The Quiet Mandate

“What was it… what was the name of the brand…” murmured the old man. The old man was quite well-known in the neighborhood. He was the one who contributed to the establishment of a police department in the district no one ever wished to work, built a playground for children, and when his wife was still alive, he would wake up early every day to surprise her with flowers once she woke up… He was very sweet and loved his wife dearly. Everyone addressed the man as “Mr. Walters,” as no one ever managed to remember his first name. “Oh. I finally remembered!” – Mr. Walters shouted explicitly, forcing passers-by give him a questioning yet bleak glance. As the minutes bled into one another, the old man finally recalled the name of the brand of pasta sauce his wife would usually buy for him as he was entering a grocery store. It was the only grocery store that was still working after the start of the civil war in 2074. People were questioning why the store hadn’t closed yet since most of the population moved away, limiting the potential profit they could get… but no answer was given. Minutes passed; the man found himself searching all over the store for this specific thing that kept reminding him of Mrs. Walters – that one person who became the purpose of his life. ‘Here it is!’ – his gaze fell upon this good, and unexpectedly, a fragile fragment of warmth broke through the mundane gloom that had settled with him over the years of loneliness. Tears welled as he proceeded to pick up the item. Mr. Walters clutched it loosely and shuffled towards the self-checkout counter. The wretched silence in the store induced a restless ambiance, as if he were missing something. Something that could completely change his life. His worry was not arbitrary; the quietness in the store wasn’t merely unusual for this hour; usually myriad people would be around: talking, arguing, fighting with each other, but not today... Briskly, he paid for the item and hurried to go outside. What was happening outside was a pure chaos... Seemed like he was the only alive soul here; looking around Mr. Walters found himself surrounded by bodies – some were on the ground; some were hanging from the trees. Blood was also everywhere: the red stains on the ground, the poignant smell of iron, and the sense of recent pogrom. Just few moments earlier children were playing outside, teenagers were attached to their phones, and adults on their way home. The ambiance was as always, both depressing and joyful at the same time with people pretending they are perfect. Until suddenly the speakers attached to every traffic light stand turned on… “The Directorate of Order is speaking. Dear citizens, we strongly encourage you to download the newly developed app by us – App Serenity. This app will help the Directorate to track the health of all our fellow citizens,” from every speaker blanketing the district, the Directorate’s voice resonated. The artificially cold and commanding voice. And the people, obliged to compliance responded like programmed robots rather than rational creatures; all started downloading the application, entirely oblivious to the massacre they were welcoming into their lives… Moments after the download finished, the frightening transformation hit the population. Their eyes widened, and their movements turned inward, led by desperate purpose of self-destruction... As the last soul left the body the old man went out of the store. His face was full of shock; eyes widened, almost representing the coins of 5 cents, his face drained of color, turning into grey was a result of seeing what has the world become. Processing that now, being left completely one on one with his thoughts, he did not take much time to think before picking up a glass shard from the ground… Seconds later the streets have become as silent as they have never been before…