Yesterday's Enemy [AoT]

ONE-HUNDRED

'The world, as we know it, has been plunged into political mayhem. As two parties battle it out for control over the people's thoughts and ideology, the Walls moves to a standstill. Journalists love it; officials hate it. Our only question now is how will it end?'

-An extract from a recent newspaper article detailing current events.

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ONE-HUNDRED

Wall Maria, North Region, Islet

'The Briggs War of Words', as it came to be known, raged on for the next month.

Every morning, as every baker, butcher, and townsperson opened the daily newspaper, it was certain that they would be greeted with a fresh batch of speech and rhetoric. They were witnessing a battle for this nation.

Either you supported Aksel Briggs, advocate for justice, or his daughter, Lorelai Briggs, who called for some twisted form of peace.

Their every article was equivalent to an attack, each paper and announcement a gunshot intended to kill.

While Lorelai was steadily making headway, her growing numbers of supporters only meant the Walls was becoming more divided. They began to see reports of violent conflicts where the two groups had engaged in shootouts in the middle of the street.

Every newspaper tore a rift through the Walls. They had created mass political turmoil; it was an ultimatum, us or them. No middle ground. No mercy.

No one had ever seen the Walls like this. It was pure chaos. No one knew who to trust; no one knew who to believe.

The military was, on the whole, unable to intervene. Each group's morale was far too high; if they tried to moderate gatherings or even make arrests, it would end in civil war.

The nation was at a standstill. But if it carried on much longer, they feared it would tear itself apart from the inside.

<>

This situation was relatively familiar to Lorelai.

She walked down the streets of Islet, tailed by bodyguards, which had become her new normal.

The town was practically abandoned. Most of the less violently-inclined townsfolk had taken to hiding out in their houses. It was too dangerous to walk alone, especially in Islet, which had become the epicentre of the fighting.

Painted all across the town were her manifestos, quotes from her articles displayed as a rallying cry. On nearby streets, her father's message showed in a similar light.

This chaotic political climate was oddly nostalgic. Once upon a time, in Havas, Lorelai had created a similar situation with the renouncement of her seat on the council.

Back then, she had felt unbelievably guilty. Lorelai had taken to hiding from the public eye, lest she cause further damage. Now, she had made peace with the consequences she juggled. This was her fight, and she would make no apologies.

Back in Havas, Lorelai had let Warren and Agneta handle things for her. That had ended badly on all fronts. She wouldn't make the same mistake again.

Over the past month, Lorelai had quite successfully distanced herself from the Scouts. She didn't want nor need their help.

Erwin continued to meddle as she had expected. He continued to be bothersome, going on about finding some middle ground. Lorelai scoffed to herself; while that sounded good, it was wholly unpractical. No, this needed to be resolved. If in blood, so be it.