Chapter 18: Upheaval

"The only way we can eliminate despots in this world, is not to be peaceful about it, for that has been the case for many people that have caused the upheaval of such tyranny, nor we should turn the other way, but we must take appropriate actions to eliminate the thriving forces of such darkness in our world." —ELW-Reta Barnes

"There are those who bring chaos and upheaval wherever they go." —Steven Redhead, Life Is A Cocktail

"You [demagogues] are like the fishers for eels; in still waters they catch nothing, but if they thoroughly stir up the slime, their fishing is good; in the same way it's only in troublous times that you line your pockets." —Aristophanes, The Knights

***

At first, the said sudden cut off of food supply to the island did not affect the islanders on the first day that much. Moreover, another victim fell upon the hand of the mysterious psychotic serial killer. A man in his 30s suffered severe bone fractures all over his body while the top of his skull was sawn open with his brains stirred up like a gooey soup with some of his insides mixed in it.

It was beyond their imagination. Every single one of the victims would end up horribly massacred, tortured, and mangled before killing them. This demonic evil creature knows no bounds.

And then nighttime came again, and it was time for people to lock their houses, seal their windows, and sleep with one eye open. People that were overly cautious and paranoid could not find the strength to sleep.

"It has been nine days, and the killer still hasn't been caught yet!"

"Oh, please, don't let it be my household tonight! Anything but my family!"

Strong-willed people influenced those close to them to wield a weapon and defend themselves from the bearing danger lurking in the night. While weak-willed individuals relied on prayers and other people's brave demeanor, leaving it up to them.

Inside Xenia's house, while his three female siblings were all tucked in bed, Xenia and his father lay awake in the middle of the succumbing evening.

Equipped with a weapon of their own, the father and son duo go well with Volcom specializing in close combat while Xenia partially specializes in both close and range combat. He has a more flexible role than his father, learning the ability to dangerously throw huge nails and forks, which can't be underestimated.

Guarding their house and the safety of their family throughout the night sure is tiring, but it was only both of them they could be relied on. They can't expect Xenia's mother to take up his role while he sleeps the whole night.

Feeling the evening in his eyelids, they both felt heavy, causing Xenia to take a deep yawn, which his father saw while they were both on their guards.

"If only the killer hunts people that are outside their house at night, we won't be staying up this late at night to protect ourselves. Well, if only this killer does not exist."

They could only wish for the killer to get caught, or the madness going on on the whole island would not cease. And none of their worries would be lifted.

Xenia started to wonder how he could stop the killings from now on but could not come up with a solution since the killer does not have any specific target.

"For now, I will be referring to the killer as it since their gender hasn't been confirmed yet, although there were speculations of the mad killer being a man. Anyway, all of this started when Myla was killed. That was when the series of serial murders began to keep increasing. It temporarily stopped when Ergas was caught, then it resumed right after my friend was hanged."

Xenia just could not see any connections with the victims. They all seem random with little to no correlations with each other.

"Considering that the killer randomly breaks into people's houses to murder someone, every household needs to at least have one guard to protect or either alert them."

The idea of killing one person each night has already crossed Xenia's mind. And killing the baby of the pregnant woman might be a coincidence, but Xenia can't be too sure.

"I think I can handle tonight's duty, Xenia. You can go and sleep. Leave it up to your reliable father!"

It was no arrogance Xenia could see but confidence. Whenever Volcom could do something he would tell someone about it before doing so, and when he could not, the man would also tell someone he couldn't. And Volcom would do it with much confidence surrounding him. Another good point about him is that he won't be disheartened by the fact that he can't do something so simple. The man would admit to his incompetence and therefore strive to do better.

Yawning really is contagious. Mirror neurons in the brain are thought to be the mechanism behind contagious yawning. These neurons match our actions to the people around us. So if you see other people yawn, chances are, you will become a yawner, too, even if you are not bored or tired.

"No buts, son."

Xenia was gonna insist on staying with his father to guard their house for safety, but Volcom was just feeling it.

"I feel like no one's gonna beat me if someone were to ever wrestle with me right now." Volcom gloated a little bit, flexing his hard-work-built muscle with veins seemingly bulging from his bicep.

"Wake me up when something's wrong, okay? Good night, dad."

"Good night, Xenia. You have a good sleep."

***

Another shocking victim was found just outside of his house. The family has 4 members, and yet only the father, who must have protected his family at the cost of his life, was killed.

No signs of forced entry could be seen. None of the other 3 remaining family members were unhurt. They were just immensely devastated by how brutally the man suffered from the killer's dangerous grasp.

Hearing someone has been murdered was starting to become common in people's ears. However, the news this time disclosed a piece of nerve-wracking news to everyone, which would, later on, be the reason for turning against each other.

Standing firmly in front of everyone, bearing the bad news for every Balmackian, Grenoble cut to the chase and blurted out everything that they should know.

"Fellow Balmackians, this news just came in today from the main city, which is the nearest port to our island. It seems that due to the heavy thunderstorm that happened the other night, our food supply and resources needed to function on this island will be cut off indefinitely!"

And there goes the people's complaints and voices filled with anger and surprise. The thought immediately struck them, thus throwing them into a fit. Furious and desperate for answers, Balmackians urged Grenoble for solutions and suggestions they needed to do.

"Calm down, everyone! Doro and I had already taken matters into our hands! Today, we will be managing all of the remaining stocks we have in each store. No one can horde, and we will have to rely on root crops and fruits. People must start cultivating lands for food now, so you guys don't starve."

As someone who is fair and true to his convictions, Grenoble would not let money decide for him. An intelligent and stoic person like him would not be blinded by mere change. Even if they double it up, Grenoble would not succumb to the temptation.

Management of dry goods and human daily necessities began as soon as possible. However, there is a little problem with the store owners of food supplies.

"I have a right to keep everything I sell for myself! It's entirely up to me whether I sell them or not! So, you won't be buying anything from me!"

Instead of cooperating with Grenoble's plan of sorting scarcity of food and supplies, many of the store owners refused to surrender their items in exchange for the island's budget at the right price. Selfish behavior from people had already shown to surface hours after receiving the news. Some of these selfish bastards hid a couple of their dry goods and food for themselves, securing their daily needs while others suffered from hunger.

It is at this time of crisis that people show their true selves. Their frugal and disgusting personalities, which they never reveal to anyone will all come to light when desperation and despair trample over their lives.

"You must understand the importance of my actions, Mr. Sergi. I'm sure you do."

"What power does your position hold in this time of crisis? Nothing. Being the chief of this island will be nothing but a title. Therefore, you're not taking my belongings!"

Grenoble sees no point in talking things out with Sergi, thus putting an end to their conversation with a brief set of words.

"I want every one of you here today to know that from now on, Mr. Sergi and all of his family members will be prohibited from buying food supplies from the public market I am going to build to manage and sort the problem. This goes under the condition of him keeping every cheese he sells in his store! Surely, you don't have a say in it, right, Mr. Sergi?"

Although hesitant, Sergi ignorantly held onto his words and shut the door to Grenoble, and the people witness to their conversation.

~