"I'm Jonah Sala!" A medean child screamed, he was dressed in a makeshift elf costume while holding a toy bow and arrow, shooting the sticky arrow at a boy in front of them who pretended to play dead in the middle of a road. Behind him, sirens alerted as a protest engulfed the scene, millions of a mob walked down the streets– screaming and shouting. Above their heads was a television screen, on it were the events of the Second Grand Reprisal– broadcasted to billions across the planet, Omalga.
In between a city block were two girls, delinquents– smoking and staring at the protest giggling. "The Imp is so cool you know, the media made the guy look evil but he's a sweetheart!" one chimed whilst the other pointed at her phone laughing, "You know that they made a website to vote who you want to die."
"I voted Gloxer. He's not that cute and quite mean." One of the girls stated whilst the other stated they voted Nil due to jealousy of them interacting with the Imp.
A shaman lady was in the middle of the protest, screaming– "The end times are near! War is soon! War is soon! Everyone will die!" her voice ringing out alerting a group of bikers away from the protest.
7 Biker boys stared in awe as the parade kept marching through the street, signs stating 'End the Reprisal' flooded the street as they stood behind a mural of Jonah Sala.
"You know we never saw the first challenge, Kanae!" A boy spoke, he had lightly textured hair, short and a small stature– underweight and both his eyes and hair matched a dark brown. His teeth jagged and sharp as he wore a light blue parka. He tugged onto his friend, Kanae who was taller with a larger stature. A bright red jacket with the design of a tiger on the back, red and black trousers & boots paired alongside his dark scruffy hair and almond coloured eyes.
Kanae grabbed onto Teysu who was rocking him back and forth, "They really are doing this over a kid."
"We are kids too, you know Kanae." A taller and muscular boy with dark blue hair spoke out, he had a red shirt with ripped sleeves and bandages on his forearms– his skin, medean.
"Tagma! I'm pretty sure that we should roll out." Kanae grinned, his teeth glistening as he hopped on a high tech red motorcycle as the others followed on their lesser advanced bikes before darting off to follow the parade.
Seven Cassettes rode, but only four led the charge.
"Kia!" Kanae yelled out as he was driving, "Put on the cape!"
A younger fluffy brown haired boy in a green jacket with a red tie let go off the motorcycle to attach a red cape onto his back, it read "The Cassettes!" and their logo was the Tiger that was on Kanae's back. "Kanae, look at your right."
Kanae turned around to see riots where the protesters left– every station had protestors drop out, looting stores and attacking people. "This isn't even just about Jonah is it?", his tone was determined and peeved.
"No, they're stupid!" Teysu yelled out, his voice loud enough to alert the looters– "Stupid people! Nobody cared about the Yeti. Nobody cared about the mermaid. It's just Jonah, Jonah, Jonah—like the rest of them are fucking props. Like we are fucking props!"
The looters began to chase Teysu's bike who spun around and ran them over before catching up.
"Teysu! Don't do that again dumbass." Kanae roughly spoke, putting Teysu in a noogie mid driving. "You've been the same ever since you were a kid."
"Don't do that! Pisses me off! Just like this whole thing!" Teysu was next to the Shaman lady, when he reached into his blue parka and took out a gun, loading it. "I'm really sick of this! I even see television people around! So I'm gonna make a mark! Unlike you Kanae!"
"Teysu!" Kanae yelled out, "Don't do-"
He pushed the gun into the Shaman Lady's head who began to frantically pray before pressing the trigger.
Bang.
The shaman crumpled, prayers dissolving into the asphalt. For a moment, the crowd froze.
Then a cheer erupted, fractured, hysterical. Camera flashes lit the street as a broadcaster screamed into his mic:
"Another child soldier of Jonah Sala! The Reprisal inspires even the youth of Omalga!"
Teysu raised the smoking gun with shaking hands. His teeth gleamed like broken glass.
Kanae's stomach twisted. "You've killed us all, brother."
Teysu was lifted above the mob like an idol, his sneakers brushing the bloodied face of the shaman as the crowd screamed his name. Someone draped a torn protest flag over his shoulders. A child giggled, tugging at the hem, smearing ash across the letters. Nobody cared for his act of violence. Violence is good around here. Don't you think so?
"TEYSUOOO!" Kanae screamed, his lungs crying out as he dropped from his bike onto his knees. His screams, his pleas fading into the erupting crowd who kept on walking. He tried to follow, but the river of bodies swallowed Teysu whole. His screams dissolved into chanting, into the endless rhythm of footsteps and broken glass.
Where were they walking to?
Who knows, Who cares. They just kept screaming– looting, hurting, killing– it doesn't matter anymore. If even the Gods do this to entertain others, why wouldn't humanity follow. As we are made in God's image, we will follow what he wants to do. Thidos killed a majority of Floria, his population with a single attack– he can't judge if we do the same. So who am I speaking as well? Am I just humanities' collective conscious or am I just a plague– just like how humanity is a plague on the world. Who will know? I certainly don't either.
Kanae no longer looked for his childhood friend. He stared at the sky, his throat raw, vowing hatred—not just to the Gods, but to every face in the crowd.
The Cassettes huddled around him, trembling beneath the neon dusk, as the morning bled into night.