19:54 Alne's hands were shaking,this was no good. 6 min. till curfew, 6 min till lights out. The room was small and cramped, 5 adults & 3 kids. The kids were the issue. Alne tried once again to get the receiver on the heater to work. It was a standard channel, civilian small appliance. His work bench was old, the creaks just made it all harder. He tried once last time to adjust the bandwidth, his friends looked on. It was close to winter, and while the parents could deal with the cold..... He shook the dark thoughts and concentrated.
Fate and will danced in his favor, from within the receiver through the tiny scratches in its black cover paint a light shown. The blessed buzz signaled its function. With in moments it was whisked to the kids. The desk lamb switched off and a tiny candle, the kind use to keep metal bottomed tea cups warm, was lit. The squeal of the air raid siren signaled Curfew.
20:00 The heart stopping sound of the peace force marched past the door. Alne stopped breathing for a moment, the sound passed. He laid his head upon the desk and shuttered. It did not last long, he had 1 last task before his nights end. From a box at his feet a pair of wool gloves were retrieved. Looking down at his work he notes the many bandages covering his fingers. As he finishes the last "street" job of the week, his mind wanders. No one could blame the Peace Force for being on edge as of late.The government is in arms, the attacks on internal targets. They are looking for blame and with the military backed Centralists leading the charge....its only time before they will be disbanded. Looking out to the sleeping city, all Alne could see in the murky black night was the glow from the Tesla generators sending electricity through the air......
sorry was in the mood to write.