After Annihilation - Would you want to survive?

Chapter 13

The prime minister, though still in a state of recovery, a large scar on his face, had taken the stage in the announcement hall on 15th November, 2035. People were intrigued to have the prime minister they had before then only seen on television and newspapers stand so close to them. It also helped that they had something to occupy themselves with other than daily chores.

No other member from the prime minister's party had survived the radiation sickness. The defence minister had gone into a coma and had never recovered. There not being enough facilities, he could not be put on artificial life support and had succumbed to death. Some of the other ministers of the prime minister's cabinet were suspected to be in a bunker in the south-east, but there had been no contact with them so far.

In the pre-war era, the present prime minister was largely considered to be of weak character. Only a face for the party while the real power lay with the defence minister and his cronies. They had thus far controlled the media and the army while filling their own personal coffers, all during the last ten years of the government. They divided people and spread false news, making it seem as if everything was going smoothly within the country. Anyone in any power who said a word against the less-than-idyllic conditions and looming threat of war was instantly branded a warmonger.

But without the defence minister, the prime minister came across as a mild sort of man, who was very fond of the feeling of occupying his position and did not want to disturb it by working too much or causing too much excitement of any kind.

Most people, including myself, in the past, had preferred to live in ignorance rather than explore the truth and try to establish it. But Aarav had. And he had tried to tell us. He ultimately saved many people and himself due to his heroism in unearthing the truth for himself at a time when it was suppressed.

After three and a half years, Shunya had grown. Out of a total of ten thousand people who had entered the city, four thousand remained. Most had died days after coming in, some weeks and some months later. They were mostly those who entered the city late and had absorbed very high sieverts. They died due to infections and dehydration as a result of the depletion of the white blood cells and the mucosa of their stomach and intestines getting damaged. They were given drugs to help them recover by pushing their failing bone marrow to make more cells to fight infections, but not all survived.

Instead of a cabinet, a prime minister's committee had formed, which was called PMC for short. At present, the people who held important administrative offices from before were assigned membership. It was comprised of Pranav, Vishwaroopum, the general, and four other prominent people from the city. The PMC had the power to take over administration in case of the prime minister's demise till the next election, along with veto power against the prime minister, if there was a majority among the seven members. They also discussed proposals and presented them to the prime minister.

Vishwaroopum had offered to introduce Aarav to the prime minister and get him a position in the PMC for his secret services in helping him return to power. But Aarav asked him to keep his involvement a secret. He liked his simple life in the communications department and enjoyed the technical work he got to do there.

Security was tighter than ever. The entrance to the city was guarded like a fortress. There were increasing reports of bands of goons trying to steal supplies. Three army men had given entry to a band of twenty men, all of them unshaven and their faces and hands covered with dirt. They were burly men with a dangerous, crazed look in their eyes. The soldiers had thought them to be survivors looking for help, but once they reached the city, they took out weapons and started threatening people with guns.

They wanted the food and water bottles in the city to be handed over to them, along with medicines. Ultimately in an ensuing fight, where a young man and woman were kept at gunpoint by the gang, three army men were killed. The young man and woman escaped in the commotion. Hordes of soldiers rushed in from 3rd Street, guns in hand, and surrounded them. The gang had no chance, and their blood spilt and stained the hard ground.