Reddened Wasteland by Kyle Perkins

tone.
    “I have a feeling this is a trap… I’ll bite, though.
No, I don’t think you could actually hurt me,” he said as he flexed his chest
and grinned.
    She immediately stripped off all of her clothes, then
wrapped the blanket tightly around herself. She gave Alerik a pointed look.
    “Don’t touch me for the rest of the week,” she said,
then turned away from him.
    “Ouch! Okay, I give. I didn’t realize nuclear weapons
were on the table,” he laughed, “You made your point.”
    “As long as you admit that I won,” she called over her
shoulder defiantly.
    “You won, you won,” he conceded as his hand found her
hip.
    “And you call me your girlfriend. Since we’re label
people, now.”
    “Yes, girlfriend. Whatever you say, girlfriend.”
    “Thank you. I like how that sounds.”
    “I agree,” he laughed.
    “Just shut off the light, dummy.”
    ***
    The next morning, they arrived at the jobsite to find
that the mine had been closed off. The lockers had been hauled to the surface,
the doors were all popped with the contents out in the open for the world to
see. It appeared The Union had been busy.
    As they stood and watched miners collecting their
things, a guard approached from the side and tapped Alerik on the shoulder.
    “Aemon would like a word.”
    “What a coincidence. I was just about to request a
chat with him, myself. Just give me a second to grab my things,” he frowned
before turning to Velar, “Just stay near me. People look angry and confused.
You know what that means… They might lash out.”
    She nodded and stayed close to him as they walked over
to the lockers. She tugged on his sleeve.
    “What do you think is going on?” she whispered, “Why’d
they shut it down?”
    “I’m not sure. After you have your things, head home
with the driver. I’ll be there as soon as I finish up here. I don’t like the
way this looks,” he said with hesitation in his voice as he grabbed his
pickaxe.
    Velar grabbed the remainder of her things, then hugged
him tightly and forced a tight smile, “Be careful… boyfriend.”
    “I promise, girlfriend,” Alerik watched her walk back
to the driver and climb into the vehicle. After a moment, they flew off and he
felt a small wave of relief. The air at the jobsite was thick with tension, and
there were no guarantees that things would stay calm. One misplaced step and
the whole place could riot.
    “Let’s go see Aemon,” he said to the guard.
    The two walked a short distance to the office that was
becoming all too familiar to Alerik with every passing day. Again, he wondered
about Bragog’s fate. What had happened to him, what was his role in all of this
mess? He seemed to be the only member of The Union who seemed to actually care
about the people in the settlement.
    As they passed through the hall, Alerik’s anxiety
intensified. It was odd for Aemon to summon him to the office. He was used to
initiating the meetings whenever he had new information to offer. Perhaps they
had information for for him, though. After all, they were supposed to be
testing that flask. He hoped whatever it was would help with his investigation.
    His mind raced with possibilities as he stepped into
the office to find Aemon sitting behind his desk, looking dapper as always.
    “Alerik, good to see you. Would you mind having a
seat?” he gestured towards a chair.
    “Yeah sure… So, why was I called in?” he asked as he
sat in front of the man, “Is this about what is going on outside?”
    “In a way, yes,” Aemon leaned back in his chair, “I
just have a couple of questions for you, first. Then we can proceed with any
you might have for me, does that sound like a fair deal?”
    His condescending tone was almost too much for Alerik
to stomach, but he bit his tongue, “Yes, sounds fair.”
    “Great!” he clapped his hands together. “So, our
driver informs us that you took a bit of detour yesterday, over amongst the
trash heaps outside the mines. Care to explain