The Shock of the New

Chapter 58: Guns Blazing

After escaping the safehouse, Ian found himself running aimlessly through the streets of London. Everywhere he looked, there was violence and death on every corner. Ian didn't even know where he was or what he was going to do next, he just knew that he had to run as fast as he could.

After running for a very long time, Ian collapsed against a wall completely out of breath. As he recovered, Ian looked around him and noticed that the place he was in looked extremely familiar.

A few seconds later, Ian realised why. A couple of feet away was the bins on Carl Benjamin road in which he'd found the envelope that had sent him looking for the Priest Child file.

Ian then noticed that the buildings themselves were far less damaged than what he'd seen in the middle of London. This gave him a bit of hope

"Maybe the flat has survived" he thought "I could hide out there until all this shit blows over"

As Ian rushed through the streets, he felt a great sense of unease. Supposing his flat had been burned to the ground. What would he do then?

He then had another ugly thought. Suppose the W.E.R. police managed to track him down to his flat and took him into custody. He'd probably end up liquidated.

Ian put the thought out of his mind. If that happened, he'd deal with it. Right now, the only thing that mattered to him was getting to the flat and taking shelter while the riots blew over.

Eventually Ian turned onto the road that his flat was located. He was immediately elated to see that the flat had not in fact been burned to the ground and was standing relatively intact. Ian hurried across the car park in front of the state and over to the front door. Feeling his pockets, Ian was relieved to discover that he hadn't lost the keys during his last few misadventures and quickly let himself in.

When he made it up to the flat and opened the door, Ian found the familiar sense of his old home soothing. How long it had it been since he'd last stepped inside? Two or three days? Ian shook his head. None of that mattered now. He was safe at home and for now, out of the prying hands of the W.E.R.

Ian then stopped. He could hear someone moving around in the kitchen. He was about to call out to them, but stopped himself. If they were involved with the W.E.R., he could take them by surprise.

Ian crept through the living room and up to the kitchen door. As he put his ear to the door, he could hear the familiar sounds of a W.E.R. emergency broadcast. Ian then decided to take a chance and flung the door open

"Don't move!" he screamed pointing the gun at the figure. A second later, he realised who it was

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Grace asked

Ian was at once, both relieved and slightly wary
"I'm back baby!" he grinned "And I'm better than ever!"

Grace however scowled at him

"You murdered Donald in cold blood! You're a traitor to the W.E.R.!"

Ian sighed "I figured you wouldn't take it well-"
"Take it well!" Grace exploded "You murder one of my friends for that evil L.S.E.I. group and cause riots and instability through the W.E.R. and you expect me to take it well! I should kill you where you stand!"
Before Grace could do so, Ian however whipped out his pistol and pointed it at her
"Don't even try it. I killed Donald and I could do the same to you right now!"

Grace hesitated before speaking again

"Why did you do it Ian? You were such a good loyal patriot"
Ian groaned "Christ I'm sick of hearing those words. Everywhere I go, all I hear is crap like "You have to be a loyal patriot!" or "The W.E.R. is appointed by god!" You know what, It's getting fucking old!"
"But Donald was our friend! He was a good man who-"
"-beat up his wife!" Ian finished the sentence for her. Noticing Grace's shocked expression, he laughed

"Yeah I bet you didn't know that did you? Did you ever notice the bruises on Marie's face? I'll be she said that she walked into a door or something didn't she?"

Grace stammered and desperately attempted to defend herself

"Well... she had it coming as all women in the W.E.R. have to please their husbands. Not like what those horrible feminists said before-"
"Fuck off!" Ian snapped "Are you fucking listening to yourself? The W.E.R. has brainwashed you into constantly going against your own self interests and you fucking let them!"
Grace looked down at the floor

"Yeah!" Ian laughed "You know I'm right don't you"
"No!" Grace screamed "The W.E.R. is a utopia appointed by God and-"
"There we go again!" Ian rolled his eyes "You and the rest of those fucking patriots are like a broken fucking record! You wanna know the truth? The leaders of this great world don't give a shit about people like you and me! All they see us as is means to an end. And you let them walk all over you like the complete fucking doormat you are! Well I'm not like that! I am a freethinking individual who thinks for himself and-"
"Shut the fuck up!" Grace then launched herself at Ian brandishing a large kitchen knife. In a panic, Ian pointed his gun and blasted her at point blank range. Grace staggered back, blood pouring from a wound on her chest and looked up at Ian with an expression that simply said "Why?" Then she collapsed onto the floor.

Realising what he'd just done, Ian screamed "Grace!" He rushed over to her body desperately trying to find a sign of life. A second later, however he found her pulse was nonexistent and she wasn't breathing. Ian closed her eyes and sobbed.

Ian had been sobbing for a very long time until he finally stopped. In a fit of anger, he put his pistol to his forehead and closed his eyes. He seriously contemplated pulling the trigger and splattering his brains out all over the wall.

But he just couldn't bring himself to do so. He then opened his eyes and sighed.

Ian then shook his head "No!" he thought "I'm not gonna take the cowards way out. I'm gonna get through this and I'm gonna live to see the brave new world that's about to begin!"
He then picked himself up off the floor and walked out of the kitchen into the living room. Looking out the window, Ian could see that London was still burning from the anarchy that had been unleashed upon it. He smiled to himself at the thought of those bastards at the top finally getting their dues.

Ian then heard the sound of a vehicle pulling into the car park. Looking out the window, he saw a W.E.R. police van park up by the flat and several armed police officers spill out. One of them produced a megaphone

"Ian Clarkson!" he bellowed "We know you are in there! Surrender now or we will use force!"

Ian didn't reply. Instead he looked at the pistol he'd been using. It still had a fair number of bullets in it.

"Right then!" said the officer "We're coming up!"

Ian then walked over to the hallway and cocked his gun. He listened and sure enough could hear the sounds of footsteps marching up the hallway outside

"Bring it on!" he thought to himself