For those interested, voting results are now visible in the poll by percentage (see below).

Special thanks to all of you who participated: the entrants for sharing their stories with us, the visitors who commented and gave YES votes for finalists, and those who voted in the poll to select the winner.

Contests like this are fun. The thing that continues to amaze me is how varied the stories are even though they all begin with the same first sentence. What a creative bunch of writers we have participating in these challenges! Hope you all enjoyed the stories.

For those who may have missed it, here is Michael’s winning entry:

The approaching cloud wasn’t natural—it was too dark, too dense, and too fast—but Daniel had no place to hide and no chance to out run it.

There was only one thing left to do. Daniel turned about face mid air and flew towards the cloud. He watched as the civilians in the city below ran for shelter as the darkness descended upon them. There were shrieks and flashes of light as those few who had listened to Daniel fought against the creatures hiding in the mists. The darkness targeted these individuals, shooting through alleyways until it could surround them. The flashes of light stopped.

Anger burned in Daniels chest as he flew into the heart of the darkness. Clawed hand raked across his body as he plunged deeper into its depths. He coughed as sulfur began burning his lungs, but still he charged forwards.

Then, the darkness gave way to fire. In the middle of the cloud sat the Prince of Fire. He walked along the street, as if he were bound to the earth. Buildings buckled as the heat from his body weakened their steel beams. The asphalt ran freely around him. Tree’s burst into flames as the incarnation of destruction made his way to the heart of the city where Guinevere lay.

Daniel dove at the Prince, knocking him to the ground. With a final prayer he opened the Guinevere’s locket. Light exploded around him, pushing the darkness away. He felt the pull as the locket began drawing him into it’s embrace and he held onto the Prince. Together they were drawn into the locket, locked away until another foolish mortal sought its treasure.