To Those in the Future, Part 5

One week after the incident in which a window-washer took a tumble to the ground, the public had already grown tired of the subject and had moved on to other things. That was a good thing for John, as he could finally walk around town without having to constantly hear about people casting baseless speculation. Unfortunately, their gossiping in general hadn't stopped, but at least he wasn't so close to the subject this time around.

Another unfortunate thing was that the window-washer who fell had yet to return to work. He was still recuperating in the infirmary, though no one could confirm that as he was not allowed visitors. While that was more than understandable considering the incident, John still felt uneasy about the whole thing, as if the Ackertons were trying to hide something. Of course, he had no proof, nor could he attempt an investigation on his own.

Therefore, the only thing John could do was go back to window-washing as if nothing had happened. The days passed peacefully, and he could almost be tricked into thinking there was nothing going on. However, he knew that was far from the case. The people's unease continued to rise, and the resulting clamor was a visible problem. If the Ackertons noticed, they didn't seem to be doing anything about it.

In any case, the restlessness continued to grow and grow, as the public began to feel confined by the shelter that they once regarded as their haven. People seemed to grow distrustful of each other, and resentment began to fester in their hearts. It felt as if the pressure in a canister was beginning to build up, with an explosion happening sooner rather than later.

One day, it happened. Two men began fighting in the middle of the main plaza, almost spontaneously. The fight was short, and it was quickly stopped by two guards, but as an occurrence it was more than enough for the public to began chattering. Many possible causes for the fight were tossed around: some alleged that the fight was over a girl, while others claimed it was a disagreement over work.

Either way, John tried to go through his life without paying too much attention to the hubbub. The chatter was concerning, but he figured that so long as no one was getting into any other fights, there was no need to worry too much. He continued to live as he always did, paying as little attention to the world around him as he did.

A few days after the fight, John was drinking with Julio and Martina in the Ackerton Bar as always. The gossiping had yet to stop, and even the bar was filled with constant chatter about the event.

“How can everyone spend their time talking about nonsense like this?” John grumbled as he took a sip of his whiskey. “I know not much happens in the shelter, but there's only so much rubbernecking I can tolerate.”

“It's human nature, after all,” Julio sniggered. “We can't help but be interested in the business of others. Give them some time and they'll eventually calm down.”

“Sure, so long as another big incident doesn't happen,” Martina remarked. “I wonder what it'll be next time. Maybe it'll be a murder!”

“Martina!” John scowled disapprovingly. “Isn't that going a little too far?”

Martina simply shrugged. “Sorry, but you can't blame people for getting bored. I know it's for our own good, but being cooped up in here for so long is going to drive some people crazy. I can't even remember the last time I saw a building that wasn't made of pure white!”

John grumbled worriedly. “I hope it's not a sign of things going wrong. All downsides considered, living in the shelter really is the best option for us.”

“So you say. They may have made this shelter big enough for three hundred people, but all that means is that we're not scrunched up against each other. You can't blame people for wanting to get some space.”

John couldn't deny that. He had made a habit of making alone time for himself in a secret hideaway, after all. His windowless dorm room was far from relaxing, and there was really no other place where he could be away from other people.

“All I'm saying is that things are tough right now, and some people need to let off steam,” Martina continued. “A fight isn't the most ideal way to do that, but if that's what they're going to do, then that's what they're going to do.”

“Sure, as long as things don't escalate,” John grumbled. “It wouldn't be pretty if someone died during a commotion like this.”

“Now now, let's not talk about such dire topics,” Julio cut in with two more drinks. “Come on, these are on me, so drink up, okay?”

Martina jabbed a finger in Julio's direction. “There you go again! You're always tossing out drinks to keep things from getting too gloomy! You're gonna make everyone an alcoholic if you keep doing that!”

“You've got to admit it's effective,” Julio replied with a chuckle. “I bet that fight wouldn't have started if those guys had some good drinks on hand.”

Martina started to respond, then sighed and took a sip of her drink. “I swear. What am I going to do with you?”

Her reaction caused John and Julio to break into laughter, and after some time even Martina started to see the humor. For a moment, they forgot about the current state of the shelter and simply enjoyed each others' presence.

***

The end of another work day left John once again with some more free time. He still had a bad hangover from last night's adventure at the bar, so going to the exercise area was out of the question. He decided to instead stop off at the artificial park, which was a place he didn't venture to often.

The reason was because the artificial park was simply that: artificial. It simulated the brightness and warmth of a springtime sun using ultraviolet lamps, and while the place seemed lush with warm grasses and large trees, every single facet of the park's “natural” implements were plastic at best. While the rest of the shelter saw frequent use by the residents, the park was considered too “unnatural” to be the place of comfort it wanted to be. As a result, the park saw few visitors, as most others simply passed by while attempting to get to another part of the shelter.

Even so, John headed out to the park, since it was going to be the best place for some peace and quiet, especially since the time of day meant there would be too many people around the ladder he used to reach his little hideaway. He laid down at the top of the sloping hill, pretended he didn't feel the synthetic fibers of the false grass and dirt, and closed his eyes.

He only meant to nap for a bit, but he found himself dozing off for quite a long time. When he awoke, it was to the sound of an argument happening somewhere below him. He turned over onto his stomach, then looked down to see what he assumed was a couple bickering. The fight ended in a slap from the woman, who then walked off while the man ran after her. While it was ultimately a rather benign circumstance, it was still another example of the restlessness plaguing the residents of the shelter.

With his peaceful reverie interrupted, John decided to head back to his room, but to his surprise, when he stood up, he was greeted by a young woman with a fierce look in her eyes. Shocked by her intense expression, he could only assume it was due to him appearing to peek in on a private conversation.

“I know how it looks, but I was just making sure things didn't get too bad!” John sputtered out, attempting to placate the woman. “You know, with the fight that happened yesterday, I couldn't help but think something similar might happen...”

“Huh?” The woman looked at him with a quizzical expression. “What the hell are you even talking about?”

John could only chuckle sheepishly. “N-nothing. If you don't know, then it's fine... Did you need something from me?”

“I wanted to ask you something. You're a window washer, right?”

“Er, yes. But why do you want to know?”

“That man who fell from the harness. Is he back at work yet?”

“Oh, him?” John thought for a moment. “No, I think he's still recuperating in the infirmary. Not that I've seen him or anything like that.”

“I thought so,” the woman mumbled darkly.

“Huh?” John was surprised. “What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing,” she replied curtly. “Don't worry about it.”

The woman walked off without another word. John was confused, but at the same time, he didn't really have a reason to stop her. Still, her words made him curious. And worse, the bad feeling that had been absent for so long started to creep up his back again, He needed to find some way to clear this uncertainty, but how?