Heart on heart

Finally, Olivia held it in her hand once more. A tear swelled in her eye at the sight of the tarnished silver heart shaped locket, its chain dangling open, loosely below. Slow rolling droplets of her blood slipping off the ends. Olivia cradled the precious locket, her heart still thumping under neath. That solitary tear lead a deluge that now rolled off her face. So much had changed since she had last felt the locket’s metal chill on her warm flesh…

Olivia, the sixteen year old, with stars in her eyes, an insatiable appetite for knowledge and as much love of the world as anyone ever had. Like all sixteen year olds, the education system had not taught Olivia the dangers of self-segregating cultures, in the same way the system had not taught them that some cultures did not see the world with the same euphoric gratitude as they. Not that the education system was to blame, no the account due on that fell quite firmly into the hands of greedy politician, short sighted, self serving, uncaring politicians that had failed to see this problem. Sitting idly by collecting their cash not even realising what was happening. All the while the planner‘s had equipped their army waiting for the opportune moment. The moment this became apparent, the day the world collapsed, Olivia’s world, was a Monday, Monday October twenty-five, twenty twenty-one…

For decades their plan had been in motion. At first implementation had been difficult as trust was not easily earned. However, the greed of the capitalist and the need to consume that resulted, had been an invaluable tool. The first wave had been the ”political asylum“ seeker, it truly was ironic how the politicians fell over themselves to fully fund the victims of tyranny, with tax concessions and low cost business funding, claiming a victory in the name of the capitalist gods, mammon and agog. The next wave closely followed, the families of the asylum seekers, lured By a better life than was ever possible in the old country. Once again the politicians accepted with arms wide open, blinded by the dollar signs of the state backed silent invasion, eventually even granting voting rights.

voting rights had been unexpected, what sovereign country would allow foreigners to influence government? Capitalists of course, cash is king after all. Voting rights, combined with the cultural self-segregation keeping the invaders localised into key areas, originally to ensure the plan was adhered to strictly, meant that there were soon those being elected, whose first allegiance was to the plan. Half a million people may be a fraction of the population, but they were dedicated to the cause and lying dormant for the right time. Of course elected officials could make bigger and bigger decisions, accelerating the plan, the moment was indeed close when the politicians handed control of the ports and air terminals over as part of a cash grabbing lease.

Money collected by the politicians would be soaked in the blood of generations of the voting public when the counter struck zero.

…October twenty-five had started much like any other Monday for Olivia, the alarm dragging her unwillingly from slumber, a slight crisp chill in the air, residue of the exceptionally cold winter that year. Slipping downstairs, eye slits hiding her beautiful green-brown eyes. Fumbling with the coffee machine trying to convince it to relinquish a soy capuccino before ascending back to her room with the liquid personality starter in her cup. packing the school bag, adorning herself in the school uniform. Running notoriously late as usual, Olivia’s super power was to be extremely calm, therefore slow, under even the most immense parental pressure. Olivia raced out the door hollering “bye mum” the door closing sharply behind her.

Five minutes later a not too uncommon event occurred. Olivia skulked back through the door where Cathy, her mum, was picking up her hand Bag and car keys, preempting the required lift to school. “Sorry Mum” Olivia smirked as she gave Cathy a big hug. The little silver heart shaped locket that had hung around Cathy’s neck for all of Olivia’s life fell softly on the bare skin at base of Olivia’s neck. The cool metal reminding Olivia that family meant everything and she knew it was only a minor inconvenience to her mum to drive her to school…

The locket had originally been a gift to Olivia’s great grand mother, given to her by Olivia’s great grandfather after the birth of Olivia’s grand mother, the oldest daughter. It became traditional to pass the locket to the oldest daughter of each generation on the eve of their eighteenth birthday. The locket contained layers of photographs of each of its stewards ever since and soon Olivia’s would join them.

The story’s of the heart shaped locket had thrilled Olivia as long as she could recall, it had been all around the world on brave young women’s necks and returned. Olivia’s mum, like her‘s before her had let Olivia wear the locket on special occasions. Olivia had no intention of breaking tradition.

… Olivia lead the way to the car parked in the driveway, she did not notice the eerie silence, closely followed by Cathy, playfully spanking Olivia’s backside for missing the bus, she was annoyed but not enough to be angry, this trip would be added to the list of debts to be paid with future unpalatable tasks, a parent‘s revenge.

