The Manipulation Room

Chapter 19 - Riots

Manipulation Room victim no. 201923
Name: Nico Jasper 
Age: 76 years old 
Occupation: Retired
Family Member: 21-year-old grandson, Casper 
Description: Pellet of cyanide is dropped into sulfuric acid which creates hydrogen cyanide poison, then forced victim to exhale 

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"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ezra asked, scrolling through his phone to find the correct location of the riot. "Ezra, I'm certain. And asking me a hundred times isn't going to change my mind." I laughed, leaning forward to see the screen of his phone. He smiled gratefully, "Thank God for that. We're gonna make a difference, I know we are."
"God, I hope so."

He tapped the screen with the tip of his finger, "There. Ebrima Forte Square."
"Oh, me, Kierra and...Credence...we used to go there all the time." I explained. Back when Credence didn't turn ice cold at a glance. He changed and I still don't know why. I doubt I ever will, which only makes the pain of losing a great friend sting more. "Is it close?" He asked, scanning through news article after news article on the 'Ebrima Riots'

I nodded, "Yep, a ten-minute walk, max. Shall we go?" I asked, but Ezra didn't move. His eyes were stuck on the screen, panic-stricken and ten shades bluer. I cleared my throat, "Ezra? Ezra, are you okay?"
He looked up and shook his head, "Yeah, fine. Let's go."
I folded my arms, "You're the opposite of fine. What's wrong?"
He stared stubbornly for a second before giving in entirely and turning his screen to face me. And there, in bright red writing it said 'FIVE PEOPLE KILLED IN THE EBRIMA RIOTS. AREA MARKED AS A DANGER HAZARD'

"I don't think we should go. It's bound to be dangerous. What if something happens?" He asked, rubbing his hands together nervously. I came forward and clutched his arm, "Ezra, this entire plan is dangerous. Everything we're doing right now screams danger. If we stop at the first threat then we might as well quit now."
He glanced up at me, conflicted, before sighing and shaking his head. "You know I'll never forgive myself if you die, right?" He sighed. I grinned, "I expect nothing less."
"I also hate that you're always right about everything..."
"You know you love it really."
"You're right about that too."

We walked to the Ebrima Riots, practically shaking with fear. This was only the beginning of a plan that was going to be more dangerous than we could even anticipate. More people flocked around us as we neared closer. Crowds and crowds of people holding signs. I read them passingly and saw messages like 'Multiply not manipulate!' and 'I'm a murderer. #MRvictim'

I tapped Ezra on the arm as he struggled to make his way through the crowd. "What's a Mr victim?" I asked. He shook his head, "Not Mr...M-R. Manipulation Room initials. It's a hashtag going around, anyone whose been in the room itself is known as an MR victim." I stared at the sign again, before following him through the crowd. Scared of losing me in the vast crowd, he held tightly onto my hand and dragged me through, tightening his grip as the crowds grew denser. I clung to him, practically choked with claustrophobia and scared of becoming lost in such a vast, scary place.

We suddenly broke through the other side, huffing and wheezing. We made it. "This is it...the Ebrima Riots." Ezra exhaled, breathing a sigh of relief. I looked around and he was right, this was it. A riot. In moments the crowd that had been cheering stood silent, bereft. Then came flashes of anger, jeers, shouting. A window was smashed. Some stood panicked, others dissipated as fast as they could, fleeing to the buses and trains, or else just down side streets. But a core of them stayed, burning cars, looting, smashing, destroying property with no thought to whom it belonged to. They had become a mob, mindless and dangerous.

Ezra pulled me towards him and whispered in my ear, "Please stay close to me, I'm worried."
I smiled at him, "Are you scared for me or yourself?"
He smiled back, "Both."