The explosions rang out through the village. Three loud booms in quick succession and then a few minutes later one long thunderous rumble that reverberated through the prison and rattled the bars on his cell.
“She’s done it, boys,” Johnny Bolton said to his cellmates, misty with overwhelming pride and relief. “Operation UNDERLORD is complete. You all know what that means.”
They had discussed and agreed to this before embarking on this mission. Even if they hadn’t been captured, this was always the endgame. The city would only be able to move on if it had a completely fresh start. That meant that no one could ever know what they had done to bring about the end to the madness. That information had to disappear forever.
Johnny sat down on the dirty cell floor and slid the bottom off the heel of his left shoe, revealing a secret compartment containing a single pitch-black pill. Oblivion. He held it in his flat palm and regarded it with bitter resignation. It was such a waste of training and experience, but he was duty-bound to follow through. They all were. It was a poetic consolation though to be the last people in the city to forget in this way, and to do so not out of fear of their own memory, but to protect everyone else from what they knew.
“Gentlemen,” he said, facing his team for the last time, “it’s been an honor serving with you.”
He swallowed the pill and forgot.
Since you moved these here, I think it’s only fair for anyone reading to have the opportunity to engage in critical discussion!
Reading Comprehension Questions:
1. What is the significance of pill’s location, if any?
2. What techniques does the author employ to show Johnny’s conviction? Are these techniques effective? Why or why not?