Behind the last widow

The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room. It was the only way she could see the real outside, but it was just a speck of light, a crack in the city walls. Ava sighed, returning her gaze downwards, to the city she knew all too well: New Providence.

The sickly yellow colour of seemingly everything was one that residents had become accustomed to. It served as a continual reminder of the noxious air in the streets and the inaction of the authorities.

Ava had always wished to leave, and find a way to escape these walls and become free. She wasn't sure what the word meant, but her late husband had told her people used to live like it. “In a free way.” He would say, beaming at her. A former version of herself would have done anything to know what he meant by that. As time went on, however, she grew weary, and that ambition looked more and more unattainable.

Sighing and sitting back at her computer, Ava attempted to concentrate on the task at hand: as a permanent employee of OmniCorp Solutions she had important work to do. But it was hard to concentrate when the weight of the world seemed to press down on her from all sides.

She glanced up at the window again, her gaze drawn to the deteriorating structures and flickering neon lights beyond the glass. There has to be a better life out there, outside the city walls, she thought. But for now, Ava was trapped, just like everyone else in New Providence.

Suddenly, her phone rang, startling her out of her reverie. She picked it up with a start. "Hello?"

"Hello," said an unfamiliar voice, "is this Ava?"

"Yes."

There was silence on the other end of the line, which made Ava wonder if they had hung up. Finally, someone spoke. "We need your help, ma'am."

Her eyes widened in surprise. This was unexpected. "What do you need?"

"We have a group of survivors coming into the city from the west, but we're having trouble getting them across the wall. We were wondering if you could give us some assistance."

Ava paused. She knew how to get into the city like no one else. She also knew that if she didn't go along with this plan, they would come for her: In New Providence, you pick your side.

"Of course." She said. The only response given was the click of the phone disconnecting. It was more than enough.

She got up and put on some clothes before going downstairs to get supplies. When she returned upstairs, she saw that her son, James, was still sleeping peacefully on his couch.

He's so young… How can he possibly understand? She thought. I'm not sure if I should even tell him what I'll be doing tonight. But he needs to know why he doesn't see me anymore.

She gently shook his shoulder. He sat up slowly, rubbing his head groggily. "Hey, mom."

"I've been trying to move you for hours. You need some proper rest."

His brow furrowed. "Oh! Sorry, mom, I must have fallen asleep."

"Come now. Let's go upstairs."

They climbed the stairs to their room and lay down together on their bed. After a moment, Ava turned towards her son. "Listen to me, James. I have to go out tonight. It's for the resistance." James nodded solemnly, understanding what she meant.

"Are you alright, mom?"

"It's fine. Just don't worry about it right now. Okay?"

James nodded and fell back into sleep. Ava pulled the covers over them both and closed her eyes, listening to the sound of James breathing softly beside her.

—

With the sun beginning its descent in the sky, Ava was walking through the western gate of New Providence, heading towards the centre of town, when a small, scrawny boy with a face like a cabbage approached her.

"Good evening, Miss…"

"Just call me Ava, please."

"Okay. Good evening, Miss Ava. My name is Jack, and I'm here to take you to the meeting place."

"what meeting place? Are you sure you have the right person?"

Jack said nothing in return, simply holding out his hand, beckoning her to follow. Ava wanted to run to the usual meeting place but knew she had to follow the boy. Accidents don't happen in New Providence. Jack led her further into the city, towards a large building with a sign hanging above the entrance that read: "Pilgrim's Gate".

After following a seemingly endless maze of passageways and corridors, they reached a door marked with two large symbols – one showing a man holding a sword, and another showing a woman wearing a crown.

The door opened as they neared, revealing a tall figure dressed in a black robe, who greeted them with a bow.

"Welcome, Miss Ava. You can leave now, young Jack."

The tall figure was followed by four men dressed similarly. They all wore identical masks concealing their faces.

Ava stood in front of the masked figures, looking at each of them in turn. Something felt off about these guys. She tried to ignore it though because she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Besides, she had bigger problems to deal with.

"Now then," said the leader, "let's talk business."

"You seem tense. Is everything okay?"

"I guess I'm just nervous."

"Don't worry, as long as you do as you are told you will be just fine. Now, let's get started."

Ava shifted her feet. "Yes. Okay. Please do."

"Let me introduce myself. I am Colonel John Fitch, commander of The fourth rank of the New Covenant."

Ava held in a gasp, frozen in fear. The Covenant were the police of New Providence, twisted individuals with a ruthless grip on power. They stop at nothing to get what they want. Gulping, Ava prepared herself for what was to come next.

“I have a couple of questions for you, Ava”

Fitch handed a sheet of paper to Ava, which contained a list of names and corresponding questions. Each question asked her to provide information related to the subject listed under each column. For example, Column B would contain three separate columns titled: 'Name', 'Age' and 'Occupation'. Column D would display similar information, except the column would only have two entries - 'Last Seen Alive' and 'Date of Disappearance'. Column H would show 'Location', while Column J would ask for 'Place of Death'.

As the questions continued, Ava grew increasingly uncomfortable. The colonel seemed to know far too much about her family and the circumstances surrounding the death of her late husband. Every time Ava paused to think, the Colonel would move slightly closer to her, his stench filling her nostrils. She had heard what happens in interrogations and had no intention of being the next horror story. There was nothing that could be done, she gave names of family, friends, and even some resistance members. All she could hope for was to leave in one piece.

At last, the interrogation came to a close. Ava sat quietly waiting for the colonel to say something.

"Miss Ava, you've done well. This has been a valuable exercise, especially considering what happened recently. Your answers have helped us identify several potential threats within the city, and we intend to act accordingly."

"What do you mean? Who are these people?"

"That's classified, so don’t ask any questions about it. Just accept that this is happening”

"Okay…" Ava replied meekly.

"Good. Now, go home."

Ava nodded, feeling lucky to have been spared. She then turned and walked back down the corridor. As she did, she caught sight of Jack standing alone. He looked up and saw her approaching, and his face was dark with fear.

She waved to him. He looked up at her, tears beading in his eyes.

“I thought you were from the resistance”, he said

“Aren't you meant to resist?”

Before Ava could reply, Jack ran off without saying a word.

When she left the building she could hear sirens going off, seemingly from every direction.

A megaphone blared "Attention citizens of New Providence. This is an urgent announcement from the Covenant. Due to an ongoing threat to the safety and security of our nation, we are issuing a mandatory stay-at-home order effective immediately.

All citizens are to remain in their homes until further notice. Any individual caught violating this order will be subject to severe penalties, including imprisonment.

Give your hearts, bodies and minds to the covenant. Together, we will overcome this threat.

This announcement will be broadcast on all channels every hour, on the hour until further notice. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Stay safe and stay home."

“Is this to do with me?” Ava thought to herself. What could it be? Maybe someone has seen my scars…

But why now? Why after all these years? Was there some sort of leak within the resistance? Did they find out I wasn't really the traitor everyone assumed I was? Or maybe it's just a coincidence. Perhaps someone else got captured instead?

Either way, this couldn't be good news.