to all this crap. You know, like a cure or a death ray.

So, whoever you pick to take with you to the promised land during an apocalyptic situation (excluding your family) just remember my five top picks… unless your have a better group. And of course, don’t forget to have fun! It’s the apocalypse for crying out loud!