The Sprawl – A Rebellion
The Revolution of beauty
The old cement filled buildings that covered most of the central plaza of District eight were crumbling, especially with the added weight of thousands of people pouring into it. Through the cracks and crevices, it was easy to see the fleets of peacekeepers working within its walls. With today's special country-wide broadcast only an hour away, the force frantically tried to get everything under control before the rest of the masses descended upon the square. They were all well aware as to what had happened to District four only a week ago, and the branding of Eight and Three as 'hot' and 'danger' zones by the President added to the tensions within. Armored with guns and cruel, studded whips they patrolled the growing crowds along the fenced-off areas.
Nero, the head peacekeeper, scanned the faces of the masses in search of hope in their expressions. It was his job, he believed, to destroy any hope within the city. Justice, as he once phrased it, District eight's justice, it was variant of the word that didn't even live up to the benefits of 'capitol' Justice. Because of this, he had a horrible reputation within the city. His light brown eyes, people thought, were only full of joy when they saw suffering. There were many legends amongst the children, particular those of the central zone, who had time to think about these sorts. They believed that whenever someone died, they would see the glimpse of joy within his brown eyes. The Myth featured heavily in their death role-plays, however death was a subject most of the other people refrained from talking about.
Most of the people wore tired faces, after finishing their dirty, shortened shifts at the factories dotted all around the city. As a result of the shortening, the constant black clouds over the district were lighter today than before. Despite the fatigue, Nero detected something else in them, he became uneasy. Most of the public areas had now been filled and the large broadcast screen flickered on. The mocking jay and her companion appeared, seeming to be having fun, nonetheless, this didn't affect any morale within the crowds.
Nero made one more scan, this time he detected something very out of place, a sole revengeful smile within a member of the mass. In an instant the mask went on, all around the district, the peoples identity became hidden, a scene so distant and opposite to what was being broadcast. The bricks and fire were unfolded and the mocking jays cry echoed through the voices of the whole city.
Luckily for the district, the worst of winter had long gone, it had ventured far away into some distant continent. Only a slight cold was left, however, this was met by the warmth of the rubble and bombs. The lack of coal, temporarily barred by the peacekeepers, meant no cooking, but it was not as if anyone had food either. The factories too were dormant, production had been halted, it was only a routine shortage to the rest of the country, similar to the others. But there was an advantage to a total blackout, no factory fumes poisoned the sky. Lace Yarn was desperate to see the clear sky, a sky he had never seen before. However, leaving home was forbidden during the lockdown. He had already seen glimpses of it through the rough window but he was dying to see its glory.
It was morning, bright rays scattered by the curtains shone the room. Lace routinely checked the television, an old box compactly packed near to corner of the main room, to see if it was over. In hope, he pressed the red switch, but as usual, it was static. It had only been two weeks since the uprising, yet it had already felt so long, the people could not live like this he thought.
Lace's house was situated on the eastern zone of the city, which was one of the poorest areas of the district. Mountains of factories stationed near the dirty unplanned suburbs. Because of its hard-working and poverty stricken nature, it was a rebellion stronghold during the rebellion, the first area to be secured. Unfortunately, it led to heavy bombardment of the zone leaving around a quarter of the area destroyed. The smell of poison now no longer came from the textile machines but from the blood stained streets. His house itself remained relatively untouched, but that couldn't be said by most of his neighborhood.
A newly awakened Blossom Yarn made her way into the main room, she was five years younger than Lace, she was old enough for her first reaping. She shared her brothers, and much of district eight's brown eyes and hair. "Anything?" she asked, "Nope…" he replied. Their parents were still asleep. "How Long is this supposed to last?" Lace shouted, although she too was angry, she was somewhat annoyed at his loudness for some reason, "There just scared, they haven't seen this kind of" she lingered "behaviour now have they?" she talked awfully above her age, Lace didn't reply, instead staring at the buzzing static.
Suddenly, the static quickly morphed, Laces eyes flickered with excitement. To both the siblings surprise, it wasn't an execution. A single figure appeared on the screen, standing in front of a badly damaged but standing justice building, unmistakably the mayor. Although he was quite beat-up, it was a shock that was still alive, but it didn't matter, Lace knew the man wound be dead within a month. He began to speak, there was a slight change to his voice "Upon order from the president, I now announce that the lock-down is over and that all dangers have been overcome, everyone is safe again so business will resume as normal" He then continued with further instructions to specific sectors of the city. With little interest in anything else the mayor had to say, a shade of black overcame the television, as Lace pressed the power again. Blossom went back to inform her parents, but all Lace could think of was visiting Vince, 'perhaps he may have survived', he thought.
He stood up and headed quickly to the door. He had never seen the clear sky before, it was part of his eager search for beauty. He opened it and stepped outside, his heart skipped a beat, he shut his eyes, soaked it inside for a second and then opened them again. The azure colour was one had only seen in the lightest silks. The puffy white clouds bounced along. The sun, the vibrant sun! It shone all over the metal dump city. The scene was breathtaking, unbelievable, one only in Laces dreams, however, the stench of blood was still prominent. It was a shame.