Journey to Freedom:

Fall of a Nation

By Tristan Miske

Copyright December 2012

All rights reserved

Chapter 1

Ayden woke to the sound of his alarm clock going off.  He looked at the time: 5:30 AM.  With a yawn he turned it off, rolled over and went back to sleep.  He knew he could not sleep much longer.  His squad had an air show today.  They had had a long day of flying and practicing for it and had been up late talking about it the night before, so it was late when he finally got to bed.

But today was going to be a fun day, so finally after a few minutes he rolled out of bed and looked around.  The hotel he was staying in was nice.  It was a cheap one-bed room but it had a mini fridge, a TV, and a microwave.  He was happy just to have gotten a room.  With the air show in town all the other hotels had been booked up.

Ayden turned on the TV on his way to the shower.  As he walked into the bathroom he heard the TV talking about the weather.  Sunny and clear skies during the day, with storms later in the evening, mainly in the mountains.

He smiled.  “At least it will be a good day for an air show!” he said to himself.  The squad he was with mostly just did small shows.  Sometimes they had bigger shows but today was just a small show.

He let the water run for a bit until it was nice and warm, then showered and brushed his teeth.  As he went back into the main part of the room and started putting his boots on he heard the news reporter talking about something the world leaders were to vote on today, then congress was to vote on something related to it later.

He had not been following the news much, but from what he heard his squad talking about, it was to solve some of the world’s problems, like foods shortages and economic problem.  But other than that he didn’t know much about it.  He knew he should have been paying more attention.

As he finished tying his boots he went to his bed and started packing his backpack.  He put in his compass and map, and a few more things.  Lastly, he picked up the survival manual his dad had given him from when he was in the Marine's.  He remembered his dad telling his that if he ever landed wheels up that maybe this would help him.

Ayden laughed to himself.  He had been flying since he was 12, helping his dad do the crop fields back home in south west Montana, and never once crashed.  Came close a few times but so far so good.

He finished packing and checked the room to see if he had left anything.  Being that this was a busy week in Boulder, Colorado he was lucky to have found this room for the night but he could not keep it for a second night.  He would have to try and find a place for tonight when the show was over.

As he stood up he looked in the mirror across from the foot of the bed.  At 24 he still looked like a teenager in a lot of ways.  He had blonde hair and green eyes.  Girls always liked his eyes.  He leaned toward the mirror and touched the stubble on his chin.  He wondered if he should shave, but then decided that he didn’t really have time.  He turned the lights off, pulled the door shut behind him, and made his way to the lobby.

When he reached the lobby he saw that five of his squad mates were already down there, checking out and waiting for him.

“Late as always, eh, Ayden?” Dave asked jokingly.

Ayden laughed.  “You know me.  I like to make a good entrance!  So, we all ready for today's show?” Ayden asked as he got to the counter to check out.

“Yeah.  Weather looks good and so do we!” Dave replied.

Ayden finished checking out and picked up his bags.  By the time he got outside most of the squad was already getting into the taxis, so he got in with Dave.  The trip was short, only a few red lights till they got to the airport.  As soon as the taxis came to a stop the squad got out.

As they made their way to the hangers with the planes in them Ayden saw that the rest of the squad was already there, and it looked like they had just had a quick meeting.  When they got closer, Sam, one of the other pilots, came up.

“Hey guys!  So, flight lead has made some changes to the flight plan.  We're going to come in from over the mountains to the west and do a fly-over of the town,” he said.  Everyone seemed kind of surprised.

“Um, did he clear it with the coordinators?“ Dave asked.

Sam looked at him a minute then replied, “well, no, not really.  He thought it would be a really cool idea though.  Mountains just seem to add to the show.  Dramatic.  You know?”

Dave just nodded and continued walking.  As the group they were with started going their own way, Ayden walked close to Dave.  “So, what do you think about flying over the mountains?" Ayden asked.

“Well, I don't see what's wrong with it.  I mean flying-wise, but I do wish he would have asked the people in charge first.  But that's flight lead for ya," Dave replied.

“What about the storms coming in over the mountains?" Ayden asked.

“Well, the storms are not supposed to be starting to burst till later in the day.  So we should be fine."

Ayden nodded.  Bursting was their term for lightning.  They got to Dave's plane.  “Well, I'll see you in the sky or on the ground, whichever comes first!" Dave said.  Ayden nodded and shook his hand.

When Ayden got to his plane he looked around.  All the other pilots were either in groups talking or hanging out at their planes waiting for take-off call.  Although he had only been with them a few years it felt like forever, but he still only had a few friends.  Ayden was never one to hang out with the groups.  He mostly liked going it alone.

He put his bag in the small cargo hold.  There was not much room because they had to make room for the white smoke tanks that they would sometimes use in shows.  There was enough room that he could fit his duffle bag in there, but his backpack would have to ride upfront with him.

