by J. L. Harden
What was I doing out in the Wasteland, deep within the Ruined City?
What was I doing on their turf? Why was I alone? Why was I vulnerable?
Am I working with them?
All I remember is I was looking for something. I was searching…
And I was getting close…
The Commander is still suspicious. He’s about to ask another question…
But then there’s a shot…
Then there’s blood…
A dead body is dragged down into the tank. The scout is dead. A sniper’s bullet to the base of his skull ended his life quickly and painlessly.
And Rob says, “The enemy is out there. We are surrounded by them. And if we want Salvation, if we want to survive, we need to stay together. We all know why we are here. The infection and the mutation has spread right throughout the Wasteland. And so it has fallen to us, this terrible burden, the dirty work, the bloody work. The necessary work. We need to kill every man, woman and child living in the Wasteland. Every single person living outside the walls of Wonderland. We do this to ensure the survival of the human race. Because there is no other way. We will give them a quick and painless death. We will give them mercy.”
Rob keeps talking about how if just one Wastelander gets inside the walls of Wonderland, even if it’s a child, we’re all dead.
Dead.
There will be no Salvation.
“This outbreak is like nothing we’ve ever seen…”
An outbreak…
“The people of the Wasteland are infected and diseased. They are all carriers. They must be eliminated for the greater good. For the safety and survival of the species. This killing is necessary. We are charged with this terrible burden, this terrible responsibility. And we will be rewarded with Salvation. We will be rewarded with a life among the stars.”
The tank rolls towards the Deep Canyon and Rob says we must focus on our future, on our survival.
So that’s what I do. I focus on the future. I forget the past.
Nothing worth remembering anyway.
A brother who betrayed me.
A girl who left me. A girl named for a jewel. She died in the Wasteland. Her ghost will never know justice.
The tank keeps rolling forward. The past slips away.
I focus on our mission. A necessary evil.
The Final Extermination Event.
A culling of the population.
Mercy.
This is a terrible burden.
And Salvation will be our reward.
I make sure my weapons are loaded. I make sure my knives are sharp.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Coming Soon!
Wasteland Wonderland
Part 5
Also by J. L. Harden
The Secret Apocalypse
Ninja Vs Samurai
For more info visit jamesharden.blogspot.au
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Copyright © 2015 by J. L. Harden
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the author.