And with chaos happening constantly, with armed battles and explosions, police and guards weren't bothering to investigate thefts.
Marcus knew it was wrong, but part of him was thankful that all this chaos had created a curtain that would allow him and his family to escape.
They drove quickly through the city in the truck and arrived at the port district. They couldn't go into the main docks, obviously, but Marcus had received clear instructions from one of the rebels. He knew exactly what to do and guided his wife. They parked the car near the forest and moved through the trees and bushes carefully until they reached a metal fence. The man looked along the fence for a marker—there would be a red scarf tied to the right fence.
"Here." He said, seeing the scarf, then pulled the fence which easily gave way, allowing them to leave the forest and enter the back of one of the smaller docks where only a small ship was anchored.
Alice smiled. Hope was taking over them—after all, they were about to start a new life.
There were other people and they approached. They should have known it was all going too smoothly, but now it was too late.
The group of people was arguing, a loud commotion, people talking over each other, making it difficult for the two to understand what was going on. Little Renan got scared by the loud noise and started crying.
"I told you not to spread the rumor too much!" One of the rebels guarding the ship's entrance said angrily.
"What? You know we need to help as many civilians as possible," a younger rebel said genuinely, wanting to help as many innocents as he could.
"There's not enough space for everyone!" The older rebel shouted, making the people even more desperate.
Marcus was big and easily moved through the crowd.
"I have a baby and a wife, they need to be on that ship!"
The rebel captain clenched his teeth upon hearing that, and the others also seemed upset. Everyone there was with their families and wanted a better life for themselves too.
"I understand, but there's no space or supplies for everyone!" The white-haired captain said in a serious tone. "It'll be a two-month journey, there's just no way everyone can go."
Marcus looked at Alice; she was trying to calm their son.
"I can stay behind!" He said and then looked at the others there.
Most were men, but there were some women, children, and teenagers.
"Take the women and children!" Marcus said, knowing that would give his wife and son a chance.
The older rebel nodded, thinking that was noble and the right thing to do, but not all the other men agreed.
Some were afraid to let their wives, mothers, and daughters go alone. Anyone would understand that fear, especially Marcus, but if there was a chance for a better life, he wouldn't let them miss it.
"We'll find another way to leave the country!" Marcus said, looking at all the agitated men.
"I'm not staying in this place any longer! We'll all be destroyed by the corporations, and if not by them, by the monsters!" A younger man said desperately, pushing people and trying to approach the ship.
They heard an explosion nearby. It seemed to have come from the docks close to where they were. Not only that, there was movement and lights coming toward them. It could be soldiers.
Desperation began to take over everyone.
"We need to get out of here!" One of the rebels said, climbing the ramp leading to the ship to ask for them to prepare to depart.
The crowd began to try to climb the ramp as well. Only the older rebel was holding them back. He had a gun but wasn't pointing it at anyone, yet just seeing his weapon made everyone fear a little.
"Everyone step back!" Marcus said in a loud and assertive tone.
Marcus was a big and strong man. It was clear that people would be afraid of him, but a man tried to ignore him, only to be grabbed by the collar of his shirt.
"How many spots are in there!?" Marcus asked while trying to keep the crowd off the ship.
"There's only space and supplies for a hundred people at most!" The rebel said.There were clearly more than a hundred people in the group.
"Are we really going to be selfish and let everyone die, or are we going to let our children and women live and have a good life!?" Marcus shouted, then released the man who tried to pass him and pointed to the lights; those really were a group of guards and drones approaching.
Some of the men there were scared, but it was obvious this was the moment to make a choice.
They could fight and argue among themselves about who deserved or didn't deserve to board the ship.
They could be selfish and risk everyone by boarding the ship and fleeing, causing their futures to be uncertain.
Or they could allow those who truly had a chance at a good future to escape while the rest provided a distraction.
Fortunately, most made the right choice.
"Marcus!" Alice shouted after boarding the ship with Renan and the bag of money.He looked at his wife and nodded. He wanted to say goodbye properly because he wasn't sure when or if they would meet again, but now he had to stay behind.
The men stayed behind, with only the youngest or weakest left. Those who could fight stayed behind while the ship began preparing to depart. Even the rebel captain stayed below with the group and would stay behind.
"You're a brave man." The rebel said to Marcus.
Marcus remained silent and held the gun the captain handed him. The man had never used a gun before, but it didn't seem much different from some mining tools, like a laser drill he used before to dig through harder rocks.
The soldiers had gotten closer. They were heavily armed, and Marcus, when they got close enough, the rebel captain fired, and Marcus did the same.