Read Online Dominatus by D. W. Ulsterman - Free Book Online
Authors: D. W. Ulsterman
Tags: Science-Fiction, Literature & Fiction, Action & Adventure, War & Military, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Genre Fiction, Dystopian
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whole lot them out there. That’s why I’m here. I’m not here to kill anyone.”
Mac’s head tilted to the side slightly and his right eyebrow shot up.
“You sure about that? Things might get sketchy. I’d feel a whole lot better…I promised your dad I’d look after you up here. Carol warned us, they could be coming up this way soon.”
“No thanks Mac…guns aren’t my thing. Would I be the only one not carrying a sidearm in Dominatus?”
“Actually no, there’s one other person who chooses not to carry a weapon.”
“Who’s that?”
Mac paused and his eyes drifted to a window behind us and the view outside.
“The Old Man.”
“So that puts me in some pretty good company.”
Mac laughed and clapped his hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah, I guess it does.”
V.
The air outside was a biting cold, the kind of cold those who have never travelled this far north could understand. It felt good though, a reminder that one was in fact alive.
The morning sunlight lit the surroundings with a deceptively warm glow, the sound of birdsong enveloped Mac and I as we made our way toward a small footpath that led further into the trees. Mac pointed to the narrow trail.
“I prefer to walk if that’s ok with you. It’s about a mile up the trail, the operations center…give us a chance to talk a little more if you like.”
“What’s the operations center Mac?”
“Oh, something we put together about five years ago I guess. I wanted a central location that most of the others could get to easily, something less exposed than my tavern. Something we could keep an eye on people coming and going. Plus, it’s a hell of a lot closer to the Old Man and he’s having trouble getting around these days, so it makes it easier for him to get to a meeting, which means more people are able to see him, and that’s important to everyone around here.”
I remained silent for a moment, the crunch of our footsteps upon the snow covered ground mixing now with the sounds of the birds.
“What is it about the Old Man? People seem to hold him in such high regard. My dad was the same way. He didn’t speak about him a lot, but when he did, it was with a lot of respect. Almost reverence.”
Mac looked over at me, his breathing becoming just a bit more labored as we made our way up a small hill.
“You’ll have to decide for yourself Reese when you see him today. I’m sure he’ll have some words for us, and then you can tell yourself whether or not he’s worth the respect we give him or not. As for me, I’d die for the Old Man. And I’d kill for him too.”
“Some might call that more than a bit cultish Mac.”
“Yeah – but they wouldn’t understand the last twenty years of my life now would they? Along with your dad, it was the Old Man who got me out of prison. It was the Old Man who invited me to come up here and gave me a purpose. He gave me my life. He also gave me a whole lot better understanding of how and why things went so badly for America, how things ended up the way they are now. I’ve been allowed to live the last twenty years a free man. My rules. My way. My life. There’s not a whole lot more than that a person can ask for is there? Isn’t that what America fought for back in 1776 and so many conflicts that followed? We were a country founded on that idea, right? Liberty. Freedom. Self determination. I never really appreciated those things until I had them taken away from me. The Old Man gave me those things back, and I’ll be thankful to him for the rest of my days.”
“How many of those days do you think you have left?”
I saw Mac’s eyebrows raise slightly while the rest of his face betrayed no surprise at my question. He continued to walk, though I could sense his attempt to give me a response.
“None of us really
Mac’s head tilted to the side slightly and his right eyebrow shot up.
“You sure about that? Things might get sketchy. I’d feel a whole lot better…I promised your dad I’d look after you up here. Carol warned us, they could be coming up this way soon.”
“No thanks Mac…guns aren’t my thing. Would I be the only one not carrying a sidearm in Dominatus?”
“Actually no, there’s one other person who chooses not to carry a weapon.”
“Who’s that?”
Mac paused and his eyes drifted to a window behind us and the view outside.
“The Old Man.”
“So that puts me in some pretty good company.”
Mac laughed and clapped his hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah, I guess it does.”
V.
The air outside was a biting cold, the kind of cold those who have never travelled this far north could understand. It felt good though, a reminder that one was in fact alive.
The morning sunlight lit the surroundings with a deceptively warm glow, the sound of birdsong enveloped Mac and I as we made our way toward a small footpath that led further into the trees. Mac pointed to the narrow trail.
“I prefer to walk if that’s ok with you. It’s about a mile up the trail, the operations center…give us a chance to talk a little more if you like.”
“What’s the operations center Mac?”
“Oh, something we put together about five years ago I guess. I wanted a central location that most of the others could get to easily, something less exposed than my tavern. Something we could keep an eye on people coming and going. Plus, it’s a hell of a lot closer to the Old Man and he’s having trouble getting around these days, so it makes it easier for him to get to a meeting, which means more people are able to see him, and that’s important to everyone around here.”
I remained silent for a moment, the crunch of our footsteps upon the snow covered ground mixing now with the sounds of the birds.
“What is it about the Old Man? People seem to hold him in such high regard. My dad was the same way. He didn’t speak about him a lot, but when he did, it was with a lot of respect. Almost reverence.”
Mac looked over at me, his breathing becoming just a bit more labored as we made our way up a small hill.
“You’ll have to decide for yourself Reese when you see him today. I’m sure he’ll have some words for us, and then you can tell yourself whether or not he’s worth the respect we give him or not. As for me, I’d die for the Old Man. And I’d kill for him too.”
“Some might call that more than a bit cultish Mac.”
“Yeah – but they wouldn’t understand the last twenty years of my life now would they? Along with your dad, it was the Old Man who got me out of prison. It was the Old Man who invited me to come up here and gave me a purpose. He gave me my life. He also gave me a whole lot better understanding of how and why things went so badly for America, how things ended up the way they are now. I’ve been allowed to live the last twenty years a free man. My rules. My way. My life. There’s not a whole lot more than that a person can ask for is there? Isn’t that what America fought for back in 1776 and so many conflicts that followed? We were a country founded on that idea, right? Liberty. Freedom. Self determination. I never really appreciated those things until I had them taken away from me. The Old Man gave me those things back, and I’ll be thankful to him for the rest of my days.”
“How many of those days do you think you have left?”
I saw Mac’s eyebrows raise slightly while the rest of his face betrayed no surprise at my question. He continued to walk, though I could sense his attempt to give me a response.
“None of us really
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