Swirling nighttime sand pummeled and rocked the old Suburban. Sequoia made for a poor windbreak, but Clara knew that was all they’d get.
“Mama?!” little Janey cried. “Papa?!”
“I got ‘er,” Dan said, stumbling over cans, blankets, and sleeping bodies to reach their youngest.
Clara settled back against the cold car wall. She needed to think. The endless roar of haunted desert souls echoed the wails in her mind, of the dying world they’d left behind.
“So,” Dan sat next to her and laced his fingers in hers. “What next?”
Clara narrowed her gaze, resolute. “I have a plan.”
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
©2020 Chelsea Owens
Pictured for Carrot Ranch‘s prompt this week:
March 26, 2020, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story in which a character takes charge. Who is this character, and what situation calls for their action? It can be playful or serious, fantastical, or realistic. Go where the prompt leads!
Respond by March 31, 2020. Use the comment section… to share, read, and be social. You may leave a link, pingback, or story in the comments. If you want to be published in the weekly collection, please use the form. Rules & Guidelines.
Chel Owens 
Post apocalyptia! Or the dust bowl, maybe.
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What name does ‘Clara’ rhyme with?
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…Sarah? Canberra? Sahara?
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😀 Have you not seen a certain film with a certain amount of time travel and a robot? That’s mainly what I pictured whilst writing it, although I’m not certain where the family came from. 🙂
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Sarah Connor!
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Bingo!
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I can’t believe I didn’t get it – I love that movie! All of them, really, even Genesys (though I didn’t see the last one because apparently their marketing was garbage and I didn’t know it happened).
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You’ve got me beat, there. I’ve only seen one and two, I believe.
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Oh, well done! Bravo
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Thank you! 🙂
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Plans are good.
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Yes. And chocolate.
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Plans, chocolate, and maybe sweet potato chips?
I don’t recall any of those movies. But I like that your character has a plan.
I was just watching about how lawless Pompeii and its sister cities were…
Some made it out but decided to go back for the family jewels and perished in the second wave of ash…
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Never look back, I suppose.
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Forward is a good motion.
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