Pale skin made her standout. Too many heads turned in her direction.
Assassinations make people suspicious. Years of civil war did that to a country.
The heat was heavy and oppressive.
The hotel, a ramshackle construction of tin roofs and wooden struts, teetering on collapse.
The receptionist, red lips and false eyelashes, eyed her as she entered, but didn’t try to stop her.
Crumbling stairs to the top floor.
On the bed he lay, sweat-stained and feverish. Makeshift rags as bandages, drenched in red.
Eyes flickered recognition. ‘About time,’ Phillips mumbled.
‘Let’s get you out of here,’ she replied.
Written as part of the Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).
To read stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
Further stories featuring the spy Phillips can be found here: THE PHILLIPS SPY STORIES
Iain Kelly 
98 responses to “AFTERMATH”
Great atmosphere and desperate action
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Thanks Neil
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Dear Iain,
Vivid descriptions…atmospheric and well written. I want to know more.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you Rochelle – so do I! 🙂
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I can really feel the heat; great sense of place in this one.
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Thank you Claire, much appreciated. (On a side note, the card you sent to go along with your novels at Christmas went down a treat, my Mum is a fan! 🙂 )
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Yay! That’s great to know x
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I can picture the scene in my mind. Very good.
DJ
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Thank you Danny, much appreciated.
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So well described, Iain. I want to know more!
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Thank you Dale – if the rest of the story ever comes to me, I’ll post it on the blog! 🙂
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Woot! 🙂
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Death and mayhem!
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Who doesn’t like that? 🙂
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So visual – I was right there!
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Thank you Louise 🙂
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Very James Bond.
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As a fan this comment fills me with joy 🙂
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🙂
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I want to know more about the female agent who’s ‘rescuing’ Phillips. She might not live long, I fear, if she’s aware of being too pale and hasn’t remedied that with make-up! Graphic description, Iain!
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Thanks Penny, hopefully neither of them hangs around long enough to get caught!
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Good one Iian
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Thank you.
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Maybe he’ll make it now.
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His chances have definitely improved.
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Brilliant description, Iain. And I like the description of the receptionist – not what I expected.
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Thank you Jilly, glad you liked that detail.
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That was deliciously intriguing and beautifully visual. I hope she manages to get him to safety!
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Thank you Susan 🙂
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You kept us wondering until the very last line. . .great suspense.
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Thank you
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Hope she manages to rescue him safely.
Great setting & suspense!
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Thank you Anita 🙂
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This is very powerful, Iain. Well done.
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Thank you 🙂
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Ooh, nicely tense writing that conveys the danger of their situation very well. A cracking tone for a thriller Iain. Very nice
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Thank you Lynn, exactly what I was aiming for.
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My pleasure. A cracking tale Iain.
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A great scene-setter Iain. Spot on.
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Thanks Keith
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I feel this as a script for a film… actually the film started to play at the back of my head.
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That’s a good sign, Thanks Bjorn.
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A captivating – rescue from hell.
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Thank you James.
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No doubt. That hotel looks like somewhere a spy, particularly an injured one, will go to lick his wounds. It’s a good thing she found him…I think. I half expected her to finish him off.
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With more words I would have built up the tension a bit more. Fortunately she’s here to help – this time!
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the visual was laid out perfectly showing your skills as a writer. well done.
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Thank you, very kind
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Now is he the bad guy or the good guy. what did he do to land up in this condition. Eagerly awaiting the whole tale. 🙂
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Thanks Christine – I guess it depends which side you’re on as whether he is the good or bad guy!
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This definitely has the flavour of a spy or intrigue. Well done. And your line descriptors add to the genre noire style. Made good use of that particular effect. 🙂
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Thank you very much 🙂
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sweat-stained and feverish. Makeshift rags as bandages, drenched in red ~ this line brought an amazing sense of smell to your 100-words. Well done
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Thank you Alicia, glad you appreciated the details 🙂
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Very atmospheric. Phillips is in a bit of a fix again!
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He is, one day I’ll feature him in a story where he just goes for a stroll and nothing happens!!
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I really like your superwoman here.
Brilliant writing, as always.
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Thank you Moon, glad you liked her 🙂
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Nice, tight descriptions! You’ve really done a lot in 100 words here.
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Thank you, much appreciated.
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Good building of suspense here, Iain.
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Thank you
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Oooo great one. I could feel the quiet something in the air. Well told
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Thank you Laurie
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Rescue! Great description.
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Thanks Sascha
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Oh loved the description and the tension. Nicely done, Iain.
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Thank you Norma
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the rescue…
so nice
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Thank you – he certainly needed it!
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🙂
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An engaging write, Lain. Your description left me with the curiosity to know more.
I loved it. I hope you do continue with this one. Intriguing story.
Isadora 😎
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Thank you, very encouraging 🙂
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Great descriptors. I could see the scene in my head.
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Thanks Dawn
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Loved your use of descriptions. Was not heavy handed but really gave a sense of place and desperation. Sounds like a rescue mission.
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Thank you 🙂
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Nicely built up and the perfect opening for a thriller.
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Thank you Dahlia
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Such evocative imagery and scene setting. I felt Phillips could have been a bit more grateful for his rescue, but I accept he’s limited by the word count. 🙂
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Haha, yes, with more of an explanation we could learn a bit more about what he had been through.
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Great bit of script writing.
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Thank you
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A very engaging story, nicely done! =)
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Thanks you Brenda 🙂
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Who is this mystery lady?
She reminds me of the lady in red in The Matrix.
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Interesting comparison, she certainly seems to be in control and good at her job of rescuing agents.
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With her appearance attracting so much attention, I wonder if she and Phillips will manage to make it out alive. Great atmosphere and suspense in this story!
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Thank you 🙂
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Your sense of place put me right in the middle of your story, and with the surprise ending, now I want to know more!
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Thank you Jan.
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Great use of imagery to evoke a time and place. I especially loved the line that assassinations tend to make people uneasy. It says so much in such a short space.
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Thank you Anne, very kind and much appreciated 🙂
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Little does he know she was sent to terminate him but you will tell us that in the next episode 😉
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That’s a devious twist, but I could see a story where they end up on opposite sides for sure 🙂
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Great use of descriptive language.
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Thank you Susan
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Thanks for visiting my site and liking some of my blogs. I appreciate it.
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