“This wasn’t what I had pictured in my head.” He said.

“Yeah, well, it's a blessing regardless,” I reply.

The woman thrashed against her restraints. “Let me go!” She screeched.

“Octavia, you need to chill the fuck out,” Gi says. “It's me, Gigi, and look, that’s daddy.” He continued. “You are home.”

“I have no home.” The woman hissed.

I sat beside her and started to sing.

Almost heaven

West Virginia

Blue Ridge Mountains

Shenandoah River

Life is old here

Older than the trees

Younger than the mountains

Blowing like the breeze.

Country roads

Take me home

to a place I belong

West Virginia Mountain Mama

Take me home

My country roads

All my memories

gather round her

Miner’s lady stranger to blue water

Dark and dusty painted on the sky

Whispy taste of moonshine

tear drop from my eye

Country roads take me home

to a place I belong

West virginia Mountain momma

Take me home

My country roads.

The woman calmed down as I stroked her hair and repeated the chorus.

Country roads take me home to a place where I belong, West Virginia Mountain Momma, take me home, my country roads.

I smiled at her as tears fell from my eyes and then hers.

I sang some more.

There are stars in the southern sky.

Southward as you go.

There is a taste of thyme, sweet and honey

down that seven bridges road.

Now I have loved you like a baby

like some lonesome child

And I have loved you in a tame way

and I have loved you wild

Sometimes there’s a part of me

that has to turn from here and go

running like a child from these warm stars

down the Seven Bridges Road

There are stars in the southern sky

And if ever you decide you should go

There is a taste of thyme, sweet and honey

down that seven bridges road

I was lost in a moment when she was a 6-month-old baby sitting on my knee, and I sang these same songs in her ear with the same voice while those same eyes looked at me and grabbed my nose.

I looked into those giant blue eyes and saw the tears streaming down her face.

She had not known peace in many years. Not the peace of quiet, but the peace of not being in control, but completely safe. Around someone who allows you to not be concerned with impressing others while performing. Someone who was in charge in every way a person can be in that moment. The peace that feels like a heavy blanket in a cold room that can protect you from the monsters under your bed.

Her mother came and placed a hand on my shoulder and sang with me.

They had never gotten along but had loved each other completely and fiercely. They were the yin and yang of the feminine. Both free spirits, but one completely wild and untamed, the other lost and reliant.

It was the softness that had kept me with her mother. Her mother needed me, and every bump or bruise, every little pain, was the end of the world. When she was giving birth,rth she cried every time. Even after 5 children, it was like she had never done it before. I always felt needed. Like I was a necessity to her, I would hold her hand through everything, whether self-inflicted or not.

Octavia would drive her up a wall constantly. She would curse and yell, scream, and throw things. I would step into a room, and she would turn into a blithering puppy dog and start crying about how everyone hated her. She was strong and wild. I took her to the river soon after she could walk and taught her to fish and swim. As she grew she would go deeper into the water till she was unable to reach the bottom and start getting taken down stream and i would rush in and rescue her. I would get her out, and she would say “thank you, daddy,” and immediately do it again.

The room went silent for a moment. I stood up and walked out as her mother took my place on the bed and placed her hand on her cheek.

I looked at Gi and motioned for him to come with me. He came, and I put my hand on his shoulder and said, “Let her mom have some time with her now that she is calm.”

We walk out, and I see Bella and Moon sitting in the hallway. “Shouldn’t y'all be in bed?” I ask.

Moon replied, “She was scared, so I came out here to protect her.”

“Hmm”, I grunted. “Well, no better protector for my Bella than a Valkyrie, I guess,” I say, looking at Bella. “Why are you scared, baby?”

“Well, she was screeching and yelling, and everyone was in there, and I saw you brought in rope, and I had no idea what was going on.” She stammered.

“Well, baby, I had to get your sister settled in. I just found her outside earlier tonight,” I tell her. “It is safe if you want to go see her.”

“Stay outside just in case,” I whispered to Gi.

He nodded, took their hands, and led them into the room.

Octavia saw Bella and immediately had a strange look on her face. “She is dead, how?” She asked.

“Long story, a lot has happened recently,” Anne replied.

“There was a lot that led to you being here right now,” Gi spoke up.

“What is he talking about, Mom?” Octavia asked.

“You can get caught up on the whos and whys tomorrow, just get some rest for the night,” Anne said, standing up, pushing the girls out of the room.

Ann turned on the wall TV and asked for waves lapping on a beach, and switched off the lights. Gi exited the room and closed the door behind him.

I sat at the kitchen table recounting the day’s events as Mike came through the kitchen door.

“Yo, there’s a dude who killed his wife sitting in the shed who needs to be dealt with. You want me to handle it, or you wanna do it?” I ask him.

“Shit, man, I just got here, we already executing people?” He replies.

“I wanted to spare Gi the extra body and face he's gonna have to see in a few years in his sleep,” I explain.

“You look beat, man, you ok?” He asks.

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown, son. There's a reason I didn’t want this gig.” I told him.

“Have you ever seen Obama or George Bush before and after pictures?” I asked him.

“Yeah, they aged like 20 years in 8.” He replied.

“Fame doesn’t sit comfortably on anyone’s shoulders, and there are some for whom it doesn’t sit at all,” I spoke.

“Who said that?” He asked.

“Mick Jagger,” I tell him.

“You ever hear that they caught Rod Stewart sucking off Mick Jagger?” he asked.

“Yeah, I think it was one of their wives who caught them.” I tell him, “Does it really sound strange when you see how they dressed and acted?”

“All the leotards and spandex. Make up and hands on their hips with the long hair.” He said.

“I never understood why females found obviously gay dudes attractive,” I said.

I put my coat on and grabbed my shotgun. “Come on., I tell him.

“Yeah, wild shit man, these were sex symbols, gay British dudes who were coked out of their minds prancing like women on stage.” I continued as we walked over to the stage.

I open the door and see the man lying on the floor handcuffed to the pole.

I light a cigarette and cock my shotgun.

“Straight degenerates, man. You ever see the guys from guns and roses just turning up bottles of vodka as they water?” he asked as I shot the guy twice.

“I fucking feel you like you're rich, why are you drinking like a fucking hobo?” I say uncuffing the guy and dragging him to the bed of the truck outside.

“Man, I get depression, you remember I was lost for a while,” he says.

“Yeah, but like what, oh, you're alone because you're rich and famous, so you need to get drunk as fuck all day and night?” “That shit doesn’t make any sense,” I tell him.

We hop in the truck and head to the river. “God damn this steering wheel is cold,” I say, hitting the key.

“Should have brought gloves,” he says.

“How imma shoot with gloves on?” I ask?

We unload the body into the river.

“Fame is probably hard,” he says.

“Probably is. But harder than this?” I ask him to watch the body float downstream in the chunks of ice.

“Fuck if I know I aint famous.” He says.

“Yeah, but we're infamous,” I reply.

The trees seemed blurry in the distance. The world looked like it was behind a pane of frosted glass. The light at the neighbor’s had a halo around it. These moments remind you of all the tales of angels and heavenly descent the priests and nuns spoke of when I was a kid. Even as a child, I understood that the fairy tales were made for those who needed fairy tales to exist. The feeble-minded people who would weep when they got to Disneyland and saw the princess castle. They were the ones who needed those tales; they never surrendered the childhood beliefs that I never had.

I look towards my house. The raw dirt leading up to the concrete foundation. I look up to my child's bedroom window and see the candle flicker, casting shadows of the girls playing. I know the price of their joy. This was the problem before the collapse. Noone appreciated the sacrifices made for others. The attitude of “That is what you are supposed to do.” became “How do I do this?” in such a short time. Noone appreciated the toil. Everyone seen the fathers and mothers work as just a part of normal life. The children didn’t appreciate the risk or understand the trade-offs made for them. The wives took for granted their husbands’ ability to put food on the table. Everyone seen the whole world as a click away.

The sky continues to drop the powdered rain onto the ground. I look at my boots, beginning to get covered in snow. I walk to the fire pit and smell the smoldering wood. I grab the metal pole from beside the bricks, move the wood around, and toss on another.

“That world’s gone now.” I think to myself.

Gi appears from around the pine trees at the edge of the yard. I spot him, nod, and go back to tending the fire.

“Was up pops?” He asks as he sits down.

“Same shit, different toilet.” “Where the fuck you been?” I ask him.

“I had business to handle.” He replies.

“Business, huh?” I laugh.

“What?” He asks throwing his hands out.

“Put ya arms down, I can smell ya business from here.” I bark.

“No you can’t.” He fires back smelling himself.

“You always been a filthy ass dude. You remember when you walked like 40 miles home barefoot, came in smelling like the farm show sheep exhibit?” I fired at him.

“Yeah, those were good days,” he smiled and looked off in the distance.

“I had to pick you up at the state police barracks. Had them looking at me like I wasn’t taking care of you.” “Thank god you opened ya mouth to em and they understood you was a half a retard, and they understood why it is I ain’t use force to stop you.” I laughed.

“You're an asshole,” he replied.

“Say I’m wrong,” I spoke with a deep tone.

He sat in silence, staring at the fire.

“Hmm”

“So when we leaving?” He asked.

“When it gets warmer. Traveling right now is basically suicide.” I replied.

“Don’t attack Russians in the winter, huh?” He asked.

“First off, it is the mud and muck of spring and fall that make attacking Russia impossible. Secondly, we're gonna have to carry everything we need on our backs because the river is impossible to traverse right now, and even if it were traversible, one dip into the water and frostbite or hyperthermia is guaranteed to be too much risk.” I said, correcting his shit.

“So we gotta worry about the mud?” He asked.

“We ain’t attacking Russia. We gotta go downriver and catch some transport to the south. We gotta bring two horses per man and supplies. Which means the horses are gonna need food and fresh water, we're gonna need meat and salt, guns, ammo, it’s gonna be a lot. We're gonna need to plan all this out.” I told him.

“We also gonna need to build an EMP,” I said.

“For what?” He asked.

“We gotta take on like 1000 OMNI bots. We can’t shoot them all and even if we do there is little to no chance we making it through all of them. They require high-caliber rounds put on em. With a bolt-action rifle, it's too slow; they can replenish faster than we can kill. The only real chance we have is to create space and rush through.”

“How you getting back out?” He asked.

“That my son is the real question. This ain’t the movies, it’s not like I just install Elon and all the bots shut down. He gonna have to take control from somewhere. If it takes too long, for sure I am dead.”

“You think he knows that?” He asked

“Yeah, that may be his plan,” I told him, looking at the ground.

“I know you love me, son, but if it gets too thick, just run home and take care of your sisters. They gonna need someone to look after them.” I told him.

“I ain’t leaving you there.” He said.

“You have to. I have lived my life. This is not my world; it is theirs. Make sure they get to enjoy it.” I looked at him intensely as I told him.

“Promise me.” “Promise me you will take care of them no matter what happens,” I begged him.

“I will try,” he replied.

“I swear to god. No, you fucking promise me you will.”

“Aight, damn I promise.” He said.

We sat in the silence for what felt like hours. Till the sound of a muffled “aaaayyyyooooo” broke the tension. I grabbed my shotgun over my shoulder, pulled it to the front, and stood up.

“God damn y'all motha fuckas are always so serious,” the lanky figure said.

“You act like you ain’t on high alert all the time,” I said, dapping him up and hugging him.

“Please tell me you brought meat,” Gi said.

Mikey reached around his back, fumbled for a minute, and pulled out his hand toward Gi. “Here ya go.”

Gi said, “Thanks, wait, what the fuck.”

Mike’s hand was empty.

Gi pushed him and said, “Fuck you.”

Mike laughed, “What, you feeling froggy, son? I will fuck you up.”

“You don’t want none pussy.” Gi replied.

I slid behind Mike and took two squirrels off his belt line as they got in each other's faces.

Gi grabbed Mikey and picked him up over his head as Mike flailed, trying to regain his footing.

“Don’t hurt him, Gi,” I said, trying to skin the first squirrel.

“You done, old man?” Gi asked Mikey.

“Imma fuck you up soon as I get down,” Mike hollered as he flailed some more.

“Then I won’t let you down,” Gi said, slapping Mike’s head.

I got the second squirrel skinned and cleaned, and stuck a stick through it.

Gi finally set Mike down, and he tried to rush him. Gi slid in the snow, and they started rolling all over the yard.

I got the squirrels over the fire and got up to separate them.

I grabbed them both by the back of their belts and held them over my head and said, “Y'all two are ridiculous.”

“How the fuck is you holding us like this?” Mike asked, swatting at Gi.

Gi swatted back at Mike as I pulled them further apart. I slid Mike across the snow-covered yard like a bowling ball and then tossed Gi over a branch in the tree.

I went and sat down, twisting the squirrels over the fire. They came back to the fire, pushing each other, and Mike asked, “Seriously, how the fuck?”

“Cortis,” I told him.

“So you’re telling me your god gave you powers?” he asked.

“Yeah. grabbed my spine and lifted me off the ground and disappeared.”

“I don’t believe it.” He said.

“How can you deny what you witnessed?” I asked him.

“It’s a trick.” “The devil is playing a trick on me.” He spouted.

I stood up, grabbed him, and tossed him 30 feet into the air and caught him, then sat back down.

We all just sat in silence. Gi had a giant smile on his face.

“Fix ya face, boy,” I told him.

“Sorry.” He spat out, trying not to laugh.

We sat there watching the fire as the smoke rose into the night, and I swear I could hear an old man laughing in the woods behind Mike. As a pair of eyes flashed yellow in the darkness, I tipped my hat to them and grabbed the squirrel off the fire and offered it to Mike.

The wars I had to fight because of her. “The day of the pillow,” was always said in jest until it happened. The memories flood back to childhood of running through alleyways, ducking the police after I stole food to eat. I look at my son, wishing I could portray to him the sorrow I had not for what he survived, but because he would never know how much I loved him, because she didn’t love me.

“What pops?” He asks.

“Was just thinking of ya grandmother,” I tell him.

He spits on the ground, “Fuck her!” he growls.

“Ya know if it was up to my mom, you would have never been born.” I smile at him.

“That wasn’t even the first battle, ya know, that?” I tell him.

“Yeah.” “You're depressing as fuck sometimes, old man.” He says, shaking and lowering his head.

“Old man?” “Watch your mouth,” I tell him.

“You better watch yours, you almost got killed by two townies.” He replies.

“Well, they gone and I’m here. So you better be careful with those words.” I smile at him, running my finger over the new scar on my face.

“You wanna go?” He asks standing up.

I stand up and get chest to chest with him and grab him and pull a little, and he comes off his feet and goes over my head.

“Ahh, Dad, what the fuck?” he screams, his eyes as big as saucers.

I hold him in the air and remember my encounter with Cortis.

“Oh yeah,” I say, smiling, setting him down as gently as I can, trying not to break his legs.

“Had a visit from Cortis,” I tell him.

“Have you tested this out yet?” He asks, fixing his shirt.

I sit down and stare into the fire. “Nah, not really.” “Don’t want to end up having to go train for 300 years.” I smile and look up at him.

“Ya would miss me too much, huh?” He asks with a smile.

“I would miss Anne and Bella.” “I spend too much time with you. My clothes always smell afterward.” I say with a smile.

“I don’t stink.” He replies, smelling himself. “Ok, maybe a little.”

I hear a little girl scream in the distance. We both grab our guns and run towards the noise.

My feet slide over the pavement as I sprint onto the street covered in fresh snow. I push off the snow and feel my boot treads hit concrete as I run in that direction. My ears are filled with the sound of my heartbeat as I hear Giovanni slide through the trees flanking whatever it is.

There is a bugman with long hair leaning over the top of a little girl’s body. I signal to Gi to wait. He levels his gun, and I approach the bugman silently and grab it by the hair, lifting it off the little girl. The bugman hisses as I see its eyes. It’s Mia.

I signal to Gi to come here.

He steps slowly out of the pine tree and walks with his gun leveled at the creature.

“It’s ya sister,” I say as he gets close.

“Oh shit.” He whispers as his expression goes from killer to concern.

“Take her and run to the house now,” I whisper sternly, handing off the bugman and tending to the little girl.

I pick her up and look under her coat and see a laceration across her stomach. I check her pulse, and it is strong and steady. I feel the back of her head and feel a bump. I lay her down and check the laceration more closely. It is deep but not organ deep. “It may need a few stitches, but she will be fine.” “She must have fainted and bumped her head,” I say to myself.

I pick her up and put her under my coat and look for her footsteps in the snow. I trace them back to a house with a wind vein outside. I knock on the door and wait a few minutes.

“Hey!!” “Wake the fuck up!” I yell and kick the door.

I see a candle flicker upstairs.

I pound on the door again. The little girl in my arms coughs.

I smile at her and say, “Hey, how are you feeling?”

“Mayor?” She asks.

“Yeah, I found you lying in the street. Why are you outside?” I ask her gently.

“I couldn’t be at home anymore.” She says.

“Why not? Isn’t home where your parents are?”

“My dad and mom fight all the time, and we have no food.”

“Hmm. Well, we will have to rectify that.” Are you hungry?”

She nods.

“Is this your house?” “No one seems to be answering.”

“My mom fell asleep after my dad hit her, and my dad is probably sleeping with his bottle.” She says.

“Ohh, Ok, here you sit down a second, ok?”

I kick the door and it flies open.

I pick her back up and bring her inside. I see a fire going and set her on the rug in front of it.

“Are your parents upstairs?”

She nods.

“I will be right back, you just get warm, ok?”

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot.” I tear a piece of the couch and hand it to her. “Put this on your belly till I can get you patched up.”

“You gonna be a strong little valkyrie for me?”

“Yeah.” She says somberly.

I made a face and asked again. “You gonna be a strong valkyrie? huh? huh?” asking, bouncing around?

She smiled and said, “Yeah!” with a grin.

“Ok, I will be right back.”

I look towards the steps and pull my gun to the front of my body and unwrap it from my shoulder. I step on the first step and hear it creak under my weight. I take another step and lean on the wall, listening silently for movement.

I proceed up the steps and keep low, peering through the wooden pillars between the railing and the baseboard, stepping backwards up the steps, watching the hallway that leads towards the room at the front of the house.

I get to the top and kick the door behind me, and it opens, and I scan inside and see an empty twin bed. I peer at a hand lying at the front of the bed. I walk towards it and see that it is attached to a woman with her eyes open. I check her pulse and feel nothing.

I leave the room and head towards the door at the end of the hallway. I kick it open and hear a shot ring out as I lean up against the wall.

“I brought your daughter home,” I state.

“Get out!” He yells, half-crying.

“Yeah, I don’t think I can do that,” I tell him.

“The choices are either face justice or I go get the boys and we do this slow.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt her.” He said, sobbing fully now.

“Look here, you're gonna toss ya gun out here and then you're gonna walk your daughter to my house and tell her you have to go on a trip. She don’t need to see her dad and mom die in the same night.” I tell him.

