Europe / Austria (Vienna): August 15th, 1975.
(Ferdinand Smith's POV)
"AHHHHHHHHGH." Said a voice screaming at the top of it's lungs in agony.
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
Bodies fell. One. By. One.
*Boom* *Boom* *Boom*
The streets were bloody.
*BOOOOM*
"MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT, MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT, MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT, MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT." Said ferdinand and a large crowed of armed bulletproof, vested men and women behind him loudly.
Building's burned.
*BOOOOM*
Civilians died as a huge crowed of protesters marched past with signs raised in the air full of Intent and chanted loudly with ferdinand "MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT, MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT, MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT, MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT."
"Finally. It is time for the world to change and modernize" Thought ferdinand with a wide smile forming on his face as he stopped in front a huge gate surrounding a red estate looking mansion that resembled the united states white house and raised his hand to halt the marching of the protesters.
The protesters stopped. There faces angry an hardened with signs raised up highly into the air.
"WE WANT CHANGE, WE WANT STABILITY, WE WANT WANT PEACE." Said ferdinand loudly at the top of his lungs with his fist raised highly. His eyes bloodshot with rage.
"WE WANT CHANGE, WE WANT STABILITY, WE WANT WANT PEACE." Said the large crowed of people chanting loudly at the top of their lungs with anger. Some throwing rocks at the window along with food and any item that they could get there hands on.
*CRASH*
Glass shattered. Screams of citizens were heard.
Ferdinand's bloodshot eyes widened slightly and then narrowed with even more rage as he turned to one of the bulletproof vested men beside him and snatched the megaphone right out of the man's hand and screamed rantingly into it at the top of his lungs with veins bulging on his forehead and neck "EDWARD D. ROCKEFELLER, YOU FAT GREASY BASTARD, GET YOUR WORTHLESS ASS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW AND FACE THE PEOPLE."
The crowd behind ferdinand Immediately started screaming even louder and raising their weapons in the air, some holding pistols, some shotguns, some rifles, some metal bats and pipes with blood still on them from earlier and signs with smeared paint and dirt on them.
"COME OUT EDWARD, COME OUT EDWARD, COME OUT EDWARD." Said the crowd loudly and madly with hardened looks on their faces.
Ferdinand's eyes were bloodshot and wide as he raised the megaphone again and screamed loudly with rage "WE ARE ARMED YOU FAT SWINE, DO YOU HEAR ME, WE ARE ARMED AND WE ARE DONE ASKING POLITELY FOR CHANGE. COME OUT HERE AND ANSWER TO THE PEOPLE."
*BANG*
A gunshot suddenly rang out from somewhere in the crowd and a man inside the red estate Immediately dropped dead by the shattered window.
*SPLAT*
The crowd froze for a second and then suddenly roared even louder.
"BREAK IT DOWN, BREAK IT DOWN, BREAK IT DOWN." Said one of the armed men loudly from the crowd with a crazed look in his eyes.
"TAKE THE GATE DOWN." Said ferdinand loudly with the megaphone raised in the air as his face twisted with fanatic rage.
Suddenly the protesters rushed forward in a large wave.
*BAM* *BAM* *BAM* *BAM* *BAM* *BAM*
Metal bats slammed against the gate.
*CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*
Rifles fired wildly through the bars.
*BANG *BANG* *BANG *BANG* *BANG*
People screamed.
Bodies fell.
Blood splattered against the gravel and iron.
*SPLAT *SPLAT* *SPLAT*
"KEEP PUSHING, KEEP PUSHING, DON'T STOP." Said ferdinand loudly through the megaphone while shoving himself against the gate with the others.
The protesters slammed their bodies and makeshift tools against the gate harder and harder.
*BAM *BAM* *BAM* *BAM *BAM*
The hinges finally cracked.
*CRACK*
The gate bent inward.
*BOOOOM*
The gate collapsed to the ground with a loud metallic crash.
The crowd roared madly and Immediately started storming the grounds of the red estate like a flood of hatred and desperation that had finally found a place to pour into.
"MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT, MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT, MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT." Said ferdinand and the large crowd loudly as they ran over the fallen gate and rushed toward the front doors of the estate.
