XVAR

Introduction

The letters “VAXR” came into my head and I thought how could that be a story? I then rearranged them to “XVAR” because I thought that VAXR was close to Vaxxer and that might cause ructions with COVID anti-vaxxers. However, I think everyone who can be safely vaccinated should be vaccinated, I know so many people who have been affected by and frightened by the effects of COVID that I believe I should do everything I can to stop the spread of the virus, but that is way off the target of this piece of fiction. However, the end could be the same.

I suppose I could have entered this in the “Behind The Last Window” Vocal Challenge, but there is no window here although I could have bolted one on somewhere.

XVAR

What did it mean?

The letters were scrawled in red paint on a white wall.

We had been chased but were now in some scrubland away from the roads and the city and there was this wall. It may have once been the side of a building and those letters were scrawled on it. We had been targeted because we had been vaccinated and that had been designated as against the law.

Why It Is Like this

They said that God would protect the righteous, and there was no need for medicine and treatment, God would save the ones who deserved to be saved.

We didn't believe in that sort of religion. People could believe in God, and they could follow any religion that they felt would benefit them, but we thought that religion should be a choice and not be enforced.

When the latest virus hit me and my friends sought out the jabs that would protect us and others, but some neighbours informed the authorities and we were now being hunted because we had cheated “God’s Will”.

The last election, possibly the last election this country will ever have, turned the country into a theocracy, and selected segments from the Holy Book were turned into law in order to pursue government suppressionary policies.

Against The Wall

And here we are out in the scrubland next to this wall looking at the letters XVAR.

We were exhausted we were on foot and our pursuers were in jeeps and armoured cars. We really didn’t stand a chance.

Two jeeps and an armoured car came off the road towards us. We had been spotted by a helicopter so unless the cavalry came we had no way out, and there was no cavalry.

The jeeps stopped and the soldiers got out with their guns and two buckets, one seeming to contain whitewash and the other maybe red paint or something.

“Right, you lot up against the wall, we want to make this quick. If you try and run we’ll shoot you anyway. You have tried to cheat God, and we are here to take his payment”

“What is XVAR and why the paint and whitewash?”

“Simple enough, when we shoot you, it messes up the wall so we whitewash it again to clean it for the next God cheaters”

“But what is XVAR?”

“XVAR, don’t you know? eXecutions: Volunteer Army Reserve, now up against the wall”

We had lost, up against this white brick wall, sentenced to death because we were vaccinated. We didn't want to die but there was no way out, no one would save us, we had gone against theocratic law.

The last thing we heard was a volley of rifle shots.