Saving the Brooks

The Beginning

No one knew how it began, how society changed at the blink of the eye. Some say that it was bound to happen, others say that society was always that way. No one questions anything anymore, they follow commands without second guessing the commander.

This society is a broken one that gives off the illusion of perfection, an inspiration to others, while being the hand that breaks others down all at the same time. It all depends on perspective, but I see it, the pain, suffering, and greed that this society portrays everyday like every other mundane task. Where preying off the weak is accepted and love and compassion is a rare occasion, a lost cause.

Each side is loyal to only themselves, never wanting to be caught dead conversing with the other. The high class criminals live inside the gates, fenced off from the savages that live around them. Entering without permission is a death wish, and under the rare occasion that permission was granted, glares and mockery would be thrown, cutting like knives.

The Brooks are dedicated to the lower class citizens, unfortunate beings that were born into the world with a tarnished reputation. The Brooks were unfortunately a breeding ground for crimes, mostly committed by the citizens living in the gated communities that come when nightfall hits. A means of entertainment, a hosted game with the sole intent of stealing personal belongings from their victims. The more stolen, the more points earned.

This was just how things worked, no one ever questioned if their actions were morally correct or even justified in a sense. This game ran for so long that our neighborhood is left without water, electricity, and without hope. Just fearing when nightfall hits and the Gated come, like they always do without mercy and cruel.

***

I sat on cold hard ground, waiting for the blaring of the sirens that would signal the beginning of the hunt. It happened everyday, the Gated would come in tight grey suits, armed while sifting through the streets of the Brooks looking for prey to harass, to gain points, which would reflect on their stupid statuses and wealth.

These government sanctioned events eventually led my family and I, as well as everyone else, to seek shelter and stay barricaded for hours upon hours, but that never impeded their strategy as they became more bold.

It happened three years ago, when I was only fifteen, that the Gated finally found us, killing my father and mother, as well as my two older brothers. In turn for my family's massacre, that group gained 40,000 points and an extra 200 points when they burned our house down.

All for 40,200 points, which equated to about 20,100 dollars.

The sirens finally blared, echoing the concrete hallway that I was currently residing in for the time being. The roaring of engines could be heard as men with heavy artillery got out of their vehicles and the hunt leader began shouting orders.

"Tonight, we will scour the streets in search of these scum. We have been doing a good job since the population is slowly declining, prompting the house leader to raise the stakes and raising each point to be worth 2 dollars instead of the original 50 cents." the hunt leader yelled to a group of about 20 participants.

The group began to split up, and the vehicles began to turn around, heading back to their community as their members hunted.

I could tell this was the first time for many of the members as their hands shook with nerves and the fact that they were joking around and laughing. The loud noises alerting any citizen residing in the Brooks for miles away.

They aren't going to be getting any points tonight, I quietly snickered and continued watching from the hallway in what use to be an apartment complex. The rubble around the window edge led directly outside and the brisk night air surrounded me, as I watched, analyzing the actions of the member from the Gated.

Being on my own for some time has allowed me to be more risky and daring with my actions, and over the years I have gotten closer to the Gated members, watching each time.

Quickly snapping out of my daydream, I looked back outside only to discover the hunting group gone.

"Where did they go," I muttered to my self silently scolding myself for getting distracted. I pulled the leather jacket I had on closer to me, and began scooting backwards, away from the window. A loud blast exploded from underneath me, and the infrastructure of the building began to slowly crumble.

Trying to keep calm, I gathered what little belongings I had and shuffled out of the hallway, darting around the rubble and debris covering the ground. The scenery began to flitter around my vision as the soles of my shoes smacked against the ground, creating a loud echo. I could barely make out the mantra that I muttered to myself over the loud pounding of my heart.

Keep running, you're going to be fine. Keep running, you're going to be fine.

I finally made it out of the building before it collapsed, and leaned against a nearby alleyway, panting as I tried to recover from that strenuous event.

"Hey scum get back here, I saw you!" a deep voice shouted from the other side of the alley.

Without time to recover, my feet began moving by themselves as I moved and ducked, each time the man shot his gun. The pendant that I wore around my neck, inscribed with the name Nadina, swung violently as the never-ending chase went on.

Ducking beneath a pile of wood, I waited until the man's footsteps slowly retreated as he gave up looking for me. The chase was finally over and now it was time for me to seek shelter to wait out the rest of the night, hopefully without getting founded again.