The Good, the Bad and the Apocalypse by Stephen J Preston

Author:Stephen J Preston [Preston, Stephen J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arius Publishing
Published: 2019-05-17T18:30:00+00:00

35

Tim estimated that there must have been around fifty workers, smoothly moving in what looked an effortless synchronised pattern, around and across the pools, dragging nets and returning with their nauseating bounty. Most were silent, as if lost in their own thoughts, but some chatted quietly as they worked or made jokes as they passed one another. The reality of the existence of the people of the Isolation District began to sink in. Concealed from the view of the bulk of the city’s population was an underclass who ground out a life in squalid conditions. Politicians and the media led the city’s population to believe that they were ungrateful, lazy and potentially violent, and that keeping them out of the main city was necessary and justified. Even those who had some awareness and sympathy didn’t truly understand the full extent of just how bad things were, as no-one other than Recycling Vehicle pilots—who had high-security clearance—and Administration staff, were allowed to cross into the district. Slowly Tim moved toward the fetid pool, trying to restrain his gag reflex.

For six hours Tim trudged around, dragging his net and dumping its contents into the waste container. He stopped only for an occasional drink of bitter-tasting water from the shed, or to relieve himself in one of the dirty latrines dotted around the pools. There was a short lunch break mid-way through the day, but Tim had no food and no-one offered to share theirs. The workers sat around in groups by the side of the pools, apparently oblivious to the stench, and tucked into what appeared to be very simple nutrition: bread, meats of some sort and the occasional cake or cookie. No-one spoke to Tim, and Flo was nowhere to be seen, so Tim sat alone and just observed their interactions. By the end of the shift Tim was exhausted, as what had started off as a light and easily manoeuvrable net had become progressively heavier and more cumbersome as his arms became tired. Tim’s knee had become sore and the knuckles on his right hand had swollen again, making it difficult for him to grip the pole properly. His uniform trousers were filthy from the knee down as a result of the unavoidable splashes of dark sediment from his net.

No-one made any official announcement that the shift was over; no alarm sounded or sign appeared. All at once, as if a message had been subliminally received, the workers simply made their way to the nearest shed to return their nets before walking off and disappearing into the nearby streets. Tim looked around for Flo but she had gone with all the others. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, he had been left alone. Tim wearily returned his net and gloves to the green shed, mounted his hover-cycle and made his way home.

No sooner had Tim walked through his front door, his home communication hub lit up to indicate someone was calling him. Unusually, there was no data revealing who it was.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.