“I don’t wanna die,” he cries.

“Toss out the fucking gun and this will be way easier,” I tell him.

A heavy object hits the wall in front of me. I see it is a revolver.

“Good boy.” I step into the doorway and see him cowering in the corner. “Now, get up and come with me,” I tell him, grabbing his collar and pulling him up and hitting him off the ceiling.

“My bad, still getting used to this shit,” I tell him.

I grab him and pull him out of the room, and walk him with a gun to his back towards the stairs.

He tried to run, and I tossed his gun at his back, and he flailed forward and onto the wooden floor. I pick his gun back up and tuck it in my waistline and pull him to his feet. “Stupid, you ain’t getting away. Come be a fucking parent.” I growl at him and slap him in the face.

We get to the bottom of the steps, and I smile and ask, “How’s my newest valkyrie?”

She looks at her dad sobbing and asks, “What's wrong, Daddy?”

“I, I, I, gotta take a trip for a little” He looks at me. “You are going to go stay with the Mayor.”

“Your dads gotta go on a mission. He says you get to stay with me and have some fun for a little while. You need to be strong, ok?” I tell her, kneeling down to get to face level.

“Your dad’s gonna walk with us back to my place. Then imma give him the mission brief and tools.” I tell her.

“Let’s roll out,” I say, pushing him towards the door.

We get back to my house, and the screen door pops open, and Gi comes out. I whisper in his ear and tell him to take him to the shed and lock him down for the night.

“First, though, hug your Dad and tell him good luck, lil valkyrie.” I nudged her towards him.

She hugs him, and he hugs her tightly, tears running down his face.

“Good luck, Daddy. I love you.” She says.

He lets go, and Gi grabs his shoulder and walks him into the night as we go inside.

Anne comes out and sees me with the new little girl. with a puzzled look on her face.

“I will explain in a few. Can she and I have some food, please?” I kiss my wife's cheek and tell the little girl This is Anne. If you need something, just ask her.

“And what is your name lil one?” my wife asks.

“Moon. But you can call me Valkyrie grrr.” She says confidently.

“My daddy is going on a mission,” she states proudly.

“You're gonna make a great valkyrie,” Anne says.

“Where’s Octavia?” I ask

“Backroom.” Anne replies

“Ok we will deal with her in a few.” I tell her

Gi comes back in and sits down across the table from me.

“The time is close.” He says.

“I know.” I hear scratching a hissing coming fromt he back of the house and remember the deal.

I know I don’t write as much of this as most people would like, but this is a work of passion and art, so I only want to do this when I feel compelled to do so. I want it to be good and inspired. Not just content to be pumped out.

I stare off into the valley, looking at the sun rise behind the mountains. The trees are barren this time of year.

There is dense fog sitting on the mountains and the ground. It looks like smoke pouring off coals, as if someone were putting out a fire.

I look back at the mountain and hear a twig crack. I raise my rifle and look through the scope in the direction of the noise. I see a white tail with 12 points on its antlers. I place my crosshairs on the spot right behind its front leg. I stay silent and take my time. I put my finger on the trigger and breathe in deep. I squeeze as I exhale. The shot goes off, and I see the deer tense up and try to run as it collapses to the ground.

I sit for a second and give thanks before getting up and walking to the animal.

I walk through the trees towards the fallen animal. I hear leaves rustle. I stop and duck down, pulling back the bolt and reloading another round. I see a dark outline. It is still dark, and the shadows hide what it is. The rule is never shoot without knowing what you are shooting. I hear the telltale growl. I stand up and yell, “I wouldn’t if I was you,” smiling.

I move to the left and wait for the animal to get into the light, holding my gun on my shoulder. It walks out and roars. I step towards it as it rears up on its hind legs.

“That’s my kill buddy; you need to go do your own huntin,” I tell it.

It looks at me, and I set my gun down and pull out my knife.

“You sure you wanna do this?” I ask it.

The bear tries to walk towards the deer, bleeding out from my bullet.

“Hey, that's mine, stupid,” I say as I put myself between it and my kill.

It rushes towards me, trying to scare me off. I slice its face with my knife and hold my ground. The bear backed off, whimpering, pawing at its wound.

“I got a whole lotta more. If you wanna continue down this path.” I tell it.

It rushes this time with real intent. I slip and fall as it tries to maul me. I feel its coarse fur on my hands and weight on my chest. I stab it in the neck and chest as I control its muzzle with my other hand.

It backs off, and I get to my feet as I examine my body for injuries. It looks at me and I pull out my revolver.

“I didn’t want to have to do this, man, but you ain't gonna live with ya aorta leaking like that.”

I take aim at his skull and squeeze the trigger.

“Fucking bear stew. I fucking hate bear stew.” I say as I head towards the deer.

I dress the deer and hike it down the mountain.

I look back up and start heading to get the bear.

I dress, grab a few long sticks, and wrap the bear up in some rope, tying him to it like a stretcher, and start making my way back down.

I get to the bottom and place the deer on the stretcher, tie them both to the horse, and start heading home.

I head down what used to be a winding piece of road that I would travel to see a woman I knew; it feels like a lifetime ago. She broke my heart but ultimately put me on a path to finding true peace.

We would hike this mountain together, and when we had issues, we would meet up here or send each other pictures from the top just to let the other know we were thinking of one another. So long ago, I think to myself, feeling my grey goat tee.

I see a figure in the woods as the horse walked down the old 4-lane highway. The road is covered in dirt now from years of flooding, and the trees on the side of the road have overgrown the barriers and signs. The river behind them flows with chunks of ice. The figure stares at me, and I stop looking at him. His eyes flash fire. I hop off the horse and approach him. He walks out of the trees and looks at the blood covering my clothes.

“You had a successful hunt,” he says, walking around my scratch-made stretcher.

“Well, I didn’t plan on the bear, but I guess I gotta eat bear stew now,” I reply.

“The hide will make fine boots and clothes.”

“Truth! Maybe a rug or a blanket.” I say

“He isn’t that big.” The man says.

“Why you gotta piss on my Cheerios?” I say, smiling at him.

The old man smiles.

“So what you need, man?” I ask.

“This winter will get bad. Are you saving your trip for the spring?” He asks.

“That’s what I was thinking I wanna use my boat to move around, and the river is too dangerous when the ice flows,” I reply.

“Good.” He replies.

“I wish I could have gotten my children back. Unfortunately, too much time had passed for me,” he says mournfully.

“Yeah, didn’t you make more?” I ask him.

“After the first loss, it is never the same.” He says, looking at me. “But you already know this, don’t you?”

“We never heal, we just accumulate dents,” I tell him.

“Somehow, though, you seem to still love,” he says, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Why? Why do you, of all people, who have been through so much, still love so deeply?”

“The hole never gets filled. She left a hole so big it could never be filled. I believe I can fill it.” I tell him

“You have much more to you than most.” He says, sitting down on a log on the side of the road.

“You can kill without remorse, but yet stare in wonder at a sunrise and love your woman and children like no one else.” He continues.

“I tell people I am built different. I am never sure if that is true; I think I just adapt better.” I smile at him, picking up a rock and toss it towards the river.

“You will need more than what you have come this spring. You have been gaining dents for 50 years now. I am going to give you something to help you. It is a gift and a curse,” he says, standing up and approaching me.

“A curse? I could do without any more curses, man.” I tell him, backing away.

The old man disappears and appears behind me, grabbing me by my spine through my skin. I feel his hand wrap around my bones and lift me into the air. I feel a pulse of electricity like energy flow into me. I scream, feeling like my skin is being pushed against, like my bones want to push through them.

“You will now be more than what you were,” he screams as the pulse intensifies.

I beg for him to stop as I feel the pulse gain in strength, the world gets fuzzy, and everything goes dark.

I feel the earth against my face as I open my eyes. My horse clomps and breaths in my ear. I scramble to my feet, reaching for my back. I feel for holes from the old man’s hands. I feel nothing.

I look around, and he is gone. I swear under my breath. “When I catch Cortis, imma whip his ass, I swear.”

I go to hop on my horse and make my way home. I place my foot in the stirrup and push, and the saddle breaks. “What the fuck.” I grab the saddle and place it back on the horse and try once more. I step more gingerly and make my way into the saddle.

“Ok, horse, let’s head on our way home.” I tap his reins, and he starts heading towards home.

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The turtle stares at me from inside his tank as I head toward the refrigerator to grab my homemade barbecue sauce. I see the clock on the microwave says 2:30 am in green glowing numbers. I grab a spoon and the bowl, heading back out to the grill.

I open the grill, feeling the heat and savoring the smell for a moment. I pull the tin foil off the bowl, spoon the sauce onto the ribs, and close the lid.

I go and sit on the steps staring at the sky. I light a cigarette and watch the smoke rise into the night sky. I am alone as I always am. These moments of peace are so fleeting.

I go and grab a pan from inside to put the ribs on. I find a cookie sheet and head back out the door. I open the grill, grab the ribs with my tongs, and carefully pull them onto the metal pan, then close the lid.

I get back inside and start cutting the ribs apart immediately. I know you are supposed to let them rest, but these are for me. I put them on a plate, sit on the sectional couch, and begin to munch.

I finish my third rib when I hear some banging around outside. I look suspiciously at the wall but decide it is probably a bear rumaging around. That's the neighbor's side and I ain’t concerned with it. I continue to eat, and the banging gets more furious. I set down my ribs and head to my closet in my bedroom.

I open the door to my room, turn on the light, waking my wife. I reach into the closet as she asks, “What’s going on?” I say, “I don’t know. But imma find out.” I grab 4 shells and load them into the bottom of my Model 12 Winchester shotgun.

I leave the room and head out the door as quietly as I can. My wife follows me but stays on the porch as I head into the street. I slide the rack and yell out, “Who is in there!” I see a flashlight come out of the bushes, and I yell, “Put your hands up!”

The man emerges, and I see the gun and the badge. He says, “Whoa, big fella!”

I look at him and tell him, “Hand off ya gun, man!”

He raises his hand, and I lower my shotgun and hand it to my wife on the porch.

***************************************************************************

“Yo pops!”

I look at the ceiling of my room as it becomes more visible, I look to my side and see my son.

“Yo pops”

He peeks his head in. “You not gonna believe this.”

“What?” I ask, covering my head with the blanket.

“Daaayyyaadddd,” I uncover my head, my heart in my throat.

“Bellaaaa!!” I cry, jumping out of bed.

I pick her up and hold her close, breathing her in. “My princess.”

“I was outside and she was just walking up the street,” Gi said.

“Have you seen your mom yet?” I ask.

“No, where is she?” she said.

“I missed you so much, Daddy!” She said, smiling, hugging me again.

“Gi wheres’s mom?” I ask him.

“Fuck if I know,” he replied.

“Swear to god this chick,” I say.

“Are you hungry?” I ask Bella.

“I am starving.” She says.

“Well, let’s get you something to eat. Let’s go see if the chickens made us some eggs.”

I get up and put on some pants, socks, and shoes. We head out to the chicken pen to see if we can find some eggs.

“Gi!”

“Was up pops.”

“You remember that night I pulled a gun on that cop up in the trailer park?”

“When I was like 9?”

“Yeah.”

“When they found that old lady being eaten by her dogs next door?”

“Yeah that night.”

“What about it?”

“I was just dreaming of that when you woke me up.”

“Daddy, there was a lady being eaten by dogs?”

“Yeah, I bought a truck off her the winter before that.”

“Why did the dogs eat her?”

“Because she was dead and they didn’t have any food.”

“Why not?”

“Because she died, and so therefore she couldn’t feed them.”

“But people aren’t food.”

“We are made of meat, baby, we eat food, so we kinda are food.”

“Ok, that’s what 7 eggs?” I ask her.

She grabbed 2 eggs and walked towards the house with her brown shoulder-length hair falling on her shoulders. I was transported to a time long ago, watching her play in the river with her sisters, trying to skip rocks. I wiped a tear off my cheek and followed behind her. I looked at Gi, and he put his hand on my shoulder, knowing I wasn't okay.

“I will cook pops.”

I sniffed, “Nah, you fucking won’t!” I smiled, with tears running down my face.

We got back inside and started to make eggs and sausage.

“Gi, you grind this?” I asked, holding a floppy link of grey sausage.

“Yeah, like last week,” he replied.

I put a tab of butter in the pan and waited for it to melt before putting the sausages in.

Anne comes through the door and sees Bella. “Baby, omg!”

“Mommy!!” She yells, running to her.

She picks her up and looks at me.

“I found her wandering up the street,” Gi says.

“Where was you at?” I ask.

She holds up a big bag of bacon.

“Baconnnn!!!!” I run up and hug it.

“So we gonna expect who next?” Gi asks.

“I don’t know, but after that, we'd better be prepared for war,” I growl at him.

We eat, and the sunset comes. I light a fire out in the yard and bring a blanket out, and wrap Bella up in it.

“Wish I had some graham crackers and marshmallows and chocolate we could have sm’ores like the old days,” I tell her.

“I miss sm’ores.”

“But I do got a couple of those sausages and some sticks we could cook them and watch the stars.”

“You look older, Daddy.”

“Yeah, well, it's been a while, baby.”

“How long have I been gone?”

“Seven years princess.”

“Where did I go?”

“To heaven. And into my heart.”

“Don’t cry Daddy.”

“I am sorry baby.”

“Where is Octavia, Mia, and Rocky?”

“They will be back soon.”

“Did they go to heaven, too?”

“No, they went to the pods.”

“What’s the pods?”

“It’s where they are keeping people who got caught back in the hard times.”

“Why didn’t they catch you or Gi Gi?”

“Well, baby daddy is strong and fast, and Gi just like daddy.”

I see something move in the tree line. I reach for my gun. Standing up and taking aim, I holler, “Announce yaself.”

It keeps moving. I stand in front of Bella and say, “Get down, this is gonna be loud.”

I start running to get a good view of the thing. I see the grey sweatsuit. It looked smaller, though, “maybe it’s not an adult,” I think to myself. I run up behind it and grab its hair and throw it to the ground. I look at its face, pointing the gun at it and stepping on its chest. It screeched, “Let me go.”

I grabbed its hair to take it to the fire to get a better look at it. I am expecting my kids to come from the pods, at least one of them. I don’t want to be clipping my own kin. I examined it as Bella hid behind the log.

It had curly brown hair and brown eyes. That rules out Octavia and Rocky. It's male, so it’s not Mia.

“Ok baby daddy be right back ok?”

“Ok, Daddy” Comes from behind the log.

I drag the Bugman over to the woods and put the barrel to the back of its skull. “Sorry, kid, but this is how life goes.” I squeeze the trigger, the bang rings in my ears, the smell of gun powder fills my nostrils, and it stops moving.

“That was so scary,” Bella says as she peeks over the log.

“Yeah, well, welcome to the new world, baby.”

“You ok?” I ask.

“Yeah, but that was scary.”

“Well, come cuddle with daddy, and we can finish making these sausages.”

“Ok.”

“Look at all those stars, princess.”

“It is a lot

like 500 stars.” She says.

“500! Pshht, there's way more than 500 more, like 5 billion.”

“Here, put this stick into the sausage and just hold it near the fire, ok?” I tell her, handing her a sharpened stick and sausage.

The smoke rose into the night as I looked into the woods and saw the steam rising off the body in the distance. I looked at my gun and smelled the gunpowder on my hands. I thought to myself. This is the new normal.

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The sun is setting behind the mountains as mirrors are placed behind large piles of wood. The men pour oil on the wood and set it on fire. The mirrors reflect the light to the ring.

“Kind of genius,” I think to myself.

Mike comes and sits beside me.

“Look at this shit,” he says pulling on a joint.

“Appalachian ingenuity,” I reply, grabbing the joint out of his mouth and hitting it myself.

“You gettin in?” He asks.

“I don’t think it’s worth the risk,” I tell him.

“Risk? What risk we can beat half this town at the same time with no weapons,” he scoffs and grabs the joint back, standing up.

“Well, think of it this way, we win, we beat the townsfolk, and they get mad. We lose and they think us weak. It’s like fighting a woman; it’s a lose-lose.” I reply.

“You got a point. I still wanna go throw hands though,” he smiles, looking at the ring like a hungry wolf eyeing up a sheep.

“Hey, if you wanna go toss some bones, that’s up to you. Just remember what I said and don’t be taking shit too personally losing ya temper and shit.” I tell him, grabbing the joint back from him and staring him in the eyes while I hit the last drag out of it and toss it into the grass.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a figure in a giant hood looking like a Sith from Star Wars making his way through the food stands.

Mike starts talking, and it fades off as I focus in on the figure.

He notices me staring and looks toward my stare, noticing the figure.

“Who the fuck is that?” He asks, tapping me on the shoulder.

“Huh?” I come back to reality.

“Who is that?” He asks again.

I shake my head and shrug my shoulders.

“Should we investigate?”

“Nah! Imma check it out,” I tell him.

“You keep an eye on this boxing thing,” I direct him.

I slide off around the back of where the ring is being erected and dawdle through the back of the food stands, keeping an eye on the man in the hood. I see his face and immediately recognize who he is. “Fucking nerd.” I mumble under my breath.

I see two slices of apple pie and grab them both and nod at the lady running the stand. She nods back.

The man in the hood leans up against a wall, and I slide up beside, careful not to make a sound. I place the apple pie in his stomach and say, “Here.”

He stammers a thank you as he grabs it off the plate and shoves it into his mouth.

“You have somewhere we can talk?” he asks.

I say, “Follow me.”

I walk ahead of him and catch Gi’s eye and nod toward the house. He looks and sees the hooded man following me and nods upward. I put my hands out in front to say Be easy. Gi takes off running towards the house.

I walk the man around the block. We go through the alleyway that has begun to be taken over by grass and dirt. We turn the corner, and the old sewer drain has finally given way, and there is just a giant hole for the run off from the mountain and cemetery to go when it rains. We turn the second corner in front of Jason’s old place. The smell of dog shit and diabetic hill folk lingers. There's a new smell; I think the dogs have died. The trees were barren from the winter. We cut between the houses. The ground is hard, and the grass breaks under my feet. We go in the side door to avoid people seeing him enter.

Gi meets us in the kitchen with a knife in his hand.

I laugh and tell him, “Chill the fuck out.”

The man steps through the threshold and lowers his hood.

Gi stares with his mouth open.

“Elon, meet my son Gi,” I say.

“Nice to meet you,” Elon says, extending his hand.

Gi shakes it with his mouth still open.

“You gonna catch flies, son?” I tap his chin.

“Would you like to sit down?” Gi asks, pulling out a chair at the wooden table in the kitchen.

“Yes, I would,” Elon says.

I sit across from him and lean back in my chair, and ask the question that’s on both Gi and my mind, “Why are you here?”

“Well, first, may I say you you have a lovely home. I am here because before my son decided I was no longer needed, I was monitoring what has been going on here. You have killed quite a few people.” He stammered.

