text: [Themes: edutainment]
  
  "Let's get the fuck out of it," you say. "Come on!"
  
  Providing cover fire with your revolver, you quickly begin falling back, rushing off into the streets. You hurry through the alleys, moving down through the side-streets as you quickly disperse. You already have a preplanned path out of here, and it doesn't take long before you manage to escape off, disappearing into the crowds.
  
  You quickly head off, moving through the streets once you've escaped the early fighting. It's not long before you manage to regroup at your destination, a small apartment that's servicing as a nearby safe house, where Brendan's cousin has his family. Seán O'Donoghue. After you account for all your losses, you crowd around the downstairs lounge, as Seán O'Donoghue addresses you.
  
  "Today was a failure, but we didn't lose a single man," Seán says. "We have opportunities to try again. If nothing else, we've made our presence known. Now, all of you, head home. The meeting for tomorrow is the same time as planned. Tiocfaidh ár lá."
  
  You all nod, quickly making it off into the streets as the IRA plan disperses. You walk with Joseph back to Brendan's house, your hands in your pocket as the cold night settles in.
  
  "What a disappointment. We didn't kill more than a single man, and we didn't even get our target."
  
  "We didn't lose any lives either. Let's just thank God above for that and head home."
  
  You walk along the road, before you hear distant, terrified singing. You pause, trying to focus on it as it's interrupted by aggressive shouting.
  
  "What the hell is that?" you ask.
  
  "It's coming from Dillon's Cross."
  
  The two of you quickly move towards Dillon's cross. You walk down the streets, as the screaming gets louder.
  
  "You will do as I command, or I will blow your fucking brains out onto the street!" a voice screams.
  
  "God save our gracious Queen! Long live our noble Queen!" a half-sobbing voice screams.
  
  "Louder!"
  
  "God save the Queen! Send her victorious, happy and glorious...!"
  
  You move along the streets, where you come across a brutal scene. Standing outside a bar in the busy street, dozens of men lie on the grounds, Auxiliaries strolling above them, aiming their rifles at the soldiers. Two Auxiliaries stand over a kneeling man, who is completely naked, his clothes sitting besides him. They press the rifle against his head, as a red-faced man barks and screams at him, as he forces the naked man to sing "God save the Queen", the English national anthem.
  
  "Long to reign over us! God save the Queen!" the man is forced to sing.
  
  It's clear he's been singing for quite some time at the top of his lungs. He's exhausted, with sweat dripping down his brown as he freezes in the cold.
  
  "They're not even IRA. Those bastards just rounded up civilians to do this. It's humiliating."
  
  "Let's get the hell out of here, we don't want to risk getting caught."
  
  "Michael, we have to help them! We can't leave them," Joseph says.
  
  > leave him suffer
  You shake your head.
  
  "No, Joseph. We can't. They hopefully won't kill him. If we get involved, they definitely will, along with us as well. Let's get out of here before we draw suspicion."
  
  You turn, moving away from them.
  
  "We're done here. Let's go head home."
  
  It's a long walk home through the darkness, as you're just left feeling worse about the night. You reach Brendan's house, pushing open the door and heading into the small bedroom that is your own. Hopefully, you can just get some sleep.
  
  > Awaken
  A hand roughly grabs you, wrapping around your arm as you're shoved against the bed. You immediately look up, seeing a dark figure standing over you as their hands reach towards you. Even in your groggy haze, your instincts kick in and you lean over, grabbing the knife hidden in the holster to the side of your bed, drawing the blade as you slice it through the air. You slash the knife as the hidden figure desperately jumps backwards in a blind terror to avoid getting stabbed.
  
  "For fuck's sake, Michael, calm the fuck down, would you?" Brendan yells at you.
  
  "Shit!" you mumble, dropping the knife as it clatters to the ground. "Sorry, I was sleep and my training kicked in. Are you OK? What's going on?"
  
  "Shit is going wrong fast, Michael! Black and Tans are all over the place, charging into the city!"
  
  "What?" you ask, confused. "Have they come to arrest us?"
  
  "No, they've just driven in to the city center in order to cause chaos. They've started detaining civilians, and then they've just started fries everywhere. They're chucking bombs about the place to terrify people, and they're raiding and looting everything they can! It's fucking madness!"
  
  You nod, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.
  
  "OK, are they nearby yet?" you ask.
  
  "They're nearing quickly," Brendan says.
  
  "Well then, you need to deal with this and get out of here, OK? You need to go grab your mother, get your ma out of here, and go grab your brother and take him out of here too. They don't need to be a part of this."
  
  "I'm an IRA soldier!" Brendan says meekly. "I should take part in trying to stop them."
  
