I.
The Christian fascists had won the culture war. At least in the area where
Luke Pardon lived. They had grown tired of the liberal agenda:
homosexuals, transgender people, climate change, vaccines, minorities,
abortion. Everything. Eventually, they decided enough was enough. Their
leaders managed to get two states to secede from the United States. Luke
wasn’t sure which two. All records from before were either destroyed or
inaccessible. The internet was heavily censored, so there was no way to
find out.
Luke lived in the capital of the new country: Bibleopolis, the holiest
city in the land. A massive Jesus statue made of marble stood at the
southern border, welcoming true believers. The city was clean.
Meticulously clean. No trash on the streets, no homeless people, no
prostitutes on corners.
It had been that way since Luke was a child. The city always appeared
sleek. He remembered going to McDonald’s with his parents. The Happy Meals
came with Bible verses. He had hoped to collect the entire Bible, one
verse at a time.
Now an adult, Luke worked as a janitor at the local power plant. Single
men were typically placed in lower-tier jobs. Higher positions were
reserved for men with families, unless you were a preacher. Preachers