My first-place story

For Round 1 of the NYCMidnight Microfiction Challenge, my group was assigned the following prompts:

Genre: action/adventure
Action: swimming in a lake
Word: application

I had 24 hours to write a 250-word action/adventure story in which the character at some point swims in a lake and which includes the word “application” somewhere in the story. Below is the story I entered, which took first place in my group.

Child 543

She didn’t think they’d seen her. Still, Letha quickened her step. Loners faced stiff penalties, even death, if caught near Forbidden Lake, but staying would be worse. She was never good with the application of rules anyhow.

A whisper of noise behind her spurred her into a jog, then a sprint. The deep hum of The Others erupted all around. She crashed blindly into the lake, panicking.

Because she was a Loner, The Others technically owned her. She belonged to their government. Their government, not hers. She would not claim them after what they had done to her nation, her family, all those years ago. The souls they had converted, claimed. Her midnight escape would carry her to freedom. It had to.

With new resolve, Letha calmed her flailing arms and forced herself to swim.

Sirens shrieked and The Others grew closer, their hum sending ripples across the black water. No!

Faster, Letha pumped her legs, kicking off snakeheads, lake weeds, and fear.

Behind her, the red glow of The Others advanced in the darkness; ahead of her, freedom called. Letha let out a wail of triumph as her fingers grasped the shore.

Suddenly she felt a vise close around her ankle, yanking her back and down, back and down. Her triumphant wail curdled into a choking cry.

“Letha!” She heard the shout from — from where? Who called her by her given name? Not The Others. To them she was Child 543. Confused, she whipped around and saw ...

“Mom?”