The Last Generation

The Jolt

"Get down!" Papa's voice was hushed but assertive, forcing Tiarna into a ditch by the wall. As Tiarna tripped and fell onto the floor, she was aware of her Papa's eyes large with panic and outright fear.

His eyes frightened her, for she had never ever seen her Papa struck with fear to this level of intensity. Her Papa was a man strong in character and bold in action, so what could have such a hold over him?

They both turned their attention to where the scream had sounded from, finding the Old Lady Wanderer laying face flat on the pavement under the tree. Tiarna leaned forward to take a closer look, but Papa pushed her back into the darkness. Before Tiarna reached the Old Lady Wanderer, she had been beat by three women just slightly younger than the Old Lady Wanderer herself. Tiarna had been so fixated on the Old Lady Wanderer that she had completely missed the three women.

The three women circled the Old Lady Wanderer like predators waiting patiently for their prey to die. They were talking aloud, not to each other, but to the Signals in their minds. Signals were an implanted feature in the heads of consumers, designed to be an efficient tool for them to communicate on all their social media platforms. They were probably using the Signal Live function, broadcasting what they saw to all their watchers. It was clear that while the women were all in the same area, they were completely oblivious to the presence of anyone else but themselves.

Tiarna's heart had already been beating at too fast a pace for her head to keep up with, but the scene unfolding before her set fire to her heart rate. She winced from the throbbing in her head that brought her undeniable pain. Even though she had only had a single interaction with the Old Lady Wanderer, the Old Lady Wanderer's agony felt very much like her own.

The three women had begun to cackle at the Old Lady Wanderer, their howls drowning out her sobs. Tiarna shifted her weight forward once more, inching out of the corner she was hidden to talk a closer look. Papa pushed her back in. All she wanted was to understand what was happening. Had the Old Lady Wanderer done something wrong? Had she done something to deserve this?

One of the women seized the little things the Old Lady Wanderer had, lifting the small pouch in the air and waving it about to taunt her. Coming onto her knees, the Old Lady Wanderer pressed both palms together, rubbing them against each other in a tearful plea. Her pain made Tiarna feel like looking away, but she forced herself to watch. It was important that she did not forget. Just as the Old Lady Wanderer leaned up to reach for the last of what felt like home, the woman cast it down on the ground and stomped on it. The woman's laughter matched the intensity of the Old Woman Wander's cries, surely, her watchers were having a ball of a time.

"Papa!" Tiarna begged, struggling against his hold now. "We've got to help her!" She just could not stand for this.

He remained quiet despite her rightful demands, and Tiarna quickly redirected her attention to him. She searched her Papa's face but could not read it, whether because it was dark or because her Papa was expressionless, she could not decide. Tiarna looked back at the three women and the Old Lady Wanderer, grateful that they had yet to lay a hand on her. If they did, she would fight her own Papa to save her.

Tiarna scanned her surroundings, seeing building after building of homes in high rises. It was not that late into the night, and it was clear from the light in most windows that families were home and awake. If her Papa did not let her protect the Old Lady Wanderer, surely another individual in this neighbourhood would. Tiarna craned her neck and strained her eyes, making out silhouettes coming to the windows.

Yes! She thought to herself. This injustice was not about to be let go so easily. This women were not about to get away with their crime. Tiarna tasted a tinge of victory in her mouth, and her muscles began to relax. It would not be long now until someone came down to defend the Old Lady Wanderer. It would not be long now until the authorities came and put an end to this travesty.