The Anonymous

Chapter 34: Martial Law

Shannon’s POV

I was catching my breath the moment I set foot on the station. It’s almost dawn and the last bullet train going to the Upper Messier leaves in 15 minutes so I had to run from the cemetery all the way to here. After the continuous threats and attacks that our country, Huxley, experienced, the government decided that it is for the best if they uphold a stricter law and guidance. Ever since then, the hours for public transportation changed.

I didn’t even get a chance to bid a proper goodbye to my sister and parents because I was trying to catch the last trip. I called them on the phone earlier and I sensed the wariness on their voices because of my sudden change of plans. They asked me for reasons but I chose to let them stay in the dark. I don’t really know what’s happening. I have a bit of a clue, and my instincts are telling me that it’s better if I don't tell them. Left with no choice, they just told me to take care and dropped the phone call.

I sat on the far end of the train and fished out my phone from my pocket to message Blaze. "I'm on my way to your unit. Can we meet up?"

Aside from asking for help, I also want to grab this opportunity to finally talk to him in person. These past few weeks that we are staying low, I admit that I missed him.

Time becomes so slow when you want it to run faster. Even though I'm on a bullet train I still feel like everything is in slow motion.

After a couple of minutes without Blaze’s response, I became more agitated. I tried to divert my mind from thoughts of him by browsing my social media accounts. I rarely browse the internet after my identity as Alice almost got revealed. That honestly gave me a traumatic experience.

My brows furrowed when I saw a certain random post. It’s from a private account claiming that Martial Law is about to begin. A lot of netizens are mocking the author and making memes out of his serious theory. I just disregarded it and continued to scroll through my feed.

“Welcome to Messier 58. To all passengers who are bound in this destination, please take the exit panel with your ticket and don’t forget to present your Status Badge. Thank you for travelling with us.”

Upon hearing the operator’s announcement, I immediately stood up and got out of the train. I need to hurry because digging will be hard once the sun sets. 

The plan is for me and Blaze to dig my fake grave and look for a clue or message. At first I thought of doing it alone, but then again, I know that’s impossible for me to execute without any assistance. I can’t trust anyone right now besides Blaze. Although he doesn't really know my whole story, I just feel like no matter what happens he’ll be there for me.

I was in front of the Velican when my phone rang, I immediately answered the call.

“Hey.”

“Hey, where are you?” Blaze asked.

“In front of the Velican. Are you... going?" I answered, out of breath from running from the station. I tried to compose myself as I walked calmly inside the building. 

“Yeah, but I may take a couple of minutes. I’m still in the mansion right now, and there’s a lot of guests here, so I’m trying to head outside without them seeing. Can you wait for me?”

“Sure. I understand.” I nod my head as though he can see it. “Just be careful,” I added.

The call was short, but it somehow assured me. At least I know that we can finally see each other and talk. A smile crept into my face from the thought.

Not even an hour after I reached the apartment, a loud siren boomed inside the whole building. I ran to the nearest window to peek and saw a lot of people panicking. Not long after, two police patrol cars parked in front of Velican’s main entrance.

“What the hell is happening?” I whisper.

I checked my phone to find out what the commotion is all about, but it seems like the internet was blocked. I tried to get my data and change my location inside the house, but it’s still not working. I opened the television to see if there would be any report, but the news that greeted me paled me.

“Urgent News! The Parliament house spokesperson Mr. Santillo delivered unexpected news. Late last night, a bunch of bomb threats surfaced on the Parliament official website. It is said that some of the members of the infamous group, The Anonymous, hacked the website to deliver a message, to which the administration ignored.

The news never came out to the public to prevent the citizens of Huxley from panicking which might result in chaos and riot. However, this morning, the residence of Messier 72 was surprisingly bombarded by a blasting bomb. As of 7 PM, two hundred people were listed to have lost their lives, while hundreds of more are still in critical conditions.

The authorities who were in charge of monitoring the area never expected that the threat will be from a suicide bomber.

With the said reason, President Arvin Piercer of Huxley has decided to set the entire Huxley into Martial Law.”

“Two hundred people were listed to have lost their lives.”

“Two hundred people were listed to have lost their lives.”

Those words echoed inside my mind and when I got back to my senses I remembered my family’s faces. As if on cue, tears started to fall from my eyes because of the mixed emotions I am feeling right now. It feels like deja vu, like it happened before.

My hands were shaking as I quickly dialed mama’s number but the line service was immediately cut off. I tried calling papa’s number but the result was the same. I walked towards the home telephone but nothing was working.

As frustrated as I am right now, I don't want to believe that the Paradigm is behind this. I'm sure that we don't have any motive to do this, it is not our intention to hurt innocent people and it won't benefit us in any way. The cunning president surely planned this all out. He made it seem like we are the criminals here. I am sure that he did this so he can manipulate the citizens of Huxley and make them think we are the bad guys.

I already anticipated that he would make a move to arrest us, but I did not expect him to go this far. Killing innocent civilians just to execute his plan shows how inhumane he is. He doesn't deserve even the least amount of respect. He is not a human! 

My trembling knees can’t hold my weight anymore so I sat down as I tried to compose my breathing and calm myself. The faces of my family are the first thing that I saw the moment I closed my eyes. The smiling faces of my mother and father, and the sweet smile of my sister. I already lost my biological family, and losing them would surely be the end of me. I tried to wipe the tears off of my face but they're still endlessly falling down. I can’t even see the screen of my phone properly because of the blurriness caused by my tears. Sniffing, I dialed my mama’s number again.

I jumped out of my seat when I heard the opposite line ring. Seconds after, I heard the faint voice of my family on the other line. 

“Ma! Hello? Ma, are you o-okay?” I waited for her to answer back but all I heard was a loud bang, static, then the line died. Collapsing on the floor with my eyes full of tears, I cried. Regret dawned over me. I would never forgive myself if something bad happens to my family.