Chapter 7, Voices In The Streets.

Maher woke up this morning with a barrage of sneezes. He knew he had a cold, and his head was pounding, but he decided to ignore it and go to work.

The traffic downtown was terrible due to demonstrations. To his dismay, he was assigned to the very location of the protests, tasked with both organizing traffic and maintaining order.

Chanting anti-government slogans, the crowd was clearly angry. Although Maher wasn't sure of the protesters' specific demands, he had a good idea of what they wanted.

Officer Riyad

"Maher, I need you to change your position, I need you closer to the core of the demonstrations, we need as many police officers there as we can get, if we don't control them now thongs will get out of hand."

Maher

"Ok, let me get my motorcycle" 

Officer Riyad

"No, you better park it here or they will destroy it, it's government property you can't risk destroying it or you will be punished."

Maher

"Ok, as you wish."

Captain Miller

"Good morning, I'm Captain Miller of the City Police Department. I understand you're exercising your right to protest, and we respect that. However, we've received numerous complaints about the disruption to traffic and local businesses. Therefore, I'm giving you two hours. At the end of those two hours, this protest must disperse.

One of the protestors stepped forward with a megaphone and said : 

 "Two hours? You think two hours is enough to make our voices heard? We've been ignored for too long! We're not going anywhere until the government listens to our demands!"

A man beside her added, "We're here for the long haul. We're not leaving until they address the issues we're raising. Two hours, two days, two weeks – we'll stay as long as it takes."

Captain Miller .

"I understand your frustration, but I'm also bound by the law. This protest is obstructing public access, and we've given you ample time to express your views. After two hours, if you haven't dispersed, we will be forced to take further action."

The protestor's leader : 

"Further action? What does that mean? You'll arrest us? You'll use force against peaceful protesters?"

Captain miller : 

"I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that, but let me be clear: if you do not comply with the order to disperse, we are authorized to use the necessary force to clear the area. This is not a threat, it's a statement of legal obligation. We don't want anyone to get hurt. Please, for your own safety and the safety of everyone around, cooperate with us. Two hours. That's all you have."

The man who had spoken earlier stepped forward again, his face set in a determined expression. 

"We hear you, Captain. But we also hear the cries of our community. We hear the promises that have been broken. We've tried talking, we've tried negotiating. Now, we're taking to the streets. We will not be silenced. We will not be moved. We will stay here until our voices are heard."

Captain Miller looked at the faces in the crowd, a mixture of anger, frustration, and resolve. He knew that the next two hours would be tense. 

Captain Miller: 

"I understand your reasons, but that doesn't give you the right to break the law. The clock is ticking."

The protest escalated, with the crowd chanting louder and more aggressively. Outnumbered and unable to contain the growing unrest, Captain Miller contacted his superiors. He was ordered to use force to disperse the demonstration, resulting in numerous arrests and a panicked flight by many protesters.

Riyad 

"Alright, move it!"

Riyad shovied a young woman forward. She stumbled, nearly falling.

Maher 

"Hey, easy! She looks young. Be gentle."

Riyad

"Mind your own business, Maher. Just doing my job."

Maher looked at the girl. She appeared to be in her late teens. 

Maher

"How old are you?" 

The girl 

"Seventeen," 

Maher 

. "She's seventeen. Let her go."

Riyad 

"Seventeen? That's old enough to know better. She's participating in an illegal protest. She's coming with us."

Maher 

"She's a minor,You can't just—"

Riyad 

"We'll let her go after she signs a statement at the station. Says she won't participate in these demonstrations again. That's the law." 

He grabbed the girl's arm again, more forcefully this time.

Maher

"That's coercion! You can't force a minor to sign—"

Riyad ignored him, pulling the girl along with the other detained protesters. 

Riyad

"Come on, move it! All of you! Let's go!" 

He gave Maher a final, dismissive look. 

Riyad

"You got a problem with it, Maher? You want to join them?"

Riyad locked the doors of the police van and drove off, leaving Maher standing alone in the now-empty street, littered with the remnants of the protest.

___

Hasan, , rushed between the curtained-off beds in the emergency room. A young man with a bandaged arm winced as Hasan checked his pulse. 

Hasan 

"How are you feeling? "

The patient 

"Like I've been run over by a truck, The police..."

Hasan

"The police did this?" 

"Yeah," a woman in the next bed chimed in, her voice hoarse. She had a large bruise on her forehead.

The woman

"They were hitting everyone. Batons, shields… I saw one guy get kicked in the face."

Hasan 

"But why? What happened at the protest?"

The patient 

"We were just… protesting,"

the first man said, his voice rising in frustration. 

"Demanding change. Demanding they stop the corruption."

Hasan 

"Corruption?" 

the woman

"Yeah, the police. Everyone knows it. They take bribes, they abuse their power… they don't care about us. They only care about lining their own pockets."

The man

"We were peaceful. We weren't doing anything wrong. We were just… speaking our minds."

Hasan

"And that's why they attacked you?" 

the woman

"That's what they do. They don't want to hear us. They don't want anything to change. They'd rather beat us into submission."

the man

"They said we were disrupting public order. But we weren't violent. We weren't breaking anything. We were just there."

Hasan

 "I'm so sorry this happened to you, I'll make sure you get the best care we can provide."

the woman

"Thanks, Son, We appreciate it."

