There are men who know how to inspire dislike in the people who set their eyes upon them within moments, and without any effort, and the particularly thin man that stood up when the Head of State who had been speaking laid back in his seat was one of these.“Your Excellency, General Rico Stone,” he began, adjusting a large pair of glasses that appeared to weigh his face down. “And to all 119 Heads of State seated here at this august meeting… I salute.”General Rico now found himself more irritated by the man, forming an image of him in his head. These were the kind of men who acted high and mighty, who would wrinkle their noses at the sight of poorer people, and rather throw crumbs of bread at their dogs than at people who needed them. He did not like this man.“I, elected spokesperson of the newly created Union of Heads of States have come, as the lowly servant of theirs, to speak to you on a number of matters. Firstly, is the issue of the governments, and how all power seemingly res
All was said and done, and they waited for his response.The 119 important pairs of eyes, and all the rest of those who were there. He felt his legs go weak, refusing to rise, but he would eventually cause them to, clenching a fist to the right side. Finding an excuse in the water — General Rico had never been a fan of drinking water, and was quick to boo in his thoughts when doctors advised it, but he took a hearty swallow then, followed by a deep breath.They were waiting, and he had to say something. The words he would say now would be immortal, remain after he was dead and gone, and be etched into the history books, if and when humanity found her feet and spread the beings that were her kind all over the face of the Earth again. When he said them, the words would have to be wise, worthy of being attributed to a wise and powerful leader. To him. And he knew that he wanted to be remembered as a great one. When his subject was taught in the history books, or made into biopics, or s
When all departed, he remained alone in the silence.The shirt was back in place, adjusted neatly on his form, but he did not have the heart to say all the goodbyes, handshakes, and greetings that followed after such meetings… all the officiality and pretence towards diplomacy. Physically, mentally, emotionally — he was exhausted on all fronts, and he rested his head on the table.It wearied him that he had ended a war on one front that began another on himself. Where were the heads of state when himself and the army put themselves at risk to save everyone else. Now, they came to ask for power — which he had not taken, but had quite naturally drifted towards him as the hero of the war.He managed to get himself to stand and dragged himself to his car, half attentive to the salutes the soldiers who saw him gave, their bodies stretched to the maximum while their feet stomped hard enough on the earth beneath them to cause earthquakes. At the car, his chauffeur offered to drive him, but h
“We saw you on the TV, Uncle. Mamma made us watch it and the journalist said that you were a superhero.”“Really?” He asked the little girl, drawing out the last syllable even though deep within, he was unsurprised.“Yes, Uncle.”He smiled, thinking of the pay he would give to reward the soldier who had done it, Sergeant Malik. The man had one of the most cunning brains, helping him to record the session and ‘leaking’ it to the public. By now, it would be all over and hot like wildfire, with people moved by the video of him declaring his passion for the world, for what remained of humanity.The family members who had gathered to welcome him now moved away, each to his own business as he settled into the clean white sofa, with only Esmeralda to keep him company. The familiar sense of shame she made him feel had just hit him when he noticed that one person had not yet come to see him.“Where is Mama?”“She's asleep in her room.” She answered.“I should go see her,” General Rico muttered
His mother's words occupied so much of his thoughts that he was lost in his head, and so lost that he failed to hear whatever his mother said from then on, rushed a goodbye for his siblings, and even forgot for the first time in her living memory to give her a parting kiss on the forehead that had become custom with the duo.In his haste to get away, he brushed past all of them, and got back to his own house, where he lived alone with the exception of his stewards. Even so, the sounds they made while discharging their duties — which he would barely hear on his usual day — irritated him so much that he sent all of them back home while remaining by himself, sitting on the edge of his pool with a glass of wine in his hand as the cool water washed over his feet. When the glass was emptied of its contents, he stood and started to walk around the house in a daze, moving on an unmarked path that took him from the pool to the water fountain made of a statue of an angel, to the beautiful pine
Two days later, there was breaking news on all the surviving stations.It ran:“PLANE CARRYING 119 HEADS OF STATE CRASHES INTO OCEAN, KILLING ALL ON BOARD.”This was news that threw much of the world into mourning, except for two men who stood on a balcony with glasses of wine as the setting sun sent orange ripples on the pool below them.“Cheers to you, General.” Malik laughed, raising his glass. “All your enemies are now dead, and the world is yours.”Rico laughed, slurping in his cup. “The world is ours, Malik. Not just mine.”The plan to make the world his had come while he made love to Lucia, precisely when he remembered the fact that all 119 leading men and women were lodged in one hotel. All that was left for him was to confirm if they were all going to return to their headquarters on the same flight, which was why he called Malik.The latter, being the faithful man he was, had soon made his way to Rico's apartment, where he found his General waiting. “Sit down, Malik.” Rico h
