Prompt: 046. chain link fence

1. All he had to do was climb the chain link fence and cross over to the tree nearby. From there it would be easy to reach the tool shed and use the bolt cutters in his backpack to cut through the lock.

A. All he had to do was climb the chain link fence and cross over to the tree nearby. From there it would be easy to reach the tool shed and use the bolt cutters in his backpack to cut through the lock.

He was getting his little sister back tonight. And together they were going to run far away from this horrible place and the horrible people their parents had turned into.

He would get a job while continuing to go to school, and he would give his sister all the things she’d missed out on during her years of captivity.

He wasn’t leaving without her. (Not again.)

2. Standing close to the chain link fence, she stared toward the dormitory on the north end of the military base. It took a long moment before she spotted the light flashing on and off in one of the windows.

A. Standing close to the chain link fence, she stared toward the dormitory on the north end of the military base. It took a long moment before she spotted the light flashing on and off in one of the windows, signaling that it was safe for her to jump the fence.

She hesitated a moment longer, picturing her body arching in uncontrollable agony as thousands of volts of current pinned her in place. Then she drew in a deep breath and hesitantly touched the fence with her left hand.

3. Quarantine was nothing like the movies had suggested it would be. It was mostly being bored out of his mind and staring through the chain link fence at the freedom on the other side.

A. Quarantine was nothing like the movies had suggested it would be. It was mostly being bored out of his mind and staring through the chain link fence at the freedom on the other side.

Sometimes he imagined what it would be like to hop the fence and run and run and run… until nobody could find him. Then he’d remember the guns the guards carried. Then he’d remember that he had nowhere to go and no money to use once he got there. And he’d return to his assigned tent and huddle on his cot, staring at nothing until he fell asleep and it was another day of boredom as he waited to start feeling sick.

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Prompt: 045. a break out

1. She kept her head down and her eyes open. She’d been locked up too long. She was ready to break out of jail.

A. She kept her head down and her eyes open. She’d been locked up too long. She was ready to break out of jail. Her focus was on spotting an opportunity.

They were running her papers as she sat in this cell. It was only a matter of time before all the dots were connected and the security tightened.

2. This hadn’t always been their life. Brother and Sister had been real people once–before they were stolen. Brother urged Sister to remember, and spoke of breaking out of the house.

A. This hadn’t always been their life. Brother and Sister had been real people once–before they were stolen. Brother urged Sister to remember, and spoke of breaking out of the house.

She loved him and so she listened. And at night in her bed, she closed her eyes with her face uplifted to the darkness and made herself remember.

She’d had a different family once. Before she’d been given to Mother and Father. Brother had already been here when she arrived. He was the only good to have come from her time here.

3. The movie would have been forgotten if one of the actors hadn’t later become a break out star.

A. The movie would have been forgotten if one of the actors hadn’t later become a break out star. Then without a warning to the actors the movie was made available for digital streaming and the project that most of them would have happily seen buried forever was being watched and talked about.

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Prompt: 044. a break in

1. There was supposed to be a fortune in gold bullion packed inside a safe somewhere in the house. All they had to do was break in and steal it.

A. There was supposed to be a fortune in gold bullion packed inside a safe somewhere in the house. All they had to do was break in and steal it.

Harold had been the one to come up with the plan. He’d actually worked for the reclusive millionaire as a caretaker before he’d been fired by “that bitch”, whoever she happened to be. He kept saying that he really liked the old man and didn’t want to harm him, but there was something about him that rubbed Leland the wrong way.

2. They broke into the store sometime before two in the morning. The first thing they did was take out the cameras and destroy the surveillance tapes.

A. They broke into the store sometime before two in the morning. The first thing they did was take out the cameras and destroy the surveillance tapes. Then they began loading everything they could carry into their unmarked van with its stolen license plates and makeshift ramp.

Once they’d taken everything they wanted, they went on a rampage of destruction. By the time they left, they’d stolen or damaged over $200,000 of merchandise.

3. Stealing uniforms and pretending to be members of the hotel staff was the easy part. Now they had to reach their target and secure the package.

A. Stealing uniforms and pretending to be members of the hotel staff was the easy part. Now they had to reach their target and secure the package.

The fact that the package was a ten-year-old girl was something Mike tried not to think about. He wanted to believe that everything was going to go according to plan, they’d get the ransom money, and nobody was going to be hurt. He didn’t want to consider that there was going to be a terrified preteen girl in the mix.

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Prompt: 043. monkey

1. The boys hooted and cavorted like a bunch of monkeys, and he was their monkey king.

A. The boys hooted and cavorted like a bunch of monkeys, and he was their monkey king. A little taller than the others, with broader shoulders and longer arms, there was a darkness to his expression that put her on edge.

She wrapped her coat tighter around her body and held her purse firmly under her arm in case one of them tried to snatch it and run. She kept walking forward, though she was careful not to get too close to the empty lot where the young men were loitering. If she could have, she would have crossed the street and walked on the other side, but they’d already seen her and she had a feeling that their leader might take offense to the perceived insult.

2. It should have been ludicrous to be eating animal crackers at his age, but all he could feel was happiness as he fished a monkey cracker out of the box and stuck it in his mouth. Monkeys had always been his favorite.

A. It should have been ludicrous to be eating animal crackers at his age, but all he could feel was happiness as he fished a monkey cracker out of the box and stuck it in his mouth. Monkeys had always been his favorite.

“Do you want some milk, Daddy?”

He smiled at the young child. “No, thank you, sweetheart. I’m perfectly fine with tea.” He picked up the empty plastic teacup and took a pretend sip, making a sound of deep satisfaction. “Delicious.”

3. The genetically modified capuchin monkey watched them from the enclosure with body language that screamed eagerness to be adopted.

A. The genetically modified capuchin monkey watched them from the enclosure with body language that screamed eagerness to be adopted. It knew that if it was taken home with them it would be given its own crate and toys, and there would be treats if it performed its job well.

“Are you sure it’s safe around children?” the woman asked fretfully.

“It’s perfectly fine,” the doctor assured, smiling down at the small child at her side. “All the animals here have been programmed not to harm humans.”

“What, like a robot?”

“Sort of, though not really. They’ve undergone behavior modification and personality conditioning, so you don’t have to worry about their Mods failing. They can’t harm humans.”