Earxradite
We watched the sliver of light, the twinkling dot of hope. The glow was miniscule, yet stood for all mankind's optimism: a clean slate for our people, against the deep black; the channel through which the human race had cleansed its filthy soul.
Out on the moors, where everyone had gathered, our view was unobscured by the city's treacherous smog. The ideal watch post. Soon we would be new again.
It seemed like decades since the ship had been approved for use, but in fact, it was only fifteen years. Fifteen years since the engineers gave the nod and released the craft, lovingly dubbing it "Atonus."
Every sinner was packed onto that rocket and blasted into space, routed for the sun and its merciless heat. The very star that had ensured each breath of life, would scorch them as they took their last.
Enjoying this story? Don't miss the next one!
SUBSCRIBE TO DSF
How was it deemed who was a sinner? How were the categories drawn up, and by whom? It's fine. They know what they're doing, I told myself, as I watched men packed kicking and screaming into the vessel, televised on the News.
A girl who stood near me in the crowd touched my shoulder. "Soon it'll be over," she observed curiously.
"I know. All that filth was sure clogging up the works."
She didn't smile. "I was just a kid when they launched it. So many years have passed. What about all the bad guys who've come into being since the launch?"
I forced myself to ignore the feeling of dread in my stomach; I'd had to do this more and more of late. I laughed. "It'll be all right. If a contingency plan's necessary, they'll have thought of it."
"Who?" She looked at me with sad eyes and moved off into the crowd when I didn't answer. "Man, that's who," I thought in anger. "Our rulers. Our species is king."
I stared at the satellite that carried away the dregs, never again to walk upon the Earth. Now we had a world in which we'd only help each other, only be good to each other, only mean well, with high hopes for our neighbors. My spirits rose when everybody cheered and I began to laugh. We all got a kick when the light blinked out.
The End
This story was first published on Thursday, December 12th, 2019
We hope you're enjoying
Earxradite by
Luke Saldanha.
Please support Daily Science Fiction by becoming a member.
Daily Science Fiction does not have a paywall, but we do have expenses—more than 95% of which are direct payments to authors for their stories. With your $15 membership, less than 6 cents per story, we can continue to provide genre fiction every weekday by email and on the website to thousands of readers for many years to come. You may also choose to support us via patreon.
Tell me more!
Support Daily Science Fiction
Please click to rate this story from 1 (ho-hum) to 7 (excellent!):
Please don't read too much into these ratings. For many reasons, a superior story may not get a superior score.
4.0 Rocket Dragons Average
Please join our mailing list and
receive free daily sci-fi (your email address will be kept
100% private):
