Greed Infects

Betrayal is more commonplace than most people think. A little white lie here, a little extra money there, or simply going beyond expectations – whether good or bad, it is just as normal as trust and honesty. The problem manifests when betrayal is tainted by sin, typically greed from maximizing profits while minimizing losses. A word that means ‘to reveal’ takes on a much darker connotation by exposing something to the detriment of others.

It doesn’t matter whether you are in an apocalypse or not, keeping a skeptical eye on everyone is the only way to stay on top. After all, you are not the only person in the world. Good notions cannot survive without a bit of critical thinking.

And if you forget that, then…

Tick.

“H-hey Soraya. A-Are you okay? D-don’t scare me like that,” Andrea spoke half-cheerfully, half-dazed. She meandered over to Soraya’s position, standing over her as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Soraya did not respond.

“C-come on Soraya, t-that’s not funny. G-get up!” Andrea grabbed her lifeless arm, trying to pull her up. The blood pooling from the bullet hole splattered on the ground as her habit fell off, revealing her glassy eyes.

“C-chris, c-come on buddy. You can’t die here. You still have a kid to take care of! P-please, wake up!” The scene playing out overlapped with one of my worst memories, from a time when I was still naive. One minute, he was laughing at a stupid joke. The next, he was shot through the heart with a beam of light, causing his head to fall into his food. Denying reality could only last so long though. And once it was accepted…

Tick.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Andrea let out a guttural wail. It was so sad some of the intruders averted their eyes. No one said anything. No one tried to comfort her. After all, it was impossible to know what to do, even if one experienced it themselves.

Instead, I once again turned my attention towards the cause of the sorrow still pointing his gun at me.

“So, Mr. Firefighter? Aren’t you going to answer–”

Bang!

He fired another shot straight at me, which I gracefully dodged with a step to the side. While my body might not be faster than a speeding bullet, I could easily predict where and when he planned on shooting. It was one of the few advantages in a post-apocalyptic world – everyone generally had below average skill sets.

“Tch. I thought I’d try my luck, but I should’ve expected as much from the Bloody Steam-maiden.”

“The who now?”

“Well, no worries, I have other ways of handling you.” And he just ignored my comment. Is that what people were calling me in this world? I wasn’t sure whether that was better or worse than the previous names. It was at least enough to make me wince at the sound of it.

Tick.

“Waaaaaaaahhhhhh!” One of the men carried Jack by his baby strap, not even bothering to support him. His wriggling limbs swung him around even more, causing him to smack into the man’s body with each step.

I let out an annoyed sigh. He was the epitome of a classic villain. With Andrea still broken, I decided to play ball. “So, I’m guessing you just want me to let you kill me in exchange for Jack? Why do you even want me dead?”

“Ha! Are you really trying to pretend you don’t know what’s going on? Do you know how many people you’ve killed?!?” The firefighter screamed, ripping the strap out of his men’s hand.

“You mean the ones who tried to attack me first? Why does that matter to you? You’re a member–”

“SO MY SON DIDN’T EVEN MATTER TO YOU?!?” The firefighter yelled, slamming his hand down with the baby in it. The crying quickly stopped, giving a moment for the firefight to calm down. “Because of you, I know that harmony is impossible. I’d rather take the women and power than deal with this bullcrap.”

“...” It seemed like he was one of those people: the type to justify their choices with an excuse. Sure, if someone killed your loved one, their anger might turn towards some kind of revenge. Everyone coped in different ways.

However, the people here were kind and caring, willing to help each other through troubled times. And yet, when the firefighter looked around, all he saw was a place to destroy. If he couldn’t have happiness, he would take the world down with him. His sorrow might be real, but he should’ve left everyone else out of his pettiness.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Ugh, whatever.

“Now stay still unless–”

Bang! Bang!

“AGGGGHHH!” The firefighter collapsed onto the floor as I shattered both of his knee caps. The other intruders tried to fire back but…

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

One shot, one second, one kill. It only took eighteen to defeat them all. While some could have fired back, after I got through the first five, the rest ran away, not that it mattered. I had something slightly more important to take care of.

Clack. Clack. Clack. I walked loudly towards the floundering firefighter, making no effort to hide my animosity.

“You know, I don’t like torturing others that much. It’s such a pain to deal with and upkeep is horrendous.”

“S-stay away! Don’t come near me!”

Clack. “But sometimes, there are things that even make me cave to my nonexistent emotions.”

“S-stop! I-I’m begging you!”

Clack. “I don’t really care who you’ve killed or what you’ve done. Survival of the fittest, right? I can’t fault you for wanting to stay alive.”

“A-AAAAAHHHH A-AAAHHHHHHH!”

Clack. I stopped right above him, crouching down to meet him eye to eye. “But do you know what really annoys me?”

“Y-you mons–”

I slammed my knife straight through his mouth. “It’s that you killed two people right in front of someone who cherished them, which is something no one should have to experience.”

Tick.

I wasn’t sure whether the firefighter was still alive, but I didn’t care anymore. I gingerly picked up Jack out of habit, carrying him over to Andrea. Her wails had turned into muffled sobs, but the tears continued to pour from her eyes. I kneeled myself, placing Jack by the nun’s side.

We both remained there, mourning those gone under the muted sound of gunfire, letting the time tick by.