Light the Way

89%

August 4

The headline of the news broadcast this morning was, Panic in Middle Society. Panic over the Black Wave. Panic over losing all our light. I didn't watch the full thing – just caught a snippet of the screen and the headline flashing across the bottom as I dashed out the door. But I guess the news is right, for once, because on my way to school, everyone was acting different – strange.

The streets were quiet most of the time, with people walking to work or to wherever in complete silence. But there was the odd shout, the sudden wail of someone crying, and every now and then, the sound of glass smashing. The convenience store I pass every day on my way to school had been looted. The food was fine – so were all the electronic goods. It wasn't until I took a closer look that I saw all the oil lamps and candles were gone.

I found it funny at the time.

Not so much now.

At school, every second or third person was more jittery than usual, more nervous. Many of the quiet people were suddenly loud, and at least a third of the loud people were suddenly quiet. It was a complete role reversal and it unnerved me. Wasn't it just yesterday that everyone was acting like it was all a joke? What changed?

I spent the whole day with these questions bouncing around inside my head, wondering why all of sudden I was amongst the calm and uncaring while everyone else was freaking out. It wasn't until the end of the day when I was talking to Mia that I finally found out the reason for all the panic.

A younger kid had just dashed past in front of us, nearly ploughing straight into me in his haste to get home. "Jeez, why the hell is everyone acting so weird today?" I asked as I watched the boy run for the front gates, zig-zagging around people as he went. There was a commotion up ahead as he knocked a senior girl's books out of her arms.

Mia looked at me like I was insane. "You don't know?"

"Well, sure, everyone thinks the Black Wave is coming. But I said that yesterday and no one listened, and even though I was scared about it, I wasn't this freaked out."

Mia shook her head. "It's more than that. I can't believe you don't know already."

"What don't I know?"

"Lower Sector lost all light last night."

"What? Already?"

Mia nodded. "It just vanished, one second there, the next gone. I saw it from my bedroom window. It was like a black cloud had passed over the top of them and blocked them from view, leaving behind this big black pit. And that's not even the worst part. The worst part was the sound that came after. You could hear people screaming, Kiran. Screaming and crying and shouting and smashing, all of it loud enough to be heard from all the way over here in Middle Society. It was terrifying."

I shivered involuntarily. "How come you didn't tell me?"

"I assumed you knew. Those who saw it last night panicked and made a bunch of noise, and when everyone woke up this morning it was on the news. They had footage of the blackout and were playing it over and over again. Apparently the panic and anarchy has gotten so bad in Lower Sector that they've had to close it off from the rest of the city. No one can go in or out."

I stared at her, aghast. "But what about all the people who have family living there?"

She shook her head. "We lost all communication with Lower Sector early this morning. I doubt we'll ever see anyone from Lower Sector again."