Dominant Species

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The familiar sound of chirping crickets was faint enough to sleep through, but Richard’s weary eyes would not close. His mind raced along, assessing the mental damage that was yet to come. Richard could feel his very soul collapsing under the weight of a promise made to quell the fears of a loved one, but never meant to become a reality. It was a pact that he had made with his wife that they would never let the other one be turned into a soulless creature. Richard could feel his stomach knotting up into a hard mass as he reached for his pulse rifle on the floor next to him. Drops of anguish and regret rained down from his cheeks, draining but not emptying his reservoir of pain. His trembling fingers instinctively grasped the cold metal weapon as he lifted it up and turned it on. A faint whining sound replaced the cricket’s stridulations as the induction coil charged. Once the weapon was ready to fire, Richard slowly crept over to his wife’s sleeping bag, careful not to wake her. Then he took a deep breath as he positioned the muzzle a few inches from her temple. A lifetime of memories sent a shiver down his spine as he took one last look at her innocent face before pulling the trigger. A bright green flash lit up the tent, temporarily blinding him as the pungent smell of burnt hair and flesh seeped into his lungs. Richard dropped to his knees the instant his watering eyes confirmed Mikala’s fate.

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