Anthrocide

If you suddenly awoke in the year 2101 and the trends that exist today had continued to their logical conclusions, what kind of society would you find? That is precisely what happens to Larry Blevins in The Anthrocide Solution. He finds a world where families, faith and freedom are not merely discarded, but outlawed. It is a world where raising children or mentioning God can get one executed in a bizarre sports-arcade-game-show while gamblers bet on how long it will take. It is a world where good and evil are no longer recognized. It is a world whose seeds are being planted in our day. Yet, even in this nightmare world is a word of hope—whispered for fear of discovery. To his great surprise, Larry becomes an integral part of fulfilling that hope via God’s planned solution—the Anthrocide Solution.

The Anthrocide Solution is available from AuthorHouse.com for purchase in print or as a download (PDF). You can also download the first four chapters for free.

Excerpt from The Anthrocide Solution

Larry was holding her in his arms, their minds clouded by a haze of infatuation when the spell was broken by a loud voice.

“Thank you for riding Commuter Craft, and remember, Opticaine is Pacifica’s number one BD treatment.”

It took Jeenine a brief moment to collect her thoughts. Something was very wrong, but what? Then she grasped the problem; it was dark. She jabbed the panel below the blue light furiously and shouted, “Emergency, destination change to, um, 9000 North Main.”

It was too late. The craft lurched to a final stop and the doors snapped open. Jeenine tried the panel and her command again.

“You must exit and wait for the next available tram. This trip is concluded,” said the computer voice. It was then that Larry spotted the half-dozen toughs approaching the tram door. Each had the same cryptic symbol tattooed on his forehead

“Who are they?” he asked.

“Roamers. Their thrill is overpowering and forcing themselves on people.”

It was clear to Larry that for Jeenine and him to have any chance, they had to get out of the tram. He jumped out and practically dragged her with him. The Roamers were approaching slowly, savoring, hooting and laughing at the prospect of easy prey.

Larry hurriedly sized up the surroundings. The only way off the platform was a walled-in stairway wide enough for about four people abreast. It lay directly behind their attackers.

“You a good runner?” he said under his breath.

“Right now? Oh yeah,” she answered.

“When I say run, head for home and don’t even think about me till you’re inside. Now stay behind me.”

The gang was in the process of forming a semicircle around them when Larry reached into his boot and produced the stiletto. Weapons in the hands of citizens were rare enough that it caught them by surprise. This allowed the two to circle around and trade places with their attackers. Now the stairs were behind Larry and Jeenine.

“Hey, BD-ooze, what do you think you’re gonna do with that stick-pin?” razzed one attacker.

“Guess when we get done with ’em we’ll each have to carve our initials in ’em,” said another, evoking laughter from the rest. The two just kept backing toward the stairs. Larry brandished the knife to keep them at bay until they were within a couple of feet of the stairs. Jeenine, in fact, had one hand on the railing. Good, Larry thought, now maybe I can keep them bottled up while she gets away.

“Run, Jeenine, run!” he shouted, and off she went. He swung the knife wildly in all directions, nearly catching one attacker who just backed away in time. Another was slipping by to his right, but the need to negotiate the stairs slowed him enough that Larry caught up and sliced him deeply across the triceps. The wounded Roamer grabbed his arm and stumbled down the steps. Another tried getting by to his left and with a lunge Larry stabbed him in the side just below the ribcage. He cursed violently and got no further than the bottom of the steps. Jeenine was a good half-block away by now.

“Forget that one,” snarled the gang-leader. “This one will do. You’re gonna pay for this; I promise you that.” He rushed right at Larry, who had been backing down the stairs, with the other three following. When Larry swiped at him, he backed up, colliding with his advancing compatriot. The two fell down the steps nearly taking Larry with them. Another attacker took advantage of the confusion and grabbed Larry by the left arm. Larry instinctively swung the knife and plunged it right into the Roamer’s abdomen. As that one collapsed the last one came at him from behind and Larry swung wildly at him. He jumped back out of the way of the blade, but stumbled into the groaning Roamer with the cut triceps.

This was the opportunity. Larry took off in a dead sprint, mortal terror turning the non-athletic Larry into a cheetah. He caught a glimpse of Jeenine just rounding the corner at the far end of the block, and was grateful since he doubted he would have remembered the way to her house. He ran high up on his toes, making only the lightest tapping noise on the street as he ran. In contrast he could hear the slapping of the feet of his pursuers, how many he wasn’t sure. He realized that running-down their victims was probably fairly commonplace for them, and they were likely much better runners. All he had in his favor was his head start and sheer panic.

He reached the corner and spotted Jeenine at the top of the steps of the next-to-last dwelling. He thought he detected the sound of his pursuers closing on him and tried turning his speed up a notch by raising his knees even higher. He sprinted on, holding the knife like the baton of a relay-racer. He heard shouting from Jeenine’s dwelling and saw AceEvan and Jasix hurrying down the front steps, a half-block away. Don’t slow up, he told himself. Just because help is near, don’t slow up till you’re there. The two began running toward him just as he felt a tug at the back of his sleeve. They had caught up with him.

The Anthrocide Solution is available from AuthorHouse.com for purchase in print or as a download (PDF). You can also download the first four chapters for free.