W. H. Auden once said, "Murder is unique, in that it abolishes the party it injures. So that society must take the place of the victim, and on his behalf, demand atonement or grant forgiveness."
The cold air started to diffuse as the first light shone from the east. Los Angeles had not a single civilian as they had taken to the streets outside the city.
People were anxious as they had loved ones that didn't make it out in time. Others didn't even know where some of their children were.
They were restless and had no place to crash. If it were only a hundred people on the streets the motels and taverns would have worked together to help their fellow humans, but the fact that they were nearly ten million souls out there. No one had the ability and resources to maintain their lifestyle even if it was for a week.
Everything was as it should be except for the few who had the courage to stand up in times like these and guide their fellow citizens in a more civilized way.