Round 1, Match 6: Apocalypse Molcar vs Workaholic. Workaholic:

Round 1, Match 6: Apocalypse Molcar vs Workaholic.

Prompt: We must eat to survive

Participant: Workaholic (https://www.honeyfeed.fm/u/7532)

“Hah...hah....how many more days of this can we endure?” asks one of the boys, drenched in sweat. It didn’t help that the air was humid at this time of year. The suffocating heat was probably more oppressive than anything else about our working conditions.

“I have no idea, even the dogs get better treatment than us” says another of the boys. He used to be bulky, but his skin is saggier, evidence of his body not taking enough nutrients.

“Pft, of course. How do you think they catch anyone foolish or dumb enough to try and escape this place?” It appeared he tried to spit, but it sounded like all he had to expel was air.

“So is our only choice to slave away, working until we have nothing left in us? Hah! Do you even know what they do to dispose of us? They skin the deceased and feed it to us, saying we are lucky to have meat. Even the dogs don’t get fed with it.” The young man who said this with clear anger is the hot head of our group.

“That is just be a rumor. You shouldn’t believe everything you hear-”

“LIKE HELL IT IS. Everytime someone dies from exhaustion, there is meat the next day in our meals. You expect me to believe it isn’t just a coincidence.”

“Hey, calm down. You know our leader is just trying to put everyone at ease. Whatever it is they put in, it doesn’t change the fact you can’t live without eating.”

“Tch. Some leader. I didn’t even agree to him being leader.”

“Well Fudge, it’s not like I wanted to be leader, but someone had to take charge. Being leader isn’t just about barking orders and relaxing. Who was it that saved Tak when he dropped his load from getting whipped by bribing that watcher? It sure wasn’t you who stepped in to take the punch when little Ricky there accidentally spilled his meal on the other watcher’s clothes. That punch could have killed Ricky, or injured him badly enough they may have deemed him unfit to work and executed him.”

Fudge winced and looked toward the tent wall. “I’m just saying you shouldn’t act like the high and mighty person you think you are Jorge.”

“Let me be clear. I don’t see myself as a hero or some kind of martyr. Hell, if I were the latter, I’d probably already be dead. I am just making sure we all survive until we get rescued or this fucked up mess we call a war is officially over. This situation won’t last forever...at least I can only hope it doesn’t. More often than not, it’s the situation we find ourselves in dictates who is suitable to being leader. Maybe if there was a way to escape that didn’t result in execution, or we could get our hands on weapons, I wouldn’t be forced to kiss ass to make sure we all get out alive”

“Umm Jorge, how can you stay so optimistic?” asks the little boy who was quietly sitting, Ricky.

“Well Ricky, and everyone here listening, no war has lasted a lifetime. History has taught us that. Most last a couple intense years before one side gets fatigued to the point they start making bad mistakes. We were civilians taken in as prisoners of wars and we are treated like we are meant to die a slow agonizing death. But you know what, as long as we eat, we survive, and the longer we survive, the better our chances of getting out of this mess.”

“Eh, shut up and eat” as a bowl of schlop is pressed to Jorge’s chest by Fudge. It seems Jorge’s little speech got through to Fudge, even if it was a little.

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Judge's Feedback

znf: Edgy. I feel like the setting is established a bit late, but other than that, I think the general ethos of the short story is pretty fitting for the prompt. Mix of cannibalism and just eating goop when exhausted people aren't killed for meat. The pedantic stuff halfway through is kind of generic and bland though.

OscarHM: Decent interpretation of the prompt. Dialogue is a bit stiff. You don't use dialogue tags, which by itself is fine but you don't introduce us to any of the characters names until later in the story which makes it confusing. Not clear if it's a back and forth or several characters talking at points. Even though the interpretation of the prompt makes sense, it's a little boring for my tastes, the horror of the situation doesn't really hit in isolation like this. Also, history would show something very different I think.

otkrlj: felt sort of barren overall, with the lack of contest not working in its favor. yeah sure, there may or may not be cannibalism of whatever, but I really couldn't get myself to care.