Genetic Drift (28 page)

EPILOGUE

Maddie, Marcus, and now Will, sat on the precipice.  The sea of purple had grown and now covered any remnants of green grass.  The trees had become bare as the sun no longer reached their leaves.  The world was changing, changing into an alien planet.

“How do you think Hope and the others are doing?” Maddie asked.  Marcus stared into the forest below.  He had been quiet since they had gone their separate ways from the terraformer.

“I don’t know.  These plants are going to take over the world and there’s no stopping it,” he said. “We’re going to have to adapt.  We have to find others.  That is our only chance.  We have to find other people and share what we know about the Trolls.”

“I think I’m ready to go to the next bunker,” Maddie told Marcus.  She stood up and looked at the same area of the forest where Marcus was staring.  “I hope that this plan will work and we can recruit some new members.”  Will got to his feet and tried to brush off the dirt.  Marcus stood from his sitting spot. 

“Let’s see what’s down there,” Marcus said, and he walked down the mountain.  Maddie and Will fell in right behind him.  A large number of footsteps started to move behind the three but they didn’t flinch.  Twelve Trolls were following them.

* * *

Ben, Ethen, Jay, and Hope entered an abandoned communication center.  Signs of an attack peppered the building.  Ethen pushed the door through the entangled moss barricade.  There was a chair behind one desk.  The desk only held a box and a stand-alone microphone.  Ethen walked up to the box and noticed it was a radio receiver.  There was a low tone of static coming through the speaker.  And then a click. A faint voice was heard from another radio operator.

“Hello… hello… Can anyone respond?  This is Camp Titan, in Aspen.  I am going out in the blind.  We are under attack.  We are evacuating.  It doesn’t look good.  We have been attacked by the Four Dragoons.  They have wiped out our defenses and we can’t…”  The transmission went silent.

About the Author

Sometimes we find ourselves drifting aimlessly through life like a jellyfish in the ocean, going wherever the current takes us.  Then, we find something we enjoy and we do it.  Such is the case with this book.  This story started with a paragraph written for fun to entertain his wife and turned into this book. 

Martin wears no cape, has no special accolades, or bells, or whistles to go along with his name but he has an innate ability to bring joy and happiness to those around him using his glowing effervescence and sunny disposition. 

Born in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Martin has served in the United States Navy for 21 years and currently resides in Naples, Italy.  He has been lucky enough to see the world and the wonders of people and cultures that populate it.  And one day if he’s lucky, he may rule it as a benevolent overlord.

Genetic Drift
is the first book from the author and he hopes that you have enjoyed his brand of storytelling.