And thats when the riots began.

The Arrows were there again. Always pointing in one direction, plain and black. It doesnt bother me,
Ive somewhat come to accept them, everyone usually does. From the time you first open your eyes
to the last time you close them. Determined to order their worker what direction to go.
No one questioned when they first started appearing, it was slowly at first, it started in Europe then
spread through the world like the Black Plague. Its those politicians I tell you, my grandmother
used to tell me, my grandmother told me and now Ill tell you, its their way of controlling our every
move, preventing troublemakers from lashing outkeeping everyone on track. It was around the
time of my grandmothers disappearance when the dark truth was told.
Every screen in the world lit up. Every radio crackled on. Every high-ranking member of societys
smile grew wider and more deranged. The motto The Arrows are here for you safety and stability.
Do not resist was read over and over and plastered from alleyway to the tallest buildings all in one
night. And those who did resist were executed. You could tell when someone tried to detour from
The Arrows as the rest of societys paths seem to repel the untouchable. The world was shrouded in
indisputable order.
The soles of my feet soaked in the chilled stone, the faux light barely illuminating the repetitive line
of arrows. I absentmindedly chewed my stale toast and sipped my luke-warm coffee as I scrolled
through announcements and news for my city, paying close attention to the list of executions to
check for any friends and family who might have become untouchable. Being satisfied by the absence
of their names I continued towards the dusk filled outside.
I kept my eyes forward, not looking around. But that didnt stop me from catching scenes of beauty
amongst the dark cityscape. The warm glow of a caf, with a young couple sitting and talking. I
hadnt noticed Id stopped until they turned my direction. Then they werent a couple, a wave of
seriousness over took them as they started to stand. It wasnt something I wanted to be a part of so I
picked up my pace hoping to get to my destination before the couple caught up. The lights of the
park seemed brighter and more welcoming as I reached the middle of it and scanned my
surroundings for the suspicious couple. Looking for security in The Arrows I looked down and froze.
They had split.
Two paths, in opposite directions. Not the usual dull black uniform arrow but vivid silver. What did
this mean to me, would I become one of the untouchables? Even though my head pounded I could
hear a pair of footsteps slow as they reached me. This is it; this is where I become an outsider.
Hidden from society, until they exterminate me. It was then I remembered that I had company; I
knew they saw and I knew I had to leave. But as I shifted away from them the man whispered two
unexpected words, The Saviour.
A siren rang in the distance and the couple knew it was for me. The woman forcefully grabbed my
wrist and we tore away from the park. The man did not talk or explain what he wanted me for, he
only made sure his comrade and I was keeping up by stealing quick glances over his shoulder. I was
thrown to the left as we quickly turned into a black alleyway. My vision was lost for a short amount
of time but when it returned my eyes welcomed the sight before me.
A small village underground, lit up with a rainbow of coloured lights. Awe filled my soul and The
Arrows grew brighter. The couple whispered amongst each other, they seemed to agree on
something as they turned to me and grunted, Come with us. For the second time this day I was
dragged by my wrist. But instead of being dragged into the dark I was greeted by ethereal blue light
coming from a medium sized tent at the centre of the makeshift village. Wait here, I was told by the
man, as the couple entered the tent. Instead of taking in the beauty of the city, this time I listened to
the whispers coming from inside. There were few words spoken, most sentences consisted of the
words saviour and it worked. I stood confused trying to piece together what little information I
could; however before I could reach a conclusion I was called into the tent.
Immediately I could tell the stranger was once a part of the government, but now all that remained
of his past life was a dirt ridden lab coat. Although when he smiled at me it wasnt deranged and
power hungry it was almost fatherly. Ah, my child, he came towards me, his eyes flickered to my
newly transformed Arrows, I see my backup plan has worked, you are lucky my people were near
you when it happened. I had questions and he answered every one of them. He was once working
on The Arrows when he learned of how the government wanted to use them. So he made a special
seed and planted it inside of a new born. Once the time was right the seed would bloom into a key
that would bring light to the darkness and free the world from The Arrows controlling nature. This is
when he told me how this key would unlock the chains of the government.
We left the village with twenty battle ready guardians. I never thought Id see the park again. The
engineer responded to my surprise by telling me that the seed would draw its host to the location in
which it was to be used. Stepping into the park once more made The Arrows split into multiple paths
and glow brighter, winding away from me in natural patterns and swirls. Then I knew what I had to
do. I glided deeper into the park with the engineer looking at me with delight and the couple
watching in wonderment. The words spilled from my lips, Fiat lux in tenebris, and with that an
aura exploded outwards from my centre, dissipating the arrows.
As the ringing left my ears I awoke from the trance to find a battle surrounding me. Government
brutes pushing against my new found companions. The engineer sprawled out on the floor barely
breathing and a government official standing mere metres from me and my swirling branches of
arrows, with a gun pointed at my chest. I stood still caught in the commotion, I heard the woman
scream RUN.
But she was too late.
I heard the ear-splitting bang. I was aware of the hot blood seeping through its newly torn wound
and my back hitting the floor. I saw the world fall with me. I looked at the sky taking in its new
brightness and all I felt was peace.
I understood why they did it they had to they were keeping everyone on track.
And thats when the riots began.
By Nikita Portman