Tag Archive for: liam hogan

CAPTCHA’D

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by Liam Hogan

“Select squares with TRAFFIC LIGHTS.”

My fist slammed down. I muttered a sorry and the internet cafe owner retook his stool. But bloody hell! This was my third CAPTCHA. All I wanted was a cheap flight, and the damned system kept kicking me back to the beginning like it was trying to keep me here.

I entered the stolen credit card details again and watched the icon spin.

A picture of a field appeared, dividing into a grid.

“Select squares where there are BODIES BURIED.”

“Yes!” I crowed, knowing I’d got this one right.

Flashing blue lights rewarded me.

“No…”

Liam Hogan

Liam Hogan is an award-winning short story writer, who dabbles in drabbles.

Website: happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk

 

ADikT

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by Liam Hogan

“There’s a new video game, ADikT, available on the darknet. We think it’s killing users.”

Anders half-rolled his eyes before catching the chief’s stony gaze. “What’s this one do? Drag players into the game world? Inflict the virtual damage they get there on their real bodies?”

“We’re not sure. Hence: a case for you.”

Anders plugged in. The menu was limited, but the game wasn’t; a MMRG, with emphasis on massive.

Five hours in, he still hadn’t found the danger.

Twelve hours.

Thirty-six hours…

Ninety-six hours and no sleep, food, drink, or toilet breaks later, ADikT claimed its next victim.

Liam Hogan

Liam Hogan is an award-winning short story writer, who dabbles in drabbles.

Website: happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk

Munch

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by Liam Hogan

It was easy to catch and we willingly caught it. A disease that consumed fat, leaving us pounds, stones, lighter. Spread by saliva, spread by touch; tables of finger food which the infected browsed before everyone else tucked in. Epidemiologists threw up their hands in horror at these super-spread parties, but weren’t they looking slimmer too? Hypocrites, warning of the unknown, of the need to lay down reserves for times of scarcity, times of famine.

They were right about that. Once it ate through our fat, where was its next meal coming from?

Spread by bites, spread by ravenous munchers…

 

Liam Hogan

Liam Hogan is an award-winning, London based, short story writer.

Website: happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk

Biter, Bit

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by Liam Hogan

The mosquitoes ignored Claudette. They feasted on the rest of us, whining in ears as we slumbered uneasily beneath nets. We begged for her insect repellent, her face and arms porcelain white, and were dismayed to discover she didn’t use any.

One night she cut her finger on broken glass. What reluctantly seeped out was like rust rather than blood.

“I’m anaemic.” She shrugged.

In the morning, Jodie didn’t wake up, puncture wounds at her neck, polka-dot body pale and cold.

That evening, Claudette sat pink and glowing before the fire, a constellation of mosquitoes circling her, awaiting their share.

Liam Hogan

Liam Hogan is an award-winning, London based, short story writer.

Website: happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk

The Eyes

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by Liam Hogan

The nose is a smudge, the mouth a line, but the eyes…

The eyes are huge, and wide, and a soulless black.

My gaze is frozen, my hand, reaching for the off switch, rigid.

When I fed ten years of anime into the AI, I thought I knew what I’d get: copyright free digital art. But when I asked for the most terrifying image it could conjure, I never expected this…

Never expected eyes that locked onto mine, paralysing me with dread.

Never expected eyes to fall into, an abyss, dragging me down…

Never expected eyes I could never escape.

 

Liam Hogan

Liam Hogan is an award-winning, London based, short story writer.

Website: happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk

 

Doors to Manual

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by Liam Hogan

 

“Ship! Seal doors against the zombies!”

A relaxed, artificial voice queried: <Define zombies?>

As far as our ship’s mega-intelligent AI was concerned, there wasn’t any difference between us and them. Whenever one of the infected approached any of the doors, whether to sickbay or the bridge, it opened with a polite shssh.

Anderson, our second in command—first, if you didn’t count the zombified captain—thought for a moment.

“Ship: implement new protocol. All doors open only on specific voice command.”

<Confirmed. On what command?>

But before Anderson could say anything, another voice burbled over the intercom. The captain’s.

“Brainsss…”

 

Liam Hogan

Liam Hogan is an award-winning short story writer. He helps host Liars’ League London, volunteers at the creative writing charity Ministry of Stories, and lives and avoids work in London. More details at http://happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk.

 

Crewed

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by Liam Hogan

 

In the storm’s dying gasps, we descended the cliffs to see the wreck, cloaked in tattered sails, masts broken, and hull holed.

It was far from the worst sight; the beach was littered with crawling shapes. The wreck was barely thirteen hours old, but these pitiful bodies were similarly shattered, in similarly tattered, aged garb…

Aghast, we weaved between them. Recognised, despite the decay, half-familiar faces. Fathers, sons, brothers… Tracked, with a jolt, the unearthed dead’s direction of travel. We helped them into the ocean and onto the empty, skeletal hulk.

It was gone on the next tide, destination unknown.

 

Liam Hogan

Liam Hogan is an award-winning short story writer. He helps host Liars’ League London, volunteers at the creative writing charity Ministry of Stories, and lives and avoids work in London. More details at http://happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk

 

Instructions to My Past Self

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by Liam Hogan

 

Don’t study microbiology at university.

Definitely don’t take Dr Meadow’s course on recombinant DNA.

Whatever you do, don’t volunteer to look after her lab rats during summer break. Certainly don’t name one of them “Nipper”.

Take July the 13th off. Any excuse will do. Someone else can feed her damned rats for one miserable day.

Don’t let the mail-boy stick his hand in Nipper’s cage. And DON’T mix up the iodine solution with Dr Meadow’s untested serum.

If you do end up doing all of this (again), at least make sure you’re wearing a good pair of sneakers. And RUN!

Liam Hogan

Liam Hogan is an award-winning short story writer, with stories in Best of British Science Fiction and in Best of British Fantasy (NewCon Press). He’s been published by Analog, Daily Science Fiction, and Flame Tree Press, among others. He helps host Liars’ League London, volunteers at the creative writing charity Ministry of Stories, and lives and avoids work in London. More details at http://happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

Carrion

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by Liam Hogan

 

The goddess turned, restless in her slumber as warm blood soaked the cold, dark soil. The affairs of men, best left to the crows.

Something sharp, insistent. A sacrifice, the battle hanging in the balance. A child. Children grew into adults no less unworthy than their parents. But a sacrifice in her name?

It would be rude not to.

Wings black and terrible she rose, drawing blood from both armies, from living and dead, quenching ancient hunger.

Sated, the goddess slept again beneath her silent battlefield. For how long, none could say. But she knew there would be other wars.

Liam Hogan

Liam Hogan is an award-winning short story writer. He’s been published by Analog, Daily Science Fiction, and Flame Tree Press, among others. He helps host Liars’ League London, volunteers at the creative writing charity Ministry of Stories, and lives and avoids work in London. More details at http://happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

GRIMDARK

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Grimdark—violent worlds with amoral or morally questionable protagonists. Grim and dark stories valourising the protagonist’s struggles as they choose between good and evil.

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