Six Years Ago

March 1, 2069

1700 CST

Outskirts of Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Billy Cooper's Point of View

“So what are you gonna do, Billy?” Pa asks as we finish our work for the day.

“Oh, I think I want to be a mechanic, Pa,” I say.

“That’s a mighty good choice, son. You’re always studyin’ and gettin’ your hands dirty on all of the machinery you can find.”

“Boo!” Rachel says as she appears from outta nowhere.

“D-d-d-damn it, Rachel!” Pa exclaims in shock. “You’re goin’ to give your old man a heart attack,” he says with a soft chuckle.

“I’m sorry, guys. I just felt like doing something spontaneous and exciting!” Rachel explains.

Ah, I lost focus. Daydreamin’ is too addictin’, but I can’t stop myself from wondering what the outside world is like. It’s such a gentle breeze out in this grassy field, but the weather is startin’ to feel a bit too strange.

“We did it y’all! We finished early!” Rachel yells in glee.

“Yeah, but we still finished first,” a familiar boy’s voice says from behind me.

“Sally and Paul Hoover, what could you two possibly want?” Pa asks in irritation.

Sally Hoover, a mean ol’ bratty girl with dark brown hair and an olive-green shirt. Paul Hoover, an insultin’ jerk with the same hair color and clothin’ as his sister.

“Nothin’ really. We were just goin’ around the farm, checkin’ on the livestock before we saw you three,” Paul explains.

“We confused ya’ll for cattle until we stepped forward for a closer view and realized our big mistake. You three are much, much more repulsive than cattle, so we apologize for our mistake, but you gotta admit, ya’ll smell as bad as they look, so I’m sure y’all can understand the reason for our blunder,” Sally insults with a smirk.

“The only mistake round here is you two,” Pa replies with a chuckle.

“You best watch your mouth,” Paul says in anger.

“Calm your temper, brother. The trash is just simply jealous because of the undeniable fact that no matter how hard they work, they’ll never ever be able to accomplish the things our family can do,” Sally rudely boasts.

“We are number one for a reason. The apprenticeship spot will go to us simply because we have no competition,” Jake taunts.

“Ya’ll are such big jerks!” Rachel shouts in frustration. “All of us work hard every day to feed countless people, so it shouldn’t even matter who does the job better than who as long as it gets done!”

“Y-yeah! We’re all Olympians, so we should work together and be friends instead of trying to figure out who’s better than who!” I say.

“Um last time I checked, there are only two apprenticeship spots for our field,” Sally says. “Apprentices bring in so much power and prestige to a family, so of course we’re working hard to maintain our status. Besides, it’s only a matter of time until one of the ranches gets attacked, and when it does, I want to be in the comfort and safety of the zombie-proof capital instead of out here in the dog shit. Gasp! Wait! Don’t tell me you think that the Olympian army can actually protect us from a zombie attack! See, not only is your family stupid, but they’re also so naïve that it’s almost driving me to tears. But not really because I have no reason to cry over worthless garbage.”

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“Sis, don’t even waste your breath over their stupidity,” Paul rudely chuckles.

“Boy, you better…,” Pa shouts out.

“Ha! W-what?! You gonna hit me? Shoot me?! We Hoovers are the most valuable family in these parts, so you should know what’s gonna happen to you if you do somethin’ to us,” Paul provokes.

“Harmin’ me, my brother, or any Hoover will only prove my brother’s point about the Coopers,” Sally incites in support.

“Don’t say anythin’, sis. Let the big man hit me. I don’t give a shit if they all get exiled or even executed on the spot because an image of horseshit pops up into my head every time I see or even think about Cooper,” Paul urges with an arrogant smile.

Pa… please don’t do anythin’ rash.

“You two are rotten, bratty kids,” Pa says as he shakes his head.

“We know,” they say.

“The Hoovers have skill, I’ll admit, but that’s the only nice thing I can say about ya’ll,” Dad explains. The Hoovers have no sense of compassion, empathy, or kindness, which makes them as empty as the undead. If the only thing you pursue in life is power and status, then you’ll lose your humanity in the process. The Hoovers are better ranchers than us, but who cares? If we can guarantee a meal for every Olympian, then that’s all that matters. Now, please go away because you’re bothering my family.”

The dinner bell is ringing.

“Tch. This ain’t ova,” Paul says in disgust as he walks away.

“Rachel, go find the rest of your brothers. You know how rebellious and wild they can be, which is why they’ll probably ignore the lunch bell,” Pa says.

“Ok, Pa!” Rachel says as she and Pa exchange a hug.

You’re so cool, Pa. I can only hope to be a man as good as you are someday.

“Pa. H-how do you do it?” I ask.

“Do what?” He asks.

“Be a man. You always make it seem so easy.”

“Billy, being a man is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do in your life, so it’s ok when you inevitably stumble and fall. The people who love you look up to you as an invincible pillar of strength and it’s easy to lose yourself and make regrettable decisions, but if you’re able to own up to your mistakes and learn from them, then you’ll be ok. Sometimes it’ll feel like it’s you against the entire world, but don’t forget who you are and what you’re fightin’ for. If you don’t forget and stay true to yourself, then you’ll be ok, Billy. I promise.”

Pa…

“Hey, hey! Everyone gather all the livestock you can,” a man warns in the distance. “A massive fucking funnel cloud’s been spotted, and it’s headin’ our way!!!”

*

12 Minutes Later

Underneath an Olympian Outpost

*

I’m in trouble.

“Pa, I…” I say.

“Billy, there’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity,” Pa states with an eyeful of tears as he hugs me. “What you did was just plain ol’ reckless and crazy. You’re a smart boy, but you’re too impulsive with your decisions! You’re goin’ to be a better man than me one day, but you need to think ‘bout what you’re doing before you decide to burst into action! Don’t you get it?! We can get another horse, but we can’t get another you, Billy.”

“I’m sorry, Pa. I’m so sorry!”

Embarrassing Pa, needlessly endangerin’ myself and Paul, and wettin’ my pants. I’m a disgrace.

“Billy, I… I won’t be here one day, but that’s why I’m doing the best I can to make sure that you can take care of yourself. If somethin’ ever happens to me, then I just want to make sure that you’re ready to step up and be the man of the family. You know how your mom is, and your sister might be the oldest, but she’ll need help until the others are capable of taking care of themselves. I’m just askin’ you to please value your life more. You are so young and have so much to live for. We all gotta go someday, and nobody ever truly knows when it’ll happen, and the only thing we can do is live life as best as we can and appreciate our loved ones while they’re still here. But I understand why you tried to save Jackie. It hurts to admit, but you’ll be lookin’ death in the eyes very often in this New World. I promise it’ll get better one day because people are filled with pros and cons, but one of our best pros is that we are survivors, and The Eight Kingdoms prove that! If you ever end up looking death in the eyes again one day, just try your best to make smarter decisions and remember that it’s ok to run. There’s no shame in retreatin’ from a fight you can’t win, but if runnin’ away isn’t an option, then as a Cooper, it’s your duty to kick ass and not go down without a fight!”