The Gravediggers of Orpheus [1]
A Sci-fi flash fiction for SciFriday
“Hate to break it to ya’, but you’re going out there again, Derek,” the dispatch’ rumbled.
“You serious? Gimme a break!” He cried out. He was exhausted; his crew just got back from cleaning up after the last GHOUL attack. City left in ruins. Contaminated. No survivors this time. Not a single one. A normal day in a gravedigger’s life. Gathering the dead after the war battles to bury them with dignity, yet secretly hoping to find survivors.
Their vessel dropped the gravedigger crew among the ruins along with a container for the corpses.
“What are we looking for?” He adressed the dispatch’.
“Twelve o’clock, looks like a human female.”
Gravediggers where the bottom of the foodchain, they addressed each other and the dispatcher informally, because when facing death and decomposing corpses all day every day, formalities lost their meaning. Their job was to clear the ruins from the dead civilians, after the GHOUL government had occupied yet another rebellious city. No negotiations. No mercy. Whether you comply to the GHOUL or die.
“You heard the man, twelve o’clock,” Derek led his crew.
Derek saw her first - a woman, lying on her stomach, half of her head chopped off, bullet holes all over her back.
“Load her in, boys!” Derek commanded, “what the…?”
Once lifted, the woman’s corpse revealed another one lying underneath her. Another woman. Younger and pregnant. The automatic scanning on Derek’s visor ran a scan for signs of life before his eyes.
“Get the paramedic bots operating! We have a survivor!” Derek yelled.
“Sheeesh, ain’t somebody excited!” the dispatch’ replied.
A first aid container was lowered from the ship. Derek and his crew loaded the young woman into it as carefully as they could. Unconscious, covered in bruises and blood, but still alive. After they placed the corpse of the other woman into the ‘dead’ container, straps were lowered to pull the gravedigger crew back into the ship.
Though their job was to collect the dead, the rewarding part was finding a survivor.
“Yeah, we got one,” Derek said quietly, whilst the cord pulled him back into the ship. Moments like these made his job all worth while.
I really like this little story. Nicely done! Thanks for sharing.
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