It was years ago that I read a short story which has really stayed with me. But for the life of me I can’t recall the title or author. It would have dated from the 60’s at the earliest, or possibly the 70’s.
The setting is the near future, with the USA and USSR still in existence. Both nations finally decided to forgo the cold war and the arms race, as it was too expensive. But they continued to have yearly “battles” where each side sent 100 soldiers to an isolated battlefield. Here the soldiers were monitored closely, and the battle continued until one side or the other was completely wiped out.
The kicker was that the “survivor” or “survivors” (at least on the US side) had the added bonus (besides fame and fortuen) of being immune from all laws for the rest of their lives. And the end of the tale did begin to explore the deleterious effects on the survivors and the public at large, of this sort of reward.
The narrative itself followed one volunteer soldier for the US, and painted him as a man who volunteered not for the glory or reward, but because he felt his nation needed him. In the end, he seemed to be turning into a monster who was developing a taste for at least one teen-aged girl.
I do remember that story quite vividly. It was quite freaky when he walked into the neighbor’s house to go after the girl, and the parents had no choice but to sit quietly while he did what he wanted.
I do not remember the author, but I think it was titled Survivor. I’m far from certain, though.
Thanks for confirming that the story was real and out there someplace, Badge. I vividly recall the final part you describe. I just hope someone can come up with author and title!
I tried googling on “survivor” with a few other key indicator terms attached, but so far, no luck!
I will mark my calendar–today is the day that Qadgop asked a F/SF question rather than answering it.
The final US survivor was buried under a pile of other dead guys and was almost dead himself–then he kills the 3 remaining USSR guys in a burst of activity. The loser pays a big penalty to the winner.
I, too, have read this. I, too, do not remember the author or title. The final line (as the parents hear their daughter screaming upstairs) is something like “the horrors of war are not only for the combatants.”
My collection is currently in boxes, or I’d find it for you right now. Could it have been written by Harlan? I’ll try to search this evening.
Yes, I recall, the observers thought all the US forces were dead, and couldn’t understand why the computer kept the game going.
Do you remember if the story mentioned a penalty for offing a survivor? I remember wondering why the citizenry just didn’t rise up and take a “bad” survivor out.
Nah, I had the same thought. If that were my daughter, I wouldn’t worry much about what the legal penalties were. The survivor was immune from any penalty for the rest of his life–which wouldn’t have been long in my house, if you see what I mean.
