Tombstone Read Free Page A

her name
was Risa, but that’s about all.  I always meant to ask him to tell me more
about her, but the days went by and I never did.  Then, one day, he was gone
too, and I had no one to ask.  I was alone.
    He died in an accident on the farm.  They never told me
exactly how it happened, but the machinery was mostly old and poorly
maintained, and accidents were common.  It was easier and cheaper to replace
workers than it was to inspect and maintain the equipment.  The Megacorp was
owned by the government, and they established a production quota and a budget. 
The Corporate Magnates who ran the thing got to keep whatever was left unspent,
and they weren’t going to lose sleep over a few dead or crippled Croppers. Not
as long as profits were rolling in.
    I was only twelve, but I was already taller and bigger than
most of the adults, so they assigned me to take over my father’s workload.  Technically,
he still owed the corporation for transport and housing, so I had to work off
the debt.  It was all bullshit; the whole system was a scam run by the
megacorp, and no one ever got out of debt.  They just kept working on the farm
until they were too weak or hurt to continue, and then they were discharged,
which probably meant they starved to death. 
    I did the work for a while, but I had no intention of
spending the rest of my life in those forsaken fields.  One of the supervisors
rode me constantly – I think he had been in some sort of quarrel with my
father, and now he took it out on me.  He was a miserable bastard, and he was
relentless.  I tried my best to put up with it, but I blamed him for my
father’s death and one day I’d had enough.  He was giving me a hard time about
nothing, and I just grabbed him and twisted his head.  His neck snapped like a
dry twig.  I can still remember the feeling of his body jerking around, then
going limp while I still held him and the hideous stench as his bowels released
in death.  It was the first time I’d ever stood up for myself, the first time
I’d ever killed anyone.
    After the initial adrenalin rush, I panicked.  The other
supervisors backed away, but they were all calling frantically for security.  I
knew I’d be lucky if they gave me the formality of a trial before gassing
me…most likely they just shoot me down on sight.  So I ran.  I ran, and somehow
I got away, past the checkpoints and over the perimeter fence.
    I was alone, hiding in the rugged ground east of the farm
complex, terrified, frantically trying to think of what to do.  I knew I had to
get my implant out or it would lead them right to me.  I sat for what seemed
like a long time, working up my courage.  Finally, reaching behind me, I sliced
into my back, digging for the implant.  I didn’t have a knife, but I’d found a
jagged shard of metal when I was running – probably part of a broken farm
tool.  I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew the chips were implanted in
the lower back.  I couldn’t see; I couldn’t even get a good grip on the
makeshift blade as I dug it into my back.  I gritted my teeth against the
agony, and I could feel my hands getting slick with my own blood.  I got
nauseous and almost threw up, but I managed to stay focused.  I knew I was as
good as dead with the damned implant still in me broadcasting.  I can’t
remember how long it took – it seemed like hours – but I finally found the
thing and got it out.
    I lay there a long time, tears streaming down my face.  I’d
never been in so much pain.  The bottom of my shirt was soaked with blood.  I’m
going to die here, I thought.  But I finally managed to get control of myself
and think clearly for a few seconds.  I smashed the implant with a rock; it
wouldn’t be tracking me anymore.  But it would lead them here, to the last
known position it had transmitted.  So I had to move on. 
    I tried to get up, but I was dizzy and it took me a while to
steady myself.  I took off my shirt and tore