Angel felt withdrawn from reality. Her mind ran out on the possible solutions to the guilt in her heart. As she turned in her bed, she opened her eyes to Zuri standing beside her.
"Daddy wants to talk to you," Zuri said
Angel quickly got up and hurried downstairs.
She stood in front her father and said, "Papa you called for me."
"Have a sit, "her father said in a commanding voice. She quickly sat and waited. "The police will be here today and I want expect that you know what to say. Remember any wrong word from you and both of us will go to jail. You know lying to the police is a crime, right? Remember we have already done that. So, you must stick to the original story."
"Yes Papa" Angel answered.
Her father smiled at her in reassurance. Back in her room her mind raced and her heart yearned to be free. She found herself wishing it was her life in exchange for her mother's. She sobbed deeply at her weakness. She wondered when she would be free of this impending sin. In this world of disrupted lives, she had been left with desolation and struggle.
She pulled a newspaper so as to take her mind away from her problems. The newspaper talked about the global famine gripped nations, leaving trails of hunger and death in their wake. Proper medical care had become a luxury only the privileged could afford. Thousands of people were dying every day from starvation, lack of proper medical care and wars created by the struggle for the few resources.
One page it read;
With the internet shutdown, the global landscape has fell into a dystopian tapestry. This has revealed several consequences in people's daily lives. The fallout, has left societies grappling with a web of challenges that threaten the very fabric of human existence. Many people have fallen into depression following the lose of jobs, their lifestyle and even their loved ones.
There are several reports of widespread famine in many parts of the world. The United Nations which have always been always been an organisation for such catastrophes has been facing a hard time locating remote communities in different parts of the world. The reliance on digital infrastructure for resource management and distribution has crippled supply chains, leaving millions on the brink of starvation. Nations that once boasted self-sufficiency are now facing food scarcity. This has killed the hope of many.
The shutdown has also turned hospitals into battlegrounds for survival. The loss of connectivity, vital for the coordination of medical resources, has left healthcare systems in struggle. The absence of digital records, diagnostic tools and real-time communication has resulted to a strained situation.
Patients have to face lack of essential supplies and the inability to access critical information. The once-flourishing collaboration between medical professionals, powered by digital advancements, has been replaced by a desperate struggle to save lives in the face of overwhelming challenges.
Although governments struggle to address the escalating crisis many have opted to developing their own national networks. This, however not achieved due to the lack of international cooperation, gives hope to many. The secretary of the United Nations recently urged all nations to take part in boosting the flow of resources, technologies and expertise for a swift rebuilding process. He warned people to abstain from false information because the underlying problem could be solved as it was only a malfunction of important undersea servers.
The Secretary General however failed to address the rumours and threats to a possible war. The possibility of war has threatened the global community. The road to recovery demands not only the restoration of digital connectivity but also a collective reimagining of a future shaped by resilience, adaptability, and a commitment to addressing the vulnerabilities laid bare by the internet shutdown.
This emerging enemy did not distinguish between borders or ideologies. It mercilessly brought large societies to their knees. The newspaper painted a world in filled with agony. The newsprint seemed to bleed into the fabric of Angel's reality. It mirrored the ache in her own heart. She pondered the irony of a planet gasping for survival while she, confined within her own moral dilemma, yearned for redemption. She took her personal diary and wrote the events of her worst day in her life. Every event of that fateful day was still fresh in her mind. She let words express the anger within her. She then carefully put her diary in her drawer and left for the sitting room.
She sat next to Zuri who was watching an old movie. After the shutdown people, just like always, found old alternatives. They remembered the movies they had unknowingly saved in their laptops and flash drives. Those who were lucky to have many movies made copies and sold them to the others. Today however Angel was on her own world. As the clock ticked away, Angel found herself in between the desperation for truth and the fear of consequence. The impending visit of the police, threatened her fragile existence. Each tick of the clock became a reminder of her fate, bound by the web of lies her father had woven.
When the knock came by the door, her body felt heavy. Zuri quickly invited the policeman in. He came straight to where Angel was and sat.
"My name is Charles Ochieng. I believe you are Angel," he said calmly. Angel swallowed and the nodded in acceptance. "Do you remember the what happened the day your mother died?" Ochieng asked looking deeply into Angels eyes.
"Yes, I do now," Angel went ahead to feed him all the lies her father had trained her. The police scribbled something in his notebook and the thanked Angel for her time. By the doorway he stood and looked back for a moment then opened the door and left.
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows that played upon Angel's tear-streaked face. Her room, once a haven, now echoed with the whispers of a troubled soul. The weight of the world's suffering bore down on her, converging with the heaviness of her own moral burden.
At dinner Angel, though physically present, felt adrift in a sea of uncertainty. "You did a great job Angel," her father spoke to her after dinner. "Remember we are the only ones who own the narrative, nothing will go wrong," he reassured her.