Page 111 of Born Savage

When the moment was over, charred corpses falling one after the other, she finally lowered her arms and the light slowly faded.

Just then, a light snow began to fall. As if a sign of hope instead of despair.

As if the future was possible, one where the people who’d suffered so greatly could finally live without fear.

CHAPTER 24

Star

Winter.

Always before, they’d been harsh and cruel, a reminder that Mother Nature remained pissed off at what its inhabitants had done.

We’d been freeloaders, ignoring signs of animal and plant extinction, killing indiscriminately while diseases ran unchecked.

Millions of human lives had been lost, animals sacrificed and the environment suffering tremendously. Every time a lesson to be learned, hope restored only to have the situation worsen the next time.

As if the past indiscretions had all been forgiven.

They hadn’t been.

Every war, every battle, and every loss had become more significant, people turning against each other, even those once thought of as trusted friends.

With winter’s arrival, there were those who believed snow and ice cleaned the earth, wiping away remnants of violence and hatred. But in truth, most winters had only exacerbated the desperate and growing needs, leading more humans to turn against each other.

Only the strongest survived, the weak serving no purpose.

At least that’s what I’d seen in reading books on the history of the world. No country had been immune. And not a single country had learned their lesson.

Throughout the centuries, there’d been true leaders who’d tried to do the right thing. There’d been holy men and women who’d shared not only the word of God but also had bargained, pleaded for, and instructed the reason and need for peace.

And for tolerance.

To no avail.

They’d been crushed either before they reached power and were able to influence those caring to listen or were killed before their names were even known.

As the snow continued to fall, I’d begun to better understand why the information about my importance had been and was still being held as a great secret. The same for Phoenix, my Rage.

Granted, I couldn’t understand how the two of us could be the catalyst for such a significant change, but at this point, what other choice did anyone have?

While reports from other countries were sparse, many completely obliterated from the initial nuclear strikes that had been more extensive and more accurate, there were still a few struggling to find their way. Maybe they were lucky and had found a Messiah of their own, a man, woman, or both to guide them from the darkness.

The road was all but gone, the snow blinding. I wasn’t even certain how Wrath and Ghost were determining where the hell we were going. What I did know was that the path was taking us into an area that had been almost completely devastated. There were no buildings, only lumps of rubble sighted every fifty miles.

There was no sign of people or any concept of hope, and other than the rumble of the engine, the only sound was the pinging of ice crystals against the Humvee’s hull.

Wren was fast asleep in my arms, bundled up in a coat way too big for her, two blankets covering her frail body, but she was still shivering. While we were lucky in that we still had some gas, I could tell Rage was worried.

But he was always worried, always keeping an eye on me, especially since I’d managed to harness my fire-starting abilities. I’d been terrified. A quick glance out the window and I’d known there was no chance of winning. Not against the number of Dwellers.

Vicious had called it suspicious, as if the Dwellers had been sent to kill us.

Maybe they had, but I was also beginning to buy into the concept we were being tested once again. Whether by God, his disciples, his apostles, or by aliens I didn’t know. What I did know was that we wouldn’t be gifted another chance if all we had planned was to turn around and in fifty years allow that the world to be destroyed once again.

This was our last chance as a civilization.

The thought was a heavy burden to bear.