Remember All the Good the Purge Does - A Polite Stranger Story

Chapter Three

I stood next to the entrance of my dad's office, my back leaning up against the wall. The TV's in the room came on, giving us a full view of almost the whole neighborhood using the cameras installed outside our home. I reached into my back pocket, grabbing my phone and scrolled through all the missing texts I had from all my friends. My phone was bombarded with text messages about the Purge tonight. It wasn't unknown to our school that we were against the Purge. Most of my friends weren't as fortunate as I to afford a state-of-the-art security system or even live in a neighborhood that is left untouched by the carnage left behind after the Purge.

"Hey, look at this," Dad said as he pointed up at one of the screens. "Mr. Sabian and Mr. Barbero are going hunting. That's daring. I didn't know they were friends." I watched the two men walk down the street, one carrying a semi-automatic and the other holding a machete. I looked over at Zoe, who was too busy texting away. She was probably sulking about not being able to be around Henry, her boyfriend. I looked over at mom and Charlie, who were too attentive to the TV in front of them. "Hmm, the Ferrin's are having a party." The Ferrin's, specifically Grace, always throw a Purge party every year. We were always invited, but we never dared to go knowing how off-putting Grace was.

"Grace said she wasn't having a party this year." Mom said as she cocked her head to the side, watching several of our neighbors walk into the Ferrin's homes.

"Just be glad we weren't invited. Grace is a nut job." I said as I stared back up at the screen. My parents hummed in agreement.

"All right, let's get ready for tonight," Dad said as he walked over to the safe in the back of his office. In his safe, he held some weapons in case something went wrong during the Purge. "As always, just a precaution." He said as he reached out and grabbed a gun from his safe before shutting it. I watched as he headed back towards the TV's that showed the neighborhood.

"All right, Mr. Cali is starting his lockdown. Okay, are we ready?" He asked us as he turned to look at each and every one of us. Of course, we weren't ready, but did we have a choice? "All right, let's hit it." He said before hitting the passcode on the key bad to arm the security system. The system made a loud, hissing sound before it started to lockdown. I watched as the metal sheets came down, covering all the windows and doors, blocking the view of the outside world and potentially being carnage outside our front lawn. My heart began to race. Even though we had the safety of our home and the security system, a little part of me always felt anxious. In a worst-case scenario, there's no way these metal sheets would completely protect us from the harm caused by the Purge.

I eyed Zoe as she rolled her eyes as dad gave her a smile, proudly watching his security system in the works. His smile slowly fades and turns into a frown. "Hey Zoe, do you always have to be such a snobby bitch?" I asked her, genuinely wanting to know her response.

"Woah, hey, language." Mom scolded as both parents began to gang up on me. "Don't call your sister that."

"It's true. She is with dad for not letting her see her boy toy. He's probably doing it for a good reason, and she could at least show some appreciation. It's not like dad has thrown her into a nunnery," I exclaimed, defending myself.

"What else do you want me to do? I already told Zoe to stay from Henry. He's too old for her." He said. I rolled my eyes. Telling her to stop isn't going to make her stop. She'll find ways to see him. I watched him pinch the bridge of his nose before he turned around to face Charlie. "Okay, Charlie, it's almost time. Hit it." Charlie hits the button on the remote, just in time for us to catch the announcement about the commencement of the annual Purge. I watched the screen turn blue, the emergency signal blaring in our ears. I leaned off against the wall the moment the announcement started. I looked over at my family, watching them look at the screen without even batting an eye. It's something we've all gotten used to ever since the New Founding Fathers implemented the Purge. Maybe at first, there was skepticism, but over time, people really started to believe the Purge did any good. I suddenly begin to think back to last year's Purge. It wasn't like any other Purge.