Challenges
Challenges is a collection of short stories of up to 5,000 words from various authors. It was compiled in 2017 in aid of the charity Mental Health UK. Countdown to Zero was the entry from Eric Butcher.
Be amused, Be entertained, but most of all, be challenged.
Countdown to Zero
This is a story about Alexander McNeil, a young British diplomat based in Moscow. One day, he finds he is somehow able to visualise auras around people. The colours are different, and it’s only after tragic accidents to a couple of his close friends, that he realises that the colour of the Aura determines how long somebody has left to live. If the aura is red, they will certainly die that day, and other colours indicate how much longer they had to live. It is such a frightening prospect - knowing in advance, for certain, when everybody around you is going to die.
After acting as a translator for the UK Prime Minister at a World summit, he notices that the American President is going to die in just a few days time. What can he do, how can he warn him. Alexander soon became the target of MI6, the CIA and the FSB as they all want to know about his powers.
What is Alexander to do, and how can he stay alive himself … ?