THE DOG WHISTLE

OF THE ASTRIAS

More information about the world of Last Frontier can be found here: https://sites.google.com/larpcityproject.com/lastfrontier

It was early 2007 when I met God. He was in a hole-in-the-wall redneck bar in Pike County, Mississippi called Dicky’s Tavern. I thought it was kind of a shitty place for a god to hang out and it made me wonder about his character, but then again, I was there. I knew he was God because… well, I just knew. He wasn’t wearing robes or glowing. There were no angels singing. I just sat down on the stool next to him and knew he was God.

The room grew quiet as Andrew Garner, the director of INASA stood up and cleared his throat. “OK Miller, you’ve got a the floor, what do we know?”

“Grandpa, tell us that story again!”

You blink for the first time in four hours.

There was a click. Then another. And another. A moment passed. Then there was light.

Adriana stuffed her hands deeper into her knee length waistcoat as she stared down the aisles. Situated in a neighborhood of empty warehouses, the laundromat had a tinted glass window with the words “Sam’s Suds” stenciled on it in fading letters. Adriana had entered a passcode in order to unlock the door. Occasionally a twitching junkie stumbled down the street or a distant car revved its engine. Though buzzing warmth emanated filled the room, she still felt cold. She was used to laundromats circulating aromas of floral detergent but this one just smelled of pungent chlorine. Rows of dryers had their viewing portholes sealed shut. And instead of clothes inside them, tiny fetuses floated in a synthetic concoction meant to imitate amniotic fluid. Somewhere behind the walls there must have been support units pumping necessary nutrients to the fetuses through a tube attached to their belly button. Some of the fetuses were barely the size of her palm while others quietly sucked their fully formed thumbs.

Chapter 1