As Hasan moved to the next patient, he couldn't shake off the images the protesters had described. The anger and frustration in their voices echoed in his mind. He knew this wasn't an isolated incident. He'd heard whispers, seen the subtle signs. But hearing it directly from the victims… it made it all too real.

Hasan tapped his phone impatiently, finally seeing Maher's name pop up. 

Hasan

"Maher! Finally! I've been trying to reach you for days. What's going on?"

Maher

"Hey, Hasan, Sorry, been incredibly busy."

Hasan

"Busy? Too busy to return a call? I was starting to think you'd fallen off the face of the earth. Omar took me out for this incredibly fancy dinner the other night, by the way. Steakhouse, it was the best you Missed out on a real feast, yes you did."

Maher was silent for a moment.

Maher 

"Sounds… nice."

Hasan 

"Nice? It was amazing! Anyway, what's been keeping you so occupied? Everything alright?"

Maher 

"Yeah, fine. Just… a lot going on. Look, Hasan, I gotta run. Is there something you needed?"

Hasan

"Actually, there is. I was at the hospital earlier, and… well, I saw some patients who were injured during the protest. They said the police…They said the police were hitting people. Is that… is that true, Maher?"

There was a long, heavy silence on the other end of the line. Hasan could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Hasan 

"Maher?" 

Maher 

"I… I can't talk about that, Hasan,"

Hasan

"But these people were hurt. They were saying the police were just… attacking them. Is it true?"

Maher didn't reply. Hasan could hear a click, and the line went dead. 

Hasan

"Maher? Maher!" 

He stared at his phone in disbelief, the dial tone buzzing in his ear.

___

The television screen flickered with images of chaos. Protesters, their faces contorted with a mixture of anger and fear, were being pushed back by a line of riot police. Batons flashed, and screams echoed through the air. The news reporter's voice, usually calm and measured, was tight with concern.

The new reporter

 "…and as you can see, the police are using what appears to be… undeniably brutal force to disperse the demonstrators…"

Suddenly, the image on the screen went black. A brief message flashed: Coverage interrupted.

Maram

"What happened?" 

Omar, his eyes glued to the blank screen, shrugged. 

Omar

"Probably got too close to something they didn't want people to see. It's awful,"

Maram 

. "On my way home, I saw a police officer chasing these teenagers. They looked terrified. He grabbed one of them, threw him against the wall, and… and just arrested him. No explanation, nothing."

Omar

"Did he… did he hurt him?" 

Maram

"I couldn't tell," 

Maram replied, her voice trembling slightly. 

Maram

"It all happened so fast. But it didn't look good. And then I saw all these posts on social media… people talking about how violent the police were being. Using tear gas, beating people… it's just… I don't understand."

Omar sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

Omar 

"I don't know, Maram. It's… complicated."

Maram

"Complicated? People are getting hurt! That's not complicated, Omar!"

Omar

"I know, I know, Look, I have a friend on the force. Maher I'll… I'll talk to him. See if he can shed any light on what's going on. See if any of this is even true."

Maram looked at him, her expression skeptical. 

Maram

"You think he'll tell you the truth?"

"I don't know. But it's worth a try, right? I need to know what's happening. We all do."

_____

A week later:

Maher, Omar, and Hasan settled into a booth tucked away in a quieter corner, finally catching a break after a particularly grueling week.

Hasan: "I'm glad you could finally go out with us, Maher. It's been a while since the three of us went out together."

Maher:

"Sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you. It's just been so stressful lately, and I've had to work so many night shifts."

Omar: 

"It's okay. We were all busy lately. What matters is that we stay connected."

Hasan: 

"Well said, Omar. Besides, there's nothing that could separate us, not even these inhumane working conditions."

Omar: 

"By the way, Maher, there's something I want to ask you about, but I'm not sure how to approach the matter."

Maher: 

"What is it, Omar?"

Omar: 

"You remember the demonstrations from a week ago? I saw them on TV and noticed how aggressive the police were with the protesters. I also heard rumors about police brutality, so I wanted to ask you about it."

Maher didn't say anything. He paid for his drink and stood up to leave, but Hasan stopped him.

Hasan: 

"Where do you think you're going? Calm down, Omar didn't mean to bother you."

Omar: 

"I didn't know you'd get upset over this. I was genuinely asking because you're my friend. I came to you for answers because, to me, you're more trustworthy than the rumors and online posts."

Maher:

"What do you want me to say? If it's true, do you expect me to come out and say, 'Yes, the police are brutal and corrupt'? Well, yes, some officers, or perhaps many officers, were aggressive. It can't be helped that the orders were that we must clear the demonstrations and arrest anyone who objected. The protesters weren't cooperating, and before you knew it, the whole situation turned into chaos."

Hasan:

"Are you saying that if the protesters had cooperated, the police wouldn't have hit them? The patients at the hospital said they were peaceful protesters and didn't even have weapons, yet they were badly injured. I treated some of them myself. There's a guy in a coma right now because he was pushed by an officer and fell on his head!"

Omar: 

"Hasan,

please, I didn't mean to stir you up too. Let's just end the conversation here. It's been a while since we last hung out together. Let's not get into an argument."

Maher: "Unfortunately, Omar, I'm no longer in the mood. I'm going home to rest. Have a nice evening, you guys."