Tuesday, December 3, 2013

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.


39 comments:

  1. How odd.. Everything that the soldiers were telling him sounded so repetitive and as if they were all on a recording. I don't trust them -____- I wish the police officer still got to keep his gun, though it's good that the soldiers forgot to take his cell phone XD
    It's neat to read about what's going on outside for them with the electrical storms, but kinda scary, too O_O

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    1. I adore that you caught that... the soldiers seeming as if they were being trained to give citizens certain answers. >:D They were blowing smoke up his ass, and he knew it. Any time people say stuff to me about "for your safety," I get the urge to punch them in the face. LOL. It makes me feel like they think I'm a child who can't be trusted to keep myself safe. Yes... the cell phone thing. :D He has an advantage. The chemical attack fucked up the natural balance of the air, so now the only weather they get are electrical storms. I'm happy you found that part interesting as well. :D

      Thanks for reading and commenting! :D

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  2. Hm. I actually think that all that the soldiers came up with is standard procedure in case of a national emergency, and of course they would be repetitive as their job is to tell everyone the very same things. The only thing that sets me off is the bit about the police force - if the martial law was really intended to be only short term, it makes no sense at all. Usually they would simply give the police force some minor tasks to take care of...
    And I bet the mere idea of handing over all weapons is laughable for any UScitizen, let alone criminals who would be the most likely looters *lol*

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    1. It's true, the soldiers did have a standard procedure for emergencies, so there is a hint of truth to what they were saying. It is dangerous at this time for the citizens to go outside because there are electrical storms, and because the chemical attack is so recent, they do not know all the devastation it has caused.

      The dissolving of the police force was the subtle clue that things may not be truly as they seem. This police officer caught on to that fact and became suspicious. You are right that it makes no sense. =D

      Yeah, I had to throw the no gun thing in here because of things I hear sometimes that make me laugh. Why would I give my weapons away? I have the right to bear arms, I'm not giving up that right, no way not ever. LOL. The soldier's argument was stupid because criminals are going to find a way to get weapons to perform their criminal activities, it is the very definition of criminal, they break the law. The soldier effectively just stripped the law abiding citizen of a way to protect himself. Ironic, and very laughable.

      There are two ways to deal with this type of problem, either hand the weapon over and just deal, or try to fight your way out of it, which would most likely end in death, especially since we don't know what the soldiers are really up to.

      Thanks for reading and commenting! =)

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    2. Hehehe.... remember, I am German. I have no gun. It's illegal without a permit, and it's not that easy to get a permit in the first place ^^

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    3. Heehee, I remember you're German, but I didn't know that guns were illegal there. XD This is from the US perspective, lol, but you already knew that. =D

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  3. Whether those soldiers meant well or not, they give me the creeps! This chemical attack seems all too shady and suspicious, I don't know what to make of it yet...

    Can't wait to read more of this :-D.

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    1. >:D My plan is working. LOL. I intended for the soldiers to be creepy and for people to be on the fence or not if they could be trusted. The chemical attack may not be all that it seems, you are right to be suspicious about it.

      Thanks for reading and commenting! XD

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  4. Loving the story so far! Are you "following" Ashleigh's rules or Mikita's rules? There are links to both on that thread since Ashleigh disappeared after Ambitions was released. Following in quotes since it looks like you've tossed politics out of the window at this point. That house probably doesn't fit in an 8x8 square XD

    The soldiers are definitely blowing smoke. Sounds to me like the "military" general has gone on a huge power trip. Dissolving the police would be crazy if it was truly just martial law. The police would be told to help control most likely since they're probably more trained for maintaining the law than the military would be.

    And if this is set in the US it is smacking of criminal. 2nd amendment doesn't disappear during martial law.

    Can't wait to see where this story goes.

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    1. Hey Seera! Welcome! =D I checked, and I'm using Ashleigh's rules loosely. I'm not starting out with the whole set of rules, it was lot to read, to be honest, so what I did was take the restriction I wanted to cover at the moment and delve into it. I'm not doing this as a legacy either, instead I'm going to follow four different characters throughout a restriction, have one of them lift it, and then have something else happen that causes the next restriction. I've used the rules more as inspiration for the "annoyances" the citizens need to put up with. I want as usual, the story to be more important than the rules so that I don't get bored, and so that the story always shines through. So politics will come later on in the story. >:D

      =D You also caught on to the soldiers' empty words. I like that. They have to be stupid to dissolve the police force, which could be of an immense help to them during a national crisis. This hints that there may be truths that lie beneath that are being hidden from citizens, which the police officer is now suspicious of in this chapter. Yes, it is set in America, and yes, the 2nd amendment should not disappear like that... >:D

      Thanks for reading and commenting! =D

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  5. Boo. I commented on this yesterday but it didn't take for some reason. LOL. Oh well, I shall comment again. LOL. I So do not trust the military guys. They keep repeating "This is only temporary." I'm SO not beliving that. Clearly they are saying that to keep people calm, and for most people they probably believe it is temporary. This cop is smart, and knows that something isn't right. I wish they didn't take his gun from him, he's going to need it I have a feeling, and although they forgot to take his cell phone that's not really safe to use right now due to the chemicals in the air. This is really good, and I'm excited to see just how bad things get.

