"Unwanted Advances" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Commander Deena Larson had been in deep space for three years and in all that time she had not encountered an alien spacecraft... until now. Ship sensors detected an unidentified craft about six hundred thousand kilometers away and closing fast.

Deena shut down most of her engines and only maintained enough power to keep her ship more or less stationary. The alien spacecraft arrived at her location in about twenty minutes. The unidentified vessel was slightly larger than her own ship with several large domes running the length of its rectangular body.

Her ship's computer informed Deena that the alien craft was trying to communicate, and she gave assent to play the message. A hideous creature with eight limbs and several eyes filled her video screen. According to the computer's universal translator the alien sent greetings and referred to itself as something that sounded like "Mek."

The creature had all kinds of questions about where Deena came from and what her mission was, but she only gave vague general answers. There was something about the alien that Deena did not trust. After several minutes of conversation between the two ships, Mek admitted that he was roaming space looking for a suitable mate, and he thought that Deena was the perfect candidate.

Deena checked to make sure the translation was correct and then quickly shut down any notion that she was going to be Mek's wife. The creature reacted with anger when he heard Deena's answer, and she decided it would be a good time to say farewell to the alien ship.

Deena engaged her ship's engines and sped away at six times the speed of light. According to ship sensors the alien craft did not follow, and she was relieved to be away from the ugly beast.

Deena went to bed at her usual time but was awakened suddenly by a feeling that something was wrong. "What is the ship's status?" she asked the computer. 

There was nothing but silence. Deena jumped out of bed and put on her uniform and as an afterthought grabbed a laser weapon. Entering the corridor outside her room, she saw with horror that Mek was rapidly advancing toward her.

Deena raised the weapon, but a blast from Mek's own device destroyed her pistol. The creature kept advancing and was nearly on top of her when Deena pulled a long knife from an ankle sheath and plunged it into the soft underbelly of the monster.

Mek howled in pain and his yellow blood poured from the wound. Deena continued to stab the creature until it was clearly dead. She later found out that Mek had somehow disabled her defense systems and gained entry to the ship while she was asleep.

Even though Mek was an evil being, Deena regretted the killing and made a note to herself to be more careful in the future.

"Lydia" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

It had been three days since George Mason had anything to eat and now, he stumbled down a dusty Texas road looking for any kind of food. As he struggled through the stifling heat, memories of his old life tormented him.

At one time, George had a good job and was about to be married but then the factory closed and he was looking for work like thousands of other men. George was able to pick up odd jobs from time to time but nothing permanent. Eventually, he was forced to hit the road in order to find something.

The last job he had was picking onions in a dried-up south Texas field, but the contractor skipped out with the payroll money and none of the workers received a dime. Since then, George had been wandering and scrounging meals wherever he could find one. Walking in the mid-day sun was brutal, and he sat down for a short rest.

Sometime later, George awoke in what felt like a very comfortable bed. Old photos and samplers covered the walls of a small bedroom. The door opened and a beautiful young woman with light blond hair entered.

"How are you feeling?" she asked in a heavily accented voice.

"Much better, but who are you and how did I get here?"

"My name is Lydia. I found you on the side of the road and brought you here."

George wanted to ask why she would do such a thing, but he remained quiet. Later in the evening, Lydia fed him a wonderful meal and for the first time in weeks, George felt a little hope.

For several days, Lydia cared for George and then one day, without warning she was gone. He got up and searched everywhere until he found the grave.

According to the marker, Lydia Petrov had died three years before. 

"Headlights" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Surgical nurse Jill Peters was exhausted after an intense late-night shift at the hospital, and she was anxious to get home. Traffic was almost non-existent as she made her way to her condo.

As Jill drank a little coffee to keep awake, she noticed two tiny pinpoints of light behind her that quickly grew larger. In just a moment a large truck was right behind her. The headlights of the following truck were so bright that she was nearly blinded.

Jill stepped on the gas pedal and her car lurched forward, but the truck behind her easily kept up. Sarah spotted a place to pull over and quickly steered her car onto the shoulder. The truck behind her honked loudly and sped down the highway.

Slightly shaken, Jill resumed her drive home until once again the bright headlights appeared in her mirror. Jill pulled off the road and this time the following truck up pulled behind her. Frantically, Jill hit the emergency button on her cell and told the dispatcher what was happening. The 911 operator assured her that a police officer was on the way.

Jill made sure all of her doors were locked and closely watched the big truck. So far, no one had left the vehicle. Jill considered getting back on the road, but she wanted to be here when the police came. It had been such a long night already and now this. For a moment, Jill rubbed her eyes and when she opened them, the truck behind her was gone. Soon after, a police car pulled up.

Jill explained to the officer what had happened, and he promised to follow her home. After arriving at her condo, Jill waved goodbye to the officer and punched in the code to the parking garage.

Jill felt immense relief as the garage door closed, and she parked in her assigned spot. As she walked to the elevator, dazzling headlights pierced the gloom of the parking garage and Jill knew that there was nowhere left to go.

"Encounter on Pike Street" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Security guard Christopher Milton was enjoying the air conditioning in his tiny office when he got the call about removing an unwanted person from the property. Chris dreaded going out into the heat, but he would catch hell if he didn't do his job.

The mid-day temperature was nearing 95 degrees and Chris grabbed some bottled water before he exited the office. The radio said that the trespasser was sitting on a bench near Pike Street and yelling at people walking by. 