Mrs Wang, the kind old lady next door, burdened by dementia, called out from the fence line “No school today… bad things today”. Cathy responded with her usual bubbly tone ” she’s not bad, just late today” and asked Mrs Wang how she was Before unlocking the car. Usually Mrs Wang said hi, had part of a conversation and would then wander off mid sentence back into her house. Today however she became a little insistent with the family who had always been so kind to her as neighbours. “NO, no… bad things today, NO school” Mrs Wang repeated firmly. Olivia turned to Cathy, a little perturbed, gauging her mum’s response. ”Get in the car, you’re late” Cathy said through a grimaced grin, trying not to show how uneasy she felt, “have a nice day Mrs Wang”, Cathy waved as she slipped into the driver’s seat, and started the car. The radio spluttering to life with the engine. Where music should have been was filled with some sort of public service announcement “all citizen’s should baracade themselves inside their homes immediately, and remain there until our police and defence forces have stopped this uprising”

Olivia and Cathy sat in stunned silence staring at each other unbelievingly. Cathy clumsily juggled her phone into her hands, dialling Rick’s number, the response from Olivia’s dad’s phone “the person you are trying to reach is unavailable “ disbelieving Cathy dialed again without difference to the outcome.

”Mum” Olivia cried “let’s get inside please” Olivia’s exodus from the car was hasty and undignified. Cathy jumped out of the car, noticing Mrs Wang was gone, Olivia was already at the front door trying to get the key to work in the lock when the crack of the gun shot halted time. From the corner of her eye Olivia saw the fine crimson mist of blood drifting through the air and raining onto the front wall of the house. Olivia turned her head and looked over her right shoulder, a man with a rifle, but not her mum was all she could comprehend. Chips of concrete render splattered onto Olivia’s face, as she spotted her mum face down in front of the car a pool of blood building around her. The front door fell open and Olivia stumbled through it screaming involuntarily, slamming closed the door behind her.

Scrambling to the window Olivia peered out and watched in terror as the gunman casually walked up to Cathy’s lifeless body and kicked her over onto her back, crouching down on one knee, he released the claps of the heart shaped locket and shoved it in his pocket. The gunman stood up and waved, it was then that Olivia realised the gunman was not alone as two other men with rifles approached the house. Olivia, tears streaking her face ran into her dad’s office, Rick‘s sport of choice, fencing, lead to him having quite an extensive collection of swords, Olivia had learned a few basics but as of right now regretted not taking up the offer of coaching made by Rick. Olivia grabbed her dad’s favourite sword, a samurai sword hundreds of years old.

Feeling a little more confident, Olivia decided to hide in the back yard with the dogs, exiting the office, the door of which was adjacent to the front door, which exploded open the foot and lower leg of a gunman visible. The ancient sword sliced instinctively through the air, adrenaline fueled force cleaving the limb below the knee, the sword striking the wooden floorboards, gouging the timber. The limb flopped next to the sword tip, blood spurting through the air into the house. The leg retracted from the house with a blood curdling scream, a crashing clank of heavy metal on concrete followed by the ear splitting crack of another gun shot, sending Olivia recoiling back into the office, as the gunman slumped over the threshold of the entrance blood pouring from his neck onto the hardwood floor.

Olivia summoning all of her witts and strength ran past the body in the front door, through the lounge and toward the back door, where the two dogs, Rex and Misty, were very agitated. The side gate of the yard flew open and the two bull Arab’s charged to defend their territory, attacking the gunman who had busted through the gate ferociously, pulling the man to the ground, and his life from him as Rex removed his throat and Misty his femoral artery. Yet another shot pearced the noiseless air, Misty’s yelp ceasing too soon and her body slumping onto the dying gunman, Rex charged off through the open gate. Olivia could hear the gut wrenching sounds of the dog inflicting wounds to someone in the street and the screeches of pain in response.

Olivia ran through the gate, sword in hand to see Rex tearing at the arm of the original gunman, without any thought Olivia charged in sword drawn. The gunman produced a knife and was slashing at Rex, the animal would not be deterred, the blade of the sword peirced the gunman’s heart with surprising ease, Olivia’s forearm slashed by the last sweep of his knife. As the gunman fell, Olivia reclaimed the heart shaped lock.

… Olivia sitting on the ground her mother’s head in her lap, Rex licking the blood from his nasty wound on his flank, cradled the heart shaped locket to her chest. She knew this was the beginning.