I felt the slap before I even saw it coming.
The androids walking past us paid no mind as I fell to the floor, my father overlooking me with an enraged glare. He wore his usual all-white uniform consisting of a suit, a shirt, his pants and dress shoes, His gold badge just above where his heart is. One of his eyes a mere replacement to went an android went berserk and attacked him. I never idolized him, I was terrified of him.
"You escorted bloody traitors to the 3rd district and worse is you still let them in here?" He asked menacingly, his face relaxed but I could see the strain on his throat and the bulging roots on his forehead to know that he was still as angry as ever. "And you dared question me about our practice of burning?! People deserve it, it has been long written and done, everybody, not even you, is safe." He stood in front of me, looming as he squinted his eyes and scrunched his face. "There'll be a burning again on the first day of next week, you'll be leading it to prove your loyalty." He turned his back and walked away as an android picked me up from my position on the floor.
"Leave me!" I said as I shoved the male android away, who went back to its work unfazed by my attitude. I went back to my usual duties, which is to patrol the 1st and 2nd district and report any unusual behavior that can be sighted. Usually, the duties of us heirs are to just escort people in and out of certain districts, collect goods from stores, and deliver it to the people in the first district, but something changed. People are disappearing left and right, it doesn't matter which district you are from, we have a total of 193 cases of missing people, most of which came from the 3rd district. What's weirder is that there are no trails, no evidence concerning a struggle, there's nothing that could be a potential lead.
So, all the twelve heirs are now tasked to just roam around and patrol, six are deployed in the third district, bless their souls. And there are six up here roaming the first and the second. We are allowed rest but most of our time is dedicated to keeping an eye on the people, and if we were caught slacking, consequences will be carried out. I've seen it happen and I'm not fond of being the next one to be stung.
Everything seemed to be in place, the first district is as regal as ever with the tall silver gates, marble street floors, and gold-encrusted lamposts. Wooden benches with heaters and warmers, grand convenience stores, and other of the like. The second district is as boring and maddening like it always was, white and square buildings are the required architecture, which means everything looks the same, they only differ in height and width, along with the text on their signs. The signs all have the same font, and the color is obviously just black and white. People here don't have their own plots of land to build their homes, they live in condominiums and apartment buildings, no matter the cost.
I hate this place, but I do also hate the third district, I used to hate them both equally. But now, I substantially hate the third district more.
BOOM!!Krschhhhhhh....kreak.....
All of a sudden, my tires give out on me and started deflating on their own. Turning the car to the side as it slowed down, I unbuckled my seat belt getting ready to get out to inspect the damage. The car came to a complete halt and I slowly stepped out, making sure that the coast was clear and safe, tucking a plasma gun in my pocket just to be sure. All four tires had gigantic holes in them, all in the same spot as the other. I, of course, didn't have four spare tires in the trunk so I called my dad. But just as he answered, my phone was yanked from my hands by a small petite girl whose pink hair was tied back in a ponytail.
"I'm giving you three seconds to give me my-"
She raised her arm and in her hand was my plasma gun, now aimed towards my own head. No one noticed since we were on a deserted street, no one really passes here since it's full of apartment complexes and condominiums. I stared at the nearest android willing for it to help me.
"That's no use, I turned the tin can off," She said with a snicker as she pushed the gun against my forehead knocking me back just a tiny bit. Looking at the aisle of androids that can potentially help me, they all seem to be in the same state as the first one that I looked at for help.
Giving up on escaping whoever this psycho is, "Ugh, what do you want?"
She giggled, her eyes closing sweetly as she kept the gun on my head. She narrowed her eyes towards me looking at the clothes that I wore.
"Simple really, do you know who is going to be burned on Monday?" With a mysterious glint in her eyes, she looked at me with a smirk as if she already knows the answer and was simply testing me.
Thinking back to my conversation, with the Homosapien I call a father, I didn't really ask who I was going to burn on Monday, "N-No, I-uh...I didn't ask." She lowered the gun to her side and laughed as she looked at me.
"Here's the deal Mr. Peirce, I am an exiled, how I got here is none of your concern. The Monday burning is for Ashton and Anthony Davis, you know them, right?" She raised one bushy eyebrow at me and I merely nodded. "Good, we want you to spare them, get them away from here and if you do, we promise we'll spare your life." She handed me the plasma gun and I took it stuffing it back into my pocket.
"They're under house arrest at the moment, waiting to be burned without any trial whatsoever. Just like their father, unjustly burned just because of the prejudices of the new rule. Tell me Hayden, do you like living this way? Will you live with the burning of your childhood friends on your conscience?" She cocked her head to the side, arms crossed as she gave a pouty look towards me. "They trusted you Hayden, will you really let them down one more time?"
"I, I-uh..." I truly can't answer her then, I do believe in this system, I believe the rule, and I am it''s follower but I don't know why I can't speak and answer her simple question.
"Just as I thought," She chuckled as she started to walk away from me, "If you do decide to heed our words, then one of our men are stationed all around the perimeter of the second district we'll be waiting."
"Who says that I'll go along with you people?"
"Who says you won't?" With that, she struts off, leaving me in the bustling streets of the second district with my car inoperable and my phone still in her hands. I was about to call out to her but she was out of sight, and just like that the automated androids came back to life like nothing happened, talking and insisting for you to avail of their services. Looking at my busted tires, I sighed as I began my walk towards the train station where I can get a ride to the border between the first and second districts. I took note of where I left my car before heading out.
Boarding the fairly empty train, the seats were as clean and white as everything was in the second district, the walls of the station were also pristine no marks nor spots of dirt. The employees were indeed human since the higher-ups thought that it'll be a waste of materials to simply put an android behind a boring job as a cashier.
I got off the train and presented my ID to the android guarding the exit towards the first district. The exit was holographic, and if you try to pass without the android's permission that it will trigger off an alarm and all androids nearby will immediately try to restrain you to the best of their capabilities, which is more than enough. Passing through, I hailed a cab and told it to take me to Davis' residences.
Ashton and Anthony, we are far from friends, hell we aren't even acquaintances. But they used to be my closest friends when we were young. Plus, they did help me out of a predicament we had when we were in the third district. So I guess I owe them one. The android driver came to a halt outside of the house and I stared at it for a minute. A two-story home, the windows were sealed with metal, meaning it's in lockdown mode. The front door and gate probably have an electric current running in them, something strong enough to kill anything. My best bet at being able to enter is if their mother is at home.
Here goes nothing I guess.
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