Kevin Santorini sat in his old but still running car— one of the only good things he had in his possession while eating a sandwich he had just gotten and listening to the news on the radio. He was still a struggling artist, and few things gave him joy except for his art, the car, his girlfriend Gina, and the house they co-owned after he had saved up for months on end to buy. It was quite shabby, but he liked it and was proud to say it belonged to him. With an exhausted sigh he reached for the knob, just about to change the radio station when a new headline came in. “Breaking News. The Institute for Health Research in Middlestown has announced the escape of a new virus called the Q-21 Zombie virus from one of its laboratories earlier this morning. Everyone is advised to stay indoors until the virus can be controlled.” Laughing at the news, he took the final bite of his sandwich. “Sounds like the gamer's dream come true. Nothing real.” He said to himself, throwing the paper it had b
He fell back with the ladder into the attic where the zombies were reaching out to grab him. For a moment, he gave up on life and living, his heart broken from being betrayed twice in less than an hour. His back hit the floor and he reeled from the impact. All around him, the zombies were jostling to reach him, and he kicked at them in panic, flailing his hands in a feeble attempt to keep them away when one of them touched something. It was a brand new chainsaw he had very recently purchased. With all the effort he could muster, he reached out to pull it towards him when he felt a zombie bite into his leg. Holding the chainsaw with both his hands, he swung it with all the force he could muster, sending a few of them off and cutting into the head of the one biting his leg. Another swing gave him some space to stand, and he started the machine. It buzzed, alive and dangerous, the sound vibrating over the whole room. The zombies began to shriek and yell and rush towards him, obviously
Two days later, there was breaking news on all the surviving stations.It ran:“PLANE CARRYING 119 HEADS OF STATE CRASHES INTO OCEAN, KILLING ALL ON BOARD.”This was news that threw much of the world into mourning, except for two men who stood on a balcony with glasses of wine as the setting sun sent orange ripples on the pool below them.“Cheers to you, General.” Malik laughed, raising his glass. “All your enemies are now dead, and the world is yours.”Rico laughed, slurping in his cup. “The world is ours, Malik. Not just mine.”The plan to make the world his had come while he made love to Lucia, precisely when he remembered the fact that all 119 leading men and women were lodged in one hotel. All that was left for him was to confirm if they were all going to return to their headquarters on the same flight, which was why he called Malik.The latter, being the faithful man he was, had soon made his way to Rico's apartment, where he found his General waiting. “Sit down, Malik.” Rico h
His mother's words occupied so much of his thoughts that he was lost in his head, and so lost that he failed to hear whatever his mother said from then on, rushed a goodbye for his siblings, and even forgot for the first time in her living memory to give her a parting kiss on the forehead that had become custom with the duo.In his haste to get away, he brushed past all of them, and got back to his own house, where he lived alone with the exception of his stewards. Even so, the sounds they made while discharging their duties — which he would barely hear on his usual day — irritated him so much that he sent all of them back home while remaining by himself, sitting on the edge of his pool with a glass of wine in his hand as the cool water washed over his feet. When the glass was emptied of its contents, he stood and started to walk around the house in a daze, moving on an unmarked path that took him from the pool to the water fountain made of a statue of an angel, to the beautiful pine
“We saw you on the TV, Uncle. Mamma made us watch it and the journalist said that you were a superhero.”“Really?” He asked the little girl, drawing out the last syllable even though deep within, he was unsurprised.“Yes, Uncle.”He smiled, thinking of the pay he would give to reward the soldier who had done it, Sergeant Malik. The man had one of the most cunning brains, helping him to record the session and ‘leaking’ it to the public. By now, it would be all over and hot like wildfire, with people moved by the video of him declaring his passion for the world, for what remained of humanity.The family members who had gathered to welcome him now moved away, each to his own business as he settled into the clean white sofa, with only Esmeralda to keep him company. The familiar sense of shame she made him feel had just hit him when he noticed that one person had not yet come to see him.“Where is Mama?”“She's asleep in her room.” She answered.“I should go see her,” General Rico muttered
