The Devohrah Initiative

As a man used to combat, Palestinian solider Salman isn't used to guarding a beach. He feels his assignment is beneath him. In fact, it's really beginning to bug him.

The Devohrah Initiative is a short story of about 3,500 words in length, and can easily be read in one sitting. It mixes elements of horror and satire, and provides a chilling insight into how the war on terrorism might be fought. This story is intended for older readers.

Craig Hansen is the author of another horror-satire short, Under Contract, as well as a pair of young adult books, Shada, a paranormal thriller; and Most Likely, a coming-of-age story with spiritual themes, and most recently, the paranormal suspense-thriller short, Nice Girl Like You.

Excerpt:

“Let me get you a refreshing beverage, brother. It is a quiet morning, and there is a cold juice stand just south of here. I’ll only be gone ten minutes, and it will do us both good.”

“Yes, that sounds good, brother.”

Latif rose and exited through the door to the waiting ladder. Bringing two fruit juices back while climbing the rickety ladder would be tricky business for his friend, Salman thought, but since he volunteered to do it, he must have managed the trick before.

Salman’s eyes narrowed as he scanned down the recreational beach to the south, then up the rockier shores of the tent city to the north. The enemies of Palestine, most especially the Israelis, were crafty, he thought, but not so skilled that they could slip by his experienced gaze.

Unnoticed by Salman, a plain, yellow-and-black honey bee buzzed up the side of the watchtower until it reached the guard station, then landed on the white-painted wooden railing, its black, multifaceted eyes taking in all of its surroundings.