Category:
Literary Fiction
Price: $1.99 (eBook)
John's depressing life changes quickly when he is fired and forced to take a job working at a sewage refinery. After meeting a dangerous looking man named Logan, John finds himself on the run, wanted by the government, wandering the hungry streets of South Dakota City.
A futuristic novel set in a dystopia of greed and monopoly, where the wealthy and powerful keep the poor and ignorant quiet.
South Dakota City, a small metropolis in the the late 21st century does not differ so greatly from the modern world.
John works for morning glory power, interviewing people for his own job. His life is unbearably boring; his personal life is depressing. When John is fired to make room for some young man out of college, he takes a job working for the sewage company. He meets a man named Logan and his life reaches its breaking point.
Contacted by an anti government organization, targeted by the NPA (national protection agency), John flees, finding no solace on the split streets of South Dakota City.
John must chose what kind of man he wants to be in a world of greed, monopoly, debt and oligarchy as he tries to understand why he is a wanted man. 'Fire in the Sky' warns of a world of wealth in which people are monitored, suspected and kept ignorant, all the while, the rich get richer and the poor are kept hidden and silent.
Excerpt
He sat down on his front steps and looked out into his neighborhood, sipping his beer. He said, “A farmer,” and laughed to himself. “It is all going to work out.” John relaxed for the better part of two hours, seeing into his self designed future. A car pulling into his drive way awoke him. His son and daughter stepped out as music yelled and died. John's son slammed his door and walked up to the porch saying, “What's wrong?” John shook his head showing that everything was okay. His son asked, “Why are you sitting there then?”
John put his beer bottle down, “Just relaxing.” His daughter came up to the steps and said, “Hey daddy, how are you?” John waved to her and said he was, “Good.” She complained, “It is annoying for us to have to share a car daddy.” John left his smile where it was, “We'll have to work on getting you one. I might buy that new Quasar, there will be an extra car then, right?” His son jumped a little, “Really? Good choice dad, that car is prime. A kid in my educated commissary class was telling me his dad was getting one and he's a lawyer—did you know they have to go to college for twenty years?”
John's kids walked past him towards the door and his son patted his shoulder. They seemed happy with him and it made his lost section inside start to get warm. When they closed the front door, John said, “I wish things would stay like this forever.” The sun of the late afternoon cut the angle of his front porch and hit him in the eyes. He put his hands over his face, but the light still stung. He moved back into the shadows, but could no longer see so clearly out into his neighborhood. He stood up on the edge of the darkness and light and wavered between, going forward and back.
He bent down and picked up his empty bottle and went inside. John could hear his daughter talking upstairs and his son was in the kitchen eating out of the refrigerator. John threw his bottle away and said, “We are going out to eat tonight.” His son said with food in his mouth, “That will be flipping if you get that car, dad.” John took the opportunity to say, “I'll have to see how my new job goes.” His son swallowed, “Yeah, mom called me. That's good news. What are you going to have to do?” John answered, “You know, technical stuff. I might get transferred to the waste department.” His son questioned with a laugh, “You're not going to have to work with the people in the sewers, are you?” John told him, “No, some type of management job, I'm sure.”
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