The Greatest Lie

The Vote

 It was a game of chance with equal odds for everyone, the last hope for bringing humanity back together as one. This brilliant idea had seemed so fantastical when it was first proposed, but over time it grew to the point it was impossible to ignore. The people wanted it and the controlling entity, known as M Corp, was forced to allow them to vote on its destiny. All the small pieces of this puzzle slowly fell into place, leading up to a door opening just far enough for it to be considered a possible reality. Some called it the end of civilization as we knew it, while others claimed civilized people had died long ago. A country divided cannot stand, and this division has spread to the entire whole world. The only thing that everyone could agree on was that something had to change. This proposal had been given the title of "The Lottery", and the fate of humanity came down to one vote.

Victor was both nervous and excited as he stood in line waiting for his chance to go inside the New York City community building and cast his vote. The conflicting emotions that infiltrated his mind were nothing new for Victor, the tumultuous life he lived was the new normal for anyone who lived around here. Even so, Victor had a nagging feeling that there should be more to life than blindly following what he was told. His neighborhood was one of the lucky few in the city that was still functioning, but the pressure for change could be felt by everyone who had gathered today to practice one of their last remaining civil rights in this dwindling democracy.

It had been years since one of the greatest cities in the world had been ravaged by riots and protests. No one could pinpoint exactly what the catalyst was that started it all, but once the damage was done it was too late to go back to how things used to be. A slow burn had been ignited and not one government or country could stop the cascade of events that had become inevitable. The destruction that followed left most of the boroughs in smoldering piles of rubble, with only a few neighborhoods now left with some sort of stability. There were attempts to rebuild, but with the societal chaos it was too dangerous to try and fix the obliteration that had occurred. You couldn't help people that didn't want to be saved, and some would say that people had dug their own graves. A large exodus of people began dispersing across the country, searching for a resemblance of society that was no longer available. Many could not afford to leave, or were too proud to leave the place they called home. Those who stayed behind were now forced to try and make do with what was left. Fighting for survival meant survival of the fittest, and people threw away their morals for the opportunity of another meal. The global structure that had allowed the world to prosper for decades had broken and the only thing left holding it together was M Corp. They were saviors for some by offering work, food and a place to stay, but people were desperate and could no longer cling to the values they used to live by. Others fought until the end to preserve some sort of moral justice for what they believed was right.

The crowd surrounding Victor was massive and it was the first peaceful demonstration of a group of people this size he had ever seen. He was apprehensive at first to even come because many people predicted that it would turn violent before the polls even opened. Looking around at the other people he could see similar signs of doubt and skepticism with a hint of wonder. The morning was cool and quiet as most people kept to themselves, trying to avoid creating any sort of disturbance. M Corp had allowed everyone who was employed by them to have the day off to partake in the vote, which confused Victor because to him the passing of the lottery meant the end of M Corps rule. All Victor knew for certain was that this plan was the only glimmer of hope he had seen for finding a way out of the mess he was trying to live in.

While his eyes fixed ahead, he tried to block out the incessant chants of the protester's that were gathered across the street on the sidewalk. Trying to not make it obvious, Victor side eyed the group to see if he recognized anyone. They continued their rhythmic outbursts and held their arms crossed above their heads, identifying themselves as the group that went by the name X. Most of them were wearing hoods, masks and sunglasses, trying to partially conceal their identities. Support for X had popped up around the time that the proposal for the lottery was beginning to be passed around and they were the leading outspoken opponents to its enactment. No one that Victor knew had any idea where they came from or who was in charge of this mysterious organization. He was sure that they were aware of the danger they were putting themselves in by being so vocally opposed to this plan, but a part of Victor admired their courage for standing up for what they believed was a bad idea. Victor wondered if all these protesters were going to change out of their camouflage eventually to join in casting their vote against the lottery, or if they were boycotting the whole situation all together. Through all the conversations Victor had with his friends and coworkers about the lottery, not one of them had admitted to wanting to vote against this idea. With all the support he had seen, he didn't think there was any chance that the lottery would not pass.