23DN4L

I thought my life had been going well. I could eat whatever I wanted. Go wherever I wanted. One day, I would mate and raise as many larvae as I wanted. Unfortunately, I found out something about my sire. When he realized I knew too much. He had me killed. 

Now I’m back. I won’t let my sire get away with killing me and my babies. I’m going to kill Papa Roach.

I tried to wriggle free from the strong grip squeezing me in the air. It hovered me over the empty air and then released me. I didn't drop very far. 


The fall didn't injure me, but the moment I rested my six legs onto the ground I understood what was happening. I had been  dropped into a field of fire ants. 


I shoved away some fire ants before they can bite me. 


I rushed to a hill away from the fire ants. They follow me. I can feel them nipping at my exoskeleton. When I got to the top of the hill, I tried to get a view of my terrain. 


I tried to get a view of my terrain, but they are so close. I couldn't turn around. I couldn't see where I was. Then I felt a group of fire ants approached my side.


I turned to swipe at the fire ants, and fell over the top of the hill. Down, down into a hole. I fell onto my back and tried to wriggle onto my side. It was too late. 


Everything burnt. The pain radiated throughout my entire being. I tried to hold on, I tried to wait until I reached a safe place.


It was too late. They were viciously devouring me. 


All female roaches are taught to protect their lives for the future of the colony. That if we felt intense danger to retreat. That if we felt are life slipping away we should find a safe place to lay our eggs. 


I could feel the tiny mouths biting every piece of my body. No part of me could escape the torturous slow death. As my body began to convulse I knew my babies would not escape the same fate as their mother. I could not save them.


I could feel my antennae being torn off my body. My body jerked left and right, and then convulsed once again. Finally, my body slowly ejected my egg sac into the ravenous clutches of the fire ants. 


I was paralyzed. I could not reach for my young as they were torn from their home and introduced to life.


As I slipped away into the darkness, I tried to comfort myself. Death would soon save my children from the abuse of life. I could seek their forgiveness when we reached the star colony. We would be reunited. 


The story has a breakneck pace which is a little disorienting, but the premise is nice and unique. On top of that, the whole thing is very readable and on the mechanical side has little to complain about. There aren't too many chapters yet, but this has potential to develop into something quite interesting with the unexplored concepts it has from being a story told through a cockroach's perspective.

The author captures the perspective of a young single female trying to survive in a dystopian future or perhaps a society where the disenfranchised are left to their own devices. The cockroaches (aka consumers) represent a neglected demographic who are treated as playthings and a nuisance by the Big Ones who represent high society or a government that finds them to be a detriment. 
Ta, the protagonist, is desensitized to the daily horrors she encounters such as having to eat the corpses of her peers and avoiding being crushed by a rolled up newspaper. Such is the life of a roach that these travails barely affect Ta. Ta seeks to free her Mama from Paparoach who symbolizes the patriarchy. Ta desires the love and attention of her mother above all else and perceives Papa Roach to be the root of all evil. 
From her point of view Papa Roach contaminates Ta’s precious Mama and she must liberate her. Males in general are not viewed favorably by the author as she presents the blowhard and foolish hissing cockroach, Vava, who represents men’s vanity. Her interaction with the wasp represents men’s sexual desires as the wasp feels it’s an honor for Ta to be a vessel for its babies. The wasp’s stinger is emblematic of a man’s sexual organ and as Ta rips it out she displays how she has overcome the strife and tyranny of men. 
Overall the author captures the perilous life of a young single female in a patriarchal civilization where there is no law and no warmth and no refuge even for a cockroach.

The Roach System: Kill Papa Roach

Table of contents

Volume 1

Chapter 1 - The Fall