*BANG *BANG *BANG*
The armed guards at the estate fired wildly from the windows and steps.
Some protesters dropped dead.
Some screamed while clutching their stomachs and necks.
Some kept running anyway.
"THEY'RE INSIDE, KILL THEM, KILL THEM." Said a crazed man loudly while firing a pistol toward the windows of the red estate.
*BANG *BANG *BANG*
"RAM THE DOOR." Said ferdinand loudly into the megaphone as he pointed toward the huge front entrance of the red estate.
A group of large men Immediately grabbed a thick metal pole from the side of a truck and started slamming it against the front doors of the estate.
*BAM *BAM *BAM *BAM*
The wood cracked.
Women in the crowd screamed.
Children hiding behind overturned cars cried.
Smoke rose into the sky.
"AGAIN." Said ferdinand loudly with foam building at the side of his mouth.
*BAM*
The doors burst open.
*BOOOOM*
The crowd Immediately surged inside.
(Edward's POV)
*BANG *BANG *BANG *BANG*
Edward jolted in his rolling chair with large beads of sweat dripping down his greasy forehead and said loudly with panic "W…WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON OUT THERE."
A fat secretary with a terrified pale face rushed into the office and said stutteringly while trembling with tears in her eyes "C…chancellor, t…the protesters have broken through the first gate."
Edward's eyes widened Immediately and he got up from his rolling chair so fast that it slid backward and hit the wall.
*Boom*
"THEN WHAT ARE THE GUARDS DOING, ARE THEY EATING SHIT." Said edward loudly with rage and fear mixing together on his ugly face as he started pacing around the office with both of his hands on his greasy bald spot.
The secretary flinched and said with a shaky voice "T…they're trying to stop them sir, but there are to many of them."
*CRASH*
Another window somewhere in the estate shattered.
A gunshot rang out.
Then another.
Then another.
*BANG *BANG* *BANG*
Edward froze and thought with a horrified look in his eyes "Shit, shit, shit, shit, this has gone to far, I need to get out of here right now."
Edward hurried over to the wall and started opening drawers and cabinets with both of his shaking hands and muttered loudly "Where is it, where is it, where the fuck is my gun."
The secretary had tears streaming down her face now and asked while visibly trembling "S…sir, what do we do."
Edward Immediately turned and looked at her with veins bulging on his forehead and screamed loudly "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, THAT'S WHAT YOU DO."
The secretary let out a frightened yelp and hurriedly took off running from the office.
Edward watched her leave and Immediately went over to the office door and locked it and started dragging the couch and a bookshelf in front of it.
*GRRRRHH*
"Come on, come on you fat bastard move." Said edward grunting loudly as his heavy body shook from exertion and fear.
*BANG *BANG *BANG*
Gunshots rang out in the hallway outside now.
Screams were heard. A man's voice cried out in agony.
Silence.
Edward froze and turned his head slowly toward the door as his three doubled chins trembled.
"N…no. No, no, no, no." Said edward shakily while backing away from the barricaded office door.
He hurried over to his desk and dropped down onto his knees behind it and started breathing heavily.
*HAH* *HAH* *HAH*
"They can't get in. They'll leave. They'll kill a couple guards, steal some shit and leave. Yes. Yes that's what these poor bastards always do, they don't have the brains to go all the way." Thought edward as he wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve.
The hallway outside the office was silent for a moment.
"EDWARD, OPEN THIS DOOR YOU DOUBLE CHINNED COWARD." Said ferdinand's voice loudly from behind the barricaded office door through a megaphone.
Edward's eyes widened so far they looked like they were about to pop out of his head and he immediately slapped both of his hands over his mouth to keep himself from making a sound.
The office was silent.
Only edward's panicked breathing could be heard.
*BANG* *BANG*
Two bullets suddenly shot through the lock.
Edward flinched violently and almost screamed.
"BREAK IT." Said ferdinand's voice loudly from outside.
*BAM* *BAM* *BAM *BAM^
The office door shook madly.
The barricade rattled.
Edward scrambled backward on the floor and thought with a horrified look in his eyes "No, no, no, please not me, I can't die like this."
