Never Fear, They're Here

When drones are introduced as a way for ensuring the safety of citizens, is anyone really safe?

2081 was the year when the government released the drones. Experiments had been conducted on flying technology for many years with outstanding results. Due to rising crime rates, the drones were created as a defence system for the city. They were small, circular mechanisms with a camera, used to record the happenings of the city. They were programmed to recognise conflict and abuse and in the situation, would shoot a paralysing shot at offenders and alert authorities. The drones were welcomed by the citizens of the city as the next step for securing the people’s safety.  When the drones were introduced, crime rates plummeted and posters were put up city wide with the saying: “Never Fear, They’re Here.”

It was about ten years later when I was walking home late one night from work. I entered the dark alleyway; a gap between two, old buildings that hadn’t been used for many years. The alleyway was narrow, cold and uninviting. I didn’t have to worry about rapists or muggers anymore, so I wasn’t frightened. I knew the drones would protect me. As I was walking down the alleyway, I heard footsteps behind me. Someone else walking home from a long day at work? I glanced over my shoulder and saw an ordinary looking man in a trench coat. I turned to look ahead of me and immediately heard the man’s footsteps becoming more rapid and louder. A feeling of uncertainty came over me. I looked up and saw three drones. “Listen creep, the drones are here, they're watching, so stop following me alright?” I quickly spun around. “I swear, I-”

It all happened so fast. I thought the man had still been a few metres away, but when I turned around, he was right behind me. I cried out in excruciating pain as I looked down to see a knife lodged in my side. Blood poured out of the wound, coating the man’s hand and dripping on to the cobbled path. “Please,” I spluttered. The man retracted the knife and took a step back. I fell to the ground, grasping my wound. The man knelt down beside me, looked me straight in the eyes and smiled. He then turned to the drones that had lined up behind him, and winked at them. Why weren’t they doing anything? The man stabbed me again. Blood seeped my clothes and a pool began to form around me, oozing into the gaps between the cobble-stones of the path. “They’re here. They’re watching,” I gasped. The man withdrew the knife once more and lent down to whisper in my ear. “Oh, I’m counting on it. They’re paying a lot of money to have this recorded.”

Reviews

[Stan Lee]

Woah, That was brilliant. I'm am very impressed. What an imagination! And what a fluent writing style. I loved that this story was so compact and the plot twist(!!!) made me jealous! It was simply brilliant. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Aaaaand I had better stop myself before I go off on a total rave and get all over-muchly-gushy. Loved it!!!!!!!!!