I am grabbed my rough hands pulling me up and forcing me onto my knees. As I recover my sight, I see the insurgents have us surrounded, though few of us are still alive. The leader of the insurgents, Haytham, stands before us. He takes a pistol and aims it at Deltona's head. "No!" I cry, but a moment later it explodes in a burst of blood. The insurgents execute the other remaining soldiers, leaving Toras and I.
Toras' eyes glare with embittered rage, "you callous rogue, you have me now. Give me a dignified death." Haytham smiles, for a moment saying nothing.
"You think I came just to kill you? No." He turns to me, and my heart quickens with uncertainty, "I came for you Atherol." I struggle against the hold of my captors, but they keep me tight.
"You heartless bastards," I scream with my heart burning with fury.
"Atherol, you see us as desert rogues, but we represent a movement of justice. The government that you serve is a tyranny built on the blood and suffering of the people. It manipulates the water and food supply so that the elite can dine in luxury, while the common people are forced to live without. With your tactical intellect, we will start a revolution and create a new and restorative era." Haytham orders his men to let me stand up and hands me a pistol, "you will have a single shot. Execute the General and you may join us."
The audacity of his request astonishes me. To think, that I should betray my commander and forsake my duty. Haytham must know that I could easily turn on him and kill him instead. Deltona lies dead at my feet, silently calling out for vengeance from the realm of death. Toras and I would be killed an instant afterwards, but I would remain true to my service. And yet, I have seen the suffering and destitution of the people every week on patrol. Beggars crowd around water pipes waiting for a drip to fight over, while children starve in the arms of their mothers. Haytham promises justice and a new government. I glance between Toras kneeling on the ground and at Haytham smiling deviously.
As the sun descends over the horizon, I aim the pistol and fire.
YOU ARE READING
Retribution
Cerita PendekIt is set in a futuristic setting where rising temperatures have led to increasing desertification across the earth. Common people are abused and left without water. The main character is a soldier protecting a general. They come across rebels who...
