Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 512

The Last One Standing
Carmel School - Elsa High School, Goldberg, Tahlia - 14
Prologue
The once colored streets of Hong Kong are now grey and dead. The artistic souls and curious minds of the
people are now gone, replaced with expressionless faces and dull, uniform personalities. The world was
sleeping, resting under the evil known as power and tyranny. But they, the people didn’t know that. They
were all under a trance, like mice chained to a rhythm played by a flute. They were all unconsciously
waiting for a savior. For somebody to be born different, not brainwashed. A flaw in the system to save them
all. Little did they know, it would come true.
Present Day - April 6th, 2123
“Can anybody tell me in what year did the great and powerful China save us all from certain doom?” the
history teacher asked his 10th graders.
Tyler couldn’t care less. They did this every day and it didn’t get any less boring. He didn’t even
really believe in all this anymore. It was quite hard to believe and his suspicions were getting the better of
him but as he looked and saw how much everyone was paying attention he couldn’t help but feel something
was wrong with him. They all believed it and they never questioned a thing. Why was he the only one that
found this lesson so boring and untrustworthy?
The teacher got an instant response from all his students. They all put their hands up eagerly
wanting to answer the question he asked them every day. Except for one. Tyler Tanner. Tyler never really
wanted to be in class — especially this one.
“Tyler, why don’t you tell the class?” asked the history, teacher feeling proud of himself for
stumping his student.
Tyler jerked his head up. He was never called out by the history teacher because he was so good at
hiding in class, but today was different.
“China declared the Greater Bay Area as an official region shortly after formally taking over Hong
Kong in 2047 and then proceeded to save the world from doom in 2073.” Before the teacher got to reply,
the bell rang and everyone got up to go home.
Instead of turning right back home, Tyler turned left towards the graveyard. He walked past the
familiar way he’s been walking for the past 7 months. He didn’t like coming since there was never anybody
there and it just reminded him that he’s different. How could nobody care? There were quite a few kids
who had lost an immediate family member in his school and they didn’t seem to care. It was like nobody
was capable of feeling actual emotions.
He walked down a few rows and took different turns until he got to the one he was looking for.
WILLIAM TANNER. Although this time he wasn’t alone. He saw a figure in the distance hunched over
another headstone. As he walked closer he heard someone crying.
“Is everything all right?” he asked as he bent down. The young girl turned around and hastily
wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Yeah I just was here visiting someone, I didn’t know anyone would be here.” She picked up her
bag from the ground and dusted off the dirt from her uniform. “Please don’t tell anyone you saw me, I
could get in trouble for this.”
He looked at the headstone. DIANNE MILLER. He looked back up to see the girl had vanished.
—————
The next day he was more distracted than ever. Was it possible the girl was like him? He didn’t even know
what ‘like him’ meant. It was the first time he felt he was talking to a human being. Everyone else had no
emotions whatsoever and believed in everything the Government said. The whole country seemed sketchy.
Heck, maybe the world. China had ‘saved’ the world and in the process began to rule it. He didn’t know if
he should believe that they saved the world. What even happened?
Tyler lived in one of the newer China territories, The Greater Bay Area. Of course, it had existed
for a long time but only became official much later. He lived in the place once known as the island of Hong
Kong.