  "Too fucking bad!" you say. "You have a family to take care of here. God knows I wouldn't be trying to serve if I thought Ma or Mary were in danger, or even Joseph, the stupid fool. Where is he, anyway?"
  
  "He's still in bed, " Brendan tells you as you quickly push past him and towards Joseph's room.
  
  "I can help with the fighting!" Brendan says.
  
  "Fighting? We're guerilla fighters. We don't attack the fucking British forces when they're at their most pissed. It'd be like punching a soldier in the bayonet. I'm just going to see what's happening here and see if I can help the fire brigade."
  
  You shove open the the door, to where Joseph sleeps in his bed.
  
  "Joseph, we need to get up, you understand?" you say, giving him a slow shake.
  
  "What?" Joseph mumbles from the sheets.
  
  "Get up, Joseph!"
  
  "Uh, you're worse than Ma," Joseph groans. "Just tell me what you want."
  
  > explain the situation to Joseph
  "The city's up in flames, Joseph! The Black and Tans are trying to take over the whole place!"
  
  "What are you on about?" Joseph says, tossing the pillow against the wall and rising. That's bullshit Michael. They...!"
  
  "Fucking get up and check with me, then! We need to go find out what's happening, don't we?" you say.
  
  Joseph nods, pulling himself up to a sitting position as he looks at you. He stares at you for a moment, before you raise an eyebrow.
  
  "Come on then," you say.
  
  "I sleep naked," Joseph says, semi embarrassed.
  
  "God above," you groan. "I need to go get dressed. Hurry up, would you?"
  
  You hurry off to your room, quickly pulling on trousers, a shirt, and a jumper and forcing on your boots. You hurry to slip on your cap, moving out to the hallway. Joseph hops out of his room on one leg, struggling to slip on your boots, as you grab your coat, pulling it on.
  
  "Let's go, then," you say, as Joseph nods, scratching his thick beard.
  
  "Aye, let's see what's happening."
  
  "Wait!" Brendan says, rushing out of the kitchen carrying a pair of revolvers. "You'll need these."
  
  "We don't need weapons, Brendan. We won't be fighting," you say.
  
  "We'll need them for protection. If the Black and Tans are on a rampage, it's better to be safe than sorry."
  
  Joseph reaches out to grab his revolver, before you grab his arm, stopping him.
  
  "Aye. I agree. And I agree that it's also better safe than sorry should we be stopped and searched, as they're doing to every man, it seems. They find these on us, they'll shoot us and toss us in the River Lee."
  
  "And if we don't have them, they might shoot us for being Irish and we'll be left with no way to stop them," Joseph says.
  
  > take the revolvers
  "Fine, then. Cheers, Brendan," you say, taking a heavy revolver in your hand.
  
  You check to see if it's loaded, before nodding.
  
  "Perfect, let's do it," Joseph says, stuffing his revolver in his coat pocket. "Do you have a gun for yourself, Brendan?"
  
  "I do," Brendan nods.
  
  "Then get your family out of here. Last thing they need is some bastard Brit getting their hands on them."
  
  You move forward, shoving your way out of the door and into Cork City. Immediately, you notice the smoke, as it wafts up into the air, filling the sky with an almost liquid darkness that pours over the city. You can hear the screams and cries in the distance, as well as gunshots. You quickly hurry down the streets towards them, as the air gets hot and fills with ash. Soon, you're confronted by a row of buildings, all either going up in flames or fully ablaze. You watch as people desperately try to escape the buildings, hurrying to escape as smoke fills their lungs and burns lick their flesh.
  
  Meanwhile, standing right next to them, seemingly uncaring to their pains and struggles, are a group of Black and Tans. Some wear their uniform, others don't, but they have balaclavas pulled up their face, covering their mouths to obscure their face and stop them from breathing in smoke. They laugh, splashing petrol into the burning buildings, helping the fire spread, although due to the old wooden frameworks of the buildings, they're already burning at an incredibly rate.
  
  You look around, wondering how to deal with this. You could confront the bastards doing this, or just keep a low profile and try help the people.
  
  > try stop the arsonists
  "For God's sake, stop! These are innocent people!" you say, strolling up to the Black and Tans. "Stop this! Please!"
  
  The Black and Tans laugh, as two of them continue to splash petrol among the flames. One of them steps forward, raising his rifle and pointing it at you.
  
  "Fuck off, paddy. Stroll on and get the fuck out of this area before I blow your brains out."
  
  You stare at the man, as he stares at you, sneering. You pause, feeling your pistol grow heavy in your pocket.
  
  > follow orders and move on
  You move along the streets, quickly moving through the streets as you wonder what's going on. Dozens of buildings are up in flames, as various RIC and Black and Tans looting and committing mass arson. Huge sections of the city are up in flames, as homes are destroyed.
  
