Chapter 17: Uprising

"The young people are the ones who most quickly identify with the struggle and the necessity to eliminate the evil conditions that exist." —Malcolm X, Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power

"A traitor only becomes one if their plot is discovered. The imposition of guilt means nothing to those who feign loyalty. More skilled conspirators wield treason as a clinical tool of regime change and political expediency. Then, with their own handwriting history, such traitors may wear the clothes of patriots." —Stewart Stafford

"If the world will attain its utmost peace and stability; and contentions be limited, then the ideology, philosophy, and mentality of people in the world should be shifted from the more you acquire the more valuable you are to the more you give the more important you are and with the mentality that giving is a sacred responsibility and not a competition" —Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

***

"This is becoming more and more serious, Grenoble," Doro spoke as his laid-back self stared at the lifeless mangled body of a pregnant woman.

It was truly a heartbreaking sight for everyone that was a witness to the bloodcurdling murder inside a house, which sheltered a pregnant woman and her husband.

The man who has lost his wife broke down in tears, unable to express words of sorrow as Grenoble's men cleaned the crime scene as carefully as possible.

Through the mangled body of the pregnant woman, the foot of the unborn child could be seen. The right tiny foot of their child was what remains of the baby. He could not bear the sight, thus closing his eyes or averting his gaze from the body.

"There is no stopping this madman. He would even break into people's houses just to satisfy his urge for blood and violence."

Seeing how brutal and violent the murder was, people assumed that the killer was a man or they could be a group or a pair of psychotic maniacs roaming around the island. A wicked killer was on the loose. Grenoble and his men have no lead to the case, and Balmackians are furious.

Not only that, the fear that the killing was building up on the island was making everybody paranoid. The state of panic was causing an uproar, which also resulted in little groups of people in the hunt for the killer. However, these small groups remained unannounced to the people, so that the killer would have no idea what was coming to him.

"A total of 9 victims already in 8 days. This is seriously getting out of hand. And we have no lead but accusations towards the Sulten Tribe."

Yes, many of the Balmackians were blaming the Sulten Tribe for the series of murders going around in town. However, none of them possessed any evidence that could be used against the tribe. They were all baseless accusations, which would just cause an argument that could lead to war against the tribe.

Grenoble and Doro's levelheadedness surely must have been noticed by the Balmackians. This level of calmness they were showing can sometimes cause negative thoughts about them being actually the killer. People will not invalidate the possibilities, considering how they could easily enact a crime without ever having eyes on them when they were the "eyes."

But they just established an impregnable wall of bond, reputation, and connection with every Balmackian that it would be nearly impossible for someone to accuse them of being the killer. Exclude people that are totally against Grenoble being the chief. People tend to find faults in someone, even though they did nothing wrong to these people. One would always look for a negative trait— a poor quality of someone. And when they could not find one, you know what they would do? Create a false one and spread them, for their own satisfaction because that's just the common human nature of someone who can't mind their own business.

"Why did it have to be my wife?"

"Would you rather have it to be you, Mr. Jones?" Asked Grenoble the silly question, which for Jones was obvious.

The man sobbing in tears after the brutal fate his wife met, down on his knees, and could not even hug the love of his life answered.

"If I have nine lives like a cat and in each life I have she died, I would gladly give her mine, even if it means losing nine."

"How poetic..."

Doro had to say something and ruin the mood. Butting in the conversation was completely unnecessary.

***

Before, nighttime was another safe time. Now, when the sun starts to set and completely submerges behind the calm wave of the sea, people start to worry about their safety, and parents would prohibit their children from going out. They pose a curfew to everyone to prevent more casualties and track down the potential suspect outside when everyone should be inside.

"Catch this day isn't so good. Fish are starting to show less than before, and food supplies are somehow getting cut off from the main city."

Volcom barely put food on their table. But rest assured, Xenia's pets brought him enough money for the day. But hey, Xenia does not treat Bandit and Mischief as his pets but as his friends. Their growing bond will keep expanding, and one day it will be unbreakable that they will be inseparable.

"Getting cut off? Is there any particular reason for that, dad?"

Xenia saw this as a problem since food wouldbe more scarce than before. And because the storm last night, which destroyed their crops, rendering them useless

The father and son both delved into the matter, Volcom explaining the reason and Xenia thinking of the negative impacts it could pose to Balmack Island.

"Suddenly stopping shipping to our island can lead to scarcity of food. People might start hoarding if they ever find out. Meat, milk, eggs, and flour are my main go-to resources when it comes to preserving food. We can smoke meat or turn them into jerky. Also, milk can be turned into cheese, which is good for preservation since its purpose was to actually ferment."

Soon, just like what Xenia said, people will start hoarding food and basic necessities when the main city begins to cut off the shipping of goods on the island.

"Are they trying to get rid of the inhabitants of the island? Do the people of Balmack pose a threat to everyone that they are cutting off supplies to the island? I'm confused. If this has something to do with the emergence, then shouldn't this happen later because there are still 2 weeks before the appearance of special people occurs."

Something really must be going on, which Xenia can't put his head into. He can't think of a solid idea why their source of supply is suddenly getting cut off. People from the main city did not fully explain the matter, which left most of the fishermen hanging, afraid that famine might soon be knocking on their doorstep.

"Where have I heard this before? I feel like this has happened, and I'm reliving the same events once again."

"Y-You... srue— sure... is."

How fast Xenia's head turns upon hearing a familiar yet unrecognizable tone inside their house. The illumination inside their house barely lights all of the corners with only two lamps lit. One on top of a table and one above the ceiling, hanging by the net holding it to act as a bulb.

"Am I hearing things? Why did it sound like someone just spoke to me directly?"

Xenia read it once before. People with this type of specific disorder tend to create voices inside their heads, which seemed to be speaking to them. An imaginary friend or persona is commonly created by a lonely mind.

"Surely, this is not schizophrenia. I'm just tripping."

Everybody could say that the security just got tighter on the island, but numbers alone were not enough against the twisted mind of the killer, an apex predator that lurks in the night.

~