Chapter 2: The Beginning of the End

"Martial law?! What the fuck do you mean, martial law?"

"Please, sir, you are aware of the recent chemical attack that happened, correct?"

"Yeah of course, but I don't think that warrants you firing me from my job!"

I was fuming. Why did the military think it was necessary to 'relieve me of my duty,' couldn't I, as a police officer, help them with rebuilding the community? I took an oath to serve and to protect. One of the soldiers gave me a sheet of paper.

Decree from the Military

Due to the chemical attack, and for your safety, citizens are advised to follow these rules until further notice. 

• Citizens may not travel anywhere or take classes at any community buildings.
• All cell phones and smartphones must be turned over to the military for safety reasons. The attack has left the air extremely dry and electrical storms are rampant. Cell phones are possible sources of electrical shock, because of the way they work, so only land lines can be trusted. Once the military has figured out how to stabilize the electrical storms, all cell phones will be returned. If you do not have a land line phone, one will be issued to you. Do not worry, this is only temporary.
• You may have visitors at your house as long as you have a car because it is advised that citizens do not go out walking alone for safety reasons. 
• The military is instating an eleven o'clock curfew for all citizens. Please, for your own safety, do not leave your house after eleven, we do not know what dangers lay out there due to the chemical attack.
• Buying and selling of real estate is halted until further notice.

Please bear with us, we are doing everything we can to assess the situation and state of the environment, and fix it so that one day, you may once again travel to community buildings and play safely in parks.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do now that I don't have a job, and according to this, I can't go anywhere?!"

"Sir, please calm down."

"Give me some answers!"

I glared at the soldier, irritated because it felt like all my freedoms had just been stripped from my being. I didn't really buy this 'for your safety' bullshit they were trying to feed me. I knew that the chemical attack was devastating to the land and anyone who had been outside at the time had succumbed to it, but I didn't think it gave the military the right to lock everyone away like prisoners in their own homes, nor did it give them the right to take possessions away. I balled my hand up into a fist, resisting the urge to punch the soldier in the face.

"Sir, this is only temporary, the chemicals will dissipate from the air eventually, we are anticipating no more than a week before the air becomes safe again, so this decree is very short term."

I started to calm down a little, but it still made me suspicious as to why they would feel the need to dissolve the police department instead of just giving us a week off. I needed to pry more, and I felt they were just giving me lame excuses for why they felt martial law was necessary.

"Why did you dissolve the police department, if you were only instating martial law for a week?"

"We didn't want any police officers to be injured in case any of them tried to be heroes during that week. We don't want any more lives to be lost. The only way to do that was to make them all civilians so their badges are of no effect."

I was still irritated, and somehow didn't really buy they were going to lift martial law in a week's time, but I decided to accept their answer so maybe they would get the fuck out of my house. Suddenly I remembered that they also wanted to take away my firearms, which I was not happy about. I crossed my arms over my chest, hiding my gun from them under my left arm.

"I don't want to turn my gun over to you. I promise I won't use it to try to be a hero since I'm not a police officer anymore, but I would like to keep it."

"Sorry, sir, I can't let you do that."

"Why the fuck not?! If it's only going to be for a week, and I go back to my job, I'm going to need it."

"Sir, we anticipate looters will be rampant the next few days, so we are relieving everyone of their weapons so that injuries will be lessened during this time. This is only temporary."

My survival instincts kicked in. As much as I didn't believe these soldiers in my house, they were all armed with assault rifles and I didn't doubt that they would shoot me if I kept being defiant, so I reluctantly handed my pistol to them. I needed to figure out how much of what they were telling me was true and how much of it was bullshit. I couldn't do that if I was dead. As they left, a smile came to my face as I realized that they had forgotten to confiscate my cell phone.