*BAM* *BAM* *BAM*
The wood cracked loudly.
*CRACK*
And then the whole office door caved in.
*BOOOOM*
The protesters stormed into the office like animals starved for blood.
Edward immediately screamed and tried to crawl away behind his overturned desk with both of his hands shaking violently.
"P…PLEASE, WAIT, LISTEN TO ME." Said edward loudly and shakily with both of his hands raised in surrender.
(Ferdinand Smith's POV)
Ferdinand stared at edward for a moment and then started laughing loudly into the megaphone.
"GYAHAHAHAHA. LOOK AT YOU NOW YOU FAT PIECE OF SHIT." Said ferdinand loudly while walking over and kicking edward in the face.
*BOOOM*
Edward screamed and rolled onto his side while clutching his nose as blood poured down over his lips.
"NNGH…PLEASE, I CAN FIX THIS, I CAN FIX EVERYTHING." Said edward stutteringly with tears swelling in his eyes.
A large man from the crowd grabbed edward by the back of his collar and forced him up onto his knees.
Ferdinand leaned down and shoved the megaphone right into edward's face and asked with a bloodshot smile "CAN YOU FIX THE DEAD CITIZENS OUTSIDE TOO."
Edward started crying openly and said loudly while trembling "I…IT WASN'T ALL MY FAULT."
The crowd started booing and shouting death threats.
"KILL HIM." Said a woman loudly.
"HANG HIM." Said a old man loudly.
"DRAG HIM THROUGH THE STREETS." Said a teenage boy loudly with rage filled eyes.
Ferdinand raised his hand and the crowd quieted down slightly.
"No. We don't kill him yet. We drag him with us so everyone can see what happens when weak men play with the lives of the people." Said ferdinand with a dangerous smile while staring down at edward.
The crowd roared in approval.
Edward's eyes widened in horror and he started shaking his head violently.
"N…NO, PLEASE, PLEASE." Said edward loudly while trying to crawl away, only for two protesters to Immediately grab both of his arms and drag him upright.
Ferdinand looked at the people around him and said loudly into the megaphone "THE GOVERNMENT HAS FALLEN INTO OUR HANDS, NOW WE MARCH TO THE AUSTRIAN ROYAL PALACE AND DRAG THIS FAT RAT WITH US."
"MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT, MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT, MAKE AUSTRIA GREAT." Said the crowd loudly again while raising their weapons high into the air.
(Ferdinand's POV / A little later)
The streets of vienna were even more chaotic now.
The crowd had grown. More people joined the march.
Some from anger. Some from curiosity. Some from hunger.
Some because crowds make cowards feel brave.
Edward was being dragged through the street by his arms with his face scraping against the ground every now and then as the crowd spat on him and kicked him whenever he fell to slowly.
*Boom*
"PLEASE…STOP." Said edward weakly and tearfully as blood and dirt covered his face and suit.
No one listened.
Ferdinand walked at the front of the crowd with the megaphone still in hand and a crazed look in his bloodshot eyes as the grand austrian royal palace slowly came into view in the vast distance like a golden, untouchable monster sitting over the city.
"There it is." Said ferdinand softly with a wide smile.
The crowd behind him looked up at the palace and roared even louder.
"WE WANT CHANGE." Said the crowd in unison.
"WE WANT JUSTICE." Said the crowd in unison.
"WE WANT THE ARCHDUKE." Said the crowd in unison.
Ferdinand raised the megaphone again and screamed loudly with a look of near religious fervor on his face "TODAY THE GOVERNMENT FELL AND NOW WE WILL MAKE THE PALACE LISTEN TOO. IF THE RULERS OF THIS LAND WON'T COME DOWN TO THE PEOPLE, THEN THE PEOPLE WILL GO UP TO THEM."
The crowd screamed madly and marched faster toward the palace.
(Amenadiel's POV)
I stood in front of the large glass window in my office with both of my hands behind my back and looked down at the approaching mass of people in the distance with a lifeless look in my ice blue eyes.
Smoke rose into the sky.
The crowd looked like ants from up here.
Yet even ants could swarm a corpse if left alone for to long.
