Kenneth Boutte
Achievements (1)
Stories (29)
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The Knock. Honorable Mention in A Knock at the Door Challenge.
Gray hairs line the sink as I yank another from my chin. “Where the hell do these things come from?” I ask myself rhetorically. It’s like every time I turn around there’s one here or one there. Found on my chest the other day. Pesky lil things. Now that all the grays are gone, an image of a pot-bellied version of myself stares at me in the mirror. Geez when did that happen? I suck in my gut to remind myself I can still have my college physique if I wanted to. I’ll go to the gym tomorrow, as for now, there’s work to be done.
By Kenneth Boutte4 months ago in Fiction
The Layoff
They do this every year, and every year I tell them that the cake is too sweet. It wouldn’t kill them to use a different baker. I’ll bring it up again at the next meeting, but for now I’ll just enjoy the party. The streamers hang high and match the spirits of everyone here. 35 years. The company has survived 35 long years and many of us have been here from the very beginning.
By Kenneth Boutte6 months ago in Fiction
The War
It’s been almost two years to the day that the enemy launched its first long range deep penetrating bombs or just L-Bomb for short. Whatever you wanna call it, we weren’t ready. We couldn’t have begun to prepare for a sneak attack like that. It literally came out of nowhere. Truth be told, we’re still feeling the effects. A quarter of my men still suffer from PTSD after surviving that blast. Even I had to do a stent in the med bay on that fateful day. To make matters worse it took us 3 months later before we could drop an L-Bomb of our own.
By Kenneth Boutte6 months ago in Fiction
The Killer
“I don’t even know why you’re hiding. There’s nowhere you can go where I won’t find you.” The killer says with a raspy voice. His feet are inches from my face as I lay helpless and terrified under the bed. My hands frantically cover my mouth to keep my breathing out of earshot. A spider crawls along the side of my face but I dare not move a muscle. The killer shuffles through some things in the closet, and then checks behind the door. He quickly gives up on the small bedroom and heads down the hall, dragging his machete along the wall. The sound of the floral wallpaper splitting against the sharp blade is menacing, making my hair stand on end. I’m terrified but I’ve got to find a way out of here!
By Kenneth Boutte6 months ago in Fiction
The Great Debate
“Come on now, that's absurd!” I yell trying to maintain my composure. Listening to his argument is tickling me to no end. He can’t possibly think the judge is going to agree with him. If he keeps this up, we got this case in the bag. “It’s no more foolish than your opening remarks!” He fires back. He’s a spry young lawyer, new to the scene but not to the art of argument. He’s dressed for death in a three piece suit. We vary in appearance just much as we differ in our beliefs. My tie hangs loosely around the collar of yesterday’s shirt but my argument is solid. Besides appearances mean nothing here and for all his flashy neatly pressed attire his whole argument is garbage.
By Kenneth Boutte7 months ago in Fiction
Perception
The graffiti I would often admire flashes by in a blur, as I race down the corridor to catch the last subway train. The smell of piss and hobos intensifies the deeper I make my way down to the tracks. The sound of screeching brakes in the distance alerts me that it's just arrived and will be leaving again soon. There’s no time to waste. Carrying this bag really slows my pace but I move as fast as I can across the dirty concrete tiles to get there before it pulls off. Coming down the final flight of stairs I hear “doors closing” in the distance. “Hold the door! Please hold the door!” I shout to any soul willing to be a saint. The two metallic doors unfold and begin to shut but a black leather spiked boot meets them and holds them open.
By Kenneth Boutte7 months ago in Fiction
Group Therapy
The class bell rings and we all pile into the small class room above the gymnasium. When I was popular I used to come up here and make out with the foreign exchange girl from China. But look at me now, in this tiny classroom sitting in a circle with the rest of the losers about to share my feelings. How did I fall so far?
By Kenneth Boutte7 months ago in Fiction
The Funeral
This is a terrible day for a funeral. The weather is perfect, cool light breeze, nice cloud cover and temperatures in the low 70s. I mean could it get any worse? It’s a perfect day to go fishing, hiking, or just sitting on the back porch drinking a beer. Yea this is a terrible day for a funeral, well a terrible day for MY funeral.
By Kenneth Boutte8 months ago in Fiction
The Virus
This presentation is finally starting to come together. I put my novice seal of approval on another slide with pride. It’s only taken four cups of coffee and a crash course on PowerPoint. It’s not exactly my forte so I’m really not looking forward to it, but I’ve got 3 days to muster up the courage. This is one of the new job requirements since I’ve been made the head of cyber security around here. The guy before me…well, let‘s not talk about that.
By Kenneth Boutte8 months ago in Fiction
The Farewell
The last slice of cake leans and eventually falls to the plate beneath it. Small mounds of icing outline the rectangular sweetness that once was. Well at least the streamer above the kitchen entrance is still there. “Wishing you all the best” it reads. Yet I wonder if it’s really true. I think it’s a funny thing to say to someone being evicted. I look around at the small four rooms of the complex and wonder how many people actually wish me well. I’m leaving, leaving them empty, and absent a tenant. How many people would actually appreciate that and “wish me well?”
By Kenneth Boutte8 months ago in Fiction
The Slave
It’s so early that the morning dew is still collecting on the leaves outside. The crickets sing the last song of their ballad before the roosters begin theirs. The moon is doing its final stretches and the sun hasn’t even yawned yet but he’s here. He’s here putting those filthy fingers on my body. Touching and slithering across my skin, it’s enough to make me vomit. He hasn’t even brushed his teeth yet for God’s sake. He used me all night til he could barely keep his eyes open. That doesn’t matter though, I knew he would be back. This is nothing new. It’s the start of my every day, this is the routine of my life.
By Kenneth Boutte8 months ago in Horror
The Agent
Brass shells crash to the floor and sparkle at my feet as I unload rounds into the paper target. I had never really noticed their color before. The metallic shine, the glow, the glimmer. Reminds me of all the medals and awards I received in yesteryears. Now the higher ups monitor my training to ensure I’m fit for active duty. “That’s enough Agent Q,” the commander’s voice pours through a small speaker on the ceiling. “That’s enough headshots for now, aim for the heart going forward.” His disdain for me is practically coated on his voice and I can smell the Marlboros on his breath from here. I mean it was one mistake and he acts like it's the end of the world. But if I’m being honest with myself, at this age in this business one mistake is one too many,
By Kenneth Boutte9 months ago in Writers
