A dream fails

When chaos seeks relief:

“Nothing that is being done here is against God’s law,” the voice said.

The green hoods appeared busy, and one of them stood up. He held the man’s severed right hand in the air, displaying it for the crowd. He was holding it up by its middle finger, moving in a semicircle so everyone could see. The handicapped and the women. Then he pulled his hood back, revealing his face, and he took a breath. He tossed the hand into the grass and gave a little shrug. I couldn’t tell if the pickpocket had been given any sort of anesthesia. He wasn’t screaming.

NYTimes, The Forever War
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