“Bug men.” I interrupt.

“As I was saying. You have killed quite a few humans, and I heard you have found your daughter.” He continued.

I stopped slouching and put my forearms on the table, leaning towards him.

“I wanted to offer you a deal.” He said.

“What kind of deal?” I asked.

“Well, you help me and I help you.” He replied.

“What help would you be offering?”

He stood up and asked, “Do you mind?” as he approached my wall monitor.

I waved approval as he pulled out a device and turned it on.

“I can give you Octavia, Rocky, Mia, and Bella.”

I stood up and grabbed him. “Bella is fucking dead!” “What type of shit are you pulling?” I screamed.

“Look at the monitor.” He stammered.

I looked, and there she was, along with her brother and sisters.

“How she died in my arms.” Tears filled my eyes as my voice cracked.

“Well, it was rather simple, really. I cloned her.” He said. “Well, first I had to get the body, then analyze the DNA, then get an egg and create a sperm, then make a zygote, and then just put her in a womb, and then she was born.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Oh, well, I saw my son making moves against me, so I created a backup plan in case he succeeded.” He replied.

“She is 5 years old. How long have you been planning this? How fucking long were you going to keep her?” I screamed and Gi grabbed hold of me.

“Oh, that’s a chemical I invented. I am actually pretty proud of it. It makes humans grow faster.” He smiled autistically.

“You do know my father is gonna kill you if you keep fucking with his emotions right?” Gi asked, groaning from holding me back.

“Oh, yeah, your kids. So if you want them all, you have to do is help me gain back my position.” He said.

“What I gotta do?” I asked.

“Break into a fortress with thousands of omni bots, grab my son, labotomize him, and reinstall me using this thumb drive.”

“Half now. Half on delivery.” I stated.

“Half now?” He asked.

“Yeah, I want half my kids freed before I get started, then I will go and commit suicide for you.” I replied.

My wife and Mike come in the door. My wife immediately sees the screen. “Bella?” she gasps and begins to weep.

Mike looks at Elon, then looks at me, and says, “What the fuck is going on.”

“Elon got deposed. He has all my children and is holding them hostage so I will help him regain his place. We are currently in negotiations.”

“Negotiations!!!! Give me back my children!” My wife screams and swings at Elon as Gi and I grab her.

“We got a deal?” I ask.

“Deal!” He puts his hand out and I shake it.

I pull him in and punch him in the gut. “Thats for bringing my daughter back from the dead and keeping her as an insurance option you dubious fuck.” I growl in his ear.

“So, how are we doing this?” Mike asks.

“Going in will be too hard. We will die before we reach…. What's ya son’s name?” I ask Elon.

“Ex ash 12,” he replies.

“Ex Ash….. what the fuck did you name your kid? You sperg ass mother fucker. I swear to god. How the fuck did you end up running the world? Any way we gotta get Ex whatever the fuck out of his hiding place.” I tell Mike.

My wife touches the screen and says Baby, don’t worry, Daddy is coming. ’ And he won’t let you die this time.

I walk over to her and wrap my arms around her. She turns to me and says, “Tell her daddy won’t fail her promise.”

I look at the screen and see her staring at the camera. “Daddy is coming, baby, I promise.”

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I look in the mirror less than I used to. As a younger man, I was vain. It was never controllable; I was always looking at myself. I was fascinated with the human form. I wondered if the rest of the world saw me as I saw myself.

I stressed over my weight and muscle tone. I often wondered about the looks I gave off. I would go into stores with my kids and the women would avoid me. It was never like that with my wife. I would hang back and watch her walk down the aisles and women would fawn over the children and compliment her on how beautiful the girls were.

“Did I give off a vibe? Is there a reason for this?” I would, wonder.

Now I barely look in the mirror anymore. My wife walks up and catches me flexing in the mirror.

“You trying to turn yourself on?” She asks.

“I mean, I am sexy as fuck,” I say smiling at her, over exaggerating a pose.

“Pssshhht as if,” she says, rolling her eyes.

“Why am I with you? Real shit why after all this shit, you tearing me down. What the fuck is wrong with you?” I ask her.

“Don’t want your head getting too big,” she says.

“We have been going through this for 20 years. 20 fucking years ma! Like for fuck sakes you can’t just go yes baby you sexy.” “You know I could just go get another bitch like tomorrow? Hell, I could do it right now!” I bark at her.

“And for 20 years I have told you I think you are sexy. I shouldn’t need to tell you it all the time.” She replies.

“Yes the fuck you should. You act like I am inhuman or something for fuck sakes. All I have ever wanted is for you to want me like I want you. I got feelings too bitch.” I tell her.

“Oh, Tom P, the god. The king, the monster, got feelings? That would be a first.” She laughs.

“I swear to god. You oughta be grateful that the internet ain’t around no more.” I tell her.

“Yeah, now you stuck with my pussy.” She smirks.

She reaches for me, and I push her hand away.

“No, you don’t get to insult me and then touch me,” I say, turning away.

“Get your ass over here,” she says as she grabs my shirt and pulls me to her.

I look up and cock my head.

She grabs my hair and pulls my head down to look at her.

“I love you, and I believe in you. You are the sexiest man I have ever been with. You know it’s hard for me to just…” She says as I kiss her, stopping her mid-sentence.

“I love you. You know, change ain’t such a bad thing.” I tell her, pulling back for a moment.

She rolls her eyes and cocks her head. I grab her by her hair and growl in her ear, “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I am the only teammate you have in the entire world. It’s us against the world, baby.”

I kiss her again and lead her to the bedroom.

In this dark grey room with a tall, skinny window, I lay on a mattress, staring at the cinderblock walls. It's cold—it’s always cold. The toilet has a pipe up to a sink with a hole in the nozzle that makes a fountain to brush your teeth.

They give you blue and grey sweat-suits with rubber-TPE colored sandals. We called them Jesus shoes.

The only book you can have in your room at night is the bible. I have read it multiple times.

The sun casts a shadow across the grey floor as I wait for my turn to get a shower. I am 15 years old and was arrested for going home. My mother didn’t want me there anymore. My father was busy raising my half-brothers with his rich Anglo wife. I am totally alone. There is no family, no help, no one to call. I have been on my own before, but never in the jaws of the state.

I hear my cell unlock, and I grab my towel to go get washed up.

“Nah, leave that. A lawyer is here to see you.” Hulk tells me.

I throw the towel onto my bed and make my way past the 6’2"light-skinned man. He probably weighs 350 lbs. He wears a Yard Dawgs shirt, which is the local semi-pro football team.

He leads me into the hallway, where another guard puts cuffs on me.

I am led into a small office where a man is sitting with a stack of files.

I sit down and lean back in the chair and cock my head.

“What you want?” I ask

“Well, I am here, Thomas, to help you with your case.” He says.

“Yeah? How so?” I ask.

“Well, sir, if you would sign this, we can get you expedited.” He says.

“Hmmm, so this will move things along faster and I can get outta here quicker?” I ask him.

“Yep. That’s what I am here for.” He replies.

“Pimpin.” I reply and sign the paper.

“Alright, sir. Thank you.” He grabs the paper and shoves it into a manila folder.

I was taken back to my pod and placed back in my cell.

A few weeks later, I was standing in a fenced-in pen under the courthouse with about 30 other teens and kids.

There was an eight-year-old who was so small that the shackles they required us to wear when we went into court wouldn’t fit on his legs, so they had to use handcuffs.

He was apparently in here for trying to use a screwdriver to break into an atm.

I was eventually led into the courthouse and made to walk up the steps that led into the side of the courtroom. The shackles pulled on my ankles and dug into my skin, but in a time like this, you never show weakness.

I was placed behind a table and told to stand still. I stood up with my chest out and head cocked to the side. A lady read out a docket number, and then my name and charges.

A woman walked up beside me, and when the judge asked if there was representation, the lady said, “I represent him, your honor.”

The DA said, “We have a guilty plea and a signed confession, your honor.”

I looked at her and then at my supposed representation. “I ain't confessed to shit,” I yelled.

The judge slammed his gavel and scolded me for my outburst.

The DA brought the paper over and asked, “Is this not your signature?”

“Mother fucker!” I blurted out.

There were audible gasps in the courtroom. The judge slammed his gavel and yelled, “Remove him from my courtroom.”

The bailiff grabbed me and I shook his hand off my arm yelling “Get the fuck off me I was set up!”

I looked at the courtroom and saw my mom smiling and waving as I was taken away.

My eyes open, and I see the sun outside and feel my wife's hand on me. I look at the clock. 2:30 pm it reads.

I wrap my arm around her stomach and bury my face in the pillow, breathing a sigh of relief. The memory is still with me. The beginning of the journey, or was it? I don’t know, I feel like the lessons and the cracks in the system had shown long before then. I close my eyes and kiss Ann’s forehead. She has always been a reminder of those times and a welcome respite from the demons all at the same time.

The crowd looks bewildered. I grab Mike’s shoulder. “I don’t think they get it, man,” he tells me.

“God damn Gen alpha never seen the classics,” I reply looking at him with dismay.

I look at the crowd and yell at them. “How y'all never seen Scarface?” “It’s a god damn classic. Al Pacino, Sharon Stone, it’s a perfect movie. Soundtrack is amazing.”

Mike is looking at me, laughing, watching me explain, and trying to act out a movie to a group of people who have never seen anything but AI-generated media.

“All I got is my balls and my word, and I don’t break them for nobody! Come on, no one has ever seen this? How in the fuck.” I frustratingly try to explain a 1980s movie about a drug they have never seen, starring people they have never heard of in a place they have never been.

I stare at them and realize that there are parts of me still stuck in a past that never existed in their eyes. I am the oldest person here. Maybe one of the oldest people in the state. Who really knows anymore?

The boomers all died off or were moved into facilities. Most of them didn’t want to go and tried to resist. In the end, when the lights went off, the younger generations ransacked their homes and killed those who refused to leave willingly.

We had watched as they hoarded their wealth and refused to pass anything down. Once we all realized they were the greatest liability in society due to the lead poisoning they received as kids from the gasoline. We all just accepted that no rational argument we made would fix this issue. We watched as they went on Disney cruises and sold their homes back to the bank to be able to buy new cars while their kids got put out of work from the Omni-bots or automated programs.

The younger generations woke up homeless on a continent their forefathers had conquered, just as Jefferson had predicted. It wasn’t the bank's fault—it was their own fathers and mothers.

And now I sit staring at these people. All of them are under 40, and most of them are under 30. What a life they have had, and what a life they will have. I am the last of a dying breed. Just a handful of us have seen a world without computers. When I was born, they hadn’t even invented a cellphone yet. They are all gone now, but 10 years ago, people would be so engrossed with them that pedestrians would get hit by cars or fall off skyscrapers with their faces buried into their palms.

Technology was invented, marketed, and sold without the slightest thought of its consequences.

I smile at the people and ask them if they are ready for the rest of our story.

The people all say yes as they sit on the bleachers.

I sit on the old chair and wait for the kids to come and sit around the fire. I stare up at the stars. The beauty of what I see these nights never ceases to amaze me. I have wished to see the night sky this way my whole life, but I never got a chance to actually experience it until society collapsed.

I look back down as I pull out a cigarette and light it. I look past the end of the cherry and see a child staring at me. “What’s on your mind, little man?”

“Why did Cortis come to see you?” He asked.

“Well, that, I will tell all of you once everyone is here.” I smile and tell him.

I reach into the cloth bag and pull out the grainy substance from before and toss it at the fire as I stand up.

Blue smoke fills the air as I begin to speak loudly.

Cortis came to see me tonight. He told me I have been ducking my destiny. He said it was not cowardly before but now I have fulfilled what Nahto made me to do. He asked me to stop the cycle of violence and to teach his children. To love you as he does.

So, let me tell you what happened to the boatman. After showing everyone his ability to jump very far, the boatman went home to his family. On his way to see his wife, he ran into a man who would not move off the path. The boatman pleaded with he man to let him pass. The man demanded that the boatman pay him a gold ingot as a toll. The boatman had no gold after his long journey. The boatman pleaded and pleaded with the man to just let him go home, but the man refused and drew his sword. Not realizing he retained his strength, the boatman pushed the man out of anger, and the man flew back and hit a tree across a meadow. The boatman, fearing he had killed the man, rushed over to him. The stranger who had demanded the ingot was not breathing.

The boatman, realizing he had killed a man, covered him in branches and ran home.

Once he returned to his wife and children, he confessed to them what he had done. She said, “It was not his fault,” but she watched him closely as he hugged his children.

The boatman, seeing her reaction to him, tried to tell her he was not dangerous, but she backed up out of fear of him.

Seeing this, he decided to go into the mountains to practice until he was completely in control of this strength.

He spent many days and nights lifting heavy rocks and moving logs around. He practiced picking up small insects with long sticks to become precise with his movements. He wanted to be as gentle as a mouse and as swift as a tiger when needed.

He wanted to be perfect. He practiced and practiced for many days and many nights until one day, he decided he was ready to go home.

He returned to his village to find that he did not recognize anyone there.

He went to his house and opened the door only to find people he did not know. He demanded that they remove themselves from his house. The people told him they were born in this house and that it was their home, not his.

The boatman stormed out of the house and went into the center of town, only to see a statue that looked just like him.

The people in the town center recognized the man and surrounded him. They began to ask him where he had been and what had happened to him. They told him he had disappeared 300 years ago.

The boatman was understandably shaken and began seeing the world and all these people spinning around him. He jumped as high as he could and landed on top of a tree.

He clung to the tree and began to cry, realizing his wife and children were dead. He screamed out, “Nahhhhtttooooooo!”

Nahto, seeing the man crying, appeared beside him. “Why are you crying, boatman?”

“My wife, my children, they are all dead.” He whimpered. “You have cursed me!” He shouted at Nahto.

“You have saved your people and begun a new nation. This is not a curse, this is an honor I have bestowed on you.” Nahto told the boatman.

The boatman was angry at Nahto for giving him the powers that caused him to miss watching his children grow up. He jumped at Nahto and missed, causing him to fly into the ocean.

Nahto smiled and lifted the boatman out of the water. He said, “Boatman, I love you as you love your children. You are my favorite creation. You shall be the protector of your new nation. You will no longer be known as the boatman; you will from now on be known as Cortis. You shall live as many lives as you need and father as many children as you need to make up for your loss. After that, you will walk among your people. You shall guide them and protect them. Their souls will be your charge. They will inherit your fire and grit. They will be known as the Appalachians.”

Cortis looked into Nahto's eyes and knew he loved him, and he never meant for him to feel this loss.

Nahto flew Cortis high into the air above the clouds. Nahto showed him the mountains, rivers, streams, and people. “This is your responsibility from now on. Love them as I have loved you.”

Cortis dried his eyes as Nahto set him back on the ground in the center of town. The townspeople looked in amazement as the god flew back into the sky, leaving Cortis to begin his journey.

Cortis went back to the place he had once called home and told the people who he was. They embraced him as a grandfather. He looked into the children's eyes and saw his own and felt at home for the first time in 300 years.

Cortis watched the children grow, get married, have children, and pass away for a few generations till he knew he needed to leave and begin his journey.

He walked north and south through the mountains, meeting travelers and families along the way. He would help build houses and dig wells for the local towns, just starting off. The people never knew who he was or why he was helping, but as soon as he was done with his project, he would leave and blaze a path through the woods.

He planted honeysuckle and blackberry bushes along the new paths and near the water where he would swim. You always knew that Cortis had been somewhere by the ditch lilies he would leave.

He planted pine trees and oaks so people could have shade and lumber in the future. He also planted weeping willows and dogwoods for shade and beautiful views.

When he came across a town and new babies were born, he would gift the mothers baskets of paw paws, apples, blackberries, and pumpkins.

The word spread that Cortis was traveling in the woods, and our people would feel safer knowing he was out there somewhere looking out for us.

This is why we don’t turn away travelers; you never know when he may need a warm bed to sleep in for the night.

The trees sway as the wind picks up. The sounds of the trees creaking, resisting the wind coming off the river. I stare into the sky as I feel her body against me for the first time.

The smell of vanilla engulfs me. The heavens open as I lean against the warm metal of my car hood. Her skin was warm, and now it is cold and slick. She smiles up at me.

I bite my lip and lean towards her. We kiss, and trees begin to fall around us. It is as if Nahto himself had a hand in this night.

She smelled like my destiny. For this moment to be the first moment of anything, you would swear it was written in some clay tablet a thousand years ago. A love story told throughout the ages.

The rain, the sound of thunder, her skin, her lips, her eyes, it was an event, and my soul would forever be changed. It would be tattooed on my heart forever. This night, this feeling would always belong to her. I lean in for another kiss.

Tom, wake up, it’s time!

Fuck, I awaken and its cold. As the world comes into view, I realize I am back in the old wooden chair by the fire.

“What I miss?” I ask.

My wife looks at me. “Cortis visited you, and now it’s time to judge the prisoners.”

“I remember Cortis. Must of nodded off by the fire.” I tell her.

“Bring them in!” I yell.

Chains clank and rattle as a row of scrawny, disheveled men is led and seated on the front of the bleachers.

I wrap a blanket around me and stand up. “Who is first?”

A bald man stands up with a notebook and begins reading.

Jackson Finkle was caught raping a neighbor beside the old bank.

“Who caught him, I ask?”

A slim man stands up with a ball cap on with a lip full of chew and says, “I did ya majesty.”

“Mayor or Tom is fine, I am not King.” “So when you caught this guy raping the woman did you stop him?”

“I sure did, I said Hey, you, what you doing there? And he stopped.” The man replied.

“Where is the woman?” I asked

“Here ya honor.” A chunky blonde woman with titties sticking out of her blouse responded.

“Was he raping you?” I asked her.

“Well, I was.” She began looking up at the sky while chewing on her hair.

“Case dismissed.” I yelled “Unlock him he ain’t rape nothing.”

The crowd gasped.

“Look there are two answers to this question. Yes or no. If it is yes there is no stammering about what you was doing or what you fittin to do there are tears, there are harsh looks, there is hurt. This man is facing death from well…. Her! In 20 minutes, any of us could have her blowing us under the bleachers.” I explained to the crowd.

“Next case,” I yelled.

The man was unchained and ran to me to hug me. I shoved him and said, “Dude, I better not ever see you in chains again or I will kill you.”

“Next Case!” I yelled curtly.

The bald man looked into his notebook. “The next case is Rick Butter. He is accused of touching his neighbor’s daughter inappropriately.”

“Bring the child up front and sit them next to me,” I commanded.

A little blonde-haired boy is brought over by his parents and sits on the ground next to me.

His parents begin to walk away, and I say, “You stay with your child.”

“Mike!” I yell out.

“Was good, brah?” He replies.

“Give the child your ankle gun,” I tell him.

“You sure?” He asks.

“Yeah, give the kid the gun,” I tell him.

