Chapter 73- Meet the storm

Chapter 73- Meet the storm

We are fast approaching the stage

of the ultimate inversion: the stage

where the government is free

to do anything it pleases

while the citizens may act only by permission.

~Ayn Rand, critiquing totalitarianism

***

Inside, the mart was stale with the redolence of myrrh and old paper. Cobwebs hung at every corner, filling most part of the rooftop and even the windows. Dust floated in the air like ash, dirt sailing the floor at every step. Insects scurried past their feet, fleeing into the darkness and some at the wall, ceasing their tracks at their presence. The great room had its share of of couches and sagging old chairs, scattered standup lamps with parchment shades making a distinct island in the darkness.