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    1. Hey amandralynn, thanks for taking the time to come back and comment. Sorry about the site being a bitch. *glares at Blogger, bitch slaps* ROFL.

      =D Yay, you shouldn't trust the military guys. I'm glad you don't. You're smart, like the cop. Hehe, you're right, the majority of the people will believe them, which is why they aren't covered as the main focus of the story. LOL. We shall see later what the phone thing is all about, as well as how bad the environment is. o.0.

      Thanks for the compliments, for reading and for commenting. I'm glad you're enjoying it. =D

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  6. "It's temporary; only a week" Really? I agree, why would you need to completely get rid of it if it was temporary. Something's definitely fishy. I think the thing that got me was the whole looter thing. If there's going to be a ton of looters, I would want my gun to protect myself. I hope he has a gun hidden somewhere. . .

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    1. Heehee, sounds like you and the cop are on the right track. Hasn't the military heard of suspending? Or oh, I don't know, letting the police HELP them? LOL. You're right that things are not right... most definitely not right. They think they know what's best but they're really just after control... starting with the little things first and trying to make people think it's for their "safety." *rolls eyes*
      IKR? Exactly, if there's going to be "more crime" how about "more protection" for the citizens?! ;) He's a cop, of course he has a hidden gun... hahaha.

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  7. So, as a northern liberal, I'm not as concerned with this no gun thing...except for the fact that crazy people are everywhere and taking guns away from the sane ones is dumb! What happens when crazy men in white masks come knocking on his door? He can't even call the police!

    And still, booski, I need your name. *winkwink*

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    1. It's so true that taking guns away doesn't really do anyone any good because like you said, the crazy people are everywhere! Also, a crazy person is way more likely to go and find a gun, even if it's illegal because the laws don't really stop crazy people. LOL. Yeah it does suck that the sane people get the short end of the stick... some of them wouldn't want to break the law to find a gun, and then they'd just be high and dry when the crazy people come. o.O So all in all, I agree with you. XD

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  8. I don't see the need to dissolve the police department either. There's something more, otherwise the police would be a good help for them.
    This looks more life the beginning of a nightmare....

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    1. Yes, you are absolutely right, there is something more that will be revealed in time. I plan on this story being very long. :D The way the world is going is not good at all, and it is very much like a nightmare.

      Thanks for reading and commenting. :D

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  9. Wow! Yeah, I also noticed that they were very good at giving answers quickly. Kind of like they were told to memorize something. I agree the police dept being dissolved gave me a major red flag. If they feel it will be ok in a week, then you'd think the police dept would be able to help them keep civility better. No, to me the week crap is a total lie. Interesting and you are going to make me add your story to my list now. :)

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    1. *nods* Yeah, the military is taking orders from someone who doesn't have the citizens best interest at heart. Heehee, I'm glad you don't believe that it will only last a week. Dissolving the police was a bad move on their part, but they apparently felt like it was a good thing. *rolls eyes* LOL. Aww, thanks for adding this. :)

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  10. This is one of the things that someone I know is afraid of, and I think he's nuts for it. Well, to the point he takes it anyway. It could always happen.

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    1. Mm yeah, this is purely fictional, but it does take only one person to gain ridiculous amounts of power while the rest of society isn't looking for the world to turn upside down right under everyone's noses. I do agree that it's probably not something people should freak out about and worry themselves to the point of insanity, but anything's possible.

      Thanks for reading and commenting. :D

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  11. He is right to think they will not lift martial law in only a week. Maybe I missed something, why did they search his house prior to confronting him? Were they just looking for weapons? Maybe he has another one somewhere else? At least he has his cell phone. I can tell he will prove to be a headache for the military in time.

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    1. Yeah, I'm glad you are suspicious of the martial law only lasting a week as well. No, you didn't miss anything, they were just looking for weapons. If he hadn't come downstairs, they would have just kept searching, without confronting him. He is a cop, so it's entirely possible he has another weapon somewhere else. LOL, he's definitely not going to sit down and take being told what to do.

      Thanks for commenting :D.

