The Greatest Lie

Whispers In The Wind

   It was theorized that everything that happened was orchestrated on purpose, while others saw it as an inevitable natural progression of society. The rich did nothing but get richer, while the poor were designated to an even lower class they didn't know was possible. A few preached that the fall of religion left people without a moral compass. For hundreds of years people had a book to follow that told them what was right or wrong. Even with a number of prominent different religions, it gave large groups of people a unified way of living, which brought them peace and harmony. People went as far as forcing their religions on others through the offer of life or death. Many chose the former without hesitation and devoted themselves to a false god, while others took the latter and proudly died fighting for their own beliefs. History was forgotten, religions had left all their believers in a form of purgatory, and only those willing to sell their souls in exchange for their vanity were left on a pedestal. God was dead, or at least the idea of something bigger than ourselves had vanished from people's minds. Selfishness and the idea of every person for themselves had become the new way of life for Marilyn and all those who made a life out of the scraps that remained.

It had been a couple days since the vote was supposed to happen and Marilyn was beginning to hear whispers in the wind that it had passed. There was no way of knowing for sure if it was true, but it rejuvenated her and brought a peace of mind she couldn't remember ever having. It was hope and chance of ending the chaos she had lived in for all of her life. She didn't know if she should stay put until she was certain what she was hearing was real, or if she should try and find out for herself. Where she was living offered no hope and by waiting around she would continue to suffer and struggle to live. If she left and tried to find the answer for herself, It would be a treacherous and dangerous journey but one that could reward her with the truth. It also came with many unknown variables including vagrants that would steal, rape or murder without a concern for human life. Internally debating on if she should stay or go, Marilyn saw no reason in continuing to risk her life here in London waiting for M Corp to save her. She was wasting time arguing with herself, so she decided to put her doubts aside and plan her escape from the hell she had been living in.

She was tired of living a life in fear. A life so isolated that she yearned for a real human connection. It had been years since her parents' passing, and that was the last time that she had any sort of loving physical touch from another human being. Her life had felt hopeless for too many years, so Marilyn had come to the conclusion years ago that she was going to do something about it. Growing up hearing stories about small pockets of people still living in relative harmony in Europe, Marilyn knew that if anyone knew the truth about if the vote passed, she could try and find it at one of these places. These small villages were as mythical to her as what the plan for the lottery really offered. She could barely believe that either of them were truly real, but she knew that now was the time to find out. If all else failed, Marilyn knew that M Corp was close from the years of hearing and seeing the explosions in the distance. She had never seen or talked to an M Corp soldier, but Marilyn believed that if she couldn't find one of the villages that had been rumored, M Corp should be able to help her. They had tried to help people here in the past, so she clung to the idea that they could at least point her in the right direction. This way of life was all that Marilyn remembered and all that she knew. Anything would be an upgrade to the way of life she had been living, even working for M Corp.

The daylight was vanishing and Marilyn knew she couldn't spend another day shut up in this dilapidated building. She couldn't leave the city during the day, but also was worried about traveling in the woods alone at night. The packs of dogs that had taken over the surrounding wilderness would eagerly accept the meal of a young tender human when given the opportunity. Figuring that if she could sneak out of the city in the early morning hours, she could make it deep into the forest by daylight to continue her journey. Marilyn would now have to wait throughout the night for the brief period of time before the sun fully rose to escape the debris of the bomb riddled London suburbs. The shadows of the morning would provide enough security for her to hopefully get out unnoticed. The barely organized gangs that had taken over some form of authority in London were out in full force during the day and spent most of the night traversing the streets looking for the innocent to take advantage of. The mornings always seemed the safest when most of the city was still sleeping from their late night escapades.