Descriptive Text

*So, for this assignment I was supposed to write 600 words on an object that is important to my story. I wracked my brain over what to use until it occurred to me to use the bomb that put Crestfall in this position in the first place.

It had to be written like "you see a table..." etc. the point of this assignment was to get us to think about writing scenes as opposed to just dialogue (or "dialog" as my teacher wrote it).*


At first glance, you don’t notice anything specifically out of place with the improvised explosive device. As you examine the device in your hands, the wind whips up a mixture of sand and dust that flakes on your goggles. You’ve been in the desert too long, but the war serves only as a backdrop to your major exploits. You’re here to diffuse this bomb.

Your heart thumps in your chest as you examine the case. It looks like a shoebox though it’s odd size denotes that it couldn’t be that. It’s just too narrow, and just too long. The weight is something you’ll never forget, like new hardcover novel by your favorite author. It would be re-assuring if it weren’t a death trap.

Carefully, you cut into the seal around the lid. You don’t allow the knife to penetrate the box itself, just the seal. The glue that holds the lid in place gives way with ease to the sharp intrusion of the blade.

Gently you pull back the lid. If the lid’s been booby-trapped this would be the easiest way to find out. It’d also be the messiest. Inside is a crude series of wires, a clay-like substance, a cell phone and a cylinder. Duct taped to the back of the cellphone is a transmitter with an LED timer counting down. It’s got ten minutes left. There’s a pair of wires moving from the cell phone to the clay, no, upon closer inspection you can see the two blasting caps imbedded in the clay. This is definitely C4. It’s rigged to blow as soon as the timer reaches zero. At least you’ve got some time to figure it all out.

There’s another pair of wires that go from the C4 to the cylinder, in which they disappear into seamlessly. This cylinder is unlike anything you’re seen before. It’s about a foot long with a diameter of about an inch and a half. On the top of the canister is a symbol, you’ve seen a symbol like this before but you can’t quite place it. Was it something your father used to have? Your mother maybe? It’s etched into the surface. Someone went to great lengths to try to cover up this symbol. It’s something you’ll need to look into later. There don’t appear to be any seams on the metallic piece except for a small window that goes down the length of the device. You need to figure out what you’re dealing with before diving in to disarm the bomb so you move in for a closer look.

Inside the cylinder is a purple liquid. It looks like it could be a type of coolant except for its consistency; it’s a little too thick. It’s less watery.

A loud crack rings across the desert followed by the faint aroma of gunpowder. This brings you back into the now. Bravo Company is out there, engaging a relentless enemy. You need to clear this road of bombs before your brothers and sisters come back this way.

You lean in with your wire cutters, your training notwithstanding, you feel trepidation. If you make a mistake, it’s not just your life on the line; it’s also everyone else’s. You follow the wires backwards, going from the cylinder, to the C4, back to the transmitter. Less than four minutes to go.

You hold two wires in your hand, and lean in close to inspect them. A wrong decision here can end in tragedy. You make your decision.

The phone rings. Everyone is startled. You’ve lost your focus for second, disoriented by the jarring sound of the phone. Dread crosses your face as you realize that the phone isn’t just powering the transmitter, it also serves as the kill switch. Time seems to slow as the LED flashes zero. The canister slides back a hidden compartment and the purple goo is sprayed on your face like a thick spray of mace. You take an instant to recognize that the goo smells like strawberries. The blast is fierce, or so you’d imagine. The impact from being at the epicenter knocks you out cold. This is only the beginning of your troubles.