The lead cylinder sat lethally on the shelf among books. Little did Jason know. At the garage sale it was a curious thing with esoteric markings, sitting upon a table among coffee mugs.
“What is this?” he asked.
“Don’t know. Scavenged it out in the desert. Some old building. Abandoned crap. $10?”
Seemed like a deal. He brought it back and filmed himself opening the lid. The video screen scattered with static as a small gray lump sat at the bottom. He shook it out into his hand feeling its weight. Heavy for its size and strangely warm, he placed it back in the container and never thought about it again.
An orphan source is a radioactive product not under the control of any governing body. Abandoned x-ray equipment and evacuated labs. There are hundreds out there.
The men in yellow protective suits arrived at 3AM. They easily got past the dead bolts, their clicking dosimeters leading them to the shelf and placed the cylinder in a lead bag. Jason lay nearby on a cot. His hand like raw meat and vomit sprayed across the floor. He would be dead in two days. They made their escape back into anonymity.
About the Creator
Kevin Rolly
Artist working in Los Angeles who creates images from photos, oil paint and gunpowder.
He is writing a novel about the suicide of his brother.
http://www.kevissimo.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Kevissimo/
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