The Unsatisfying Trilogy

3rd story: Part 2

Cars rushed their way home through the busy streets of Moiraipolis, thousands of people leaving their day of work. Streetlights illuminated small areas of sidewalks and roads, erasing the darkness that swallowed the city.

Well, most of the darkness... 

Milly was exhausted. They'd been walking for a good old half an hour. Their grandmother used to pick them up from school but Atropos prevented that.
It was too kind of her.
Now Milly had to find their own way home through the maze of Moiraipolis.

The road crossings were pointless. Vehicles never stopped.

Except this one.

Milly was surprised, startled even. A small van pulled its brakes to let Milly cross.
Why?

Milly saluted the driver, and took a step onto the road. Expecting the driver to change their mind and run Milly over, she safely got to the other side in one piece.

Yet something caught her eyes.

On the other side was another person anxious to cross. They were young, far too vulnerable to be walking through the streets at this time, like a wandering Doe separated from their mother.

Unlike Milly, they didn't wear noticeable vibrant pink and yellow coloured clothes. So the van driver didn't see them.

The van started to move.
The child began to cross the road.

Milly didn't think.
She just jumped.

She pushed the child to safety in an instant, ignoring the sounds of angry, honking cars.

Once they were both by the roads side, the child stared at Milly with wide eyes, completely changed from the last few seconds.

"Are you okay?" Milly gasped.

The child couldn't speak. They just nodded. However, they weren't afraid of what had just happened to them, they were more scared of what was now to occur to Milly.

Milly had rescued someone.
The worst crime.

In their society, saving people comes at a cost. You prevent someone's death, you give yours.

Milly stumbled backwards, she couldn't believe what she had just done; it all happened so fast.

She rescued someone.
No one is supposed to do that.

Her usual paranoia intensified, her brain still in disbelief.

Milly didn't have much time before Atropos punished her.
A phone was hidden in her pocket.  She needed to make one last call.

"Zoe! Zoe!" she screamed into the speaker, "Zoe. Help me. I-I've done something terrible!"

Milly looked around with an anxious expression, scanning her surroundings for any danger that might come her way.

Eventually, Zoe responded, "Hey Milly is that you? Why are you phoning me at this time? What happened?"

She was irritated.

Milly took a deep breath, "A person was crossing the road. A-And the c-car didn't see them. I couldn't leave them there. I c-couldn't."

"What do you mean?" Zoe was baffled with her friends words, "wait... you don't mean you saved them?"

She was now as scared as Milly.

"I-I just couldn't leave them!" Milly wailed, "I don't want to die! I don't want to die Milly!"

Zoe knew Milly's life was doomed, but she needed to see her friend one more time, "Just stay there, I'm coming. Where are you exactly?"

...