The buzz

The sun broke through the rotted boards that covered the windows of her temporary resting place, warming the lids of her eyes and gently waking her up from a troubled sleep. Places to sleep and seek shelter had become harder and harder to find since the Ministry of Citizen Affairs had started tirelessly “Protecting our future from our Past”. She could still hear that slogan ringing out in her head. That same droning, monotone voice articulating an empty promise to the people who remained after the Undoing. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she immediately heard the faint yet piercing buzz of a Ministry drone buzzing in the distance, doing its routine sweep of what was once a thriving suburb. Now they were abandoned, rundown and patrolled by Ministry drones endlessly searching for Citizens to “help”. It’s funny how the Ministry tried to spin their motives, what they called “help” was nothing more than rounding people up and shipping them off to any one of a dozen different Ministry facilities to be processed, assessed, and assigned.

The drones were roughly the size of a trash can lid and were equipped with the latest Ministry imaging tech along with a small arsenal of smart weapons in case someone decided they didn’t want the Ministry’s help. Their bright yellow paintjob and unique buzzing sound drew the fitting nickname, “Hornet” almost immediately. And of course, Hornets bore the Ministry’s logo, a heart shaped locket with the familiar words, “Protecting our Future from our Past” scribed underneath. Apparently, the locket belonged to some high up minister’s daughter that was lost in the Undoing and meant to serve as a reminder of the battle fought and loved ones lost. What was once supposed to give people hope, now served as a stark warning to Citizens about the authority the Ministry wielded.

The Hornet’s buzz snapped her back into reality and she had to immediately look for a place to hide. She quickly packed up her stuff and threw it all into her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. Although her temporary home was mostly destroyed, the basement remained intact. Knowing that the Hornet’s scanners have a tough time seeing underground, she quietly slinked through the main hallway to the small cellar door under the main staircase. She quietly opened the door and stepped into the darkness. The wood stairs descending into the cellar groaned and creaked so loudly she thought they would give her away to the patrolling Hornet, she forced herself to slow down and move deliberately, avoiding the centre of each step as she went. As she hit the bottom step, she was immediately hit with the overwhelming smell of rot and moisture. It took everything she had not to gag; the air was so thick she was almost chewing it.

Upstairs the Hornet’s buzz drew closer, getting louder; she needed to do something quick. The electricity had long been gone so the only light came from a small window that threw an 8-inch spike of light across the floor and did nothing to help her see what the room looked like. She had no choice but to venture further into the darkness and feel her away around the walls. She worked slowly and cautiously making sure not to disturb any unseen objects, always mindful of the ever-present buzz getting closer and closer. Her feet shuffled across the dirt covered floor, inching forward, trying to avoid the unknown.

The Hornet was now inside scanning the main floor of the house. It was only a matter of time before it made its way downstairs. She began to move faster hoping to find something, anything to help her avoid the Hornet in the vast darkness. In that moment she felt a hard smash on her forehead. Even though she was in the dark, she saw stars and let out a muted and muffled yelp and quickly covered her mouth. Had it heard her?

The Hornet buzzed-on, undisturbed.

What had she hit? She reached up and felt around and realized it was the threshold of a small doorway. She shuffled forward until her foot hit a surface, at first, she thought it was a wall but as she felt around and realized it was not a wall, but a step. She felt another. Where did these steps lead? She looked up and saw the faintest sliver of light in the overwhelming darkness. As she reached the top of the stairs and hit a large steel cellar door, she become instantly aware of the buzzing. The Hornet was now at the tops of the stairs, the buzz more menacing than ever. She felt around the door to see if there was a latch or handle. In the darkness she made out a small sliding lever that she assumed would open or close the door. She slid the lever to left and heard a small clang and felt the door loosen its grip, popping open slightly. She threw the door open, temporarily blinded by the sunlight, jumped out and slammed the door shut and jumped on it with all her weight. Immediately she was thrust upwards by the force of the Hornet ramming the door from underneath. She scrambled to reach the latch but could quite get it closed as the Hornet relentlessly rammed the door. After several failed attempts she latched the steel door closed. She knew the door wouldn’t hold the Hornet too long and even if it did, there were certainly more on their way.

As her eyes adjusted to the sunlight, she looked around to see where she was. The derelict house she had chosen last night backed on to a forest and she could hear running water in the distance. As she turned back toward the sound of the rattling cellar door, she caught sight of a Ministry billboard bearing the hypocrisy of the heart shaped locket and those words, “Protecting our Future from our Past.”

What a joke, she thought as she turned and ran into the woods, disappearing amongst the trees while the Hornets buzzed in the distance.