Chris spotted the man immediately and walked down a slight incline to confront him.  The man was older than he expected and did not appear to be carrying any weapons, but his shirt was torn, apparently from an earlier fight.

"I'm afraid that you will have to leave sir" Chis said to the man in his best authoritative voice. "You know I could kill you right now if I wanted to" the stranger responded in a low growl.

Despite the threat, the man had the look of someone who had been defeated by a hard life and Chris took out a bottle of water and handed it to him. The anger drained from the stranger's face, and he nodded in gratitude.

After finishing his water, the man ambled down the sidewalk and Chris never saw him again. Later in the day, Chris thought about embellishing the story of the encounter to impress his girlfriend Julie, be she probably already knew that he just wasn't the heroic type.

"A Plea for Help" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

The wind outside Stacy Gerson's home in the Cascade Mountains reminded her of the sound of a freight train going by and an occasional strong gust actually shook her remote cabin. The local meteorologist had been forecasting the storm for some time, but Stacy was still terribly frightened.

So far, the electricity was still holding up, but she could hear trees cracking in the forest around her and assumed that the lights could go out at any minute.

While the wind and snowstorm raged around her, Stacy thought she heard a tapping sound on her door and went to check on it. Cautiously, Stacy opened the door a few inches, but snow and other debris blew in and she was forced to close it.

Several minutes later, the tapping began again, and Stacy checked her landline phone and her cell phone but there was no signal from either one. By now, the tapping was becoming more insistent and once again she tried opening the door. A violent gust of wind slammed the door shut before she could even look outside.

The tapping had now turned into a loud thumping and Stacy tried to think of a way to flee the cabin, but her nearest neighbor was miles away and driving in this storm would be suicidal.

Huddled beneath a blanket, Stacy shivered as the thumping became even more violent. "Please Stop!" she shouted at the door. For a few moments, the banging ceased and then a loud crash shook the door. Stacy could not take anymore; she unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door wide. Fortunately, the wind and snow had died down and she could see a fair distance. 

Giant footprints covered her porch and yard and there was something else: A small dog whimpered pitifully at her feet. Stacy picked up the dog and was about to bring him inside when she noticed the massive creature watching her from the tree line. The creature had not been trying to harm her; it was just trying to get some help for the dog.

"The Car and the Girl" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Jake Crawford was walking into his high school when he noticed a pristine 1975 Chevy Camaro pull into the parking lot. Jake gazed with envy at the beautiful car and was surprised to see Milly Prentiss emerge from the Camaro. 

Milly was in a couple of Jake's classes, but he didn't recall ever talking to her. During lunch, Jake looked for Milly and found her eating by herself at one of the tables.

"Do you mind if I sit with you" Jake asked as he approached Milly's table. Milly smiled and motioned for him to sit. Jake studied Milly for a moment. She had dark brown hair, light green eyes, and a nice smile. He found it strange that he hadn't noticed how pretty she was before.

Jake tried to think of something to say that didn't involve the car and then remembered his card tricks. He pulled a deck from his pocket and started with the simplest trick he knew and by the end of lunch they were having a blast.

After school let out, Milly gave Jake a ride home in her car and he found out that Milly and her father had restored the old car during the Summer in the hopes of selling it and using the money to pay for her college next year. Jake couldn't imagine selling such a perfect machine.

As their friendship grew, Milly began picking up Jake in the mornings as well as taking him home after school. Jake felt like royalty riding in the Camaro and laughed at the kids who were still walking to school.

One morning, Milly showed up at Jake's house without the car. "Where's the Camaro?" he blurted out as Milly stepped onto his porch. Milly looked hurt. My father got a good offer, and the new owner took it home right away. Did the car mean that much to you Jake?"

Jake looked into Milly's green eyes and was sorry for his thoughtlessness "I'll admit that it was fun pretending to be one of the cool kids for a change but you're what matters to me and with that he took Milly's hand and together they walked to school. 

"Driftwood" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Mark Halstead's sailboat "Starfish" was set adrift after nearly being destroyed by a freak storm about one thousand miles southwest of  Ireland. Communications, navigation, and propulsion were all gone and Jim spent most of his time scanning  the horizon for a passing ship. 

Fortunately, he had enough fresh water and food to last a while, but time was running out. Twenty days after the storm, Mark was elated to spot a small island in the distance.

A steady current pulled the crippled ship to the outskirts of the island. Mark tossed the anchor over the side and then rowed his dinghy to the shore.

As soon as he set foot on the beach, a young woman rushed across the sand and embraced him. "Richard, you've come home" she said through her tears. Mark was about to correct her but decided to wait until he found out what was going on.

The young woman whose name turned out to be Barbara, led Mark to small cottage about a half-mile inland. Barbara chattered non-stop while Mark looked for a phone or some sort of radio. He soon learned that a storm had wrecked the island's radio tower.

Barbara made a large dinner and while they were eating Mark learned that Barbara was the only permanent resident of the island. Mark also noticed a slight change in Barbara's demeanor and he wondered what had happened to the actual "Richard."

As Barabara was cleaning the table her tone became even more accusatory and Mark knew he had to get out of there. When Barbara took the table scraps out to her livestock, Mark sprinted out the door and headed for the beach.

He speedily rowed his dinghy out to the Starfish and pulled up the anchor. The sailboat caught ahold of the outgoing current and headed out to sea.

In the distance, he could see Barbara with a rifle angrily kicking the sand.