Do you think its over?

We heard the screech of tires. The car was inches away from my body, the hot bonnet of the car barely touching my belly.… Behind the windscreen, a terrified couple looked at me. With the man on the wheel looking the most shocked.

“Dude! What the fuck?!”

“S…Sorry I wasn’t paying attention!”

“It doesn’t matter! Hop on! Lockdown will start in twenty minutes!”

Cindy and I got into the car. The back seats were occupied by Hayley’s children, Louise and Ritchie and a small kitten. We weren’t even ready when Joey step on the gas, shocking all inside.

“Dad! You are scaring Oscar!

Joey didn’t mind his daughter’s complaints, going at full speed through the carriageway in an attempt to reach the military convoy. The speed kept us all grabbing tightly to our seats, and I could see Hayley trying not to enter in a panic.

As we ran through the streets, we could see a lot of things. We saw police and army officers… beating people down, barging into houses and bringing people out. Some didn’t even do that… They would just spray the whole place with gasoline and set it alight. Or gun down anyone inside with pistols.

Neither, Cindy or I had the willpower to keep looking through the windows. Joey was focused on driving, never taking his eyes out of the road. Hayley distracted herself by listening to the radio in her phone. Louise was busy taking care of Oscar, a small brown tabby cat that looked more tired and sleepy than nervous. Ritchie looked outside… I could see a morbid fascination in his eyes…  He was rather amused by seeing this.

After passing the neighbourhoods of Drew Road, we made it to Hartmann Street. There were a lot of militiamen guarding the zone. Again, Joey nearly hit someone as he came to see us. It was a military officer who, after recovering from the shock, told us to get out of the car and follow him.

The convoy was located at a short distance from the City of London’s airport. There were many Lorries waiting there, and a lot of people doing the same. I managed to recognize a few, the Scotsman from the hospital and the nurse.

“Hullo, loun!” The old man exclaimed upon seeing me. “Guid tae see ye!”

“Good thing you made it.” The nurse said. “I think we haven’t properly addressed each other, have we?”

I told her that effectively, since our meeting in the hospital, I didn’t know her. I don’t know why I answered her… Perhaps I just feel like socializing.

“My name is Emma.” She said. “The old Scot you see here is my father, Travis.”

“Guid tae see ye, loun!” The man said while giving me a very tough handshake.

The rest of my group came near while Emma and I conversed. It felt so good to finally talk to someone that wasn't insane… Eventually, the others came too. It felt so relaxing to have this kind of talk… even if the topic was about how this place is going to the flames.

“Here in Central London things are looking well…” Hayley said while checking her phone.

Emma rolled her eyes, looking at us with amusement. “And you think is only happening in London?”

“Fowk say it’s happening in bonnie Scotland and Wales tae…” Travis said, a frown replacing his cheerful smile. “Tis getting worse the mair time it passes…”

The answer we got shut our mouths. Hayley and Joey exchanged worried looks, Cindy and I followed suit. The only one that weren’t very affected by the news were the kids, Louise was more worried about her cat and Ritchie… There was something wrong with him… He was too… happy...

A rough voice came from a group of soldiers. “The newcomers, forth! Come here!”

We moved to were the armed men told us. Once there, they subjected us to a strip search and a multitude of quick-tests… They seriously believed that this kind of attack could be made by humans.

Once done, one of the men brought a small tablet computer.

“Insert the specified data here. It is for shelter administration purposes. Once done, proceed to the transport units and wait further instructions.”

It was a quick thing to do, giving us plenty of time to enjoy what little scenery was left.

While we waited for the crew to organize, we could see the sunrise… It was quite a beautiful sight, that bright blob of light brightening the dark skies, gradually making the stars vanish and changing the dark dye of the night … The chilly air from the morning made it even more calming. It was so calming and relaxing… But Joey’s jealous stare attacked me, every time my eyes drifted from the morning sun or my wife... He was an amazing guy… but he wasn’t stupid. He also used the same stare with Hayley, and she closed her eyes in shame… Poor Cindy, she was none the wiser…

After that moment, I swore to never lose control again. I would make the decisions myself, I wouldn't let anyone take them. The shame from that mistake took a huge toll on me...

Eventually, the sweet-turned-sour moment ended when the officer told us to board the lorry. He didn’t seem to mind that Louise had a cat with her. Well… at least it wasn’t killing people. Counting the four of us, there were 25 people on the vehicle. We were all sitting in small benches, our hands grasping the dangling handles… There was quite the space inside the wagon, even with all of us sitting; there was still enough space to form a small aisle to the exit doors.

The lorry moved swiftly, sometimes going over some debris and shaking all inside. Along with the 25 people, two officers were with us, standing near the truck’s door. They had their weapons drawn, and often times, they shifted their view towards us. We were very scared… They were big, hulking, men with weapons of massive firepower.

When they weren’t seeing, Hayley would take her earphones to listen to the radio and see the social networks. It helped that her long black hair hid the cables. She had to keep tabs on the world… She was that kind of person.  Things weren’t looking good…

“There are more riots… “Protests” they call them. ‘Police, go home’ or ‘Stay away from houses’ or ‘No more deaths’ are the heading hashtags.”

She showed us all the tweets and posts she found. Some were simple criticism on the British Army aggressive methods. Others were more rant-y. Others were far too graphic… And there were others that stood out from the rest.

“come to ME”; “I will release you,”; “embrace ME, as THEY did.” These were incredibly creepy, as they were followed by exceedingly gory images. Whoever this guy was, he was insane; verily so.