When all departed, he remained alone in the silence.The shirt was back in place, adjusted neatly on his form, but he did not have the heart to say all the goodbyes, handshakes, and greetings that followed after such meetings… all the officiality and pretence towards diplomacy. Physically, mentally, emotionally — he was exhausted on all fronts, and he rested his head on the table.It wearied him that he had ended a war on one front that began another on himself. Where were the heads of state when himself and the army put themselves at risk to save everyone else. Now, they came to ask for power — which he had not taken, but had quite naturally drifted towards him as the hero of the war.He managed to get himself to stand and dragged himself to his car, half attentive to the salutes the soldiers who saw him gave, their bodies stretched to the maximum while their feet stomped hard enough on the earth beneath them to cause earthquakes. At the car, his chauffeur offered to drive him, but h
All was said and done, and they waited for his response.The 119 important pairs of eyes, and all the rest of those who were there. He felt his legs go weak, refusing to rise, but he would eventually cause them to, clenching a fist to the right side. Finding an excuse in the water — General Rico had never been a fan of drinking water, and was quick to boo in his thoughts when doctors advised it, but he took a hearty swallow then, followed by a deep breath.They were waiting, and he had to say something. The words he would say now would be immortal, remain after he was dead and gone, and be etched into the history books, if and when humanity found her feet and spread the beings that were her kind all over the face of the Earth again. When he said them, the words would have to be wise, worthy of being attributed to a wise and powerful leader. To him. And he knew that he wanted to be remembered as a great one. When his subject was taught in the history books, or made into biopics, or s
There are men who know how to inspire dislike in the people who set their eyes upon them within moments, and without any effort, and the particularly thin man that stood up when the Head of State who had been speaking laid back in his seat was one of these.“Your Excellency, General Rico Stone,” he began, adjusting a large pair of glasses that appeared to weigh his face down. “And to all 119 Heads of State seated here at this august meeting… I salute.”General Rico now found himself more irritated by the man, forming an image of him in his head. These were the kind of men who acted high and mighty, who would wrinkle their noses at the sight of poorer people, and rather throw crumbs of bread at their dogs than at people who needed them. He did not like this man.“I, elected spokesperson of the newly created Union of Heads of States have come, as the lowly servant of theirs, to speak to you on a number of matters. Firstly, is the issue of the governments, and how all power seemingly res
The most amusing thing about sex is that people are just as frightened of it as they are obsessed, especially people who are not supposed to be doing it. It is a touchy topic for them, one not to be spoken of in public, or even suggested at all.It was why ten-year-old Rico could not tell his parents of what Esmeralda had been doing, or who she was doing it with. Indeed, it was an absurd thing to do — what words could he use to express what he had seen, to speak of it to parents who hung their heads in so much misery that they barely saw anything beyond their noses.His courage failed him, and he spoke of it to no one.However, it sat in his mind all the time. Every time Esmeralda smiled at him, he could not help but think of how she felt about her secret activities. He remembered how she offered him a loaf of bread once and how he had refused, wondering which of the men it had come from and what she had done to get it.Sleep eluded him in those days, and he remained awake to see when
The doors swung open into the room where 119 heads of state were waiting for him. He raised his hand to his head in salute before going to the seat reserved for him, while his guards stood on either side of him, armed to the teeth with stern faces and guns.Even then, his mind returned to Jose.Where was he now? Was he alive or dead? Had he even made it past the end of that horrid year? Or had they even passed one another without knowing?He would never know.It was why his thoughts shifted to another sibling he knew, Esmeralda. She had been fourteen at the time, with pretty hair and eyes. He still remembered how her body had still been forming into a womanly shape at the time — things he was quick to look away from. Brothers could not look upon their sisters with that kind of desire.The problem was that other eyes did not turn away the way his did.In the face of disaster, nothing is ever the same, and nothing matters to the victims more than staying and feeling alive. Could General
He marched in his military regalia to his villa, flanked on both sides by two armed men as they started on their way to the military headquarters, where he had demanded that they come to see him. They had asked that he come to the presidential villa of some other country, but he refused, presenting an imagined fear of a coup d’etat for his reason.The true reason was that General Rico wanted to hold onto power for a bit longer, and wished to delay the meeting for as long as he could. Life had changed so fast for him over the course of the war that he did not want to go back to the past, to the scarcity and poverty and hunger he had come from.Who would if they were in his shoes?He was born into a poor family, where his parents were farmers on a small farm. They had guarded that farm with their lives at the time, knowing that any problems with it would keep them hungry for a year, but there were things his parents and the five children which he was the third of were helpless before, t