2040 ? Execution, Amnesia, Revolution

By Keshi K

Fall 2020

The year was 2040, accounted as the worst year in all of history. Due to overpopulation, the government gathered important personnel into the city hall. Food and resources were limited, guards treated people on the outside like animals. Laws were drastically changed, they were ludicrous. Laws that were targeted to groups of rebels, since we’re on the unwanted list. We, the unimportant, are locked outside the city hall gates trying to force our way in to collect food and resources, just to survive.

One important law – if a family member had been eliminated, the guards would erase the family members? memories of the person who had been killed.

?

Todays? the Day.

I woke up to the roaring sound of footsteps marching across the street while a cold wind was piercing my face felt like a thousand needles. As my dizziness reduced, I heard many people shouting and screaming for their safety, guards marching out the city hall holding munitions. I slowly stood up and picked up a poster that was lying on the floor.

?Freedom!? the roaring citizens shouted as I ambled to the middle-front of the crowd.

There were several men wearing gray clothing, a gray coat. Next to them stood a great number of guards who were blocking the crowd from entering city hall. The guards marched as loud as thunder to the front gate where there was a crowd of people protesting. They raised their munitions and aimed at our foreheads. The atmosphere changed immediately when an ear-breaking voice that came. The crowd simmered down.

?Citizens number 1 to 2000, retreat back to your shelter if you don?t want to be eliminated!? The head guard shouted from the summit of the city hall looking down on the citizens with a pair of binoculars, ?This is your last chance to??

A middle aged man was abruptly pulled away from the silent crowd, nobody did anything. No one even moved a single step as the man shouted drastically for help.

Why isn?t anybody helping the man? Cowards go help him! Wait! He looks familiar, no. no. Uncle!

My feet started shaking rapidly, and my tears were running down my face like a raging waterfall. I clenched my fist together until my fingernails bled and dropped to the freezing ground. My head felt like it was exploding into pieces. Everything started falling apart. The only person I had loved was being pulled from the crowd to his death. My fingernails pierced the skin on my hand, the bluish blood dripping onto the cold floor like tiny raindrops.

There?s nothing to lose, this may be the end. I finally gained consciousness, and my fear receded. I boosted forward.

?STO-!? I shrieked as a stranger pulled me from back, not being able to finish my sentence.

?Hush, you?ll die too! Nobody wants any more innocents to die,? A middle aged man in a gray coat spoke locking me in a tight grip.

?It?s dultish, if you move, we all might be eliminated too? I wiped the tears off my face with my remaining hand, which was severely damaged. Wiped the blood off my hand on the stranger?s gray coat. Two of the guards grabbed my uncle?s arm and thrusted him to the ground. Another guard was holding a gray ax, about to start the execution.

?Please, please don?t kill my uncle,? I spoke quietly as I slowly closed my eyes.

BANG!..BANG!..BANG!

Several gunshots came from behind the silent crowd. I opened my eyes in shock, the first thing I saw were three guards dropped down onto the floor with blood running unremittingly from their foreheads.

What happened? Who did this? Still, the guards deserved to die as they were about to kill my uncle.

The citizens began to protest again, their voices filled with revenge and sorrow — sorrow for my uncle — revenge for the people. About a quarter of the protesters placed their hands on the gate as they shouted, ?Push!?

The metal gate began to tilt as the protesters pushed. The guards were abruptly alerted to retreat behind the gate and wait for orders from the head guard.

?The gate is tilting!? a man pushing the gate with brute-force shouted in excitement, ?A few more pushes!?

?Stop!? The man in a gray coat spoke loudly, ?We should retreat when we have the chance, they will shoot us all!?

?No.? I spoke, ?My uncle is up there; I have to go help him.?

?Your uncle is already dead, if you go help him you?ll die too!?

?We will not warn you citizens again! This is the last thing you will notice before we wipe out all of you!? The head guard shouted from the crest of city hall.

Shots were fired from the guards? munitions, thousands of bodies dropped, people were running for their lives. I grabbed my arm and pulled it out of his grasp. Running the opposite way, running for my life. Once the sound of gun-shots was dimmed — I settled my movements; centered my eyes and looked back. Thousands of bodies were fallen, even the body of the stranger wearing a gray coat. I started feeling the thirst of revenge for the people who had been killed by the government, and revenge for my uncle. Every plan, even the ones which the geniuses thought of had failed miserably. The government knew everything, as if they were listening as the plans were being created. Laws were ludicrous since it was made to eliminate the majority of the population: No long hair, No protesting… Curfew after 21:00. Nothing except for futile ideas revealed themselves in my head. Even if I thought of a working plan, the government would find out eventually or immediately.

Is it impossible? No, No, I must not think that. I must only remember what uncle used to say, ?Believe in yourself even if times are abject and life shall reward you greatly. How did life reward you, uncle? All life granted you was a painful, devastating death.

?Where do you think you’re going, young man?? a man in a security guard uniform halted my movements.

?I?m going back to my house, house n0. AT186950,? I spoke laggardly while my legs shook infinitely; the fear of death finally seared through my brain.

?Well, you better go back home before my friends come.?

I quickly dashed out; not looking back to the amicable smile, and a frightening stare. He was unsure if the last sentence he said was satire. I looked back — he was still glancing at me with a thought of peace between the two sides, the government and the people.