My City, My Master

We don’t have a lot of time to loose!

David violently drawed her hand. They unconsciously crossed street after street, rambling the drain openings, avoiding the menace of the Master Buildings. They were "pariah" and the Master Buildings could make anything with them. From being unaffected and letting them to a slow death, to being aggressive and killing them. Even the Masters have caprices.

A desperate old man almost hit them. He runned with a very respectable speed for his age, as a victorious teenager athlete. His eyes were almost out from the orbit, because of the fear.

- Well, a "pariah" who disturbed a lot our Masters. Let’s run faster! Whispered Angel, terrified as never in her life.

From their back they heard a desperate cry. They looked back. The buildings from the street where the old man runned approached more and more to him. The thoroughfare became more and more stretch. Soon, between the blocks of flats situated on both sides of the street, the distance became less than ten inches. But the victim had to cross more from the street for escaping from the surrounding. The Masters grasped him between his shoulders, as in a vice. The screaming of the old man became powerful. Then, they heard something as a smooth child cry. The walls were covered with blood and flesh, bones, brain pieces… Angel swinged back her head, disgusted.

- Don’t do that, Angel! Don’t step aside! Look, THEY are our MASTERS! They eat our blood. Don’t you think they deserve to be destroyed? All of them?

- David, how do you dare to tell me something like that? Well, they are our Creators… They don’t know what death is. They always judge in a fair manner…

Creators… Hmmm… The blood spots remained recorded on Angel’s eyes.

- Destroyers, not creators, this is the word for them, screamed David, becoming very angry.

The man started a hysterical crisis. He rushed upon a building’s wall and started to blow it with his fists.

- I hate you, damned betony!

The woman became desperate.

- Please forgive him! Don’t take in serious his behavior… he doesn’t realize what he’s doing.

Angel begged mercy for David to the buildings. He pulled out a knife and started to scratch a marble wall. After few seconds, he felt down, electrocuted. The master had his own revenge. The buildings watched all the things that had happened, but their reaction was always strange and always different.

**********

Some hours passed and Angel stayed near him, praying for a miracle. He didn’t have to die, because he was her only escape. First she thought he’s a devil but now he seemed to be her only salvation’s angel. Now she deeply and madly trusted this man.

"The City made the mankind to be served and respected by them. The mankind is the one which have to admire and glorify Its grandeur", said the old Urban precepts. "The Buildings are the Master of the humans. The humans which are often a petty and ungrateful being. Because they were bad times when the people tried to destroy their Masters. From these times appeared the Urban Laws. The City protects the humankind. By the other side, the humankind must prove total obedience and respect to It. Any lack of obedience will automatically bring the maximum penalty. The culpable is declared <pariah> and he looses the right to be sheltered by a Protecting Ceiling".

The Laws of the City vibrated in her mind, when she applied a cold and wet compress to David’s head.