UltraViolence

Chapter 3 - God Bless Action Movies

Fear makes us feel our humanity. - Benjamin Disraeli

------------------------------------------------

The rest of the day goes by at snail pace much to my dismay but at three, I bid my pack goodbye and head home and hope that the journey doesn’t bring any unwanted surprises.

Little did I know what was coming my way…

-------------------------------------------------

I walk down the never ending driveway of the school, making my way to the dangerous world beyond the walls and wooden slabs.

Being a private school with foreign teachers means security is at an all-time high - especially when all kinds of terrorists and outlaws would jump at the chance to create chaos for no reason.

No seriously, the level of security scares me sometimes. There are cameras in every corner of the premises, tucked away in the darkness sometimes or "hidden" in plain sight (More like a freakin' billboard screaming look at me! I'm here!).

I'm pretty sure that the "Billboards" are actually there to keep an eye on the students and to prevent any funny business while the teacher isn't looking. Teens and our raging hormones.

When I do reach the gate, the guard informs me that my car is here and that I may step outside now. I get into the white automobile and we're off.

"Hey! Can we stop by a restaurant and pick up something to eat? I have money on me today and I'm in the mood for something other than the repeated cuisine of the house. Please?" I ask the driver.

"Sure." he replied without a trace of hesitation. And why wouldn't he? Luckily for me, my family and I resided in the safer suburb of the city owned commercially by the army; which meant, cleaner, safer but more expensive residences to live in along with commercial areas for every avenue for banks and restaurants and shops, which meant we could stay within the suburb with basic necessities.

However, as the years have gone by, poverty and the number of the homeless have shot up due to the persistent rise in prices for oil and basic food stuff. With the government lounging about and doing as little as the possibly can, crime and corruption has increased all over the nation and is at an all-time high.

So much so, that now our suburb's most famous commercial areas are now prime spots for mugging, something that we are not accustomed to until two years ago.

I step out of the car and the blazing sun and into the world of lattes and mochas. A waft of coffee aroma immediately fills my nose along with a hint of Red Velvet Cake that a waiter takes with him as he crosses me to serve another mouth - watering human.

"Hi Ms. Hill! How are you today?" Phil, the manager's voice breaks me out of my trance.

"Oh! Yeah, hi Phil. I'm good. Ya' know. Same ol' same ol', I guess" The words tumble out of my mouth as I try to regain composure.

"What would you like today?"

"I'll have the usual Iced Mocha please with crushed ice and I'll have a chicken Panini sandwich please."

“Takeaway?”

“Yes please.”

“Would you like to wait inside or in your car?”

“Car please. I’m in quite the lazy mood today.” I respond.

I pay the bill and head back to the car. After a good fifteen minutes the hunger pangs begin and my patience as a result begins to chip away. I open up Wattpad and bury myself in ‘After 3’ to kill some time.