Apocrypha

Chapter 28

"This is what the Lord almighty said: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other'."
Zechariah 7: 9-10

THE UNIVERSITY was erupting into chaos. The quad had been divided into two sides. One side carried signs and posters for the reelection of incumbent President Samuel Watts. Meanwhile, the other side shouted for the election of Sarah Barrington, a newly 22 year old.

"Go home, fascists!" One side yelled.

"We don't want you here!"

Timon also shouted. Joined alongside his lover, Mac, the two shouted 'Vote for Barrington' to the other side.

Police in riot gear positioned in the zone between the clashing sides. They occasionally had to grab protesters and detain them. By the looks on their faces, they knew this was going to become even more catastrophic.

"Timon!" A woman from the other side yelled. Timon saw a young woman whom he didn't remember her name but had met at orientation for their school.

Timon and Mac exited the protest where the woman who had called to him walked up with an angry look.

"What is wrong with you?" She shouted. "Why are you advocating for them? Do you know what they think of people like us?" She asked.

"Don't mix me in with you freaks!" Timon shouted.

"Did you forget what Sarah Barrington said about wanting to exterminate all queers? Or when her VP said we should be rounded up and killed? Are you fucking deaf, Timon?" She shouted. She was joined by other friends.

Timon recognized them as belonging to the Queer Students Club.

"That was taken out of context." Mac replied.

"Exactly! Stop your fear mongering! If you sheep had any sense of individualism, you would wake up and see that they are right!" Timon shouted.

The woman scoffed. "Me? A sheep? You're a literal sheep thinking the wolves won't eat you! Newsflash, Timon! They will never see you as one of them!" She shouted.

Before Timon could reply, shouting emerged from the quad. Protesters began to climb over the barriers and began to fight. The police, while some tried to stop the mayhem, others were seen standing and doing nothing.

"This is what they want!" The woman's friend said. "They want chaos! And you'll be lucky if you survive it!"

Tear gas was then thrown into the crowd. Timon and Mac quickly ran out of the quad and to the parking lot. As they got inside, they pulled out and drove to their apartment.

"We made it." Mac sighed.

"Yeah. But what if what she said is true? How can we trust them?" Timon asked.

"Because, we aren't like them. We don't shove our queerness in other's faces and make it our personality. We don't try to indoctrinate kids or try to make them like us. We just want to live." Mac replied.

Timon nodded. He turned on the radio.

"Presidential nominee Sarah Barrington recently made controversial statements regarding immigrants. In a leaked recording, the running woman was heard joking about conducting a large-scale deportation."

Timon quickly turned the radio off.

"Mac?" He asked. "What about your family? Are you sure that voting for Barrington is a good idea?"

"My family were, key word were, immigrants. But they at least work hard and don't commit crimes like the aliens sneaking into the country."

"Got it. Are you ready? Voting opens next week."