“Get the accused up and put him on the side with no people behind him,” I tell the bald man.

The scrangly man is stood up and unhooked from the others. The chains rattle as he is moved to a place where a bullet that goes through him won’t hit anyone else.

I get off the chair and sit on the ground next to the kid. “Hey man, how are you doing?” “Pretty scared, huh?” I ask him. “Don’t worry, little man. You have seen what I do to those who hurt my kids. And Cortis wants me to treat everyone like my kids.”

“Now this guy here, did he touch you?” I ask the kid.

The kid looked at the ground and nodded his head.

I looked up at the guy in chains.

“Ok, lil homie, today you become a true Appalachian.” “You are going to help all of us,” I tell him.

“Now has your daddy taught you how to hold that gun?” I look at his dad.

“Yes, I have,” His dad responds.

“Pops, you want to do the honors of helping him and making sure that he doesn’t break his wrist, please?” I told his dad.

“Ok, son, now you just look down that barrel,” He said as he cupped his son's hand in his and put his finger over the child’s on the trigger.

“On the count of three.” He said as he cocked the hammer back of the .38 revolver.

“One… Two….” Bang, the gun went off as the dad pulled the trigger.

A blood stain appears on the prisoner’s chest.

“Great shot, lil man,” I yell. “One more pops, to make sure he's dead.”

Bang, the gun goes off again as the smell of gun powder creeps into my nostrils. The man’s head whips back.

I looked at the bald man and said, “Check him and make sure he's dead.”

“Good job lil man.” “Here is a few pieces of silver. Go and get you some cookies. Ok, you are now an official Appalachian warrior.” I told him handing him a couple coins out of my pocket.

His dad shook my hand, and I nodded at them, getting to my feet. “How about a round of applause for our little warrior, huh?” The crowd claps and yells as I sit back in my chair, covering myself with my blanket.

I motion for Gi to come close. I whisper, “Get some guys and take him and the other guy from earlier. The one across the street. You know who right?” I look up and he nods “Take em to the pig pens.”

Gi nods and heads towards the bleachers.

“Whose next?” I yell.

“The next one has informed me that he wishes to just die.” The bald man states.

“Ok, get him up, put him against the tree,” I command. “Mike, give him the pump in the face,” I yell as the crowd roars.

“With pleasure,” Mike replies.

The chains rattle once more as the man is moved into place. Mike pulls his shotgun over his shoulder and takes aim at his face.

“Any last words?” Mike asks.

The man opens his mouth to speak, and the gun goes off.

“Why even ask?” I yell.

“Figured it would be funnier if he thought he was gonna be able to talk, then took a slug to the face.” He said as the crowd erupted in laughter.

I raised my hands, smiled, and laughed along.

Mike took a bow and went back to the bleachers as the laughter became applause.

“Anymore?” I asked the bald man.

“One more.” He replied before looking into his notebook.

“William Jeshua was caught having sex with his neighbor’s sheep.”

I put my face into my hands and look through my fingers. I run my hands over my hair and open my mouth to talk, but no words come out.

I stood up and addressed the crowd. “Ok, this is Enyear. This is all of our festival to celebrate our ancestors and another good year. We begin the new year with all business settled. So I shall ask yall what in the fuck do we do with this weirdo?”

“Shoot him.” A man yells.

I wave him off.

“Hang him.” A woman shouts.

“Cmon, he had sex with an animal, is it worth killing him?”

“Make him eat the sheep.” A kid yells out.

“That's not bad,” I say.

“Run the gauntlet.” A dude from the back yells.

“I like that,” I say. “Cmon, more ideas, let’s get creative.”

“Let’s make him fight a bear.” A kid yells.

“Yes!” I say.

“Ok, so let's do this.” “First off, you're going to pay for that sheep.” “Second, you're running the gauntlet.” “Third, you're going to fight the bear. If you live, this will all be forgotten.” “What y’all think?” I ask the crowd staring at the man.

They cheer.

“Well, sir, the final day of Enyear will at least be entertaining,” I say, staring at him.

I walk towards them as my son puts his arm around my shoulders.

“Thank you, Dad.” He says.

I stop and hug him tightly, whispering in his ear, “I would kill the whole world for you.”

“You may of gone a little hard on the guy.” He replies.

I let go and flashed my eyebrows, acknowledging his statement and growling softly while tightening my shoulders.

He shakes his head, and we continue to walk toward the crowd.

I stop and look at them staring at me.

“I guess you all want me to explain to you what just happened, huh? You want me to guarantee this will never happen to you, or apologize, or justify me killing that man?” I spoke strongly, as I stared down the crowd.

“You will get no such assurances!” I barked.

I took a drag off my cigarette and breathed the smoke out of my nose, and continued, “This is my child. I have lost five children before this. Some were murdered by the roaming bands of gangs in the beginning. Some were taken and traded off. Each of them, though the men who did so died for their actions.”

“Gi is all I have left.” I yelled while opening my arms.

“Recently, I found one of my lost children and will be going to get her soon,” I said, looking at my wife.

“I would ask you what would you do? If I was going to kill one of your children, would you stand by and ask for help? Would you forgive me like some “Christian”? I bet some of you would.” I sneered, staring across the crowd while some bowed their heads.

“Nahto gave you life. Cortis walks among us and watches what we do. Would you be a coward in their eyes? Would you turn up your noses at the opportunity to show the strength they have given you? Would you not protect the very life he gave you, the souls he blessed us with, and especially those souls of your ancestors who inhabit your children? I will kill any man who touches my children or even attempts to. I will make an example of that man and kill him brutally in view for all to see. I am not ashamed, I am proud to protect myself and mine. You better learn to do the same. Any here who wants to feel a way, speak now, or take it to your grave. I want to hear nothing more of this. If I see one more man come for my family because of these fucking retards I will put them on a pike to die weeks in the center of town for all of you to listen to their moans.” I yelled as I hit my cigarette again and breathed the smoke towards the crowd.

“You mother fuckers speak up we got a problem?” I looked at them, nodding my head upward.

“You got a problem?” I pointed to the front of the crowd. They shook their heads no.

“How bout yous?” I asked the middle of the crowd. They shook their heads.

I pointed to the end, not even speaking. They shook their head no.

“Ok, well, I guess we are good. Strike the band back up and let’s dance. I apologize for fucking up the party.” I said.

The townsfolk all scurried away. There was a tense silence as I returned to the tents and benches.

A man in a ball cap and long-sleeved flannel shirt with a vest over top sat across from me and stared at me. His brown eyes were looking for something, and his bushy eyebrows and beard with a few grays let me know he had seen the beginning of this and had survived.

“Well?” I asked without lifting my head up from my plate in front of me.

“Was just checkin you out.” He replied.

“Find what you was looking for?” I asked.

“I think you used to date my sister.” He said.

“You gonna have to be more specific man. There was a lot of peoples sisters through the years.” I replied, lowering my voice an octave.

“Her name was Jamie.” He began and stopped, seeing me freeze.

“Was?” I asked.

“She didn’t make it.” He said.

I looked the man in his eyes. “How did she..” I trailed off, choking back tears.

“So you remember her?” He asked.

“She was the most amazing human I have ever met. How could I forget her?” I smiled.

“She died trying to protect my nieces.” He said as I stopped him.

“Are they ok?” I asked, knowing the answer already.

He looked down.

“Fuck man…. Did they die or were they sold off?” I asked.

“Not sure she was in Cumberland County when it happened. I only got second-hand accounts.” He said somberly.

“They may still be alive. The omni-bots cleaned up a lot of those trafficking rings and put the girls into the pods. That’s where mine is.” I told him.

“You think they could be alive after all this time? Would they recognize me?” He asked hopefully.

“I don’t know, man. I ain’t even sure if my daughters gonna know me.” I told him.

“How do you know your daughter is in there and alive?” He asked.

“Someone passed me word,” I told him.

“Could you check for my nieces?” He asked.

“You got pictures of them?” I asked him.

“On a old cell phone. Do you got a micro USB charger?” He asked.

“That I can help you with. Look, you gotta keep this on the low. I am gonna help you out, but these people can’t know I am breaking people out. Come by tomorrow after noon. I don’t do mornings.” I said, smiling at him.

“You sure that’s a good idea, pop?” Gi asked.

“For Jaimie’s girls yes I am fucking sure its a good idea,” I told him, staring him in the eyes.

The music played on, and the people got back to dancing. I stared at the body sitting in a puddle of its own blood across the street.

“I am not sure if karma is a thing, but I am sure there is balance somewhere. Nahto, Umm, Cortis, someone is weighing our deeds on a scale. They see the bad and the good, just as we do. The blood left behind in the street when we are done. They keep a tally of all the bad and all the good. The influences and small pushes towards a positive that net a giant reward. The little negatives or big negatives that cause children to starve or crops to go unattended. These changes we make to the earth, positive or negative, have lasting effects that are shown after we are gone. When I can throw some weights on the scale that are positive in a big way, that will net us rewards, I will do it. That man is as close as there is to family around here. His sister was always an angel beyond reproach. She hiked the whole Appalachian Trail. Those girls was made when she raped on the trail. She gave me my first night of my life, where I felt loved. She showed me what love really was, then proceeded to break me completely. For her, I will risk my life because she would for you just because you have my name.” I told gi.

“You hear?” I elbowed him.

“Huh?” He stammered.

“Nothing, I wanna go sit by the fire.” I patted his leg, got up, and walked away.

The smells of the festival pies, cakes, apples, pears, pawpaws, spiced meats, charcoal, and fresh bread invade my soul as I feel the grass under my boots. I watch the kids run around chasing each other.

One runs into my leg and looks up at me like he had come across a bear in the wild. I scowl at him and yell, “Booga boooga ahhhhh!”

The kid runs off screaming, and I laugh.

I search the crowd for my wife. I see her talking to a local woman running a bread stand. It was a wooden structure with a plastic tarp bungee-corded over the top of it. Inside was a long table with all manner of breads. The oven was two 50-gallon drums with charcoal in the bottom, fed from the side. There was a stone slab in the middle. I wondered who made the charcoal. I looked around for a charcoal guy for a second, but then felt the wind run across my cheeks.

I made my way over to the old wooden chair and pulled it nice and close to the fire. The fire looked low, so I tossed a few extra pieces of wood on and sat down, warming my hands. I stared into the flames and watched as they danced. The music faded out as I stared deeper.

All of a sudden, everything but the fire disappeared. An old man with a grey beard sat in a chair across from me.

“Do you know who I am?” He asked in a deep, ragged old voice.

I leaned forward and looked into his eyes, “Cortis.” I replied.

“How did you find yourself here? Leader of one of my tribes. Born of the mountains, baptized under another God, left to the vultures. You have had a hell of a journey.” He spoke.

“I never wanted this,” I told him.

He laughed and said, “This is all you have ever wanted. For as long as you have lived, you have run from this destiny.” “Nahto knew you were made for great things, but you chose to shy away from it. Can’t say I blame you before. That world was awful to those born well.”

“So, what do you need from me, sir?” I smiled and asked.

“Well, it’s about all this blood you have been spilling. I need you to teach these people and care for them. These are my children.” He said, staring deeply at me.

“I know your children well. This chain of violence needs to stop at some point. I wish they would realize that they cannot kill me. The scales need to be balanced, I know this, but I won’t let them take my child from me.” I told him.

“You must teach them and show them a better way. You are their leader, " he said, opening a hole to show them moving about.

“A gesture from you would go a long way to securing some faith from them,” I replied.

“What would you like me to do?” He asked.

“Appear to them as you have to me. Embrace me and show them I am who you chose.” I asked.

“That seems reasonable.” He replied

I held out my hand and he shook it.

“We chose well in you, do good for these people.” He commanded.

I looked him in his eyes and he disappeared. Behind him, the townsfolk stared in disbelief.

I sat back down and warmed my hands by the fire. My wife rushed over and asked, “Was that Cortis?”

I smiled, kissed her cheek, and went back to warming my hands by the fire.

I hear a fiddle being tuned as a snare drum is hit. “One, two, three.” One of the band counts as a bluegrass song begins to be played.

I walk over to a table with covered dishes, looking for the pulled pork.

“The pork is in the one right there,” Gi says as he points to the third dish from the end.

“How you know I was looking for the pork?” I ask him, grabbing a plate and removing the lid.

The smell of almost burnt, slow-cooked pork fills my nose. I am transported back to Nona’s house with 50 of us little cousins running around. My uncles were standing at the table, their deep voices bouncing off the panelled walls, feeling my Tommy Hillfinger long-sleeve shirt on my skin. The memories flood back, always associated with a smell—that smell of Nona’s house.

“C’mon, Pops, I know what you want,” he replies.

I smile and grab him around the shoulders, kissing him on the forehead. “I love ya, son. Even though life ain’t been easy for us, it’s been the pleasure of my life getting you to this point.” I tell him.

“Dad, I know I don’t say this often, and no one tells you enough, but thank you.” He says, hugging me back.

I look around for a roll and think to myself, “This will be just as good without bread and probably better for me without.” So I scoop some pork onto a plate and go find a seat at the tables.

Gi sits beside me, his plate loaded like he hadn’t eaten in 5 years.

“Son, you're being greedy,” I say, stuffing my face.

“What?” He replies.

“Look at ya plate. You ain’t in jail, and with the situation, you looking greedy like you taking from the people.” I quietly trail off as people come and sit down.

“You know who Lycurgis was?” I ask.

The others at the table remained silent, not knowing who I was speaking to.

“No, who that?” Gi asks.

“Lycurgis was a Spartan king. He set down the ground rules that formed the Spartans we know in history.” I say loudly.

“He put in what was known as the Lycurgis reforms. One of which forced all Spartans to eat communally. They were not allowed to eat in private.” I continue on.

“Y’all ever hear of him?” I asked the rest of the table.

They all shook their heads.

“You all at least heard of the Spartans, right?” I ask.

“Gi, you read about them. I know that I gave you the books,” I state, looking at him.

“They fought at Thermoplyae.” He said.

“Y’all know this story?” I ask the rest of the table.

They shook their heads no, looking confused.

“Really? See, this should be well known. Gi tell em the story.” I commanded.

“There was this ancient empire called Persia, and it was massive. It encompassed most of Eurasia and northern India. The Greeks were on the border of southeastern Europe. The Persians sent messengers to all the kings in Greece, asking for them to bow to the king of kings, Xerxes. The Greek kings mostly rejected the Persian king's request, but one, the king of the Spartans Leonidas, killed the messenger and marched 300 men to face the Persians at a place called Thermopylae. It was a narrow pass where the Spartans could defend a small area against the half a million Persian troops.

The king got there and rebuilt a wall that funneled the Persians into what was known as the hot gates. It was a narrow passage they could fight in. Seeing the very few soldiers, Xerxes offered them peace and told them to “Lay down their arms.” The Spartans, being well Spartans, responded, “Come and Get Them!” The Spartans proceeded to slaughter thousands of Persians until the Persians found a pass that allowed them to outflank the Spartans. Even being completely surrounded and outnumbered, the Spartans never surrendered and were slaughtered. The rest of Greece heard of their heroism and rallied together to defeat the Persians and push them back to their lands.”

“Nato must have been busy that day, huh?” A man across the table asked.

“Yeah, must have been,” I replied.

“Even before the battle, the Persian ships were crushed against the rocks of the Greek shores by a storm,” Gi said.

“Gi, you know they were our direct ancestors, right?” I asked.

“Yeah, the Greeks settled in southern Italy during the Bronze Age.” He replied.

“Can you picture us showing up at the end of the bronze age and fucking up the Egyptians.” I laughed.

“Our souls have fought many battles, pops.” He spoke like an old general.

“That they did.” I smiled.

We ate as the rest of the table stared at us like we were from Mars.

“Why y’all looking like that?” Gi asked the table, with his mouth full of food.

“You two are different from us. We have no idea who our ancestors were, " said a man in a straw hat.

He looked to be about 25, slender, and without a chin. He had brown eyes and was wearing a button-up shirt.

“Your ancestors were Germanic people from middle Europe. You had no written language. You were farmers and warriors. Your culture was much older. You had more in common with the people of the steppes and Hindu Kush than us. You believed in Thor and Odin. Your women would kill you if you fled from battle. They were known as valkyries. There was a story where one of our generals took 500 of your women as slaves, and they all killed themselves and their children in one night. You would choose death over enslavement.” I told them.

“We looked at you like monkeys.” Gi spouted.

I elbowed him in the ribs. “Callate!” I barked.

“What he means is we considered ourselves to be civilized, and you were wilder people, less controlled,” I told them, trying not to insult the locals.

I glared at Gi. Trying to mentally project the look of “Do not fuck this up!”

“But today we are all Appalachians and believe in Nato and Umm. These things change over time.” I say, stuffing more pork in my mouth.

We finish eating, and I stand up to find my wife. I see her swaying to the music by herself in a corner. I walk over, take her hand, and ask, “Do you come here often?” With a sly look on my face.

I pull her close and sway with her to the strumming of a bango. “You never looked more beautiful than you do tonight,” I tell her, watching the flames dance across her face.

“You look very handsome.” She says.

The unsteady “You look very handsome” felt forced. She was a show-not-tell type of person. It was never the words, always the actions, that let me know how she felt. I smiled as she gripped my arms through my coat. I flexed my biceps, and she grabbed harder, breathing deeply.

The band played an upbeat song, as the townspeople danced. Then, a circle formed. Everyone stepped in and out, spun around, and yelled, “Yeehaw!”

The drinks poured from a 50-gallon drum full of some ale that a local brewed. Another barrel full of wine from a local vineyard filled cups of others. Gi’s Moonshine filled the cups of those brave enough to risk getting naked and running into the night.

I saw a woman in the darkness peering from behind a building and beckoning Gi with a finger. I looked at my wife and nodded my head toward the woman. She smiled and laughed. “Desiree, gonna get her some!"

I hollered at Gi, “Becareful son. Women are as dangerous as shotguns.” He waved me off.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man creeping towards the side of the building where the woman was beckoning Gi.

I stopped dead, and my wife asked, “What’s wrong?”

I hollered at Gi, “Yoooooo!!!”

He didn’t hear me over the music, so I took off running toward him. Reaching for a piece of kindling, I grabbed it and tossed it at the band. They stopped playing, and I yelled again, “Yoooooo!!!” Gi turned around as a man appeared behind him.

“Get down!” I yelled, running towards him.

Gi ducked as the man swung a knife towards him. Gi turned around and grabbed the man’s arm.

I felt my lungs turn to fire as I sprinted towards him.

Gi and the man fell to the ground, beginning to wrestle and roll around. Gi swung at the man, hitting him in the face, and he dropped the knife.

I arrived and grabbed the man off the ground, picked him up, and slammed him directly back into it on his neck. I felt the rage and anger inside me fill me completely. This man had tried to harm my son. He must be eliminated from this planet. I grabbed his ear and pulled till it ripped off his head. I smashed my fist into his chest plate till I felt the bones in his breast plate crack. I grabbed his ankle and pulled, as I stepped on his kneecap, breaking his leg.