"They've captured the chancellor your highness." Said fiona nonchalantly from behind me as she stood rooted still with her hands behind her back.
I was silent for a moment and asked calmly "How many."
"Thousands. The crowd kept growing as they marched from the red estate to the palace." Said fiona nonchalantly.
I nodded once and thought while staring at the crowd approaching the gates of the palace "Good. The weak always gather in large numbers when they think they've finally found meaning."
[DING!]
[Mission = Austria's Reformation [82%]: Reward = Gift Package]
I ignored the system notification and turned around slowly and looked at general schneider, fiona and the kneeling archducal officers inside my office and said calmly "Seal the palace. No one gets in. Not one protester, not one servant, not one rat."
"Yes your highness." Said the men in the room in unison.
I made my way over toward my desk calmly and picked up a cigar and lit it and took a slow inhale before saying with my eyes half lidded and my voice deep and steady "The protesters wanted change. Fine. I'll give them change."
The room was silent.
Only the sound of my slow exhale could be heard as cigar smoke came out of my nose.
I looked at general schneider and said calmly "Have the soldiers line the walls, towers, windows and front gates. Archers, rifles, all of it. I want every angle covered."
General schneider's jaw tightened for a moment and then he saluted and said loudly "Yes your highness."
I looked at fiona and said calmly "If any of them breach the first gate, kill the leaders first. Ferdinand smith dies before he gets to scream twice."
"Yes your highness." Said fiona nonchalantly.
I walked back to the window and looked down at the approaching crowd again and saw edward being dragged along the road through the sea of bodies with blood on his face and clothing and thought with a calm almost bored look in my eyes "How useful. The fat pig managed to become bait after all."
Suddenly the first rocks hit the outer palace gate.
*CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*
Then more.
Then bottles.
Then bullets.
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
The crowd outside the palace screamed madly.
"COME OUT." Said the crowd in unison.
"GIVE US CHANGE." Said the crowd in unison.
"DEATH TO TYRANTS." Said the crowd in unison.
Ferdinand's voice roared loudly over the others through the megaphone "AMENADIEL ELIAS VON HABSBURG-GUINNESS-WINDSOR, COME OUT HERE AND FACE THE PEOPLE."
I stared out at them silently for a moment and then turned around and said calmly, plain and simple "Execute them."
The room froze for one brief moment.
General schneider's expression hardened and he saluted again.
"Yes your highness." Said schneider loudly.
I sat down in the rolling chair behind my desk and crossed one leg over the other while taking another slow drag from the cigar and said calmly with a lifeless look in my eyes "Let the city hear what happens when toys forget who owns them."
(Outside / Ferdinand's POV)
The crowd was still screaming and slamming the palace gates when suddenly the top windows, walls and towers of the royal palace filled with armed soldiers.
Ferdinand's wide smile Immediately faltered.
"What the…" He thought with widened eyes.
"FIRE." Said a deep voice loudly from somewhere above.
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
The world exploded into blood and screams.
Bodies dropped in every direction.
Signs fell.
Rifles slipped from dead hands.
Women screamed. Men shouted. Children cried.
Edward started shrieking hysterically where he lay on the ground.
"RUN." Said a man loudly at the top of his lungs as he fled.
"WE'RE BEING SLAUGHTERED." Said a woman limping away with tears I her eyes as she tried to escape with a dish disable appearance.
"MEDIC." Said a elderly woman loudly as she held a young boy boy barely breathing with blood coming from his mouth.
Ferdinand ducked as a bullet tore through the skull of the man standing beside him.
*SPLAT*
Warm blood sprayed across his face.
His bloodshot eyes widened fully in horror.
"N…NO." Said ferdinand weakly while gripping the megaphone.
Another volley came.
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG *BANG*
More bodies dropped.
The palace stairs and gates became flooded with blood and twitching corpses.
The crowd that had looked so bold only moments ago broke instantly into chaos.
People trampled over one another trying to flee.
Some fired wildly back at the palace.
Most just died.
And high above it all, behind palace glass and stone.
Amenadiel watched. His tongue licking his curled up lips and his figure turned and left the window.
…
THE END…