Dawn Of The Day - ONC 2022

Chapter 1. The city

I pushed through a sea of people. My laptop bag weighed heavily on one side, hitting my hips with every step. It was in the middle of December, but I was sweating under my moss-green wool coat.

The riot had started early this afternoon. By the time I had left the office, it'd been full-blown anarchy.

Everywhere I turned, there was broken glass and fire. Storefronts were smashed and looted. Vehicles were abandoned and vandalized. Smoke came out from every visible corner. When I ran past the small cafe I frequented, I saw George, the barista, fighting with a group of men. I couldn't stop to help him. No one stopped. People rushed by like ants in the rain, either to seek haven or to destroy something.

I got to my Ford Fiesta after what seemed like an eternity. The keys jangled in my shaking hands. As soon as I got in and locked the door, some maniac jumped on top of my car and started stomping as if his life depended on it. It scared the hell out of me, but thankfully, my old car could take a little more beating than that. Before the guy could come to his senses and smash my windshield, I stepped on the gas. That was enough to send whoever was clinging to the roof flying.

The radio blasted at full volume. Not the music I usually listened to. Instead, it was the government announcement. Every freaking channel was the same.

I cursed and turned it off. It was sweltering in the car, but I didn't think opening the windows was a good idea. I ripped my cashmere scarf off and tried to wiggle out of my coat, then threw them both in the backseat. My hair bun had come loose. It drove me nuts, but I couldn't do anything to fix it, not right now.

Earlier during lunch break, I had watched the Federation's spokesperson announce on TV that there would be Martial Law in all major cities, ours included, but no one had thought it would happen that fast. At the moment, when I thought about it, the military had occupied every part of the city for weeks. They must have prepared for today...

Abandoned vehicles littered the streets making it extremely difficult to drive. A lot of people couldn't get to their cars, so they just abandoned them to be the first victims of the angry mob. Blaring sirens and loudspeakers added to the chaos. The tanks had come out to clear part of the crowd, but the people were everywhere, throwing bricks, rocks, and anything they could get their hands on at the vehicles. Some even came with Molotov cocktails. The Federation had ordered the citizens to stay obediently inside until further notice, but I didn't think it was received very well.

Some people just liked to burn shit up.

The first wave of bombings had been unexpected. The second one had been devastating. Federation troops had moved in soon after, determined to put a stronghold in this city. Most government facilities had shut down. 'Sympathizers' had been arrested.

Most people didn't even know what it meant, but it was real and threatening nonetheless. It hung on everyone. History always repeated itself, but we never learned from it. I was just fortunate to be my dad's daughter. He was high enough in rank for us not to be questioned, but nothing was guaranteed these days.

It had been weeks of the same damn things. Fear and hopelessness had found their way into the heart of every person, crippling the already fragile peace. The elites had left the city at the first notice, but most of us, the common folks, couldn't, or just refused to.

Life must go on. People needed to live, and bills needed to be paid. Even after the first attack, a lot went right back to school or work the next day. We were trained like lab rats to stay on the wheel no matter what, day in, day out.

"The Federation way. Our enlightening way."

That was the slogan we had been taught since we'd been children, but I couldn't help but feel the irony. What was so enlightening about sending troops into the mountains to kill a bunch of hippies? Granted, those hippies were nuts, and not even by a little, but everyone was entitled to their opinion.

My dad had forbidden me to go into politics, or open my mouth and discuss the issue publicly, but he must have confused me with my brother. I never had a passion for those things like Vince did. My personal problems were enough to give me headaches.

I watched the number on my dashboard jump. It was 6:30 pm. My home was on the other side of the bridge. If I didn't cross it on time, I was screwed.

I sped toward the bridge and just as my worst fear predicted, lines of traffic stopped me dead where I was. The military had set up barriers and roadblocks, trying to control the flow. I would be stuck here until midnight, or even tomorrow if I didn't find a solution right then and there.

Reaching for my phone, I dialed the only person who could help me besides my dad and Vince.

"Robert, I need a favor... I don't think I can make it back to my apartment tonight. Can I... Go to your place?"

It was awkward. We had broken up years ago. Robert was my brother's best friend who still came to most of my family functions, but other than that, I didn't think he wanted to see me. He had made it plenty clear when he'd dumped me.

"Of course." His voice lacked any emotion as ever. "Take the 2nd street instead of Providence. That area's been blocked."

"Ok... Have you seen Vince or talked to him lately?"

My older brother was a hermit. He could disappear for months without any warning, chasing storms or something on his crappy old van, then boom, he came back just to leave days later. My dad and I had learned to just leave the guy alone most of the time but now was different. Everything had changed.

"Don't worry too much about him, alright? He can take care of himself... I just talked to Vince last night on the satellite phone. He was safe and sound somewhere down south. Just get here before it's dark."

That was Robert. He could keep calm under the worst situation, unlike me. That was probably why we didn't stay together. 'Opposite attraction' didn't last long and it wasn't enough to sustain our relationship.

I looked up at the grey clouds before a loud explosion sent a giant column of ash and debris toward me. The car lifted a little before spinning out of control. My left-sided tires burned onto the asphalt. The car struggled to stay upside.

My foot was still on the brake when a bus came out of nowhere and T-boned me.