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  12. Hmmm - all those justifications were a little to neat if you ask me. And I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure that cellphones don't attract electrical storms - being made of plastic and all. Poor guy didn't have any choices though.

    And is there still an unconscious soldier in his room - if so - steal his gun mwahahahahaha.

    I'm going to keep reading now!

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    1. Hey! I'm glad that you caught that the justifications were a little creepy and... as you put it... neat. That was my exact intention for this chapter. You're supposed to not trust the military in this society because they're blowing smoke up people's asses, using "safety" as a blanket reason. The cell phone thing was another thing that I put in that is complete bullshit, cause they have nothing to do with electrical storms, as you said, and I reveal the reason for them trying to make people believe that in later chapters. I wanted to show that some people will believe anything just because "the authorities" tell them it is so, rather than thinking for themselves. This cop however, did not, LOL. Yeah, he's pretty upset his choices are getting taken away from him, and nothing is sitting well with him about this night. Meh, the unconscious soldier, he got up later and left with the other soldiers, I just didn't show him getting up and coming downstairs, but there's three soldiers leaving at the end. XD

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  13. Something just doesn't feel right here and I think the government is clearly hiding something. I don't believe their justifications for disbanding the police force. Surely, in a time of national crisis, the more trained police officers around, the better? I think it's a power ploy of some kind and I call bullshit on this 'civilian safety' crap they're spouting.

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    1. Heehee, I'm glad you feel that way because that's what I was trying to get across in this chapter. Nothing the military is saying makes any sense with what they're doing. You're absolutely right, public service departments like police and fire should be kept around to help in times of crisis. The fact that the military is trying to scare people into thinking they need to "be safe" is just crap, and this sexy cop is not believing a word of it.

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  14. Can't believe I didn't start reading this story earlier. Its so interesting and different. The soldiers sound like robots though. I wouldn't trust a military issued phone though, probably bugged. Thank goodness he still has his cell phone.

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    1. OMG, thank you for the compliments. :) I'm glad you're liking it.
      Good, you picked up the military was shady and wierd. >:D The cop is smart, hehe, his cell phone will be helpful to him later on... they're way better than those nasty military issued ones.

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  15. Is there some kind of war going on? I'm trying to figure out why there was a chemical attack. I'm so flag he got to keep his phone but it was so silly for them to say they needed to take his gun...sonethings not right there.

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    1. Haha, autocorrect got you, didn't it? I thought you might have meant glad and not flag. :D
      There isn't a full blown war going on, but this is an apocalypse story, so I needed something to trigger the apocalypse, so that's why there was a chemical attack. So far we don't know who attacked or why they attacked or if they will attack again, everything's just up in the air and it's causing paranoia in the society.
      Good going, spotting that it wasn't right for the military to take his gun. You're right, it was wrong for them to do that, and they were overstepping their boundaries. Haha, he's too smart, in the chaos of them yelling at him and him arguing with them about his gun, they forgot about his phone.

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  17. Oooo, this is so fascinating! So, those military officers are a bit sketchy, no? Hmm, I wonder what is really going on here. So interested to find out more of the accident before and how it has affected the community. The electrical storms sound awesome and scary as heck all at the same time. So. Interesting! I love this. ^_^

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    1. Yes, the military officers are sketchy, they have been trained to give answers that are designed to placate people. However, people like the police officer, who think for themselves, aren't as willing to believe things like that. The accident happened literally the night before this, and it's causing the people in charge to scramble for power... not necessarily in a good way. Yay I'm glad you are excited about the electrical storms, I wanted to do something different than the typical zombie, or mutant apocalypse thing, so I did dangerous weather attacks as the reason people couldn't go outside. Hehe. XD
      Thanks for reading and commenting. :D

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  18. Oh my goodness! What a wonderful start to a story! I love your take on the apocalypse challenge! Something smells fishy & I bet our police officer is going to be able to get to the bottom of it! :)

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    1. Welcome to my story! Heehee, I'm glad you're enjoying it, and thanks for the compliments. Something is very much not right here, haha. The police officer is not one to just believe mainstream stuff like most of society, so if anyone can figure out what is happening, it's him. :)

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  19. Wow this is crazy! I'd be really suspicious too. After all, he had a point about just giving police officers the week off instead of disbanding the police force. That martial law document is pretty serious. I'm glad he got to keep his cell phone. ;o)

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    1. Hi Lizzy! Welcome!
      IKR? It's just got suspicion written all over it, closing down the entire police force just screams 'new world order...' which is never a good thing. LOL. >:D Heehee, yes, he kept his phone. Wooo.
      Thank you so much for reading and leaving me a comment! ^_^

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