#riots.

The air had been tense in Verona since the news broke of Oz Montague’s conviction. Mila herself had felt quite upset about it, having done what she could to put in a good word for him. She didn’t believe he did it, not for a minute, and while ten years was better than life, it was still far more than he deserved. Still, while things were tense, she was at work as usual as evening fell. No more patients were booked in, it was really just time for administration stuff and  any emergencies. 

Out of the blue, her computer shut off and so did all the lights. “Fuck.” She cursed as she grabbed her phone, using the flashlight to find her way to the utility box to try and restart it. But after a few attempts, her co-worker approached to let her know that the power seemed to have been cut for the whole street, maybe even further. When they tried to access the internet on their phones to check, they realised the networks must have been cut as well. Now feeling wary, Mila dismissed the other woman, telling her to get home quick as she could before heading off herself. 

She walked to work every day if she could. She lived relatively nearby, but it was still about twenty minutes. The first ten were okay, things were eerily quiet. But then it got rough; people fighting, arguing, just chaos. She tried to avoid it all until a group was stopped right in her path. As she tried to get around them, she heard one of the women say, “The fucking murderer deserves death for what he’s done. Who knows how many other women he’s killed before finally getting caught?” There were a few more colourful insults thrown in and though she tried, Mila couldn’t stop herself from spitting out, “Watch your mouth.” 

Attention was drawn to her, but she simply glared at them, still trying to just get passed when the woman - unfortunately - seemed to recognise her. “Wait, you’re one of those submissive sluts that spoke for him. Are you just sad that your mean nasty Dominant can’t make you his bitch anymore?” Mila lashed out without thinking, landing a solid punch against the woman’s jaw. 

Georgie didn’t even know how it happened. One minute she was following Aldo, the next a rowdy group of people swept them up. And suddenly she was alone. She didn’t see her security guard anywhere, even as she spun around in a circle and called out to him. She spotted another group of people barreling towards her, so she ran - just far enough to get away before they overtook her. But now she was really lost, she didn’t even remember which way she was going. And just as she was beginning to despair, a familiar head of  fiery locks appeared and she ran to her friend. “Ariella! What- what the hell. I don’t know- Where are you going? Are you okay?”