I screamed “Do you know who I am mother fucker? Do you know what you just did? I will fucking kill you slow you piece of shit!”

I lifted my foot and stomped on his face, feeling the bones of his cheek crack through the sole of my boot. I grabbed him by his neck with both hands, picking him up in the air and choking him until he turned purple. I then slammed him back into the ground, hearing the thud of his body and head making contact with the earth.

The man cried, “Please stop! I am sorry!”

“Oh, there is no chance of that! You gonna die by my hand.”

I looked around for the knife and saw the blade reflecting the flames. I picked it up and headed towards the man who had just tried to kill my child. It was a buck knife with a handle made of deer antler.

“This is a fine knife.” I said, “It will do well for the task at hand.”

I grabbed the man and flipped him onto his stomach. I pulled up his green jacket, exposing his spine and skin. I used the knife to make an incision on each side of his lower spine. I cut away his muscles and wrapped my hand around the vertebrae. I pulled and cut the cord from the pelvis as he screamed.

“Now, you can only sit and watch as you die mother fucker.” I rolled him over and looked him in the eyes. “Why did you just try to kill my son?”

“He is fucking my brothers wife.” He stammered.

“Yeah, you thought this was gonna bring honor to your family, huh?” I whispered in his ear.

“How much honor do you have now?” I said, plunging the knife into his stomach.

I left it there and wiped my hands on his shirt. I looked over at Gi, who was sitting on the ground, watching. “You ok, son?”

“Yeah, holy shit pop that was crazy,” he replied.

“I told you women are more dangerous than shotguns.” I replied.

My fingers find the bag and trace the twisted strings until I feel the top. I reach my hand into it, feel the grit in the bag, and pinch a few ounces between my fingers. I stand up and toss the powder into the fire. It explodes, sending a plume of blue smoke into the air. I yell, “It is time to give thanks and tell the tale of Nato!” (pronounced nah-toh)

The crowd stands up and yells, “Where are the children? Bring them to the front!” I yell, “Children, sit by the fire; come and listen to the tale of the God who made and saved us!”

I turn toward the sunset, raise my arms toward the sun, and begin.

In the beginning, there was Hmm (pronounced hmm with your mouth closed). Hmm, stood overlooking the darkness of an empty abyss. Reality was filled with nothingness into the expanse. Hmm breathed deeply and blew the aether into the void, creating his canvas for the universe to come.

I turned around, pulled out my knife from my hip holster, and placed it on my palm.

Hmm, pierced his form and let his blood flow onto the aether he had just created. He rubbed his hands together, creating heat and electricity. Hmm, grabbed the current and threw it towards the end of the aether. He pushed the heat toward his blood, watching as the droplets turned into stars. The stars began spinning and spreading throughout the universe and forming the night sky.

Hmm, seeing what he created and the beauty before him, decided that others should experience this as well. He grabbed an asteroid and a piece of a star and created Nato. Nato opened his eyes for the first time and stared at the beauty around him. He looked at his father with his eyes still wide open in shock at the beauty he was surrounded with.

Hmm, beheld his son and told him, “Go and enjoy what I have made. It is yours, my son.”

Nato flew around the universe, exploring all the beauty Hmm had created. He spent millions of years observing the stars and planets, naming each one as he passed them. Eventually, Nato returns to his father and tells him, “He is lonely and wishes to create.”

Hmm, stared into the universe and asked, “What do you wish to create, my son?”

Nato looked up at his father and replied, “I wish to create life.”

Hmm waved his hand, presenting the universe, and said, “This is yours to do with what you want.”

Nato flew through the universe for millions of years, searching for the perfect planet that could support life. He came across a star with a planet that was beautiful and blue. It had water to drink and air to breathe. It was just the right distance from the star to be warm in the summer and cold in the winter.

Nato decided this would be the place where he would create life.

First, he saw that the seas were calm, so he created a moon to pull on the water, creating tides. He then rubbed his hands together, brushing off the dust and raining down a shower of seeds over the land and water. The seeds developed into the beginnings of life on his chosen planet.

Nato sat on the moon, watching his new planet flourish for billions of years. He saw the seas fill with fish, and the fish leave the seas to walk on the land. He watched the lizards grow into monsters, and small furry animals inherit the land. He watched as the life died after a comet hit. He sat back watching until one day, a monkey left the trees and walked into the open field. The monkey stared up at him, holding its baby, and he was reminded of his father, who created him. He saw how the monkey had no claws or fangs. Monstrous tigers and lions surrounded it. He watched the monkeys work together to steal the giant cat’s food.

Nato watched with joy as the monkeys grew taller and lost their hair. They walked all over the planet, forming tribes to hunt the animals. He gave the creatures seeds to sow, and they began forming villages. He decided to call these creatures man.

One day, he heard a man talking to another man, so he decided to visit him. He told the man, “I created this world and all the creatures within.” “What do you call my creation?”

The man replied, “We call this place Earth.” “What should I call you?” Nato asked.

“My father called me Nato.” He replied while looking at the sky. “My father created me and all of the universe. I created you to share it with.”

“What should I do?” The man asked.

“You make me smile to see what I have made. I want you to know there have been many before you. I want there to be many after you.” Nato replied.

“Soon, there shall be a great flood of the land. I wish for you to survive and bring as much of my creation with you as you can.” Nato continued.

The man thanked Nato and got to work building a boat.

When other men asked him what he was doing, he told them, “He had met the God who created the earth and all its creatures. His name was Nato, and he had told him there would be a great flood of the land.” “Nato loves us, and we make him happy, and he asked me to save as many of his creations as possible.”

Some people laughed at the man. Others offered to help him build the boat. One day, the sky turned black, and it began raining and thundering. The people who laughed at the man felt a chill go up their spines. Water began to puddle up and rise as the rain intensified. The flood had arrived. Understanding they were doomed, the doubters tried to attack the man who built the boat. Nato, seeing the man under siege, reached down and placed his hand on the boatman’s chest. The boatman began to feel his muscles grow. He swung his oar at the doubters, knocking ten men back with one swipe. The doubters tried to rush the boatman, but he swung the mighty oar again, and the wind from the swing pushed all of them back.

The boatman ran towards the doubters, screaming, “Nato asked me to continue his creation, and you threaten my wife and children? Leave now and die with dignity, or I will kill all of you!”

The rain poured down, and lightning struck as a wave crashed between the boatman and the doubters, condemning them to their fate.

The boatman turned back toward his family and the animals he had gathered. As the water rose, he started to run toward them. Soon, he found himself almost swallowed up by the floodwaters. He gasped for air as the water covered his face. He pushed off the ground in one last attempt to escape, jumping 20 feet into the air and landing on the boat. He stared into the sky and said, “Thank you, Nato.”

The rain continued as the boatman and his family floated for weeks upon the sea. One day, the rain stopped, and the sun emerged from behind the clouds. In the distance, the boatman could see a mountain rising out of the water. He told his son to grab an oar and start rowing toward the mountain. When they arrived, they were greeted by other survivors. The boatman and his passengers told the survivors of the flood about Nato and how he came and saved their lives.

Some survivors didn’t believe the tale, so the boatman took them to the water's edge. He jumped into the air and landed 25 feet in the ocean. The survivors applauded the feat and asked how to follow Nato.

The boatman smiled and said, “Appreciate what he created and make more people.”

I sat down and said, “That's enough for tonight. We will tell you more tomorrow night, children.”

A little blonde-haired kid stood up and said, “But we want more.”

I smiled and said, “Well, I wanna go eat something, and you kids need to get to bed.”

My wife came and put her hand on my back.

“Hey baby, Enjoy the show?” I asked.

“It was great. I wish the kids were here to see it.” She said.

“Me too, baby, me too.” “Maybe here soon,” I tell her, kissing her forehead.

“What time you fittin’ on going down today?” My son asks.

“I don’t know here soon. Prolly cop a shower first.” I reply as I put my hand on his shoulder, drinking my tea.

I wrap my arms around my wife's face and pull her head towards me to kiss her on her forehead as she yells, trying to pry my arms apart.

“Stop! I am trying to watch my show!” She yells.

“Bitch! I just wanted a kiss. I swear to god you care about that tv more than me.” I bark.

“Son, you see this shit?” I remark.

“Don’t bring me into this I got nothing to do with it.” He says waving his hands.

“No respect. I am gonna go get my shower, you fucking zombies,” I say, walking away.

I stare in the mirror as the shower heats up, thinking of the day to come. There will be judgments put in front of me, food, dancing, and the teaching of our local gods to the young.

I get my shower and head to the room to grab my clothes and boots. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flashing alert on the laptop on my desk. I opened it to see an operator from Camp Hill sent a video to me with a giant eyes emoji. I click the video and see a white pod with a girl about 17 years old with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. I stopped dead when I read her name. Octavia. I pause the video and zoom in. I grab my burner phone and take a picture. I scream my wife's name.

She sees the picture and immediately freezes. “Octavia,” she says without knowing the girl’s name.

“Where is she?” She asks.

“Camp Hill,” I reply.

“I thought she was..” Her voice trails off with tears in her eyes.

“Me too,” I tell her wrapping my arms around her.

“Nothing we can do right now,” I tell her.

“You can go get her.” She says.

“That’s fifty miles away and into an urban environment,” I say.

“That’s your daughter, Tom!” She shouts, getting in my face.

“I am fucking well aware of who that is! You need to calm the fuck down and not act like I ain’t broke up about it too! In case you ain’t fucking noticed I been holding on by a god damn thread!” I yell back at her, getting in her face.

I turn around, sit on the bed, and stare at the ground.

“I am sorry I know you are hurting. Ever since Bella died, you have been trying to be strong for us. I see you, baby. I love you and would’ve never made it without you. I know you will get her home somehow.” She says as she pushes me onto the bed and puts her head on my shoulder.

Tears flowed out of my eyes as I tucked my head into her chest.

I lay there feeling her hands on my back as she held me. I feel every muscle in my body scream for me to move, jump, run, or do anything. I tense my arm and feel my hand form a fist.

“I will get her home. I promise.” I say, pulling back and staring into her eyes.

“I know you will,” She breathes.

“Let’s just get through Enyear,” I tell her.

“I love you,” she says kissing me.

“I love you, baby,” I tell her and kiss her again.

“Quit being creepy, Gi,” I say, holding Ann.

“I ain’t being creepy,” Gi replies from around the door.

“Come here,” I tell him.

He sits on the bed and I toss him the burner phone.

“Is that Octavia?” he asks.

“Yep,” I tell him.

“When we going?” he asks.

“After Enyear,” I tell him

“How we doing this?” he asks.

“I got a plan. But first, let’s go fly the colors and handle our responsibilities,” I reply, pushing myself up off the pillow-top queen mattress.

“I want one of these beds.” He says.

“Yeah, it’s too bad they will never make another one ever again,” I say to him, smiling and looking at my bed.

“Guess I’ll have to take yours then.” He says, looking at me.

“You can have my mattress when you take it from me,” I tell him, staring him in the eyes.

“Oh, I can take it from you, old man.” He says, putting his hands up to the box.

“Oh, can you now? Come and fucking get this work, mother fucker,” I say, putting him in a headlock and grabbing the back of his pants, tossing him onto the bed.

I roll him onto Ann and wrap his arm up, sitting on him while yelling, “Oh, I thought you was gonna take some shit. Where the tough guy now?”

“Get off me!” Ann screams.

“I’ll show you tough!” Gi yells, trying to move.

“Come on, son, show me punk.” I smile, yelling at him.

“I am gonna kill the both of you!” Ann screams.

“Ok, ok,” I say, letting him up.

He rushes at me, and I push his head down with more force than before.

“Hey enough!” I bark at him.

He stands up straight and pulls his shirt down. “You play too much.” He says.

“We gotta go. I don’t know why y'all still in bed,” I say, smiling.

Gi takes a step toward me, and I bolt toward the door. Then, I hear a shoe smack the wall.

I stick my head back in the room and stick my tongue out at Ann. “Missed bitch.” I laugh and run towards the kitchen.

I step outside and immediately smell the meat from the festival. Gi steps out and sniffs the air.

“I fucking feel you. My ribs are touching.” I say looking at him smiling.

“Are my eyes red?” I ask him.

He looks into them and says, “Ain’t no one gonna be able to tell you was crying quit being a girl.”

I grab his long neck with my arm and pull him in, “I love you, son.” I tell him, tassling his hair.

I feign a jab to his ribs and ask, “Where the fuck is this bitch?”

I stick my head back into the door and yell, “Come on, baby, we need to go.”

She comes around the corner wall of the living room and says, “I needed to get my shoes on. For fucks sake.”

I take her hand in mine as she comes out of the house, and we walk towards the festivities.

“Do I look ok?” She asks.

I grab her butt and tell her, “You look beautiful baby.”

She gives me a coy smile and squeezes my hand.

I head directly to the pavilion where the man is serving pulled meat sandwiches. I walk up and ask the man behind the counter and ask a man who looks to be about thirty years old with a dark mustache, curly brown hair, and a stocky build, “How much per sandwich?”

“Fives bones,” He replies, while he bastes the meat spinning on a rack.

“I will take three, please, with sauce if you would be so kind,” I tell him.

He finally looks over to me and freezes for a second as I hold out a piece of silver in my hand. “Oh, Mr. Mayor, you don’t have to pay.” He says stammering.

“I insist, sir,” I tell him, holding out the coin.

“Thank you. They will be right up, " he says, grabbing three rolls and cutting them horizontally.

“You got cheese?” I ask.

“I think I got some cheddar in the cooler.” He replies.

“Can I get some on one of them please?” I ask.

“Of course, Mr. Mayor,” he replies.

“Look here, man, I am Tom. What’s your name?” I ask, reaching out my hand.

He shakes my hand and says, “Jim.”

“Ok, Jim it’s nice to meet you. There is no need for reverence. You ain't act this way when you dealt with the old mayor, did ya?” I ask him.

“No, but I wasn’t scared of the old mayor. I mean, we all watched you smash that things head in yesterday.” He said, handing over the sandwiches.

“Man, I am just like any other man who defends his people. I’m not here to hurt you or anyone else. There’s no need to be scared of me.” I tell him, taking the sandwiches.

“I gotta run. Thanks for the food, Jim. I’ll see you around.” I tell him taking a bite.

“You're welcome, Tom. I hope you enjoy.” He replied.

I stand and look around, eating my sandwich. There is a line of pavilions serving different foods and courses. I walk down the aisle, smelling the corn, potatoes, perogies, funnel cake, roasted pumpkin seeds, and pies. It was like being back in the 1990s when St. Margaret Mary’s had their annual carnival. The police would buy all the kids ice cream, hoping to garner goodwill when we (inevitably) turned into delinquents.

I turned the corner and saw the fire, with wooden bleachers on each side facing it. The area was about half an acre wide. A single wooden chair faced the fire and the bleachers. About 10 people were sitting in the bleachers waiting for the judgment to start. I walked up to the fire and felt its warmth for a moment. I stared into the flames, licking up from underneath the logs. I grabbed a few extra logs and leaned them up against the ones lying down.

I walked over to the grey wooden chair. It looked like an old wingback chair. It's almost like a throne. The wood was cracked, and the seat cushion was worn. I picked it up and moved it closer to the fire.

I put my hands out, warming them, as Gi approached me with a big bag of pumpkin seeds. He held it out, and I took a handful and started munching on them.

“Where you want me during this?” He asked.

“Hmm, wanna sit beside me on the grass?” I asked him.

“I can do that,” he replied.

Someone must have told the townsfolk I was on the chair because the bleachers began filling up.

As soon as the crowd seemed to stop growing, I stood up and asked, “Who has business here today?”

When they heard my voice, the crowd went silent. Gi looked up at me and smiled. I laughed and nodded my head.

“Come on out with any and all grievances. This is Enyear. We will not go into the next year carrying the weight of the old.” I yelled.

A woman about 25 years old with blonde hair wearing a blue dress and brown leather coat stood up and spoke, “I have business.”

“State your name and tell us what is your business and who is it with.” I as“

“I am Jessica Hobbs. My business is with my neighbor Jenny Kline. She has slept with my husband and has become pregnant.” She said in a trembling voice.

“Is Jenny Kline here?” I asked.

“Yes, she is,” Jessica said.

“Well, where is she?” I asked, smiling.

“She is in the other bleachers over there.” She said, pointing her finger.

“Jenny Kline, please stand up so I can see you,” I commanded.

A woman in her early twenties stood up with a noticeable baby bump. She had on a dress with an off-white afghan wrapped around her. She had brown hair, full lips, and a thin nose. Her cleavage was showing over the top of her dress.

“Well, I can see why he cheated,” I said as the crowd laughed.

“Where is this man?” I asked.

A lean man in his late twenties stood up. He was wearing a leather coat, brown boots, and jeans. With his broad shoulders and wiry frame, he looked like he would have been trimming trees or roofing before the collapse.

“Welcome to Enyear, sir. How has your celebration been going?” I asked, smiling.

“Good,” he said, looking like a kid who got caught stealing cookies.

“What’s your name, boss?” I asked him.

“My name is Ezekial, but everyone calls me Zeke,” he stated.

“Do you and Jessica have kids?” I asked.

“No,” Zeke and Jess spoke at the same time.

I lit a cigarette, leaning back in the wooden chair, feeling the rotted wood on my back through my coat.

“Well, in the before time, things like this were considered a problem. Today, though, we appreciate the new children being welcomed into our community,” I spoke.

“Jenny, do you have a husband?” I asked.

“No, I live with my brothers.” She answered.

“The three of you come down here and stand in front of the fire,” I ordered.

The three climbed out of the bleachers and stood in front of me.

“Now, Jessica, you know you have no children with Zeke, and right next door is a house with available men in it, right?” I asked.

Jessica nodded.

“Jenny where is your brothers?” I asked

“Up there where I was sitting.” She replied

“Would any of ya’ll take out Jessica if given the chance?” I yelled out.

“Hell yeah, she’s hot!” A yell came from the crowd.

Jessica blushed.

“Hey!” Zeke yelled, turning around angrily.

“Hey!” I barked as he snapped his attention back to me.

“You don’t get to be upset. You chose to impregnate another female.” I snapped.

“So, Jenny, would you be happy with Zeke?” I asked.

She looked at him for a moment, then turned to me and nodded.

“Zeke, would you be happy with Jenny?” I asked.

He looked at Jessica for a moment, then turned to Jenny, looked at her for a second, then looked at me and said, “Yes.”

“I have trepidations about this sort of thing. It rewards bad behavior, and if a female is willing to sleep with a married man, she doesn't have much in the way of self-control, and I fear she will be back here before too long. Jessica, I am afraid you end up with the short end of the stick here, sweetheart.” “Let’s also add to the fact that you cheated on your wife, Zeke,” I spoke, looking at each of them.

