Rachael Harrie's First Campaigner Challenge (for the Fourth Campaign)

Here are the instructions for Rachael Harrie's first campaigner challenge copied and pasted straight from her blog:

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count. 

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these:

·         end the story with the words: "everything faded." (also included in the word count)

·         include the word "orange" in the story

·         write in the same genre you normally write

·         make your story 200 words exactly!

So I began and ended SPITFIRE with the language provided, my story is exactly 200 words, and I worked “orange” in there somewhere. I haven’t nailed the genre that I “normally” write in yet. For the time being, I have been working on projects focusing on magical realism and fantasy, and this story reflects that.

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 SPITFIRE

 Shadows crept across the wall inside the bank as the men grabbed the money lying 
 out. Something hot tingled inside Elle’s chest as she knelt with her co-workers, their 

 hands and feet bound.

 “Take us to the vault.” Goatee cut Elle’s rope and yanked her from the ground.

 With the barrel of Neck Tattoo’s gun poking her back and the stench of Goatee’s  

 alcohol and cigarette breath stinging her nose, Elle led the two men downstairs and 
 unlocked the vault.

 “Get on the floor, bitch,” Neck Tattoo ordered.

 “Better watch your mouth,” Elle spat back.

 Neck Tattoo lifted his gun. “Let’s see who’s in charge.”

 Summoning the strength in her lungs, Elle hacked a cannon ball of orange fire straight 

 into Neck Tattoo’s chest. As his dying, gurgling screams filled the sound-proofed room,   
 Elle swiftly picked up the gun he dropped and shot Goatee in the temple.

 There would be no witnesses.

  After willing the flames to snuff out, Elle took a lighter and flask from Goatee’s coat and 

 dropped them next to the dead men.  Her story would be simple- one man got greedy.

 Before returning upstairs, Elle remembered to wipe her prints from the gun until
 everything faded. 
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 You can read the rest of the entries by clicking here. Feel free to "like" my story on  
 Rachael's Linky List- I am #124.