Stranglehold
This is my fifth April A-to-Z Challenge. The past couple of years, I’ve written 100-word flash fiction each day. This year I’m doing the same, only with a twist: each day’s story will be inspired by the title of a Paul McCartney song. So let’s continue the fun with…
STRANGLEHOLD
Sam tried to move. The arm across her neck flexed. She managed a slight twist of her lower body, but the pressure from above meant she could barely move her arms.
“Submit,” the voice whispered in her ear.
“NO!”
“Submit!”
Sam could feel her windpipe constrict.
“I… I…”
She sprung from her pillow, face bathed in sweat, and glanced at her empty bedside table. Her heart raced. She searched under the table, under the bed. There! Next to the wall.
Relief washed over Sam as she picked up her phone.
She tapped the Facebook icon.
“I had a weird dream…”
Check back tomorrow for “T”…
“Stranglehold” is a song on Paul’s 1986 album, “Press to Play.” He co-wrote it with former 10cc guitarist Eric Stewart. It was released as a single in the US, hence the music video…
Definitely didn’t think it was gonna go in that direction!
I’m glad–I love a little misdirection in my flash. 😉
I’m still in non comprehension land. First I thought Angell was dead and now I don’t understand what happened here. I may need to take a nap. (And I just typed bath instead of nap.) Regardless, as always, it’s extremely well written. I’m just glad you didn’t kill her.
This one is either a) a bit deeper and requires a bit more thought, or b) an idea that I failed to communicate well in 100 words–I leave it to you to decide! 🙂 In any case, I’m loathe to explain it because that takes away from the reader experience. Maybe if everyone has the same HUH? expression on their faces by the end of the day, I’ll offer a commentary. Thank you for your kind words, nevertheless. Oh, and Sam was always going to survive this one. Hmmm… no-one’s died for a while now. Perhaps the violent stories are the anomalies?
If Paul McCartney’s Stranglehold inspired something like that, I wonder what you would have made of Ted Nugent’s Stranglehold?
I’m not sure I know the Nugent song. Not sure I should listen to it–might give me ideas… 😉
Sort of creepy feel. Almost too much for someone who is riding fumes on less than 2 hours sleep.
Hmm… yes, there is a certain creepiness to it…. 🙂
I’m not sure which she found more frightening – the dream of being killed, or the prospect of losing her phone! I guess for some of us, PHONE = LIFE. Definitely creepy.
Ooo… that’s getting close to what I had in mind with this story! 🙂
I’d call that a nightmare, not a weird dream. o.o
~Ninja Minion Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
lol… well, maybe it’s a matter of perspective…? 🙂
Well, personally, I often have weird dreams [altho not like the one you’ve written here, but many times they make for some good story starters] and sometimes I do knock my phone off my bedside table.
>>She sprung from her pillow, face bathed in sweat, and glanced at her empty bedside table. Her heart raced. She searched under the table, under the bed. There! Next to the wall.
I’m generally NOT sufficiently energetic [and I AM sufficiently elderly], even after a dream like that, to “spring” from my pillow. And without my glasses I’m legally blind so no glancing, especially in the dark. But I can relate to the requirement for lots of feeling around on the table and floor, and sometimes finding my phone near the wall.
So I guess to sum up, if you tone down the weird dream a little, this story sounds like a common occurrence for me lol
lol! Well, there’s a little more going on here, but I’m glad you can relate to the story somewhat, Dena. 🙂
OK, here’s what I had in mind with this. Stranglehold = addiction, in particular social media addiction. Specifically, Facebook addiction. Sam’s dream is a metaphor of the hold that Facebook has on her life. This is illustrated by the fact that she’s more concerned about losing her phone than she is about the nightmare. In comparison to the panic of her phone not being on her bedside table, the nightmare becomes simply a “weird dream.”
But that’s just my take. You read it however you want! 🙂