“So, here is what we gonna do. Jessica, you’re gonna live in Jenny’s house with her brothers.” I said, looking at Jessica. “They are going to treat you like a queen!” I yelled at her brothers.

“Jenny, you are going to live with Zeke here and have a good life with lots of babies by Zeke and Zeke only. Do you understand?!” I stated sharply at Jenny.

“Zeke, you don’t get to just get off scot-free. You will not only move all the stuff that needs moved to make this happen, you will pay for all the dates Jessica goes on till she finds a new man, and you will be put through the gauntlet tomorrow.” I stated.

“What y’all think?” I asked the crowd.

The crowd cheered in approval, and I stood up, hugged them, and wished them luck.

I looked at Gi and asked, “How’d I do?”

“Could have been worse,” He smiled.

“

Gi comes and sits beside me, puts a plate in front of me, and says, “Eat pops.”

I smile, pick up some meat off his plate, and chew it. I look at him and say, “I love you son. Don’t you ever forget that.”

He hugs me and says, “I love you too, Dad.”

“You know you’re 30 now. At some point, you gonna have to start paying attention. I am not gonna be around forever. You gonna have to look out for yourself.” I tell him, picking up some more meat and staring into the fire.

“I know I make dumb decisions sometimes, but I can deal with the consequences,” he says.

“Why didn’t you let me shoot earlier?” He asks.

“I figured let George (rest his soul) have his shot,” I explain.

“Besides, better I get blood on my hands than you.” I continue.

Mike's kids run up and tackle me, screaming, “Uncle Tom!”

“Oh my goodness! Help! I am being attacked by monsters!” I fake yell.

Mims smiles as I fall back onto the ground.

“How are you? I hear you got banged up.” She asks in her Cuban accent.

“I am Calabrese no man can harm me.” I reply, flexing my bicep and slapping my chest.

A man comes and sits down and introduces himself, “I am William Bryant.”

He was of medium build and looked to be about 5’10" tall. His medium brown hair was tucked under a trucker hat. He was wearing a flannel shirt, blue jeans, and red wing boots. He had squinty eyes and a go-tee. He looked like a permanent helper on a job site who drank too much on the weekends. He was the type to drive an older truck, but not a classic.

“Is your middle name Jennings by chance?” I ask, reaching out my hand to shake his.

“No, why would it be Jennings?” He asked.

Gi spoke up and said, “My pops is a bit of a history buff. Williams Jennings Bryant was a progressive candidate who ran for president in the 1890s.”

“Oh, Well, you learn something new every day.” The man said.

“What can I do for you, sir?” I ask him.

“Well, a bunch of us were wondering how you came to know Elon and have all these skills.” He said.

“That’s a long story that I don’t want to repeat multiple times. So why don’t you go gather everyone who wants to hear it, and I will tell you all at once.” I tell him.

“I will be right back,” he said and walked away.

“What you gonna tell them pops?” Gi asks.

“What I tell you about information to those you don’t know?” I ask him.

“Treat people like mushrooms?” He replied.

“Exactly, Feed em shit and keep em in the dark.” I smile.

A crowd started to gather around the fire—a few at first, then ten, then twenty, then fifty, then a hundred.

The crowd’s eyes stared at me as I picked at the meat on the plate. My wife came and sat behind me and wrapped her arms around me.

“Flying the colors, baby?” I asked her.

“Gotta represent.” She said in my ear.

“You still owe me round two,” she whispered in my ear slyly.

I growled and continued to pick at my meat.

Finally, I spoke up, “Is this everyone?”

William replied, “Looks to be.”

“Ok, what do y’all wanna know?” I asked the crowd.

The crowd erupted, and everyone asked all the questions at once.

“One at a time. One at a time,” I yelled, raising my hands.

A teenager raised his hand.

“Someone remembers school. Go ahead, kid,” I said.

“I haven’t seen Jason all day. Do you know what happened to him?” He asked.

I smiled and said, “Yes, I do. His wife shot him in my yard and then shot herself. He is the reason for all the deaths in our community. He thought I was fucking his wife and convinced the mayor after I killed the first bugman to go after me for murder and set all this in motion. His wife decided she couldn’t live with the blood on her conscience. She picked up his gun and shot him 4 times before turning it on herself.”

“That shit was crazy.” Gi chimed in.

“As I said, I never meant for any of this to happen,” I added.

“Next question,” I asked.

Another man raised his hand.

“Yes, Sir, go ahead,” I pointed to him and said, shoving another hunk of meat in my mouth.

“How many people have you killed?” He asked.

“That’s the second time I was asked this question recently. I am gonna tell you this: you don’t ask a veteran how many men he killed in war. I am sure there are more than a few of you who have taken lives during the transition, protecting your families or just defending your own lives for those of you who lived through it. I will never judge you for what you did in the before times. That was a different world, and we were all different men then.

Now I will tell you I killed five men recently and four bugmen. I told you this earlier. Nothing has changed.” I explained.

A 20-something woman raised her hand.

“Go ahead.” I pointed to her and said.

“Why do you consider bugmen not people? Why separate them from us, aren’t they humans?” she asked.

“Miss, these bugmen have been living in virtual reality and have been being fed highly processed slop for the past 7 years. They are told we are all mutants and live by eating each other. They play games where they kill us all day in their pods. If they escape, they discover that the people they have been vilifying in their games are just regular humans living and surviving. They then cannot be allowed to be brought back into their pod. The reason is that ideas and knowledge spread like a plague and will destroy the utopia they all live in. If we allow them to live among us, they threaten the pods from outside. They will want to free their friends. They will go after infrastructure. Now add to that they are all diabetic and nutrient deficient. We do not have the resources to be able to take care of them.

Also, they, as you have seen, will attack us the first chance they get because they think we are cannibalistic mutants.

I understand your sensibilities and appreciate your caring humanity. However, the issue is that this is bigger than any of us—it’s bigger than this town. You are what, 22?”

“18,” she corrects me.

“You have not seen the destruction of an entire system of an entire way of life. I have bullet holes in me from when I was 8 years old. That time was nowhere near as bad as the transition. You have lived in peace, which is why you don’t appreciate it. You think this is just the way things always are. This is amazing compared to what could be. Imagine millions of hungry, violent men roaming through your neighborhood, kicking in your door, breaking your windows, raping you, and killing your father or husband.

I am not even saying this will happen; I am saying this has a 70% chance of happening if we don’t kill off a few dozen of them. By the way, millions will starve and die. That’s the trade-off.”

“How do you know that’s the trade-off? How do you know that’s what they will do?” She asks.

“It’s very simple. Violence occurs when your expectations don’t meet your reality. So when you get up in the morning, you expect to find food in your kitchen and clothes in your drawers. You will be upset if you wake up expecting this and there is no food or clothes. You may not commit violence, but you will be upset. Now, if your neighbor is cooking cinnamon buns and puts a fan in the window to blow the smell to your house while you are hungry. After the first day, you will ask them to stop blowing it your way. You may even ask them for a cinnamon bun. You will become more upset if they tell you no (even though you are starving). The second day, you will no longer ask them to stop blowing the smell towards you; you will demand it. If they still refuse the third day, you will start plotting how to steal their cinnamon buns. On the fourth day, you will kick in their door naked and demand the cinnamon buns.

This is expectations, not meeting reality. You expected food in your fridge. You expected clothes. You expected your neighbor not to be a complete asshole. You expected the world to be fair. You expected not to starve. Reality did not match your expectations.

Their reality is to have virtual women who always say yes. They have food brought to them on an hourly basis. They live in a climate-controlled room that is cleaned by a robot. They expect not to be cold, hungry or rejected sexually. If a woman tells them no in virtual reality, they can kill her. Their every fetish is fulfilled completely. What happens if you tell them no?”

The girl hung her head, looking mortified.

“Exactly. Next question.” I say, staring at her with my brow furrowed.

A younger-looking man raised his hand.

“Go ahead,” I said, pointing at him.

“How do you know all this?” he asked.

“I operate a node. This means I get to talk to other node operators for help with repairs and vice versa. Some node operators have tapped into the network and watch what these bugmen do all day. Next question.”

A kid raises his hand in front.

“Was up, little man?” I say, pointing to him.

“How did you learn to fight so good?” The child asks in his squeaky voice.

I smile and say, “Well, I grew up in a bad place and had to learn how to fight when I was your age. Actually, I was younger.”

“Anyone else?” I ask.

No one else raised their hand.

“Ok, well, if that’s it, imma go fulfill my husbandly duties and see y’all tomorrow for the festivities. You all have a great night. Enjoy the first night of Enyear,” I said, getting up to head back to my house.

Walking up the street, I stopped to stare at the stars. Ann stopped and wrapped her arms around me, placing her head on my chest.

“Baby, thank you for standing with me all this time,” I say, wrapping my arms around her.

“You're hot. I didn’t have much of a choice.” She said, wrapping her arms around my neck.

I smile and grab her ass. “Let’s go home.”

His blood is forming a pool under his head. I kneel down to check his pulse. I feel nothing. His skin is turning pale, and his lips are turning the telltale purple of death.

Desiree runs up and drops to her knees, Screaming, “George, are you ok, George!” “Baby, please, no.” she wails. She looks at me, and I stare at her, knowing I caused her husband’s death.

I grab her and hug her, and she whispers, “Thank you.”

I try to hide my confusion and pull her to my chest. I stand up and lift her with me.

“Gi, I need you to look after her. Me and Mike are gonna clean up here.” I say.

“Ok, pops.” He replies.

She goes to him and pushes her head into his chest, and I see him smell her hair and kiss her on her head.

I look to see Mike smiling at me.

“Not a fucking word, man, not a word.” I say.

“I ain’t saying shit.” Mike laughs.

I yell at the crowd, “Yall wanna get me something to place our hero’s body on?”

A few men scramble and show up with a gurney a couple of minutes later. They help me move him onto it.

“How bout let’s put him out of sight in that shed over there till we can set up a ceremony? What y’all think?” I ask.

They look at me and nod in agreement.

The bugman we load into the truck bed to toss into the river later.

I stand in the middle of an intersection, looking down the street leading to the river. The end of town is filled with people waiting for the celebration. There are three blocks to what used to be the highway that ran beside the river. The sun was beginning to set behind me. I could smell the fire in the air. The people kept glancing my way as if they were waiting for me to do something.

Mike placed his hand on my shoulder and asked me, “You got a plan now?”

I laughed and said, “Well, fortune favors the bold.”

“You ain’t plan this, did you?” He asked.

“Man, imma coyote, son. I hate being tied down. You fucking know this I aint want to be stuck here I wanna be here but like now I can’t fucking leave.” I tell him.

“Heavy is the head who wears the crown.” He said, staring at the crowd.

“You got my back, right?” I ask him.

“I got you, man. We brothers at this point.” He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into him assuredly.

“Thank you.” I hug him.

“You think we should go check on Gi?” He asks.

“God dammit.” I laugh.

We go back to the house, and I hear the bed squeaking.

Mike and I look at each other, hang our heads, and start laughing.

“Grab the guns.” I look at him, smiling and whispering.

I wrap a shirt around the lower half of my face and look at Mike. He smiles and does the same thing. We creep up to the door. I raise three fingers, then lower one and then another, and he kicks the door.

“What the fuck you doing banging George’s wife, mother fucker?!” I scream.

“Where’s the money, mother fucker?” Mike yells.

They fall out of bed naked, trying to cover their shame.

“Fuck you!” Gi yells, rushing at me.

I grab him and toss him in the bed, taking advantage of his bare feet.

I put the gun in his face and lowered my mask to reveal my smile.

Mike laughs so hard he bends over.

“Pops, why man?” Gi asks.

“First off, because it’s funny as fuck. Second, because mother fucker, her husband just died.” I laughed.

“Yeah, even I know this is in bad taste,” Mike adds, laughing.

“But you said.” He said as I cut him off.

“I know what the fuck I said. You just gonna jump on it like 10 minutes after?” I bark at him, laughing.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Mike asks, laughing.

“And you.” I look at Desiree, “You think this is prudent?”

“Please, you knew George was weak. I needed a real man who could actually protect me.” She replied.

I look at my son. “Yo look, I don’t care if y'all wanna do whatever that’s y’all’s business. But when you are outside, you don’t know each other. Capice?” I look back and forth, commanding.

“C'mon, man, let’s get back to the festivities,” I say to Mike.

“Yeah, we better go before she find out how savage I am,” Mike says.

“Next time the bed squeaks, I wanna hear some moaning Gi,” I say, walking out of the room.

“Yeah, it ain’t just about motion in the ocean sink the Titanic in the ice burg.” Mike yells, laughing.

I close the door and turn towards Mike. “You wanna hear some crazy shit?”

He raises his head and eyebrows.

“When she hugged me earlier, she thanked me,” I said in a whisper.

I turned and walked away.

I got to the kitchen, where my wife stood, hands on her hips, staring at me.

“What?” I barked.

She kissed me deeply and pushed me towards the room.

“Give me a half hour, my brother. Stay on the porch. We need to be a united front, " I told him as my wife dragged me towards our bedroom.

Most of the time, I took my time with my wife. She was always the best I had ever had, and I wanted to savor it. But in times like these, she wanted me to take her like an animal.

We lay afterward with her legs shaking, and she heard the bed squeaking next door.

“What the fuck is going on over there?” She asked.

“I I I, Giovanni is a crazy person. I don’t know what you want me to tell you.” I stammered.

“Who is he with?” She asked.

I looked at her.

“No,” she said, looking surprised.

I give her a look that says, “Can you believe that shit?”

“When I hugged her earlier, she said thank you,” I told her.

“What the fuck.” She blurted out.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“I got a lot to do and get ready for. Imma go get mentally prepared for all this.” I tell her, kissing her and biting my lip.

“Fuck you are hot,” I say.

“My savage stallion. Round two tonight?” She asked.

“Of fucking course,” I said.

The air is cold as the sun sets. Standing on my porch, I hear my son’s footsteps as he hits the old wood of the deck.

“You feel better, son?” I ask, breathing the smoke from my cigarette out of my lungs.

“Yeah,” he says.

“Ok, fellas, let go solidify our position,” I say.

We arrive at the center of the ceremony, and we hang back for a moment.

We see the men begin to grab deer and hang them across the trees. The hooves are tied individually, and the deer is stretched out, still alive, in an x pattern between the four trees. I walk up and grab one’s legs as Gi and Mike follow suit to help me.

The people stand around for a few minutes once the first three deer are placed, looking for the Mayor.

I step forward and say, “The mayor isn’t coming.”

“Who will perform the ceremony?” A voice from the crowd asks.

I glance at the torches hanging in the trees, illuminating the branches above them. The flames dance across the needles and leaves, leaving shadows resembling the woods I remember from when I was a kid.

I stand against a tree, knowing I cannot ask for this. It must be given.

A kid comes up and says, “Mister, why don’t you do it? You protected all of us today and killed the monster.”

I smile and pat the kid on the head.

The crowd stares at me, afraid to speak. I look around and ask, “What?”

“A skinny man steps towards me with a knife across his hands and asks, “Sir, would you do us the honor of being the leader tonight?”

I lean my head to the side questioningly, kneel, and say, “I would be honored.”

I take the knife and stand in the center of the four trees as the final deer is hung, trapping me in the middle.

I close my eyes, stating, “This honor bestowed on me from the will of our people, passed down from our ancestors, shows respect for their sacrifice for us. We carry on this tradition and spill the blood of the creatures of the earth into the soil to fulfill the cycle of life and death. We shall fill our bodies with meat, warm our young with their skin, and grow our crops with their blood. I give to all of you the sacrifice of the Enyear.

I walk up to a deer, look it in the eyes, grab its ear, and slice its throat. A man places a bucket under it to catch the blood. I feel its pulse stop, and I cut the ropes, binding it to the tree. Two neighbors, a man, and a brown-haired woman, help place the deer in my arms. I carry it through a line of pine trees lit with candles, feeling the heat warm my cheeks as I head toward the fire. Two men walk up and take the deer from me as I stand still. The men come back, hands covered in blood. They place handprints on my shoulder blades and chest. A group of children walks from behind with potatoes in their hands to place in the fire. The crowd follows, and I stand on the podium in front of the fire, where the crowd forms a U shape around the fire.

The people stare at me. I look into the crowd, finding my wife, son, and best friend.

I begin:

Some of you know me, and some do not. I am Tom P I was born in the mountains across the river. I am an Appalachian, just like you. The reason I am standing here today is because Elon put me in charge of the node in our town. He sent an Omni bot to inform me that there had been issues and some of the pod dwellers escaped. He asked me to make sure they did not disrupt the node. I was made well aware if they interrupted the node, my place would no longer be secure, and my family would be out of a home. My paison, Mike and I shot one of them. The mayor sent men to kill me. He wanted my position with Elon. I killed two men and saved George the man who fought the bugman today and lost. The mayor tried to kill George when we returned. I killed the mayor. The brothers of two of the men who died kidnapped me, and I killed them and escaped.

I wanted you all to know what happened so there is no secrets between us, and you do not have to wonder what happened.

This town is wonderful, and its people are amazing. This has been a good year for all of us. Many children were born, many grew strong, and none were lost. I lost my daughter during the transition; she died in my arms. I still see her face. I never want that to be a possibility for any of you.

This Enyear, for me, is a rebirth. I washed my hands in a lot of blood to be here today. I worried my family and made sacrifices to protect not just me and mine but yours as well. We keep our powder dry and eyes open, ready to stand against the wolves at the door. This Enyear I hope you will stand with me in celebration! We raise our cups and drink to love, peace, and our sacred blood! May our ancestors be proud and look upon us as survivors and warriors! May they say that’s my blood in their veins! May we bring more children into our community to carry on these traditions this year!

Raise your glasses In vino veritas.

The crowd repeats in vino veritas.

Salud.

We drink, and I step down as the crowd cheers. I go to Mike and yell in his ear, “How did I do?”

“Dude, you fucking nailed it.” He says.

“I hope you’re right,” I say.

I look over and see my wife with her come fuck me smile. I go and hug her as the crowd swarms me and pats me on the back over and over.

I make it to the fire, grab a piece of meat from the cooking deer, and yell, “Manga!”

“Ya know I never learned her name,” I state, not breaking my stare into the sunrise.

“How long did you live there?” Mike asks.

“I don’t know like 12 years,” I reply.

“How long did they live there?” He asks.

“Longer than me,” I tell him.

“How in 12 years did you never learn her name?” Mike asks as he cocks his head and raises his inflection.

“I never asked, never needed to know,” I tell him.

Mike shakes his head and stares at the sunrise. “That’s wild, brah.”

I could never pull myself away from watching a sunrise. Something about the beauty of the universe and the idea that every human who has ever lived has shared this experience makes me feel more connected to the world.

“We got a lot to do today, man,” I state.

