Excerpt: Apocalyptic Remote For A Lost Giant's Heart

Paradise is a place that all people have always sought and claimed to have found. It is a world where the pain of our past is forgotten and our future becomes less worrisome. It is everything that we strive for, but have never found. Sandy beaches, crystal clear blue waters, sunny weather, and great food isn't a representation of paradise. It is but a false interpretation, where painful memories last, and the thought of returning to normal life is constant. But, even now in the hell that the world has become, the human race strives for paradise. Even at the fringes of existence, we hold onto hope.

But it was not hope, nor was it even a bit close to paradise (actually quite far from it), that Efrim now looked upon. It was a place he had not been born into, but rather forced into by the mistakes of the human population in their relations with their neighbors.

Efrim had always been the type of person to stand up against whatever it might be he did not agree with. He believed he stood for justice, and he refused to comply with anything else.

Standing at a towering six feet and four inches, with the brutish face of a bull, people often avoided Efrim. Previous to the apocalypse, he was known as an outcast. For years he was alone with no one to turn to when he was in need. He was often depressed, and it wasn't until he found his niche in the grass-roots politics community did he truly feel happiness. It was there in that community that he could express his constant need for justice.

It was rare that someone stood in the way of Efrim, unless of course that someone armed themselves with a weapon. Most people backed away, allowing the great giant past their defenses. That was before hell. His community had vanished, rendering him once again a misfit. Yet, his strive for justice remained, which is the reason for him being chained against the chain-link fence.

A forest lay before Efrim and the other refugees of his colony. A beautiful, lush, organic, thriving spread of pure life. It was a rare occurrence to come across such vast beauty in the world they lived in, “they” meaning “all that was left of the human population”.

Two men clad in several pieces of clothing approached the forest with torches in hand. The fire glowed in the darkness of night, reflecting Efrim's growing anger.

The men looked at Efrim, then each other. They nodded. The men then preceded to carry their torches along the outside of the forest, igniting the bushes that outlined its perimeter. Efrim cried out, but his voice had not been heard.

The men ran round the entirety of the forest, encircling its full mass. Efrim struggled to break free from his constraints, but to no avail. From within the darkness he heard life's cries of terror and his eyes swelled with tears. The fire grew, it's heat pressing against his chest.

A mass of people stood behind him, cheering and applauding for the destruction of the forest. Soon, the fire reached unimaginable proportions, licking the stars and devouring life. Efrim still struggled, the chains digging deep into his skin. Sweat poured from his face as the heat of the fire became more intense.

The entire forest was now engulfed in giant wall of yellow and orange flames, gray smoke floating high into the sky to play as clouds.

Efrim sighed in defeat as the mass around him cheered in victory. From within the newborn hell before them, an explosion shook the earth. A large fist of orange fire and black smoke grew high into the sky and everyone's cheers grew louder.

There was a victory that was won that night. But at what cost? Efrim asked himself. His people had sacrificed not only a months worth of resources, but a majority of the beauty that still remained in their world. For that sacrifice, and enemy colony was annihilated- a colony that posed no threat other than taking other resources. If his people could not have the resources, neither could anyone else. Such was their logic.

There was a celebration that night, but Efrim was left chained to the fence. He had been offered to be released, but he reluctantly refused. He knew all too well what he would have done to the men who carried the torches. It was best that he remained constrained.