Stone Statue

Winner Daily Flash Fiction Contest 11.26.10

Unfinished Flash Fiction

Just as the machete had traveled past a 180 degree arc, Trent’s grip was severed as an electrical jolt shot up his wrist to his shoulder. Seeing no blood, his colleagues rushed to clear the vegetation. Gasping in pain Trent looked up into the horrific grimace of the ancient stone statue. My God, it looks almost alive. "Dr. Weir, please tell me this means we’re close.” He turned to his foreman. “Dwayne, keep the crew working on clearing a path.”

Dr. Weir circled the statue. “The craftsmanship is incredible. But I don’t understand…” he reached out to trace an intricate design, but jerked back suddenly. “It’s hot!” He shook his head as he blew on his fingertips. “There’s something wrong here.”

"Doc? What’s going on?"

"I don’t know what civilization created this statue, but one thing I definitely know is it doesn’t belong here.” Both men jumped at a scream of agony. They hurried up the newly cleared trail. Ahead the men clustered around a prone figure. A few feet beyond, the ground glowed scarlet; a smell of sulfur fouled the air.

Dr. Weir looked back to the injured man seeing for the first time his right leg ended in a charred stump. There was a sickening smell of burnt flesh. He edged past the unconscious man to get a closer look at the shimmering red mass. Picking up a machete, he pierced the velvet surface of what he now recognized was lava. Lava here?

He turned back intent on examining the injured man, but his attention was drawn up and beyond the men to shimmering hues of red, blue, and orange. This definitely doesn’t belong here -

Word Count- 277