Chapter 288
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There were three more suicide bombins in the Brooklyn sector. In one incident a man tried to detonate on a bus. His vest didn't go off, so a young woman helped him fix and detonate it, or so the story went. None of the bombers had any known cause, they ust wanted death, theirs and others. The question remained as to how exactly they got explosive devices. Many at the station believed Amanda provided them. Yet Amanda remained in business, no loyalist soldier crackdown. As long as the bombers didn't kill loyalists, they could do what they wanted to the sector. Bowen seemed less concerned than Wells about this, everyone they killed was one less person the chief had to worry about taking his spot. Eve wondered what these radicals could do if they united. She had heard rumors from other sectors. Loyalist governors allowed their soldiers to beat, rape, even murder sector people. Mayor Ford may have been a buerocratic fool, but he'd apparently kept animals like that out of the sector. One new group had emerged, the "Voluntary Human Extinction Movement." Eve saw them at the mercy clinics, wearing t-shirts that said "Thank you for not breeding." They seemed to believe things were so bad, best to just end it all and let nature start over. On January 25th, something happenned which caused many to lose what was left of their faith in mayor Ford, and maybe wonder if the VHEM had the right idea.
The idea of people fighting each other to the death in sport was ancient. The pre-2/4 world thought mankind had evolved past that, but it was popular again. Rations were cut, some tried to gamble for more and lost, sector police took what they wanted. People were desperate enough to do almost anything to survive and feed their families. Construction had begun on a special part of the sector tentatively named "Victor's village." The best gladiators would get to live the high-life at least for a little while. It seemed a good way to entice the desperate and/or greedy. But at least they were all willing adults. Then, on January 25th, even that changed. They were recruiting people within the sector for a real-life Hunger Games competition. Noone was forced to participate. But those who volunteered their names into this lottery were given extra food and heating oil for their families. Eve had enjoyed reading the "Hunger Games" books, but didn't particularly want to see them become reality. In accuracy to the books the age limit was 18 at the oldest, the lowest age was 12.
Reverand Jenkins called an emergency meeting Friday night. Eve attended. She found Jamal, and many people from her old mosque and the local synaggogue. They were all mad about this, children as young as 12 would be sacrificed, all for the perverted pleasure of wealthy loyalists. The drawing would take place Febuary 2nd, the day after the next Ark lottery. Many within this sector would lose, become desperate enough to risk their children's lives. These chriastian, jewish, and muslim groups were united in wanting to stop this. The potential suicide bombers who would've otherwise just wanted death, now were ready to die for this cause. Eve was a secretary at the police department. She volunteered whatever help she could to the cause.
Over the next week the churches, mosques, and synaggouges discussed how to stop the planned reaping. Jenkins and others suggested a strike. Another minister, Barnes, believed they had to be ready for revolt. For now the majority seemed willing to follow the plans for a strike, hoping it could be done without dying or killing. Before Febuary 4th the Chinese government had banned most religious activities. They arrested christians, muslim, falun gong members, sending them to re-education centers, forced labor camps, even executing them. But the old expression "There are no athiests in fox holes" seemed to be proven. During the Ark building a number of believers threatened to refuse to work unless they were allowed to worship freeley. This worked, led to religious freedom in China, but admittedly not without loss. Perhaps this method could stop the reaping. The sector grew trees for the Arks. And a lot of people were growing their own food, bribing sector guards with this. Perhaps if they refused to do these things, Ford would stop the reapings. They just had to be willing to deal with the consequences.