The ten council members go back to the middle of the floor. They hold hands and make a circle, Roy looks down and then gets ready to talk.
"We have run this town for a hundred years, if this is what the town wants then we will die for the town. We will do this for our children. To give them a better life." Ian nods in agreement and then steps forward, careful not to break the circle.
"Together?" He steps back.
"Together." The rest of them reply. They close their eyes as the building around them bursts into flames and collapses to the ground.
***
In the middle of the dark, cold tunnel, Edward is on his knees sobbing. As an only child he has been left all alone. The only thing he has left to live for is his promise to Margaret about keeping her children safe. The twins: Elisabeth and Evangeline are two years younger than Edward, he had left them in the prison house that the townspeople had locked them in along with the other council members' children. He closes his eyes and can see his mother coming to comfort him, her warm touch and gentle words.
He wipes his eyes dry and then pushes himself up off the ground. He places his hand back on the wall and forces himself to keep walking. He imagines the council, dying for the town, his parents' last words, the twins waiting for him. At last he feels a wooden structure coming out of the wall. He steps on it and it seems sturdy, he climbs as he can, until he bumps his head on a wooden square.
"Oww." He cries out, but of course, no one can hear him. He closes his eyes, willing himself not to cry. He pinches his arm, and finally the tears go away. He reaches up and pushes, as hard as he can. It doesn't budge. He pushes again, and it moves a little, once more and it pops up revealing the brightly lit sky. He can hear shouting from the townspeople who are over by the burning building, he slowly hoists himself out of the whole and onto the ground, he crawls behind a tree, hiding himself from the angry mob who had just killed his parents.
