His Dad always said if there was a zombie apocalypse he’d be the first one to die.

‘You’re too bloody nice,’ he’d say, in a way that made nice sound like something he’d stepped in.

Well, it might not be a zombie apocalypse, but this world was ending, and he was still very much in the game.

Where the fuck are you, Dad?

Two factions left in a war that had spanned years.  To the victors the spoils.

It felt like he’d been here forever, back pressed up against the wall, his breath heavy and sour in the confines of his helmet, sweaty hands clasped firmly on his gun. 

They’d lost K-C earlier, his best fucking friend.  They were supposed to make it out of this together, but one wrong move…no time for what ifs, he’d do this for both of them.

Heart thudding heavy in his chest, he practiced the breathing exercises his Mum had taught him in another world: two sharp breaths in, one long breath out, repeat. 

Calm the system, find the focus.

He was in the building.  All he had to do was get to the central mainframe and destroy the comms.  It would send the entire network down.  He’d be on his own, but so would they, and he was better.

A voice in his ear:

‘You practicing those breathing exercises K-J?’  He managed a small smile, K-T could always read him, even from a distance.  ‘We got this.  Final mission.  You take care of those comms and we’ll take care of the rest.  Radio silence from here.’

He broke cover….

Click here to read the rest of this story on Gobblers / Masticadores.

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I’m so chuffed that Gobblers / Masticadores have published another one of my stories and even happier that I will be making monthly contributions to their fantastic magazine. It’s an honour to have my stories featured alongside some amazing writers and I’m grateful for the opportunity to increase the breadth of my readership.

Check their author biography pages at the end of the month and you might just find a picture of me with my favourite tipple.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to read this online magazine then please do have a look. It features some fantastic stories. There are so many great writers to discover on there. My favourite at the moment are Terveen Gill / It Ain’t Right til I write and Bogdan Dragos / Daydreaming as a Profession.

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