please!”
Some desperate
looking woman pushed past Jack, “Bliss! I need some Bliss! Please
tell me you have some! The Requiem they’re after me-“
Jack was almost
at the door to the street outside, his pride rather damaged at
being snubbed by the assistant, when he heard the assistant shout
again that he had no PP drugs. He strode into the packed street,
pocketing the naked switchblade knife. He was about to resume his
thoughts of hatred when the shop he had just left behind him
exploded.
An
ear-splitting bang propelled him forwards. He stumbled, being
showered by a haze of dust and blood. There was a momentary silence
as shocked onlookers looked upon the wreckage that a moment ago was
probably the only open shop in the area. Jack leant against a metal
bollard, gasping for breath. An alarm sounded, probably a smoke
detector. Someone female screamed.
Coughing, Jack
glanced upon the wreckage and the small scattering of bodies
around. If he had spent another second in the store he would have
been killed. If the assistant hadn’t snubbed his proud speech, he
wouldn’t have been able to complete the day’s goal.
Eliza.
The thought of
her re-entered his head, and spread like fire across oil. Oh how he
had tried removing her from his mind. But to no compromise, his
heart refused to pump the other way. Even Happy wasn’t a good
enough compromise anymore. Not that he’d be able to get any if he
wanted. He knew for a fact that nearly everyone wanted a supply of
some drug of some kind in this day and age.
There was an
incisive ringing in his ears as he began walking again. Was it the
alarm? No, it was a higher pitch than that, everything sounded as
though he was under fluid. It was the cells in his tympanic
membrane slowly dying thanks to the noise of the explosion. Jack
continued his walk of hate, now assumingly heading to where Eliza
would be.
He stumbled
along angry streets and back alleys, walking closer and closer to
his goal. Somewhere, there was another explosion, but Jack didn’t
see it. It must have been a few streets away. Military action only
had to be a few days away now. The public were getting far out of
control. They were angry. Angry at the apparent failure of Deimos,
angry at the government’s lack of response to the Requiem, angry at
the tax raises, angry at the floodings, angry at the decrease of
the overall quality of life. The omnipotent leader or land father
of Elision was increasingly becoming less omnipotent as peoples’
rage grew. Every day, more people took to the streets, every day,
more people were infected by the Requiem, every day, more stories,
rumours, shenanigans were spread about the Ninety-Nine killing
innocent civilians.
Even rumours of
people finding a way to Union had circulated, although, it was
still debatable whether Union was a better place. According to the
government, it wasn’t. Although according to the government, the
Requiem was a figment of peoples’ imaginations. Propaganda was
nothing new. According to the people who had apparently been to or
come from Union, it wasn’t either. However, the fleeting hope and
dream that the grass was greener on the other side remained in
peoples’ hearts. Although getting to Union was practically
impossible. Jack had heard rumours, as always, rumours, of a way
through an old underground Metro link that had once connected Union
and Elision together. But Jack wasn’t stupid. He knew such was
unlikely to exist.
And that is why
he knew that it would only be a few days until the public got way
too out of control for the Enforcers to handle, and military action
from the government would commence. Swift and Voltaire would fail
and the process would repeat. As it always had done.
Jack’s solution
was just to ignore it all. Focus his mind on things that actually
mattered. Of course, now, the only thing that had mattered had
betrayed him, and now the only thing that mattered was to repay the
favour. To show her how much she had hurt
Some desperate
looking woman pushed past Jack, “Bliss! I need some Bliss! Please
tell me you have some! The Requiem they’re after me-“
Jack was almost
at the door to the street outside, his pride rather damaged at
being snubbed by the assistant, when he heard the assistant shout
again that he had no PP drugs. He strode into the packed street,
pocketing the naked switchblade knife. He was about to resume his
thoughts of hatred when the shop he had just left behind him
exploded.
An
ear-splitting bang propelled him forwards. He stumbled, being
showered by a haze of dust and blood. There was a momentary silence
as shocked onlookers looked upon the wreckage that a moment ago was
probably the only open shop in the area. Jack leant against a metal
bollard, gasping for breath. An alarm sounded, probably a smoke
detector. Someone female screamed.
Coughing, Jack
glanced upon the wreckage and the small scattering of bodies
around. If he had spent another second in the store he would have
been killed. If the assistant hadn’t snubbed his proud speech, he
wouldn’t have been able to complete the day’s goal.
Eliza.
The thought of
her re-entered his head, and spread like fire across oil. Oh how he
had tried removing her from his mind. But to no compromise, his
heart refused to pump the other way. Even Happy wasn’t a good
enough compromise anymore. Not that he’d be able to get any if he
wanted. He knew for a fact that nearly everyone wanted a supply of
some drug of some kind in this day and age.
There was an
incisive ringing in his ears as he began walking again. Was it the
alarm? No, it was a higher pitch than that, everything sounded as
though he was under fluid. It was the cells in his tympanic
membrane slowly dying thanks to the noise of the explosion. Jack
continued his walk of hate, now assumingly heading to where Eliza
would be.
He stumbled
along angry streets and back alleys, walking closer and closer to
his goal. Somewhere, there was another explosion, but Jack didn’t
see it. It must have been a few streets away. Military action only
had to be a few days away now. The public were getting far out of
control. They were angry. Angry at the apparent failure of Deimos,
angry at the government’s lack of response to the Requiem, angry at
the tax raises, angry at the floodings, angry at the decrease of
the overall quality of life. The omnipotent leader or land father
of Elision was increasingly becoming less omnipotent as peoples’
rage grew. Every day, more people took to the streets, every day,
more people were infected by the Requiem, every day, more stories,
rumours, shenanigans were spread about the Ninety-Nine killing
innocent civilians.
Even rumours of
people finding a way to Union had circulated, although, it was
still debatable whether Union was a better place. According to the
government, it wasn’t. Although according to the government, the
Requiem was a figment of peoples’ imaginations. Propaganda was
nothing new. According to the people who had apparently been to or
come from Union, it wasn’t either. However, the fleeting hope and
dream that the grass was greener on the other side remained in
peoples’ hearts. Although getting to Union was practically
impossible. Jack had heard rumours, as always, rumours, of a way
through an old underground Metro link that had once connected Union
and Elision together. But Jack wasn’t stupid. He knew such was
unlikely to exist.
And that is why
he knew that it would only be a few days until the public got way
too out of control for the Enforcers to handle, and military action
from the government would commence. Swift and Voltaire would fail
and the process would repeat. As it always had done.
Jack’s solution
was just to ignore it all. Focus his mind on things that actually
mattered. Of course, now, the only thing that had mattered had
betrayed him, and now the only thing that mattered was to repay the
favour. To show her how much she had hurt
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