Published: 2025-09-09

Stuart was being tailed, and he couldn’t shake the enemy off. John had told him to wait for reinforcement; he didn’t want to lose him in battle. Blow after blow, the enemy kept trying to strike him down. He was trapped. This is it, he thought while resting his thumb on the trigger; the faces of his wife and children flashed before him, then he pressed it. A violent sound, then there was nothing. A minute ago, he was a small dot in John’s radar; now he was gone.

That’s how life had been after the nuclear holocaust. Those blessed by Darwin’s kiss survived, but the Earth turned hostile. A hunt for food could mean the death of your best friend right in front of your eyes. There was no time for mourning either. Society had become savage. Tears were better saved. Nobody knew if they would live to see another day, but the hope of doing so kept them alive.

Back in the shelter, John looked at the radar and cursed. “Call the reinforcements off.” He said to the man to his right. There was silence in the room. Nobody wanted to be the next person to talk. Somebody tried to say something, “General, I’m sorry about your—” but he cut him off with a hand gesture. He turned to the men; they straightened their backs and looked at him in attention.

“Gentlemen,” John said, “we have lost Mr. Smith in battle. He was surrounded by the enemy and made a judgment call. He didn’t want to endanger the lives of the rest of our men to save his own. He died an honorable death.”

The men listened attentively, captivated by John’s eloquence.

“That being said. We will not mourn him, and we will not search for his body. We make no exceptions and play no favorites. His wish was to keep us out of danger. We will honor his wish.”

Some men lowered their heads, others let a tear out. They had broken bread with Stuart numerous times; now he was gone.

“We know that there is food in the area scouted by Stuart, and that makes it a hub for all kinds of dangerous groups, but if we do not make our move, we will starve to death. It is now or never, gentlemen. The future of our species depends on it.”

The men roared while raising their fists high in the air.

“We move at dawn.”

The men feasted that night. They drank and sang under the moonlight. They laughed, unpreoccupied by the horrors of tomorrow. They knew that after the sun came out, they would depart and perhaps not return, but they chose to believe. The hopes of their whole species rested on their shoulders.

John sat alone, removed from the men and their laughter that seemed to mock him, their singing that pierced his ears, their hugging that made him sick! John had no time for trivialities; he was the one in command, and the lives of their men depended on him. Furthermore, the survival of the rest depended on the survival of his men. No one was expendable, not this time. No one but John himself. “Will I be able to come back?”, “Will any of us be able to come back?”, “Is this the end?”, “Can I lead these men to victory?” All sorts of thoughts raced through John’s mind. In that precise moment, the seed of doubt was planted.

A warm hand was placed on John’s shoulder. He did not need to look to realize who was behind him. Only his best friend, Erick, was allowed to treat him this way. No other person would ever dare.

“Please don’t say it.” John said.

Erick sat by his side and then smiled.

“I won’t. I know you better than you do.” He said.

John paused as if scrambling his brains for the right words to come out.

“Yeah. You do.” He finally said.

They were friends since they were little. They played together, went to school together, and grew up together. When John decided to enlist in the army he tried to get Erick enlisted too, but he refused. “The army, war, it’s just not for me.” He said. Then, nuclear holocaust. Erick and other civilians were able to survive, and John ascended rapidly, as their superiors were killed in meaningless battles while searching for food. Life was funny like that.

“Do you think we’ll make it?” Erick asked.
“I’m not gonna lie to you…”

John didn’t finish the sentence. It was not necessary. Erick looked at the stars and smiled.

“Yeah, you’re not going to.”

He knew. He could see it in John’s eyes. This would be the last time they sat next to each other, the last time they talked to each other, the last time they saw each other.

“You know, John. I love you, man.”
“Don’t tell that to my wife.”
“Shut up.”

They laughed. Suddenly, they were kids again, playing in the neighborhood without any worries. Laughter didn’t seem to mock him anymore.

The morning came. The men kissed their wives and hugged their children. Failure was not an option. It was now or never. With the commander’s order they marched, not towards a source of food, but to freedom. Another team flew, scouting the skies over the units on foot. There was not turning back.

It was a long and torturous path, but they made it. It was a huge facility with white floors and a big metallic electronic device, in front of which the body of Stuart was still lying.

John ran towards him, stumbling on the sterile floor.

“My son, what have they done to you?”

He cried next to Stuart’s body, and this left a cough out. He was alive! With half-closed eyes, he looked at John.

“Dad?”
“Stuart, you’re still alive. We’re gonna get out of here, we are gonna make it.”
“Why, Dad? Why did you come here?”
“We came for you, Stuart. To fulfill your dream, for the sake of the colony.”

Stuart started shaking violently.

“Son? Son!”
“You need to get out of here. They have chemical weapons.”

A huge shade was cast over John’s body.

“They’re here.” Stuart said.

John looked up, and a massive figure stood in front of him. He screamed from the top of his lungs, “Retreat!”

It was too late. The giant creature shot gas from his hands. John’s men fell one after another. They couldn’t breathe, their insides burned, they were dying.

“Run, Dad, save yourself. I’m already dead.” Stuart said.

John clung to Stuart’s feeble body. The gas didn’t reach him. The shadow started to retreat.

“We’re gonna be OK, son. It’s over.” He said.

Stuart didn’t respond. He was dead.

“Son?”

John shook him violently, but Stuart didn’t wake up. John broke down crying. A giant shadow was cast over him. He had only time to look up. His insides were splattered on the sterile white floor.

“Damn cockroaches.” The creature said.

THE END.

THE END.