“You think it will work?” He asks.

“Gi, come here,” I yell out.

Gi walks over and looks at me. “Was up, Pops?

“I want you to be directly behind George. Like right in the line of sight.” I instruct him.

“Why?” He asks.

“Just be directly behind him, like 20 feet back, with your 308 rifle. You understand?” I say calmly, looking into the sunrise and taking another drag off my cigarette.

Mike says, “You cold-blooded man.”

“Worse comes to worse; I get a cute daughter-in-law and a few grandkids out of it,” I say, smiling.

Gi, looking perplexed, says, “I don’t get it.”

Mike laughs and says, “Just trust ya pops.”

We get back to the house, and I head to bed for a few hours before the celebration begins.

I wrap my arm around my wife, and she smiles and asks, “I heard gunshots last night. Is everything ok?”

“Ann, just know I love you, and all this I do is for you. But we have an empty house next door.” I say softly, closing my eyes.

“Did you kill them?” She asks.

“Nope, she killed him and then turned the gun on herself,” I explain.

“Oh my god why?” She asks.

“He thought I was fucking her, and that’s why the mayor sent all those people after me. She couldn’t live with the guilt and decided not to let him live with it either.” I say, laughing.

“No way all of this shit happened because he was a jealous little bitch.” She blurts out, sitting up.

“I need to sleep. Lay back down. I was comfy.” I whine at her.

“No, I am going to kill him.” She growls.

“He is already dead floating down the river. Lay the fuck back down.” I whine some more, rolling over and putting my face into the pillows.

“That is fucked up, baby. You almost died.” She says softly, placing her hand on my ribs.

I roll on my side and look at her, “But I am not dead, am I? I am still rocking still going through with the plan shit is gonna be cool.”

“Now lay the fuck down. I am cold and need you to keep me warm.” I say as I deepen my voice, trying to sound smooth.

She lays down and curls up under the covers, placing her arm around my back, and says. “There you warming up?”

I pull her close and say, “Yes baby, I love you. Sweet dreams.”

I wake up to bass notes rattling the windows and floorboards. I yell, “Time!” The wall chirps and displays 1:39 p.m.

I get up and take a piss and get a shower. I put on a pair of jeans and my boots. Usually, the attire is sweats or tracksuit pants and sneakers, but today, I want to look as much as possible like the rest of the crowd. I go into my closet, looking for my dad’s old thermal flannel jacket. I find it deep in the back. I bring it close to my face and breathe in the smell. It still smells like him. I miss him so much. He was the only family member I was close to my whole life. He died of cancer a while back, right after the singularity. He taught me to think as a child, never giving me the answer, always making me figure everything out. When he got sick, I stayed with him, scheduled all his appointments, and ran him to and from each one. He could fix anything. Most people said he was the most extraordinary mind in the world at commercial refrigeration. The strange thing is he never taught me how to fix anything. In my teenage years, I rebelled pretty hard and learned to fix things on my own by necessity.

I say, “Thank you, pops.” I look to the ceiling, making a cross on my chest, and say, “Wish me luck today. Imma need it,” smiling.

I head to the kitchen, where Ann is watching her nonsense on the wall again.

“You ready for today?” I ask her.

“Are YOU ready for today?” she asks, smiling.

I laugh and say, “Let’s go get it in.”

We walk out the sliding door in the back of the house. The streets have people walking everywhere. Kids are playing and running around. The sounds of ATVs and dirtbikes are heard in the distance. I smell the fire and see a plume of smoke rising from the center of the town. Gi appears from beside the house with his rifle strapped to his back.

“Where’s Mike?” I ask him.

“He said he will be here at 2:30.” He replies.

“We can meet up at the celebration. If you see him first, tell him I went to the fire.” I tell him.

“Aight, got you.” He replies.

EndYear is a mix of Christmas, New Year, and a Harvest festival. There is a place in the center of the town where a giant fire is lit on the 25th of December. The fire burns till January 2nd. On the first day, the leader of the town is placed between 4 trees where four deer are hung up. The leader cuts the throat of one of the deer, cuts it down, and cleans it. He carries it to the fire through a pathway lined with pine trees. The town’s best citizens skin the deer and place it on a spit where it is roasted. While they skin the deer, the town's children, under the age of seven, grab a potato from a garden and place it on a metal surface by the fire. The rest of the town walks through the path and makes a circle around the fire. The leader then gives a speech, after which music is played, dancing commences, and local wine and moonshine are poured.

The issue this year is there is no leader. The mayor will most certainly not give a speech, cut the deer, or carry it through.

If everything goes according to plan, George will give the speech. If things go sideways, I may be giving the speech and carrying the deer.

I come around the corner and see the center of town. The pathway was being cleared of leaves and debris, and the deer had already been penned up. I walk up to the metal cage holding four deer. I look into its eyes. It jumps back, and they all get spooked and start bouncing around.

A man runs up and yells, “Hey, not so close!”

I turn towards him, his eyes widen, and he turns ghostly white.

“I’m I’m so sorry, sir, please forgive me. Look as much as you you want.” He stammers.

I smile and say, “No, you’re right. I am too close. I wouldn’t want to ruin the celebration because one of the deer died.”

Ann laughs, grabs my arm harder, and puts her head on my shoulder. “That was super hot.” She whispers in my ear.

“That’s good news. I would prefer love rather than fear, but fear will work.” I reply out of the side of my mouth quietly.

I kept walking till I ran into George, who was dragging a log towards the fire.

“Hey, man. You ready for today?” I ask him, shaking his hand.

He looked at me unconfidently and replied “I guess.”

“Dude, it's gonna be easy. You see that alleyway right there?” I ask him, pointing to an alley with a shed in the yard.

“Yeah.” He said shakily.

“There’s a bat laying right against that shed on the corner. Imma holler your name; you run to the bat and the bugman will appear. Capice?” I told him quietly, grabbing his shoulder.

“I understand,” he said shakily again.

“Good everything is gonna work out. You got a speech ready?” I ask him.

“Speech?” he states questioningly.

“Mother fucker you gonna be mayor. you gotta give a speech.” I laugh.

“What speech?” He says again looking completely lost.

I place my hands on my face and growl through my teeth, “If you are the leader, you gotta cut the deer, carry it, and give the speech tonight.”

“You didn’t say anything about a speech I have never spoken in public before.” He says fearfully.

“I am surrounded by fucking retards I swear to god. You didn’t think past like killing a bugman?” I say pulling him close and talking with my hands.

“I guess not.” He says aloofly.

“Look, I will get you some shit to say just when I yell your name. Go get the bat, ok?” I smile and talk to him like a kindergarten teacher.

“Okay.” He says.

“Now, what can I help with?” I ask him.

“Here, help me drag these logs.” He says, pointing to a five-foot stack of lumber.

I look at my wife and say, “Imma help out here. You wanna go find some females to gossip with or something?”

She rolls her eyes and says, “If I must.”

I walk over and grab a log, lift it onto my shoulders, and start walking it toward the fire as George and another guy grab each end of another one. As I am heading back for my third log Gi rides up on a dirt bike.

“Where you get a dirt bike, man?” I ask him.

“Some guy is letting me ride it. He said he would be “honored” to let Tom’s son ride his bike.” He replied, smirking.

I laughed. “Well, tell the dude it's running lean, and he needs to mix more oil into the fuel. He gonna blow the motor.” I say.

“You see Mike yet?” I ask him.

“Oh, yeah, that’s why I came to find you. Mike said he needs to talk to you.” He says.

“Where is he?” I ask.

“He at the crib,” Gi replied.

“Aight, tell him I’ll be over as soon as I am done helping here,” I say, lifting another log.

“Okie dokie.” He says as he kickstarted the bike and rode off.

I finish moving the rest of the logs, tell George to remember what I told him, and walk towards my house.

As I walk through the yard, Mike hollers, “Yoooo.”

“We still good, right?” I ask with a worried look on my face.

“Yeah, we gucci man.” he says as he hugs me.

“What time you wanna kick off the party?” I ask him.

He asks, “Twilightish?”

“Great minds, son,” I say, laughing.

“You got it up in the old concession stand, I'm Guessing?” I ask him.

He said, “Great minds, dawg.”

We both laugh. “You give it some of ya mushrooms, and what you got it hyped on?”

“Brah mushrooms, cocaine, and gunpowder.” He replies.

“You got it on brown brown?” I ask, surprised.

“I even electrical taped the machete into its hand like an old G.I. Joe figure.” He said proudly.

“Yo, we should get some blood out the freezer and cover its face and front with it. Make it look even more menacing.” I say excitedly.

“That sounds dope. Let’s go get it,” he replied.

We go inside, get the blood from the freezer, put it into the sink, and run warm water over it to thaw it out.

“We shouldn’t need all this. We just need like a quarter. I got another bag we can put it into and refreeze this. Ann would be pissed if we used all her base for stews.” I tell him.

“Sounds good.” He says.

I rebag it, and we leave to do the makeup for the bugman’s big premiere.

We get inside the old concession stand through a window Mike busted out. It smells bad, like shit and death. The bugman screams, but its voice is muffled by the duct tape over its mouth. Its hands and feet are taped to the pole its up against. The bugman looks at me with an expression of worry and dread.

“It’s too late now to change the plans, my dear friend,” I tell it.

It screams.

“Look man the problem is you escaped the pods and once you are out you can’t go back in. If you hadn’t of chosen the pods we could have maybe saved you. But you chose the life of a bugman. You are the type to choose comfort over reality. You bent your knee to video games and modernity. So this is your fate now. Just know you are saving many people with your sacrifice.” I tell him.

His eyes sink, and his posture loosens. His flabby tummy in the gray jumpsuit sags down. I pour the blood onto his shirt and face.

“Good luck, man,” I tell him, patting his cheek and walking away.

“Oh, one more thing. There is lots of food and caffeine by the fire. If you get out of here, that's the best place to feed yourself. I know you are hungry.” I smile while I tell him and walk away.

Mike follows me outside.

“Ok, dawg, signal when I release will be my whistle.” He says.

“Gotchu, I’ll be waiting,” I tell him, dabbing him up.

I glance at the mountains in the distance, seeing the sun starting to get low in the west.

“Not long now,” I say to myself as I walk back towards the crowd.

I see Gi riding the dirtbike, and I motion for him to come over.

“Was up pops?” He asks me.

“Have your ass on this side of the crowd with your rifle safety off,” I tell him.

“What you want me to do?” He asks.

“If George doesn’t kill the bugman, you shoot through him to kill it. Understand?” I say as I look at him intensely.

Gi nods

I grab him and pull him close. “You cannot! Fucking! Fail on this, do you understand?”

“Say yes, sir,” I tell him.

“Yes, sir,” He says.

“What are you going to do?” I ask him.

“Shoot through George if he fails to kill the bugman,” he repeats what I said.

“Good boy. Twilight, be ready.” I command him.

“Yes, sir,” he says.

“Ok go on,” I say as I go sit on a curb and wait.

I stare into the crowd, watching the people move around. I think we all feel completely alone in a crowd. It used to be a cliche in movies where a guy would be talking to some girl and telling her, “You feel completely alone in a crowded room.” The woman would act all shocked as if he were reading her mind. It’s no different than saying you feel cold outside with no coat on. All humans feel alone when in a crowd. It’s the same as feeling small next to the ocean. The ocean is gigantic on a scale we cannot comprehend. Rivers flow trillions of gallons of water per day. The word trillion is incomprehensible to humans. But then again, I could be applying my own feelings to others. Assuming can cause trouble and danger. Look at the couple floating down the river.

I stand up and locate George because I want to know exactly where he is. I spot him and stay within a distance where I can holler and he can hear me clearly.

I look at the sky in the east and see the darkness starting to spread near the top of the long mountain peak. The moon is waxing or waning in the sky. The anticipation building in my chest makes my heart beat harder. I can feel each beat in my ears as the time draws closer.

The crowd is growing—at this point, there must be 500 people. I see Gi sitting on a bench close to his position. George looks around nervously. I stare at him from beside a house I am leaning against. I am watching him exclusively now. He doesn’t know it, but he either lives or dies today. The sky grows darker with each passing minute.

I hear a whistle. I look over and the bugman appears.

I yell, “George!”

George looks over at me and starts running towards the bat. The bugman screeches as the crowd starts to notice. Gi moves into place and pulls his rifle off his back.

George runs desperately towards the bat—the bugman stumbles, covered in blood, screeching and yelling, bleeding from its mouth. The machete raised over its head. People scream and start to scramble.

George makes it to the bat, picks it up, and turns to face the bugman. The bugman charges him and swings the machete wildly, missing George by inches. George leans back and swings the bat, hitting the bugman in its stomach. The bugman swings the machete, hitting George in the face.

Gi raises his rifle and glances my way. I put my hand out to tell him to wait.

George stumbles back as the bugman charges and lands the machete, which points first into George's neck. George drops the bat and falls to the ground. I put my hand out towards Gi and approach the bugman. The bugman swings the machete. I lean back and counter with a right cross to its face. The bugman falls down. I pick up the bat and circle the bugman, looking at the crowd. I lift the bat over my shoulder as it lifts its head. I swing, and with a thud, the creature’s head splits open. It draws one last breath and expires.

Gi runs up and says, “Well, that didn’t go to plan.”

I look at him and say, “Son, what have I always told you about adaptability.”

Mike came running up from the alleyway after circling the block, so it didn’t look like he had set free the monster. “Brah, WTF? " he said out of breath.

We turn to face the crowd. They all cheer.

I see a cigarette ember in the trees moving. I take the safety off my shotgun.

“Tom!” I hear a whisper.

“Mike!” I whisper back.

“Aaaayyooo!” I hear him whisper.

“Your mom’s a filthy smut bucket.” I whisper back.

I hear him snicker.

I return to paying attention to the fire as he comes and sits down.

“You should feel lucky I don’t like my mom.” He says.

“You should feel lucky she knew which dick created you.” I laughed.

“Harsh but fair.” He retorts.

“Are you sure your dad is your dad? I have met him, and he a pale ass bald-headed no, neck dude, and your like the guy who shoots robot scrotum in the Transformers.” I laugh some more.

“I am directly below the robot’s scrotum.” He says, laughing.

We laugh for a few minutes, staring at the fire, and then return to enjoying the silence.

“We all set for tomorrow?” I ask out of the darkness.

“Yeah, it took some doing, but I got one.” He says.

“Good; what did you give him?” I ask.

“Couple trazadones.” He replied.

I hear a twig crack, and we grab our guns.

I see the telltale gate of my next-door neighbor.

“What you boys doing out here?” He asks.

I get up, shake his hand, and tell him, “Getting ready for the big day tomorrow.”

“Big day,” Mike says.

“Have a seat, man,” I say, pointing to the empty log.

Jason sits on the log and stares into the fire. “Yous got big plans for tomorrow, huh?” He asks.

“Well, I might as well ask you now. Tomorrow we setting some shit up it’s good for everyone in the long run. But it’s gonna involve some violence. No one in the town gonna get hurt or anything. Speaking of which, did you hear about the mayor trying to kill me?” I ask.

Jason’s face changes and I see something flashing in his expression. Mike moves his hand toward his gun. He must have seen it, too.

“You knew, and you didn’t warn me?” I lower my voice and brow and ask him,

“How would I have known? I have been busy cleaning the house.” He stammers.

“Keep ya hands in front of you!” Mike says.

“You fucking knew!” I said as I lunged at him and hit him in the face.

“Why, huh?” I say, hitting him again.

I grabbed his gun and tossed it into the darkness.

“Get off me.” He yelled.

I hear footsteps and ignore them, hitting him again and asking, “Why didn’t you protect me?”

“Pops, you aight?” Gi hollers out.

I hit him again and asked, “Why did you do nothing?”

“Because of the way my wife looks at you,” he yells out.

“Because she yelled out your name.” He cries.

“Dude, you fucked his wife?” Mike asks.

“No, I ain’t fuck his wife!” I reply.

“Dammit, Jason! Now, what do we do?” I ask.

“Tell me what you know, Jason,” I commanded.

“The mayor was at the fire hall talking about you two killing a bugman, and it seemed like a good chance.” He trailed off.

“A chance to what? Mother fucker, a chance to what?” I yelled, grabbing his shirt and shaking him.

“A chance to have her stop thinking about you.” He sobbed.

“You set me up to die over a bitch. Are you fucking serious? I killed four men over this.” I yelled, hitting him again.

“Why didn’t you come and do the job? Didn’t have the stones?” I hit him again.

“Well, shit.” Mike lamented.

“I should have fucked her,” I said.

“For all this fucking bullshit, look at my face; look at the goddamn scars because of your fucking ego,” I yelled, hitting him again.

“Gi, go get his wife and bring her here!” I growled.

“You stay there on your back and don’t fucking move, or Mike will shoot you, you understand?” I yelled, hitting him again as he nodded.

I walked over to the log, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it, breathing the fire out of my lungs.

A few minutes later, I hear footsteps approach, and Gi and his wife come into view.

I stand up and walk over to her. She was terrified.

Jason cried, “Please don’t hurt her.”

“I’m not gonna hurt her, you stupid mother fucker.” I growled at him.

“What’s all this about?” She asked.

“So, your husband decided that because you yelled out my name in bed, we are fucking, and he promoted the idea to the mayor to kill me because he feels inadequate,” I tell her.

She sits silently for a minute. “Jason, how often do I have to tell you I only want you? You cheated on me and broke my heart multiple times. I have stayed loyal and kept you in my house. Now, I am drug out of bed in the middle of the night because your jealousy and insecurity have caused this entire town to be in chaos. Tom is not who I want. I wanted you. Now, after all this, I am not sure if that is true anymore. How many people died because of your insecurity?”

Gi chimed in, “Four.”

“Four men have lost their lives. Daughters have lost their fathers, wives have lost their husbands, and mothers have lost their sons. These were friends of yours. These were friends of mine.” she said, standing up.

She stood over him, pulled a .45, and pointed it at him. “Jason, it’s over between us. These people died not just because of you but because of me. I will not live with this on my conscience. I am sorry to all of you for all of this.” she said cocking the pistol.

“Please, baby, you don’t.” Jason cried as the first shot rang out. Silencing him mid-sentence.

She shot two more rounds, then placed the pistol under her chin and squeezed the trigger.

We sat silently in the darkness, with the smell of gunpowder filling the air and the light from the flames dancing over the dead bodies in the yard.

It seemed like an hour before anyone said anything.

Gi chimed in first, “All of this over a bitch.”

“One day, you will discover as men get older, they will be more likely to kill you over a female than any other reason,” I replied.

Mike said, “Still though all of this because dude thought you was fucking her?”

“Fucking wild,” I said.

“Well, Gi, it's time for you to join the family tradition.” I spoke, looking into the flames.

“What tradition?” He asked.

Mike just started laughing.

“Go get the truck. We gotta go to the river.” I commanded, laughing.

