20 Luke

Things weren't exactly calm after what happened that night. Obviously, they took Heddik and Lannit with them, but they took Sunji's corpse too for what I could only imagine was going to be a public demonstration of sorts.

Nobody really went back to sleep after that. There was a lot of pacing around after that. A good amount of cursing, yelling, threatening, the like.

I was surprised none of the anger was directed towards myself. I assumed they were still dealing with the loss of 3 of their friends that they were too occupied to worry about the living.

It was no surprise to any of us when the 3 gongs came a few hours later shortly after the sun had risen. I was exhausted, but along with the rest of the Hornets, we made our way to the main courtyard.

Security had increased, which was obvious the moment the gate to the interior was opened, but was most obvious was Sunji's body hanging from a sign by the neck with the words "Murderer" painted on the stone next to him. No doubt Heddik and Lannit would receive a similar punishment, but considering such a punishment was being dealt on mere children was the most disturbing factor.

Inside the walls of Citadel, there was no moral authority present. Anyone could do as they fucking pleased and not get a moment's glance. That's how it was when they killed Sunji. That's how it was when they tied the rope around the neck of my two colleagues and that's how it was when the stools beneath their feet were pulled out and they were strangled to death.

The fall didn't even snap their necks. They hung there, choking, suffocating, dying, in misery.

A few Hornets turned away. They had known the two longer than I had. Many of them liked Sunji especially. He was a good kid. His death only brought more anger than before to our small gang of children.

I don't even remember the speech that was given before the "killers" were hung. I just know that it was long and what I was thinking about during the speech and during the slow death of my friends. This was going to happen to everyone outside these walls eventually. Maybe not execution, but definitely death. Whether its execution for crimes that exist or don't as in the case of Sunji, starvation as can be seen by the dwindling of resources, or any other means. It's coming. This city is falling apart from the inside and we're falling with it. Those trapped between the inner and outer walls are just walking corpses.