"Get them into the tunnel right now."
Richard Mercer pointed a trembling finger toward the dark excavation pit. He stood at the edge of the smoking crater. The burning fuel was just a smoldering puddle of black sludge.
The freezing wind carried the foul scent of burning oil
Richard looked past the ruined supply trucks. Hundreds of starving citizens stared back at him from the latrine trenches. Their hollow eyes reflected the dying orange embers of his destroyed empire.
"The heaters are dead, Mayor," Captain Dan whispered nervously. The officer gripped his assault rifle tight. "The remaining fuel will not last until dawn."
"They know the heat is gone Dan," Richard said. He kept his eyes locked on the angry mob.
The moment the cold sets in they will tear me apart, Richard calculated fr
