The Triple Threat Killjoys

Nuclear Blast From the Past. Chapter 4

Entry: Atomic Urgency

As I sit by the glowing embers, looking up at the night sky, I realize that this is one of the few remaining comforts I have left in the world. The warmth of the fire, the cover of darkness, and the safety of the only people I can truly trust; these are what I hold near and dear to me, after almost everything I had loved was all ripped from my clutches a few short years ago. They also remind me why I fight, why I wear the mask, why I am a Killjoy. Why every last minion of Better Living Industries must pay with their blood.

I grew up on an old farm, conveniently located in the middle of goddamn nowhere. I had a younger brother, an older sister, and two loving parents. We were just your average, great big happy family. A great big, happy fucking family. A family...

No one knew anything about the Drac invasion until right before it happened. As you'd expect, there was mass confusion and chaos once the bullets started flying and the bombs started dropping. With troops already spread thin in several other international wars and the National Guard trying to protect the major cities, the rural areas were basically left to fend for themselves. Not to say we didn't put up a fight, but in the end, we all lost. BL/ind. was just too organized, too plentiful, too powerful.

The day it all went down seemed just like any other, maybe a bit quieter than normal. Suddenly, my mother's call from the living room rousted us all from our peaceful lives.

"Hey, uh, everyone? Come take a look at what's on the news. It seems pretty urgent."

The entire family made it to the TV before long, just in time to watch the carnage on the East Coast ensue. Big white bombers dropping daisy cutters, leveling entire city blocks at once. Divisions of infantry dressed all in white gunning down countless people, military personnel and civilians, without discretion. Truly an appalling sight to behold, it was an attack that no one expected or was prepared for. That is, no one but my dad.

"Sam, Jacob, grab whatever guns and ammo you can. I'm going to take your sister and mom somewhere that they'll be safe. Find a good place to dig in and wait. I'll be with you guys soon enough."

We did just that. We didn't have any impressive weapons, just what we used to hunt with. Pump-action 12 gauges, deer rifles, and not much ammo to spare. We put furniture in front of windows to help stop bullets and blocked off doorways. This was definitely going to be a fight for our lives. My dad rejoined us, trying his best not to look like he didn't just say goodbye to half of his family.

"Where's my .30-06? I've always wanted to see how far I could stretch this thing."

I gave him his old deer rifle, along with 40 rounds. He began to inspect the gun, muzzle to butt, just like he was about to go hunting. Except, this time, we were the ones being hunted. I also set his shotgun and all the shells I could muster beside him, more as a close quarters weapon, if it came to that. My brother commandeered an over-under shotgun/rifle combo, that, ironically, was once used to hunt predators.

Personally, I grabbed the two firearms that I knew best: a 7mm Remington Mag rifle and my trusty 12 gauge.

Once we had the weapon situation taken care of, we took up strategic positions all around the homestead. The waiting game began. I periodically checked the time to see how long it had been since our heightened state of security began. What had seemed like hours of preparation took only minutes. But the worst thing about all the waiting was being able to think about the current situation.

"How do we even know they're not just going to bomb the shit out of us, just like everyone else? Surely they wouldn't waste troops on Worthington. It's not a strategic place, there's no one important, what would make us so special?"