Why are you expecting it to happen?

I thought Cindy would break down, but it surprised me when she didn’t. She simply stared at the wall, with that long-reach gaze… It was getting difficult to see any emotion inside those eyes. All you could see was tiredness… and wish for everything to be quiet.

The radio was on, even when I thought I had turned it off. There was a horrible noise… followed by another… followed by noises of short duration… and finally a voice.

“This warning is sent on behalf of the British government.”

The broadcast wasn’t only heard on our radio. It could be heard outside too. In fact, all the other sounds died, so the only thing you could hear was the female pre-recorded voice through loudspeakers.

“Warning! There been reports of a chemical attack, involving the spiking of many sleeping aids with a powerful hallucinogen, as well as the tainting of water sources with an unknown compound. It is of knowledge that the cities of London, Bristol, Plymouth and Birmingham are under severe attack at the hands of these terrorist actions. Security protocols are being enacted in those cities. If you happen to live in one of those, contact your local authorities in order to receive assessment and instructions.”

There was a pause, silence overtook the streets.  We were all left speechless. Even the man stopped talking. However, the transmission wasn’t over. A male voice was heard, seemingly recording live.

“This is a message from the British Army. Any attempt at violence will be met with arrest and restraint. Should the aggression continue, the Army is in capacity of employing fatal force to subdue the instigator. Citizens of the aforementioned cities, designated safety spots are being prepared by special personnel; information about them is being distributed. Report to these spots immediately, once you receive the information. ”

The transmission ended. And suddenly, silence was broken by a thousand of ringtones. The store was filled with the noisy party theme in Cindy’s cellphone. We checked… it was one of those instructions mentioned earlier.

“Hartmann Road. A convoy is waiting survivors there.”

I looked at Cindy. Her face told me that she didn’t want to leave the store. I tried talking to her… Tried to convince her otherwise…

“It’s our only chance to stay alive!”

“Hartmann Road is miles from here! And we don’t have a car! How do you expect us to make it?”

My eyes fell to the floor. Cindy just sighted while shaking her head in disapproval. But then, the noisy party song reappeared. Someone was calling.