The Mirage

            The man at the desk laughed as I finally turned in the last paper signed. He kept laughing, and laughing, then suddenly stopped.
"Enjoy your stay. You will enjoy it as you are part of the show! The show must go on!" the man yelled, even though we were still in front of him.
"Father, I'm now scared!" Son screamed.
The man stopped for a moment, then reached his hand under the desk. The floor then flung open and my son and I dropped through the trapdoor! My son and I then landed on top of ripped open pillows and ruffled feathers. We stood up and looked around. Buildings were in ruins, rats were running around, crows flew towards locations in a group, fire in odd places. The sky even looked more gray then blue.
"Son, let's go. Maybe this is the bad part of cities... Most cities have bad parts," I said to my son. He looked at me and nodded.

           We walked up to a sign saying, "Right: City Square, Left: Dump Town, You're Here: Happy Zone, Forward: Happy Factory," and we chose to go towards the City Square. We walked for several minutes, avoiding rats running with a red substance in its mouth. Finally, at the City Square, we hear nothing but yelling and screaming.
"These disobedient fools believe this was a grand town? The government made sure you suckers would come here and work! Disobey the government, and you get to go to the Public Gallery!" a man screamed angrily as he tied up a young man and put a blindfold on the man and put a rope around his neck. Then screamed loudly to encourage the audience and then broke the floorboard under the man. The young man was just hanging there. No more crying or pleading. Nothing but the sound of cheering and screaming.
"This is the Public Gallery, for all who dare to oppose the government! And because of this man, rations will be decreased to five meals per week!" the man who hung the young man screamed.

            My son was shaking, in fear of doing something wrong that the government does not approve. I tried to calm him down. We then encountered a corpse on the street. Someone who looked like they starved to death. The crows were pecking at the corpse laying on the ground and the rats were running over it. Son covered his eyes and turned away, until we heard a crack. More of a smash actually, that sounded like glass. Three men, large and tough, appeared and smirked at us.
"Keep staying there, and I will have you for lunch instead of this. You've been warned, new blood," the leader said to my son and I. We quickly got out of there and watched as they dragged the body away. A guy already gnawing on the arm.