XERXES
"It looks bad, doesn't it, Alpha?" the old farmer muttered, his lined face sagging beneath the weight of his words.
Bad? It looked catastrophic.
I shaded my eyes from the harsh glare of the sun, staring across the vast fields of wheat and corn swaying in the faint breeze. Less than half remained green and healthy while thd rest looked bad.
There was no other word for it.
Crouching, I snapped off one of the diseased stalks and rolled it between my fingers. The plant was jet black, brittle as ash. When I crushed it in my palm, it disintegrated into fine dust, scattering into the wind like burnt paper.
I glanced at the healthy stalk beside it. It almost glowing under the sun but even at that, a faint blackness had crept up the roots. A silent infection.
"Tell me again how this happened," I said, my voice rougher than I intended. I was afraid of what was happening. I hoped my worst fears weren't true.