  It's not long before you reach the fire brigade, at the center of the city outside the burning Cork City Hall and Carnegie Library. Surprisingly, however, they're not attempting to put out the fire. Instead, they're crouching low behind a fire truck. However
  
  "What the fuck is this?" you ask, rushing over to the fire fighters.
  
  A bullet pings near you, bouncing off the ground, as you scamper to hide behind the truck. You turn, looking at them, rushing near an ash-covered man with a thick mustache. He looks at you, scampering over.
  
  "You need to get out of here! This whole place is dangerous!" he barks.
  
  "What the fuck's going on? Why are you pinned down here?"
  
  "Black and Tans took over the city hall and are burning it down from the inside. However, they've slashed our hoses so we can't use them, and left a few men by the city hall window to take potshots at us in case we keep trying to put out the fires."
  
  "The Black and Tans are sabotaging firefighting attempts? Those fucking bastards," Joseph says. "This is why we need to fight, Michael."
  
  "Fight?" the firefighter says, scowling. "Look around you. The second largest city in the country is being burned to the fucking ground because of this war. We were content before 1916. We had peace. Death, and this is all you bastards brought us!"
  
  "We're trying to help!" you say. "We...!"
  
  "Can it. I'm in no mood to argue politics. I'm trying to save as much as this city as I can."
  
  You step back, still crouched behind the fire truck with Joseph.
  
  "We need to help some way, don't we?" Joseph says.
  
  "What can we even do?" you ask.
  
  > create a distraction to try lure away the Black and Tans
  "Fuck it," you say. "We have the guns. Let's give those Black and Tans something to shoot at."
  
  "Yeah, alright," Joseph nods. "On three?"
  
  "Three, two..."
  
  You step out from behind the fire engine. A bullet thuds into the ground next to you, skipping off the street. The two of you raise your guns in unison, opening fire on the building. Bullets thud around the window as the soldiers firing from inside duck down.
  
  "IRA! IRA soldiers are attacking! Two in sight!" you hear.
  
  "OK, let's go," you say, hurrying down the road.
  
  You fumble to reload your revolver, rushing down the road. You twist around, aiming at the window and opening fire. The soldiers begin bursting out of the now flaming city hall, rushing after you as you turn, rushing down the street.
  
  > Flee
  You burst down the street, hurrying around the corner as you rush as quickly as you can. Your boots thud along the pavement as you rush as quickly as you can, occasionally turning around to fire back at the men who are sprinting after you,
  
  "Michael, we need to get out of here! What's the plan?"
  
  "Stop shooting and run faster! Maybe we can lose them!" you say.
  
  You continue to
  
  "They're shooting at us! Plan?!" Joseph yells.
  
  "I'm thinking!" you between breaths as you keep sprinting away.
  
  "I don't see them, what's the plan?" Joseph asks, breathing heavily as he sprints.
  
  "OK, fine. I have an idea."
  
  > Hide
  "We hide!" you whisper loudly, grabbing Joseph and quickly rushing into the nearest building.
  
  You push through the door to a shop that's been abandoned in the chaos, smashing open the door as you find the shopkeeper thankfully left it unlocked in his desperation to escape.
  
  "IRA! Come out!" a voice screams.
  
  "Stay low and quiet," you whisper.
  
  "I'm not an idiot!" Joseph replies.
  
  "No one saw them escape. They must've went into one of the building!" another voice cries.
  
  "We'll search from door to door until we find them," another suggests.
  
  "And risk our lives? No, too much risk and too time consuming," the first voice says.
  
  "Then we burn them out. For the boys at Kilmichael," another voice says.
  
  You continue hiding, as you hear the Black and Tans outside begin continuing their acts of arson on the surrendering buildings in the area. Unfortunately, as the walls as splashed and soaked with gasoline and set alight, the building quickly erupts into flame.
  
  Soon, flames begin bursting through the walls of the room. You wait, hoping they'll go away, as the entire house is quickly engulfed in flames.
  
  "Michael, what do we do?" Joseph asks. "They're waiting for us outside, they've surrounded the whole area! There's no way out!"
  
  > stay hidden
  You stay low, refusing to leave, as the flames continue to spread through the building. Smoke begins to spread through the room, until it completely fills it, the flames spreading so quickly that they're licking at your heels.
  
  It's not the flames that are your end, it's the smoke. Refusing to leave, it soon becomes a struggle to breath. Smoke fills your lungs, even though you stay low, it soon becomes a struggle to breath. Then, it's impossible. You end up choking on the floor. Eventually you break, trying to find a way out of the smoke-filled building, but it's impossible, as the endless see of gray smoke and ash consumes you, and you drown in it. Minutes later, the smell of cooking meat spreads out among the smoke that floods through city.