?

  The empty area of the housing conglomerate that is our outskirts was "full." I had never seen so many soldiers gathered; it's frightening not knowing what they're doing here, which only fuels my curiosity and suspicions.

  A loud arm sound echoed, causing pain in my ears. The soldiers became even scarier with their fully obstructive masks, making it impossible to see beyond their not-so-human eyes. The protective visors and air filters heightened the sense of insecurity they brought with them.

  At this point, no one was outside their homes—at least none of us, the common and miserable humans. Everyone was afraid to step out, like worms fearing being crushed.

  My eyes widened as I looked through the window. I'm neither brave nor impulsive, so I narrowed my gaze. Being cautious of my surroundings was the best thing I could do.

  One of the "soldiers" stepped out st, but his uniform was slightly different. Surely, he was someone important, an elite human like the others, but this one had silver detailing on his uniform, something incredible to see... Yet it only made me realize how close I am to these lunatics.

  The mask details of this person were silver and bck, resembling the wings of a rge bird, like an eagle or something simir. A loose cape draped behind him, his attire elegant and intimidating, making it clear that this person was not just a mere soldier but the leader of that group.

  How do I know this is a group? Truth is, I don’t. All I know is that this hell full of elite soldiers terrifies me. My head is filled with thoughts and theories, and the sound of the arm slowly faded, which relieved me a little, at least.

  I saw that person with the different cape and mask raise their head, but their eyes were too distant for me to see clearly. Their head moved as if observing the surroundings of the clustered houses, as if looking at a pile of worms or a rat’s nest.

  "Shhh..." A loud sound spread throughout the outskirts, making my hair stand on end. I jumped in fright and stepped away from the window.

  It was a noise, probably a voice amplifier, but I wasn’t sure. It made me recoil as I heard that voice speak again. It was that person with the mask talking, at least that’s what I thought.

  "All citizens of this area must immediately present themselves in orderly lines outside their homes. Any attempt at disobedience will be considered an act of treason against the nation and the King, and will be met with due consequences. We will tolerate no resistance to the order. I bring in my words the commands of His Majesty." Their tone was cold and utterly intimidating. My ears went numb, and I felt a deep shiver.

  King? King of whom? Of the rich? The elite? Must be. These stupid, ridiculous words make me ugh. I pressed my hand against my mouth, stifling my mocking ughter.

  My hand trembled against my lips; I couldn’t hide from myself the mix of fear and resentment I was feeling now. We live here because the government barely cares about us, the rats. We can hardly even be called the working css. We’re on the brink of absolute misery. The robots are the true working css, followed by the wealthy upper-middle css...

  Even if we’re just worms, we’re the majority of the popution. The poorer, the more children. I took a deep sigh, csped one hand against the other, and slowly walked toward my door.

  I heard footsteps outside; I knew the others were trembling like me while obeying to avoid facing serious consequences. I think the only thing we truly have in this pce is our own lives. The only thing I fear losing is myself.

  Like the other residents, I stepped out of the comforting four walls I had hidden in. I felt my hair being blown by a cold wind, my nose seemingly immersed in soot. I wiped the tip of my nose and walked among the others who were like me. The cold eyes of the armed soldiers nded on our bodies, my shoulders slumped, and I felt suffocated by the intimidation they brought up close.

  I looked around and took a few steps back into one of the lines. I held my elbows against my chest and observed the surroundings. The elderly and the young walked in fear, some children in arms so terrified they couldn’t even cry—even if they didn’t understand what was happening, they still felt it.

  I saw some familiar faces there and spotted old Liora calming an orphaned child. I felt lost; she was outside the lines, rocking the motherless child or whatever it was. I turned my head and saw a soldier watching her, his fingers tightening around his weapon. I swallowed dryly and stepped forward.

  I grabbed Liora’s arm and pulled her close to me, shoving her into the line along with the unfamiliar child.

  — Do you want to die, old woman? — The words slipped out unintentionally as I pushed her into the line. I sighed, my shoulders rexing before tensing again.

  Liora opened her mouth and let out a nervous sigh, her forehead sweaty and clearly as anxious as the rest of us. The child opened their mouth to cry, and I pressed my palm over it, muffling their sobs.

  — You still find time to worry about these brats in this situation? — My tone carried some anger, no doubt. It irritated me that she cared more about these motherless children than herself, though I understood she loved them as if they were her own.

  Liora looked at me with furrowed brows. In normal times, I wouldn’t have said that to her. But this is no ordinary moment.

  — You were once one of these children! Can’t you feel even a shred of empathy for them? — She opened her mouth as if to lecture me, but her voice was low and whispered, showing she was still worried about the surroundings.

  Even if Liora was right, I still didn’t see the point. I closed my eyes and huffed, annoyed.

  — N?o! — Levantei a voz por um segundo. Felizmente, havia muitas vozes e sussurros ao redor, ent?o n?o me destaquei. Tudo parecia caótico, mesmo quando estávamos em fis.

  Liora abriu a boca para dizer mais, mas o som do amplificador de voz retornou. Meus ouvidos tejavam; tirei minha m?o da boca do pirralho e cobri meus próprios ouvidos, virando-me para frente para olhar para o líder soldado novamente.

  "Na linha de frente, todas as crian?as de doze anos ou menos! Mostrem sua obediência e alinhem-se!" Sua voz era intimidadora, carregando um zumbido e ainda pior de perto. Isso me congelou. As crian?as come?aram a chorar mentavelmente enquanto suas m?es tremiam e as colocavam na linha correta, as mais velhas segurando seus irm?os e chamando por suas m?es.

  Meus olhos se voltaram para trás e vi Liora segurando a crian?a órf? de m?e com for?a contra si, franzindo a testa e olhando para os soldados com insatisfa??o.

  Meu cora??o tremeu, e estreitei os olhos enquanto o suor escorria pes minhas costas, grudando na minha camisa. Os sons ao meu redor pareciam completamente abafados em meus ouvidos; senti como se minha press?o arterial estivesse caindo... Na verdade, eu n?o tinha comido nada ainda.

  Liora abriu a boca e pareceu gritar algo—eu n?o conseguia ouvir o que e estava dizendo. O nervosismo, o suor frio e a press?o baixa estavam me deixando tonta na multid?o febril, os gritos e mentos.

  Ent?o apertei meus olhos e respirei fundo, tentando recuperar o controle do meu corpo. Antes que eu pudesse engolir em seco, meu rosto estava molhado — mas n?o era suor.

  Coloquei minhas m?os na testa enquanto abria meus olhos, e minha vis?o escureceu, ficando avermelhada. Talvez os gritos que me ensurdeceram de repente me deixaram completamente sem no??o sobre a situa??o. Olhei para baixo e vi cabelos cacheados e uma po?a de sangue aos meus pés.

  O rosto de Liora nunca esteve t?o pálido, seus olhos completamente sem vida, e a crian?a que estava em seus bra?os saiu correndo, arrastando um rastro de sangue. Minhas pernas estavam fracas, e virei minha cabe?a para frente — um soldado estava retornando à sua posi??o, mostrando que havia saído por um momento. Eu sabia que era ele.

  E ninguém se importou com o corpo ensanguentado no ch?o enquanto corriam, levando as crian?as para a linha correta. Limpei o sangue do meu rosto com as m?os trêmus e separei meus lábios, olhando para o céu nubdo enquanto lutava para respirar. Talvez abrir meus lábios tenha ajudado, mas ainda era difícil respirar.