Many authors will tell you that it’s harder to write a short story than it is to pen a full novel. With a novel you have freedom to roam the countryside, smell the flowers, talk to the animals, and camp out for a few nights. With a short story, writers tend to focus on a limited number of characters, a couple of settings, and a tight plot. Also, with a short story, it’s quite common for the ending to be ambiguous and open to interpretation: a lot is left to the reader’s imagination. A genre perfect for the short story is horror.
Detroit writer K.T. Rose writes horror, thriller and dark fiction, and posts some of her work on her website. Recently she published Claire’s Apocalypse, a disturbing short story that fits the criteria set out in the above paragraph. The main character is Dr Claire Lyle, a renowned scientist who specialises in virology, and is employed by the US government to head up their bioweapons division. After reaching a major breakthrough in the development of a weaponised virus, she and her colleagues are distraught when a new general takes over and orders the project shut down and the serum destroyed. Claire has devoted her entire working life on this project, to the detriment of her family and personal life, and she decides to take immediate and drastic action.
K.T. Rose wastes little time and uses every word and scene to portray a woman driven close to insanity by the very nature of her job. She makes a rash decision that heralds the end of the world and the climax is both brutal and shocking. The action takes place in two locations: Claire’s laboratory and a coffeeshop where she hopes to meet the person who will help her with her dangerous plan. In the end, though, there is no way out for Claire. Nor is there one for any of us in this story. Claire’s Apocalypse is a great example of what might happen when people who should know better play God with the lives of others and nature itself. It’s well worth reading, and K.T. is an author to look out for.
What I think About When I Think About Writing. 