The Red Nights

For a while both Lina and Matteo didn't pronounce a single word, they stayed there glancing at each other trying to find something in their eyes which would confirm that they were not dreaming.

Usually, the behavior adopted by most of people, when they went through a very painful experience like losing someone or something dear to them , is to cut off any relationship with the reality. They quit interacting with others and abandon any kind of responsibility as they don't care about anything at all .

That was what Lina and Matteo thought the new citizens would react as they experienced the most painful and traumatizing trial ever seen in their whole lives . The red night. The tragic night in which people were witnesses of what it called the true fear, in which any of them saw the their comprehension of their world fading away. Lina could understand that some people would be reluctant to start a new life as they might not be able to believe in anyone or anything anymore. Unlike Stainfall's population, they didn't have someone like Jamal in whom they could rely on, they were all alone when the problems were keeping coming, such a situation would have broadened their depression and their fear as well as their capacity to have faith in this world.

So why at that moment when she read the letters of the refugees, it turned out that they almost all agreed to contribute in the rebuilding of the society and the city on itself. She was expected that at least only 20 to 30% of them would accept her offer . Not to mention that she didn't send the demand to the totality of the refugees but only a little pat . However this issue, even though it was hard for her to believe in the beginning, made her hoping that her project could work at the final.

She turned her head toward the window on her left. With a slight smile on the corner of her lips she said " Thought that humans can only trust in humans when they can no longer count on god " . She leaned on the backrest of her chair and crossed her fingers above her belly like her favorite movie character she used to imitate while Matteo was still gazing at her.

" Do you really think so? " , he plunged his hands into his pant's pockets.

" What do you want to say " Lina turned back her head and stared at him.

" What I mean is that, actually the situation is totally the opposite of you have said " he stepped ahead and picked up a letter among the stack and started to swing it before her eyes " their reactions exactly show that their faith in god never was such strong before this moment " .

" What do you think would be the attitude of a person who just saw an overview of the hell falling upon the earth " he kept on arguing.

" There would be two... or rather three " Lina responded after a quick moment of hesitation " whether they could bear it and they go crazy or they assume that they are already doomed and there is no way out , in that case they will start committing every crime they are willing to and do whatever they want to, we saw the example with the outlaws in every city, or ... "

" ... Or they start doing good deeds in order to repent themselves and pray for the mercy and the forgiveness of god " Matteo ended her sentence.

Lina considered his words and finally acknowledged them , [ when you watched the hell coming down to the earth, you have no other choice but to believe in god , otherwise you will lose twice ] she concluded.

She crossed one more time Matteo's serious look and sighed " well , you may relax yourself . Whatever their individual reasons the most important is that they actually accepted "

Matteo realized that since a moment ago he was nonstop frowning. With his hand , he wiped his face as if he wanted to clean out something on it, his face became less shrunken. He scr.a.p.ed his throat and said " well, so what should we do now? " he landed down on the desk the paper in his hand " do you want me to write and send other demands for the rest of the new citizens? "

Lina thought for a while by putting two fingers on her lips and landing her elbows on the desk " No I get a better idea " finally said .

Matteo remained quiet waiting for her to go on her explanation.

" A public announcement " she firmly said. " We will gather all the people living in this town and after a speech I will directly ask the new citizens whether they want to join and be an active citizen in the society or not " .

Matteo frowned what made Lina understand that there was or were something wrong with her plan that or at least there was something which bothered him. " What's wrong? " she asked .

" Oh nothing . I was just wondering if a public proposal will not be a bit too time consuming? " Matteo remarked " and as we know, we don't have time to waste " .

Lina sighed soothingly as what she thought being a mistake was not really a big trouble " no it's the opposite, a public proposal is the fastest way to ask them to join us " she started to explain " this time we were lucky as the answers came all at the same time, but if we want to reproduce the same scheme and send letters, the new citizens may tend to take more time to think about it before they inform us of their decisions ".

Matteo rose slowly his hand to indicate Lina that he had a question who made a jaded move with her hand to tell him to go on . " Will the public proposal not have the same effect ? "

Lina shook her head " it will be different " she carried on talking while she was turning her chair from the right to the left " firstly there will be a little more pressure since a I will directly give a time limit of one day to respond and secondly the fact that there are already a few part of them who already accepted the offer , during the speech, they will unconsciously start to persuade the neighbors to not waste the occasion to join the society "

The boy started to get it " when someone is sure to make a good deal the most of time his first reaction is to share it with the others, right? " he asked to know if it was really what she was intending to use .

She nodded " yes it's exactly that. With this method we can be sure to have a positive response directly on the day after " .

" So , should I organize it right now or you want to do it another day? " he asked.

Lina stood up from her chair " no, do it right now " she said while she was moving out from the desk " the earliest would be best , don't forget that as you said we don't have time to waste " .

He nodded and moved aside to go sitting on his offhand desk to right the announcement and while he was doing so Lina's thoughts were going toward his boyfriend, she was wondering if he already arrived in the first city they decided to start with. She was also asking herself if she must call them to be informed or just waiting for him to call her instead, she knew that they had the possibility to talk with the neighbors cities only once a day so they had to use that single call wisely, what meant that the most logical decision was to wait for him to call her despite what her heart was saying.

While he was tapping, Matteo once rose his glance toward her and noticed her dreary mood. He could easily conclude that it was linked with Jamal however he couldn't find the right thing to say in order to cheer her up. He ended up saying the first thing in his mind " if you immerse yourself deeply into the work you may think about him less frequently " .

She slowly turned toward him and responded with a weary voice " I would rather prefer to go back home to masturbate in waiting for his call "

Matteo restrained himself for laughing and he asked her with a hand in front of his mouth to hide his smile " do you miss him that much ? "

She ignored his amus.e.m.e.nt and returned back to sit down on his desk and resume the work, one hour later they finished to redact and print the announcement. Matteo arranged the heap of papers in a bag and carried it to go hang them everywhere in the city, he had plenty of time before 1 A.M when people started to walk on the streets so he didn't have to hurry.

When he was leaving the office he turned back to Lina and asked her " will you stay here waiting for his call ? "

She leaned her head on the palm of her right hand whose elbow was landing on the desk and nodded slowly. " Don't worry I'm not intending to play with myself here "

" That's not what I wanted to say... or at least not the only thing I wanted to say " he paused " you should go to see Natasha, she may be able to comfort you "

" I will, after she finished to teach to the lads how to throw punches ". She shook her hand when Matteo was leaving the office and laid her head on the desk when he closed the door behind him.