Road to Arcadia: the Path East

Chapter Seventeen: Purkans

They avoided the suspicious side eyes of surrounding pedestrians as they backed out of the amoebic blob of people. Time crept by, sun growing higher and hotter. Kai could feel beads of sweat form on his upper chest and back. Even though it was early morning and he had yet to do any strenuous activity, the southern summer heat was all-encompassing. His thoughts were with the undernourished citizens that had been standing there for hours already. He tried to distract himself by focusing on the crowd, locking in to the characters making up the blob.

None of them appeared to be worn to shambles. Whatever crust was around the edges didn't fit the description of those who would need to stand in line for bread. Not that Kai had any of those preconceived notions--at least actively--but he was familiar with the rhetoric.

The crowd stirred as the front door to the expansive building cracked open. Kai stood up straight, hoping to gain some visibility.

A man with hunched shoulders sporting a dress shirt and denim pants emerged from inside, carrying something in hand. His bald head reflected the morning sun while the edges of his gray beard were frayed with stress. He straightened his back once the door behind him squeaked shut and held something up to his face.

The clicking alerted Kai immediately. A megaphone.

"Good morning," he greeted.

A few earnest answers intermixed with some less than enthusiastic ones echoed back at him.

"Thank you for coming this morning," his words were slow and deliberate, carefully chosen as a way to lead up to an announcement he clearly did not want to make. "I, unfortunately, have some bad news."

Agitation hit the crowd like a stone to flint.

"Our service provider has reported that they are low on resources and will henceforth terminate their current contract."

Some scoffed. Others shouted out questions.

Even from where Kai was standing he could see the drips of sweat form on the man's brow. He had a feeling those weren't caused by the summer heat.

"Our provider has made the decision to withhold the remainder of their shipment and sell it to the grocer to recoup the loss. Food will be available tomorrow at the Fifth and Market for purchase. Those that didn't get their delivery for the week will get first priority."

Even with the slap in the face consolation at the end, the crowd erupted. They were yelling and shouting. Kai tried to listen in, pick out the concerns.

"I CAN'T AFFORD A GROCERY STORE PRICE."

"IF YOU THOUGHT WE COULD DO THAT, WHY THE HELL ARE WE WAITING IN LINE FOR FOOD?"

"YOU'RE THE MAYOR, AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO DO SOMETHING? YOU SIGNED THE CONTRACT!"

Despite their angered cries, the man with the megaphone, the mayor, remained untouched. There were a couple of peacekeepers among them at the front, preventing those with escalating anger from touching the man or the door.

Kai's attention shot to his squad leader. Things were loosely controlled now, but he knew she knew that things could turn ugly real quick.

"Alright, stay here," she muttered to the group. She took off, pushing through the crowd until she got to the front. Her appearance alone was enough to temporarily stun those around her. She approached the mayor. Kai couldn't tell if she towered over him or that was just the energy she exerted. Without saying anything, she held her hand out for the megaphone.

The mayor only stared at her, eyes wide and confused.

Baz pointed to the symbol on her helmet.

He hesitantly uncurled his wrist, offering the megaphone up to her.