Will to Live-The Utopia Chronicles Book 1

Prologue

The towering mansions stare down coldly at the spectacle unfolding below them. The asphalt road is empty, devoid of its usual motor traffic, but on either side of the road a silent crowd looks on. Six people are paraded down the street, an overseer on either side of them. At the front of the line a young woman is walking between two overseers, her head held high. She wears a flash leather jacket and has a very un-Maculan purple streak in her charcoal black hair. In fact, she is quite pretty by Maculan standards, and if it wasn't for her crooked nose and too-sharp chin, she would pass for a utopian. But she is no Utopian, the looks of disgust on the guards faces tell at least that much. She is Maculan through and through.

Scattered throughout the crowd of well-dressed Utopians, are a few grubby Maculans, straining to see. Their faces show looks of poorly hidden awe. Here is one of their own, a fellow Maculan, who stands up straight, who wears proper clothing, who dyes her hair, who holds her head up high, who looks confident and determined walking to their own death.

They are led up to a makeshift platform in the middle of the street. On this platform are six metal chairs, with slots to attach hand cuffs in front of these chairs is a single podium, and at this podium stands a single man. He looks young and fresh despite his many years, this is none other than Raolph, chairman of the Caelestis. He coughs, his microphone-enhanced voice echoing through the street with clarity. The crowd is silent, completely still and they all stare up at him expectantly.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Faithful Citizens of Utopia. It is with great sorrow and anger that I tell you of this. Yesterday morning, these six Maculans", he utters the word with distaste as he gestures to the six prisoners behind him "put the safety, of our great nation at risk for their own malicious agendas. They attempted to annihilate all that we have worked and strived for, our perfect world, for nothing. What do they want to do to this nations?! Turn it back into the filthy anarchy that it once was. I will remind you of the speech I gave you twenty years ago, of how I told you of the Maculans, how they, the cursed, the imperfect, want more, they want to be in control of us, the Utopians, and they will do anything to get their way! We give them food, clothing, shelter, in exchange for a bit of service and what do they do? The ungrateful wretches can't accept it! They want more. So I warn you once again, be wary. Keep them under control, and don't let them get even whiff of power or they will strike out at you like wild tigers, just as these six have done. They have acted as wild animals and therefore will be treated as such! They will be put to death by shocking. Let them be an example to all you Maculans seeing this! Do you want to give up your clothing, your shelter, your food for this?! I think not. Watch, and make your decision."

He steps away from the podium and gestures to the two overseers holding the woman. They lead her to one of the metal chairs and clip her in, she doesn't resist but her fiery eyes burn bright.

Then suddenly, she yells
"Don't let their filthy lies get to you! We-" She is cut off as a gag is hastily shoved into her mouth. The overseers go to push the lethal button when a scream pierces the air. A young girl, no more than 12 rushes forward, hysterically sobbing.

"Let her go! L-Let her GO!" She is quickly pulled back by some overseers surrounding the raised platform.

"Get it out of here." One of them says.

"No!" Raolph's strong voice echoes, "Let it see what comes of rebellion." The girl is pulled back, and an overseer pushes the button. Soon muffled groans can be heard from the woman in the chair, mixed with hopeless sobs of the girl.