Free Filtered by G.K. Lamb Page A

notice. The unexpected nature of this is baffling. Trying to wrap my brain around it, and with no other good options, I cross the field leaving a trail of footprints in the layer of slag and soot which covers the dead yellow grass.
    With every step I grow closer and the fuzzy objects on the stage become clearer. The Authoritarian is standing in the middle of the stage behind a steel microphone. Behind him is a table with a large cloth-draped box sitting squarely in the middle. Other than that, the stage stands empty. What could possibly be under that cloth that they couldn’t show us in the auditorium? And why only the twelfth-year students? This has something to do with Victoriana—I can feel it—but it’s so unprecedented I can’t place my finger on it. Finally across the field, I slip into the middle of a row, never taking my eyes off the Authoritarian. He stands motionless; soot builds on his wide shoulders.
    The wait is agony not because of its length, but because of all the uncertainty. Would they pull me up on stage and subject me, in front of the rest of the class, to whatever horrors lay hidden under the cloth? Or will they pull it back to reveal Victoriana’s twisted and mangled corpse as a lesson in asking forbidden questions? The anticipation turns my stomach into knots. My nerves reach a fever pitch. A desire to run overwhelms me. But that’s exactly what they want. They don’t know who did it. That’s why we’re here. They’re looking for the first one to flinch. I recall Delia’s final words to me: blend in, cover your tracks, and don’t make waves . They’re waiting for me to break, but I won’t give them the satisfaction. I steel my resolve, prepared to wait until soot doesn’t fall. With my rekindled purpose, I stand resolute and unwavering.
    We stand in silence long after the final student arrives. Smog blows in on the wind, soot piles on our bodies. The Authoritarian’s will breaks first.
    “You all must be wondering why I brought you out here. I wanted to give you all time to think. Recently, you were given the important lesson on how and why our Great Society came to be. You were witness to the sacrifices and many toils of our forbearers. You were shown the many ways through which you can contribute to the Great Society’s legacy of peace and prosperity. Yet some among you spit on the graves of our patriots and snap at the hands of the Caretakers like rabid dogs! They would say this whole world is a lie! They demand proof that the outside air, that we ceaselessly guard you against, is truly poison. I do not bow to the whims of the weak and ignorant and I am not doing this to satiate them. No, a mind that sees lies when staring at the truth can never be satisfied. I do this to protect you, to codify your own beliefs so you can stand vigilantly against your subversive peers who would erode your faith in the Great Society. Bring up the girl.”
    Inspector Aldridge appears on stage. Her large hands grasp all the way around Victoriana’s tiny arms. I cannot see Victoriana’s face, but her clothes are tattered and her body bruised. I can only imagine how deformed and swollen her face must be underneath her mask. Aldridge brings her to the Authoritarian then releases her grasp. Victoriana falls like dead weight. A plume of ash billows up as she falls, momentarily blocking her from view.
    “Stand! Face your peers so they might know whom among them is the bad seed.”
    Victoriana attempts to stand. Her body is convulsing from the effort. Halfway on one leg, she falls back onto the sooty stage.
    “Do it! Not so defiant now, are you?” The Authoritarian looms over her, adding further sting to his words.
    Still trembling, Victoriana rises. A howling wind blows across the field filling the air with thick black ash. Swirling around the stage, and among all the students, I can’t see the end of my own filter through the clouds thickness. It passes quickly but we’re all left covered in the