Run

Chapter Three

Resting her tired feet after a long day at the diner; Rowan begin to bask in the quiet of her apartment even though the silence was broken by the cars driving past on the street outside and neighbours making a noise in the adjoining apartments. She did not regretting moving to LA and starting anew; she needed a change in her life as she worried that she would never amount to anything. Although she worked as a waitress in a diner she finally decided to return to community college; even though she was not looking forward to the idea but she did not want to be a waitress forever. The pay was the best and was a struggle to get by and often she had to take extra shifts so she could pay her bills. She was still deciding on which classes to attend and put it off until after the purge in case something happened to her. The purge night was unpredictable, there were times that you were left alone and people would leave you be. Then there were others who were intent on harming you but giving up when they realise they cannot break inside. Rowan hoped on this night that she would be safe in the company of her friend and her family; they could protect one another and keep them from harm.

No longer to sit longer Rowan decided to pack her overnight bag for Eva's, packing a change of clothes and her handy pistol in case in was needed. Rowan had hoped that she would never have to fire that gun and it was good to have in her purse. Instead of waiting for Eva to finish her shift at the diner she decided to head on over to her apartment hoping that Cali and Papa Rico were home. She could not bear to be alone; the purge was making her nervous and putting her on edge.

Locking up her apartment tight as she hoped that no one would break in and steal her stuff, she had tried to hide anything of value and hoped they would not look hard enough. Rowan made her way to Eva's apartment and knocked hard on the door, hoping that someone was home. She waited patiently at the closed door, until she heard footsteps coming from the other side and the door slowly opens. As the door widens she is pleased to see Cali's face in front of her, glad that she will soon be in the company of friends.

'Rowan hey, come in my mom said that you would be coming over after your shift'

'Thanks Cali. I'm glad your home, I need a distraction from this night' she answers as she follows Cali inside and closes the door behind her 'Hi Papa Rico. What are you guys watching?'

'What are you looking at?' Papa Rico asks Cali as Rowan stands behind Cali and Papa Rico.

'Nothing. Just, you know, stuff. Are you okay?'

'Yeah. I'm fine'

'You sure?'

'You don't need to keep asking me'

'She's just worried about you Rico' Rowan speaks up.

'I know but she doesn't need to keep asking'

'My name is Donald Talbot. Our regime was voted into office nine years ago. And the first order of business was to deal with the epidemic of crime that was plaguing this nation. The answer was the Purge

'We've lost our souls to attain this peace. We no longer worship at the altar of Christ, Muhammad, Yahweh. We worship at the altar of Smith & Wesson. We, the people, know not what we do'

'Horseshit. Where'd you find this lunatic?' Rico spoke up once again.

'I saw his protest posters all around the neighborhood. He lives here, Papa. He's just like us. Now, shush. Please listen. He's not a lunatic'

'The Purge is not about containing crime to one night, and cleansing our souls by releasing aggression. It's about one thing. Money. Who dies tonight? The poor. We can't afford to protect ourselves'

'He's as full of shit as they are'

'No, he's right. Come on. They're keeping the population down by getting rid of people like us to save money' Rowan added 'It's the same everywhere'