Flash Fiction Friday – Rise Up, Save the World

Today I did something really fun! Recently I’ve introduced a regular feature on my Twitch called “Thank Gods it’s Indie”, where I play small indie games on Fridays. Today, I played a game called Rise Up, Save the World on my stream. This game is made by a writing friend of mine called Mayara Barros and her friend Igor Batista, who make games together under the moniker Naive Star. Rise Up, Save the World is a story game where you use a deck of cards and a die to build a narrative, along or with friends. I played through about 1/4th of it and had a blast! Such a blast, in fact, that I decided that today’s flash fiction should be a “opening paragraphs if this was a fully written story” kind of deal. Hope you enjoy! Oh and if you want to check out my VOD, you can find it on my Twitch (or, if you’re reading this like 2 weeks from posting, on my YouTube)

Rise Up, Save the World

Nyx slowly became aware of the feeling of rough asphalt beneath her… well, beneath her everything, really. Was she lying on the ground? What was happening? She opened her eyes and sat, the movement making her head spin a little, and tried to look around. It took her a moment to realize she knew this place – it was right behind the school, by the stairs from one of the exits on this side. Except it was dark, much darker than it usually was when she went home, and the building behind her was darkened and quiet. Not to mention, she’d been lying on the ground… How had she gotten there?

She closed her eyes for a moment, pushing her palms against her eyes for a moment. Her head was throbbing, and she couldn’t remember how she’d gotten out here. She’d left English class, the last class of the day, and said goodbye to Charon, who was her best friend not only by virtue of being her only friend at school. He’d been going out the back entrance, she’d been going out the front and then… black. She couldn’t remember a thing. She furrowed her brow, tried to grasp the thin strands of memory that floated around inside her skull. Not a thing, except… The fairy!

Nyx got to her feet, looking around wildly for any glimpse of the ethereal little thing that she was convinced, though it made no sense, had spoke to her not long ago. What was it that it had said? “Rise Up, Save the World”… Yes, that was it. She remembered that part, now. She’d been dead, a ghost ready to float on out of her body, but she’d gotten a second chance. Hop back into herself, rise once more and save the world. Save the world from what? She didn’t know, wasn’t sure if the fairy had even told her that much. More disturbingly, she couldn’t remember how she died, just felt with a bone-chilling certainty that it was true. She’d been dead and now she lived. She had a mission, even if she didn’t know what it was.

Spotting her backpack on the ground a distance away, she went over and squatted beside it. Rummaging through it, she found that nothing was missing, not her textbooks or her notebook, not even her wallet, phone and keys. At least she could probably be sure she hadn’t died in a mugging gone wrong… Zipping the bag back up, she slung it on her shoulder. She should head home, before they started to worry.

Nyx rose up, adjusted the bag on her back, and got ready to save the world.