“Colonel Gray?” Ben called. “Move the people east.”
“Yes, sir.”
THE REBEL
Ben looked to the west, toward the dream of a master race. “I’ll kill you someday, Striganov,” he muttered, as Gale stirred beside him. “Tattoo that on your arm.”
THE RUSSIAN
Striganov stood with the sun just looming over the horizon. He stood looking toward the dream of a free society.
“I’ll kill you some day, Ben Raines,” he said. “That is a promise.”
“Sir?” Colonel Fechnor said.
Striganov turned. “Yes.”
“The women have begun birthing the half-mutants.”
“Oh? How do they look?”
Fechnor smiled, the sun gleaming off his steel teeth. “Magnificent, sir. They are truly a sight to behold.”
THE PEOPLE
The ragged and dirty little girl stood holding onto the hand of her big brother. She was six. He was nine.
They stood looking toward the east.
“Are we going now?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“To find this man?”
“Yes. It’s a long way, but we’ll make it.”
“And then everything will be all right? We won’t be hungry or cold or afraid anymore?”
“That’s right.”
They started walking down the weed-filled, old two-lane highway.
“This man,” she said, “he must be somebody really special.”
Her brother looked at her. “The people back in the caves said he was.”
“What is he?”
“They said he was God.”
“I’ve heard of that person,” she replied. “I wish we were there now. I’m hungry.”
“Maybe I can kill us a rabbit and we’ll cook it.”
She wrapped her thin coat around her. “Does God have a name?”
“Ben Raines.”