Elite

Elites are human. Like worms. But that is where the similarities end. They are the surviving few who hold power over worms, hils, Armadillos, and anyone and anything left on this Earth. Or at least, if you asked them that’s what they would say. They wore clean clothes, lived above ground in well-lit, newly constructed metal boxes. A small horde of Armadillos protected each one if they desired it. The end of the world can’t come fast enough for some. The fewer people there are in the world, the more control they had over who remained. The leader of the elites, the one who can claim the title of wealthiest person alive was standing in front of me. And he looked horrified.
He leaned over me while 5 more brutish men restrained me. I had never seen his face but his unnaturally straight, imperceptibly white teeth and fat, full, lazy belly told me all I needed to know.
“Lay still. We need you plugged in and quiet for the next little while worm. You are going to join my army of Armadillos very soon. Isn’t that exciting? You will never have to worry about starving, or being caught without shelter. You won’t even have to worry about the consequences of your own actions. You have done so much, and fought so hard. Let me save you.”
I relaxed into the bed I’d been strapped to. I thought back to all that I had endured. The hunger, the pain, love, loss, stitches and scars and fear and joy. And Rain, and mom, and dad, and Still, and Wheat, and Mike, and Breath. To the doll in the toy box in the upstairs bedroom of a decaying old home. And the poster of a cowboy against a stellar blue sky. To never need to worry again would feel incredible. To be free from any consequence or fear is an admirable promise. But. Someone needed to find Rain. Someone needed to free Dad. Someone needed to change all of this. Without me, I couldn’t promise anyone ever would. And if I could create a world where worms could be above the surface roaming freely once more then it was well worth trying. I struggled and thrashed against the restraints.
“A WORLD WITHOUT WANT IS A WORLD WITHOUT WILL!” I shouted. I didn’t know what it meant at that moment. It just came out of me. I struggled and screamed and thrashed until I had started to rock the table. “Shut the f**k up!” I was slapped across the face and grabbed by the cheeks. The old, fat elite snarled in my face and the group of pale elites tried putting my mask back on. What choice did I have? I let them. The purple dot reappeared but I closed my eyes. I refused to move. Refused to participate in the hallucination before me.
Something struck my stomach, hard. I doubled over and gasped for breath. My eyes stayed closed. Bam! Another blow to my ribs. I heard the thwack of a stick against my body. Pow! A heavy blow to my right knee. I kept my eyes closed and refused to participate. The pain was searing but in my years of adventuring I had endured it all a hundred times over. It was when I heard the unmistakable sounded my shotgun being broken that I realized I might not survive. My body was strapped to the table, my mind was wired to a machine. I was at the mercy of the strongest elite there was. And I had just pissed him off.
Fortunately, the gun was empty and the sons and daughters of Breath had rid me of my ammunition. I prayed they didn’t have any and I called their bluff. I kept my eyes shut. At least if they shot me I would be no use to them as a weapon against other worms. A flash of flames and a second of heat passed by me and I could feel each bearing impregnate my soft tissue. I guess they had a shell. Maybe two.
I died that day. Fully and completely. And in my death I saw a beautiful thing. I saw my mom. Dressed in her jeans and her tank top, and smiling. She was glowing with a fantastic yellow hue. She held me close for a long time and I asked her “is anyone else here yet?” she hesitated. “your dad visits from time to time. But he leaves quickly. You will too. I love you Dirt.” I hugged her again and clung tight to her. It had been so long since I’d seen her. Years since I was sure she knew who I was. And she was happy, and safe. “I love you too mom. Tell dad I said hi, please? If you see him before I do?” she nodded. I could tell my visit was coming to an end quickly and waved goodbye as she faded from me. I woke up outside the building where I had been dumped into the same metal box as other corpses and medical waste.
A hil was carrying my body from the pile and brought me to a few others. I looked down at myself and watched my own heart beat through a large opening in my chest. I saw my shattered bones and single operational lung. There was no pain. My body trembled, almost vibrated. The hils worked to fix me. They used parts scavenged from the bins, and flesh from the newest corpses to put me together again. None of them spoke. None of them made eye contact with me. Once I was fixed once more I stumbled to my feet and stood stunned for a long time. I was alive. I had another chance.