Lukas is transiting a busy avenue in the city. This is the sound of traffic and other elements that make a stagnant path a hellish chaos. But that does not compare to those mitigated voices that he listened to at all times, he doesn't understand how the rest of society accepted them so naturally, "maybe something was wrong with him," he thinks. Since the collective conscience system was implemented, crime levels have dropped significantly, after all, if everyone knows what everyone thinks, that makes it impossible to approach someone with bad intentions.
Lukas initially refuses to accept the idea that the government would implant a chip in his brain. All that shit that was for a -good common- can't convince him.
He stops at the pedestrian stop. The muffled noise still making it worse. In a moment of resignation, he decides to focus his attention on the thoughts of a dark-skinned woman with her back to him, she has a mane that reached up to her back and an hourglass body, -Pretty -Lukas thinks while turning his gaze to another direction to go unnoticed, but it was in vain because the woman turned to him as soon as he began to formulate that thought. "cretin," He listens in unison, there are two other women in the group that he hasn't noticed. She was 33 years old according to what Lukas saw, scrutinizing his thoughts. He does not like the system, but it does not mean that he used it for his purposes from time to time. A year and a half ago, he decided to simply join the collective conscience and simply let himself be carried along by the current.
The light of the pedestrian traffic light turns green and the assembled group begins to walk like an organized squadron, nobody hinders the passage of someone, due to the collective's feedback.
On reaching the other side, Lukas observes through the glass of a pharmacy's showcase, a daily scene: a small homogenous group of eight people; to the head a type of suit with aspect of high class. Everybody raises their right hands in unison, the same inclination of degrees. Focusing their eyes on a guy with a terrified appearance. This one begins to run towards the entrance of the building when behind him without losing the visual focus, all in the small group lower their hands at the same time, same inclination again. The guy explodes leaving behind a cloud of blood and spreading guts around the place. A collective trial, as the high government officials called it behind the management of the collective conscience system, the supporters of the government and the system gave it the name of absolute judgment. Lukas makes an expression of disdain on his face and continues walking.
He continues walking and he turns down a street. He walks a few steps looking at the floor, then when he looks up, another collective judgment is being held in front of him, this time two people has their hands up and another down. The man in front of the three sighs of relief, he would live.
A year and a half of these public shows have passed, in Lukas they no longer cause any impression, as well as the majority of society. He walks until he stands in front of a grocery store. He enters through the door. Nobody turns to look, they just keep focused on what they are doing. He approaches the woman who attends the place, looks at the counter, then fixes his gaze on the girl "I want a carton of milk ... please," he thought. The woman gives him a quick glance from head to toe and proceeds to take the milk from the fridge. "I miss a good conversation," he thought. He also hears a beautiful voice in his head, the girl gives him the milk and then gives him a smile with a tender look. Lukas returns the smile. He puts a crumpled ticket and a couple of coins on the counter. Take the milk and he goes out out the grocery store.
He walks back on the sidewalk lost in his own thoughts, not caring if someone is going to sniff. The sound of a skid bursts into his concentration. Look towards the road. A small bundle lays in a pool of blood, a cat had been run over and the culprit had fled. "I've never liked cats anyway," he thought with a grimace.
An old lady watches him from a corner of the street behind him. A combined expression of anger and horror appears on his face. He spends a few seconds, before noticing, Lukas finds himself surrounded. Ladies of forty to sixty years emerge from all sides. A group of sixteen ladies comes together, all wearing a flannel with a painted cat or something like that.
-"He has seen they have killed an innocent cat and let the guilty flee with impunity!" He hears a sobbing voice in his head, "he has to pay instead of the culprit!". Lukas begins to walk backwards and slowly, wise in what he's stuck and started sweating a lot because of it. "Well, let's solve this with a collective judgment," The women start the ritual, they raise their hands in synchrony.
"Shit!!" Lukas shouts.
This is my entry to the
contest: Tell A Story To MeSource of the image: 1