“The more things change.” Mike started.

“The more they stay the same.” I finished.

My son’s footsteps approach from the living room. I spin around in my chair, and he rushes to me. I push him back some and say, “Whoa, son, easy!”

“What happened? Who did this to you?” He asks.

I smile and tell him how the men grabbed me and beat me for killing their brother. I told him how I killed them and left them in the alley.

He finally asks, “Are you okay?”

I tell him, “I will be alright. I ain’t dead yet.”

“Did y'all catch one last night?” I asked him.

He said, “No, we were busy looking for you.”

“Dammit, we need one before the Enyear festival starts,” I reply

“We got a few days yet, pops. We will get one before then,” He says.

“Mike, go home?” I ask as my wife sets a plate in front of me.

“I only made enough for him,” she says to Gi.

“That's fucked up; I am hungry, too,” he whines.

“Well, he is almost dead. Look at him,” she explains as she puts her hand out, presenting me.

“I am not almost dead. What the fuck?” I growl with a mouth full of eggs and bacon.

“We need to go see George today, or he needs to come see us. Think you can handle getting him here?” I ask as food falls out of my swollen lips.

“I can go get him.” Gi answers.

“Good because everything needs to be in place,” I state.

I finish my meal, thank my wife, and head to the bathroom to get a shower. “How is she gonna say I am almost dead?” I think to myself. I look in the mirror and see the bruises and how swollen my eye and cheeks are. My lip is cut and swollen. There’s a knot coming out of the side of my head. I flex my biceps and smile, thinking, “They are dead imma god, damn warrior.”

I get washed up and dressed, then head outside. I go to check the node.

The fencing has vines growing on it, so I cut them off. I open the gate and look inside at the insulation on the wiring, checking for signs that an animal might have chewed through it. I also look for bird nests or leaks in the case. Finally, I brush off the fan shroud of the condenser to remove any dirt or dust build-up.

I close and lock the gate, then head back towards my house.

I walk past a bush and hear a roar. I jump back and yell, “Oh no, it’s a monster!!”

“Don’t be scared, Daddy. It’s just me.” Bella says.

“What happened to your face?” She asks.

“I got in a fight,” I tell her.

I sit down in the grass for a minute.

“You ok daddy?” She looks at me worried.

“Yeah, I just need to sit for a second. My ribs hurt, and I want to look at the sky.” I say as I lie down.

She sits and plucks grass out of the ground.

“Why do you still come to see me?” I ask her.

“Because I love you and miss you.” She says.

I hug her and say, “I miss you so much,” as tears stream down my face.

“Don’t cry, Daddy. It will be okay.” She says, putting her hand on my cheek and looking at me.

“No, Bella, it won’t be. It never can be again. When you left, the best part of me left.” I say, still sobbing.

“You have to save Mommy and Gi now. You’re so strong, Daddy. You will be ok; I know it.” She says as I pull her tightly against my chest.

“I love you, baby. I gotta go in and take a nap. If someone sees me lying here crying, they gonna think I’m crazy.” I tell her.

“Daddy, they all know you’re crazy silly.” She laughs.

“Yeah, I guess they do. I still wanna go lay down, though.” I roll over and push off the ground with a grunt.

“You coming?” I turn around and ask. Only to see she was gone.

I get inside, and my wife sees the tears running down my face and asks, “If I am ok?”

“No,” I reply.

She gets up and hugs me.

I put my arms around her and ask, “If she would come and lay with me for a little.”

We go lie down, and I close my eyes, fading into the darkness. As the world disappears, I hear laughter and a creek burbling. The splashes of my children’s feet running through the water.

I can feel the sun on my face and the pebbles of the rocky shore push against my mesh shorts.

I awaken to the sounds of men talking in my living room. I get up and swagger into the room to see George and Gi standing, having a conversation about moonshine.

I walk over to George and place my hand on his shoulder. “Was up, man? How you doing?” I ask.

He turned to face me and stepped back. “Are you okay? What happened?” he asked startled.

“Got kidnapped, beaten, tortured, killed a couple of guys, eh, ya know, same old same old,” I say with a smile.

“Should have figured those two guys they found were your work.” He says.

“Work?” I put my hand on my chin. “No, not work survival,” I state.

“Thank god you ok.” He says.

“Thank the Gods, man. Speaking of which, you ready for Enyear?” I ask.

“I mean, same as usual. I am gonna go celebrate,” He says.

“This year will be different. You will be cutting the deer and placing it on the fire.” I say.

“What?” he asks, startled by my proclamation.

“This year will begin much differently and end with you solidly as mayor.” I look at him, taking a drink of my tea.

“How so?” He asks.

“Can I trust you, George? Really trust you?” I look at him as Gi leans toward him.

“Of course.” He says.

“We gonna release a bugman, and you’re gonna kill it, making yourself the town's savior,” I tell him.

“I can’t kill something.” He stammers.

“George, I need you to stand up and be the man here, buddy.” “I saved your life, remember?” I remind him.

“Why do I have to kill it?” He asks.

“This is about strength and having the whole town owe you their lives. They have no idea what a bugman even is. They need to know they are in danger and you can save them. That way, we can save them, and you can be mayor and actually help them.” “Do you understand?” I ask him.

“How can I help them?” He asks.

“You can organize proper markets, a school, some activities,” Gi says.

“Justice, remember you wanted justice,” I chime in.

“I don’t know how to do that.” George stammers.

“We got your back, right Gi?” I ask, looking sternly at Gi.

“Yeah, we got you, man,” Gi assures him.

“You can do all the stuff you want. All you have to do is kill one bugman.” I place my hand on his shoulder.

“Just one?” George asks.

“Just one.” I look at him and assure him.

“Okay,” He says.

“There ya go, man,” I say, shaking his shoulder supportively.

“How will I kill it?” he asks.

“A bat. We will have a bat placed there, and you can pick it up and beat it in the head. A couple of swings should do.” I tell him.

“What if it doesn’t die?” He asks.

“We will take care of the rest, so don’t worry,” I tell him.

George, looking scared, stands up.

I get up and place my arm around him. “Look, man, this is easy stuff here. I know you are a good man and have lived a good life. This doesn’t change who you are; you shouldn’t judge yourself from one action. These things aren’t people and, as you saw, are highly dangerous. You actually will be saving the town. You are not lying or being deceptive. You are stepping up and being the man you were destined to be. Embrace your destiny. Imagine how much Desiree will respect you after you do this.”

“Chicks dig dangerous guys,” Gi says assuredly.

“They do?” George asks.

“Of course, before the fall, chicks fucked drug dealers and bad boys all the time. They love a warrior. The Romans threw women at the feet of the greatest soldiers.” Gi adds in.

“He not wrong man. Watch this.” I tell him.

“Ayo ma get yo ass in here,” I yell.

“What!” she asks, stomping in.

“You remember when I dumped that dude on his head in ya dining room years ago?” I ask her.

“Bri’s dude?” She asks.

“Or when I duffed out ed?” I ask.

“Mmmm, that was so hot. I never looked at him the same again.” She said.

I looked at George. “See what I am saying.”

“Yeah, I see this.” He said.

“Ok, take ya butt home. We gonna finalize everything on the morning of Enyear's first day, cool?” I asked.

“Sounds like a plan.” He said, shaking my hand.

“Tell no one, capeesh?” I look at him.

“Capeesh.” He said, turning to leave.

“I’m ok, I swear,” I tell my wife.

She drags me towards the room as I fall over chairs and bang off walls. She is desperately trying to support my weight. I fall onto the bed. The world begins to fade in and out again.

“Tom, don’t go to sleep,” I hear in a muffled voice.

“I just need to sleep a little. Let me rest.” I say. I feel taps on my cheek.

“Tom, Tom!” “Wake up, stay with me.” My wife says sternly.

“Where is he?” I hear Gio yell.

“He is in here.” My wife yells.

“Don’t let Bella see me like this, okay?” “Tell her I Love her and sweet dreams,” I ask.

“Who did this?” Gio yells. “Dad, who did this?”

“I got ‘em, son,” I mumble.

Gi starts crying. “Is he gonna die?” He whimpers.

“I don’t know; he is pretty banged up.” My wife responds.

“Imma nap,” I mumble, closing my eyes.

The sky is white and overcast. The trees had no leaves; the winter was hard this year. Everything had fallen apart. There was no food. We all wanted the collapse to happen. We had no idea what it would really mean. I am carrying my princess through the woods, trying to escape the men who attacked us. They were looking for more slave girls. My pants felt wet. I looked down. There was blood all over them. I checked my stomach to see if I had taken a stray and realized it was her. She had been shot. I couldn’t stop now. They were not far behind, and the leaves made my steps loud. She looked at me with tears in her eyes.

I said, “Baby, just a little further. Let me get across this creek and into a cave, and I'll try to help you. Just hang on? Be a big girl for Daddy, and be strong.”

She said, “Daddy, it’s so cold.”

Tears fell from my eyes. “Stay with me, Bella, please.”

I made it to the creek and stepped in. The water was freezing. I trudged across, feeling like my ankles were unattached from my feet. I hid behind a hill and laid her down.

She wasn’t moving and had gone limp. I felt for a pulse; it was there, but it was faint. I checked her back to see if the bullet had gone through. There was no hole. I covered her wound and looked to the sky. I begged god to help me. We were hours from home. I took off my coat, wrapped her in it, and built a fire. Let me get her warm and hold her. Maybe she can make it through the night. It got dark, and I held her close as I closed my eyes.

I woke up the next morning, and she was stiff. I heard a man spit next to me. I got to my feet. There was one man I recognized; he was a slaver. You could tell from the blue jean vest he wore over his overalls and a coat. He had a gun on his hip with his hand on it.

“We been looking for you,” he says gruffly.

“That’s strange. I was just gonna come find y’all,” I said as I jumped on the man. His eyes went wide as I grabbed his beard, yanking him down. I grabbed his arm as he reached for his gun.

The smell of body odor and alcohol came off his portly frame. I pulled his arm up, grabbed his fingers, and broke them. He cried out in pain, reaching for his hand with his other. I pulled out my knife and stabbed him in the neck. His blood flowed over my hand. I pulled out my knife and stabbed him in his stomach.

“You wanted to find me. You wanted to find her. Well, you did, mother fucker.” I said, staring him in the eyes.

I took his gun and boots, leaving him to bleed out in the woods. Hoping the coyotes would be around before he was completely gone. I tucked the gun in my waist and picked up my daughter and backpack.

“Ok, baby, let’s get you home to mommy,” I say to her.

I head back towards the road, trudging through the creek with my new boots. I stop and look upstream and downstream. It’s the perfect scene: a burbling creek, the banks filled with trees and brush, and a deer running through.

“You remember when I used to take you here when you were little?” I ask her.

I can hear her playing with her sisters and looking for crayfish right down there. Tears flow down my cheeks. I start walking again and hear motorcycles.

I set her down and said, “Stay here; Daddy will be right back. I got to take care of something real quick.”

I run towards the road, pull out the gun from my waistband cock it and fire a shot in the air. The motorcycles stop. I hear them come towards me. I run towards a bank where I have a view of the road and tuck in. They slow down, looking around. They see the dead guy’s motorcycle and stop. They are riding Harleys with off-road tires on them. They dismount the bikes and start walking gingerly towards the woods.

I stand up and wait for them to come in line with me and open fire. I hit all three of them as I empty out the magazine of the .45 I stole. I walk up to them, pull out my knife, and stab each one in the head. I steal their weapons and put them in my backpack.

I go back to where I left my daughter, pick her up, and say, “Now, that didn’t take too long, did it?”

I carry her out to where the bikes are, take one, and push it away from the rest. I tear off a piece of one of the dead guy’s shirts. I place a piece hanging out of each of the other bike’s gas tanks and light them on fire.

I go back to the bike where I left my daughter and say, “Let’s go home.”

I open my eyes, but one of them still doesn’t open right. I feel a sharp pain in my ribs as I try to sit up. I roll over and put my feet off the side of the bed. I stand up and make my way to the bathroom. I look in the mirror. My eye is swollen shut, my nose is swollen, and my lip is busted. “These people, I swear they worry over the dumbest shit.” I think to myself. I pull up my shirt and look at my ribs. There’s a big purple bruise on the right side. I touch it and immediately regret that decision. I smile and say, “Let’s not do that again.”

I piss, and there is no blood, so no kidney damage. I feel sick to my stomach. “I guess that means my ribs are broken, and there is marrow in my bloodstream.” I think to myself.

I head out to the kitchen and touch my wife on the shoulder. She gets up and grabs me.

“Oh my god, I was so worried. Are you okay?” She asks.

“Yeah, just a little banged up,” I reply.

“What happened? Who did this?” she asked.

I explained what happened and that they were dead, so there was no need to worry. She looks at me and cocks her head.

“You are a crazy person. You know this, right?” She asks me.

“Yeah, I know what I am. The real question is, what’s for breakfast?” I tell her.

“Since you are hurt, I guess I can make you something.” She smiles and replies.

I kiss her on her forehead, hug her, and wince, remembering my ribs are broken. “Thank you,” I say.

“Since we doing charity, how about a blow job?” I ask.

“I ain’t gonna promise nothing, but after you shower, we will see.” she smirks and says.

Gi asked, “What we gotta do?”

I smiled and asked, “Who wants to go hunting?”

Mike smiled and replied, “My powder is always dry.”

We looked out over the yard I stared at the mountains in the distance. “We are going to need a good vantage point,” I said trailing off.

I walked off the porch and checked the chicken coop before it gets dark. My daughter runs up behind me and asked, “You find any eggs, Daddy?”

“Yeah, there’s 5 here today. You eat something today?” I replied.

“Umm, did you feed me?” she asked me.

“I thought your mommy would have fed you while I was entertaining our guests,” I said to her.

“No, she never feeds me anymore,” she looked up at me and said.

Her big eyes stared at me brown hair hanging to her shoulders. Her smile looks like it starts at her ears.

“Well let’s go eat then,” I say.

Everyone looks at me like I am crazy for some reason and I yell, “What?!”

My wife stares at me with sorrow in her eyes and hangs her head for a second.

Mike murmurs something to Gi. Gi says, “He ok man.”

I look over my shoulder and say, “It’s getting dark let’s eat something before we have to go hunting.”

My son comes up and hugs me, “I love you Dad. You good?” He asks.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be? Y’all look like you at a funeral man, it’s a celebration it’s a good day,” I say.

I make dinner for my daughter and me. I tell her to be good, kiss her on her forehead, and get my hoodie on. I reach into the cabinet and pull out a box of birdshot.

I show Mike and Gi the box of birdshot and they look at me sideways.

“We not looking to kill something we need it alive. Gi you are gonna get the buckshot just in case we run into trouble,” I explain.

“What are we hunting?” Gi asks.

“We gonna bag us a bugman alive,” I tell him.

“I get it, sometimes I think you're just a crazy person but, then the genius comes out,” Mike says, putting his hand on my shoulder.

I smile and point at my forehead then his. “Great minds,” I say smiling.

I head down the steps off the deck into the yard walking towards the alleyway at the end of the yard. I turn the corner heading down the alley and see red hearing a thunk. Then everything goes black.

“Daddy, why is it so cold?” my daughter asks me. She is looking at me as I carry her through the woods.

“It’s winter time baby,” I tell her.

“Where are we going?” she asks me.

“Somewhere safe baby where we can live a good happy life,” I answer her

“I am so cold daddy please hold me closer,” She pleads me.

I open my coat and tuck her inside. “Is that better baby?” I ask her.

“I am sleepy daddy,” She says.

“Stay awake baby please stay with me please,” Tears flow from my eyes as I pull her close.

I come to and open my eyes I am in a room. My eyes become more focused I see concrete, floor joists, and some steps in the corner. My head hurts I try to reach it and my hands won’t move. They are tied I feel with my fingers to see what they are tied with. Duct tape I can feel the slick outside and the sticky inside. They are wrapped around a pole. I hear people moving around the floor above me. I pull against the pole and it creaks loudly. The footsteps stop above me. I hear footsteps heading towards the door at the top of the steps. The door opens and two men come down the steps. One is smaller with a receding hairline and stubble. He is skinny fat with a slender build. The other is a stocky guy but shorter his rolls show through his polo shirt. He has a tattoo on his forearm. Looks like an anchor maybe a military tattoo.

I stand up and face them as the lights come on. The slender man punches me in the face. I roll with it trying to weaken the blow. The other hit me in the stomach.

“Who are y’all?” I ask.

“Where is our brothers?” the man yells hitting me again.

“Who is your brothers?” I yell.

“Caleb and Blake where are they?” The man yells.

I maintain my poker face and yell back, “I don’t know any Caleb or Drake.”

The fat one hits me in the stomach again and yells “Blake his name is Blake!”

“That’s a faggy name who names their kid Blake?” I laugh.

The skinny one hits me in the face again and yells, “Where is my brothers?”

I spit out one of my teeth trying to shake off the fuzzy feeling coming from the back of my head. “When we going to see the mayor?”

The fat one winds up and I yell “Ok, ok, ok, I know where your brothers are. I will take you just stop.”

The skinny one hits me again, “You better not be lying.”

The fat one pulls out a knife and cuts the duct tape from behind. I open my arms and fall to the ground coughing and spitting the blood out of my mouth.

The fat guy kicks me in the ribs and I roll over yelling holding my ribs. The skinny one tries to lift me up and looks at his brother, “Give me a hand he ain’t light.”

The fat guy comes over and puts his arm under my bicep trying to pick me up. I debate on breaking them both but decide it is probably better to wait to get outside. “Who knows who else could be upstairs,” I think to myself.

I get up and head towards the stairs stumbling. I rub my head and feel the knot. “What did you hit me with?” I ask.

They don’t answer and lead me outside. I know where I am. It’s not far from the house. I rub my head and look up at the stars. They blur in and out of focus. The fat guy pushes me from behind.

“Let’s go,” he barks at me.

I walk down his sidewalk toward a metal gate. I turn the corner and step into the alleyway swerving and stumbling. They come up beside me I eye them down to see if they are at least smart enough to have a gun on them. I stumble towards the side of the road pushing the fat one towards a rotted-out car on the side of the road. As we get close to the car I lean over to cough and drive him into the car grabbing his head and shoving it through the glass of the rear door. I pull down cutting his throat. His brother runs at me. I try to dodge him but lose my balance and fall over with him on top of me. I roll him over, grab his head, and smash it into the pavement. I get up grab a piece of glass and stab him in his head.

I stand up and look at my hands. I am bleeding pretty badly. The glass cut me. I rip off a piece of the skinny one’s shirt and wrap my hands up.

I sit down for a minute to catch my breath. “He broke my ribs,” I think to myself.

I get up and make my way through the dark streets towards my house. I get to the door and open it my wife sees me and screams “Oh my god! Tom, are you ok?”

I fall onto the floor as she rushes to me. The world fades to white and the last thing i see is her face I smile.