After closing the cargo hold he did a walk-around of his plane to make sure nothing was wrong.  His plane was a small plane.  It only had one engine, but he liked the color;  blue with a white strip down the middle.  After walking around a couple times he was happy with it, so he went ahead and climbed in.

He tucked his backpack by his feet. Trying to keep it out of the way of his foot pedals.  He looked at his watch.  9:27.  They would be taking off any minute now.  Looking around he saw that everyone was getting into their planes.  Then over the radio he heard the flight lead say,, “Ok guys let's warm ‘em up and get ready.  Remember watch your Ts and Ps!“

Ayden looked down at his instrument panel.  Ts and Ps were flight slang for temps and pressure.  His all looked good.  They sat there for a few minutes waiting for everyone to call in that they were all in the green.

“Ok guys, let's get this show on the road.  Everyone fall in behind each other just like we practiced and let's get in the air," flight lead said.

Ayden smiled.  ‘Leave it to flight lead to never be one for long speeches!’ he thought to himself.  As he got behind Dave to taxi to the runway he looked up.  The sky was very blue today.  It looked so nice he could not wait to get up there!  He saw that leaves on the trees by the runway were starting to turn colors.  Everything looked beautiful, so bright and clear.  He loved September.

He heard the clear for take-off over his radio.  He saw Dave power up and take off down the runway.   Ayden turned onto the runway and got ready to hit the throttle.  This was one of his favorite parts!  He hit full power and felt his body getting pushed back into the seat as his plane shot off down the runway.  Then he felt that feeling in his stomach as the plane bounced a couple times before going airborne.  He pulled up to gain altitude, then got behind Dave to make the formation the squad always flew in.

They waited till all the planes were up and with them.  Ayden was in the middle of the pattern right now as they started off for the mountains.  The show would start soon so they were just gonna fly around in the mountains until they got the go-ahead.  As they got closer Ayden checked his built-in GPS.  They were at 8000 feet, heading NW.  Then he checked his Ts and Ps they were all green.

Suddenly there was an alarm.  Startled, he looked around.  He had never heard that sound before, and then he saw a flashing light on his GPS.  He looked at it and it said “Caution! Restricted flying zone. Turn around."

Ayden got on the radio.  “Um, guys, my GPS is telling me to turn around."

A few seconds later flight lead replied, “yeah, mine too.  Just hit the clear button and it will stop the alarm."

Ayden hit the button and it shut off.  But the caution message was still there.  “That's weird.  Maybe there's a glitch in the system," he said,

“Yeah, I'm guessing so.  Probably update number 23,000 screwed up.  Don't worry, I'm sure they will have a new update by the time we land!" Dave replied.  Ayden laughed.  Updates were kinda a joke between them.  It seemed that their GPS's were always updating.  He remembered one time they got an update and it told them that they were somewhere over Europe…when they were in Arizona.

By now they were over the mountains and the air was getting bouncier from the wind.  He could see the storm clouds building to the west of them and it was causing a lot of updrafts.  After a little bit they got the go-ahead for the show.

“Ok, guys, this is it!  Let's get ready to give them a show they’ll never forget," flight lead said.  Ayden was getting excited now.  ‘The show’s on,’ he thought to himself, and turned with the squad to follow.

A flash of light and an explosion to his left sent a shockwave through him.  He banked hard right, barely avoiding the shrapnel from the plane that just blew up.

“What was that!?” he yelled into his radio.  Before anyone could reply there were 2 more flashes and explosions in front of him.  He quickly pulled down to avoid hitting any plane parts, just as bullets shot through the air right where just he was. He quickly looked over his shoulder.

He saw army jets swarming them.  They were all over.  By this time there was so much yelling on the radio it was hard to hear anyone, but he did make out flight lead’s voice yelling to scatter.

‘What’s happening?  Why are they shooting at us?’ he thought in bewilderment as more shots whizzed past him.  He banked right, but not fast enough.  A few shots hit his left wing.  He felt the plane shake as he leveled out.  He quickly looked at the Wing.  It was hit but not too bad.  He saw a red/pink liquid leaking out.

‘Hdraulic fluid,’ he thought.  ‘That’s not good.  If I lose that I'm going down.  Then again those jets will take care of that before I lose it all.’

He was trying to think fast, figuring out what to do, when two jets flew past him.  They started to turn back and come around for another shot at him.  By now the radio was quiet.  “Either they’re jamming us or everyone's been shot down but me,” he said to himself.

He looked around.  All he could see was clouds of smoke and pieces of debris falling downward.  He looked forward.  The jets were coming back around.  He did the only thing he could think of and put his plane into a dive, trying to get low. The jets tried to follow but were too fast to dive with him, so they pulled up and started to come around again.

‘Well, if they can't stay slow enough then maybe that will help.  Maybe I can just get low to the mountains and try to lose them,’ he thought, ‘but I'm losing hydro fluid fast.  I'll have to try and find a clearing to set down in.’ He looked back.  The jets were heading for him again and shooting their guns at the same time.  He put his plane into a roll, trying to make himself as fast a target as he could.

The jets over shot again. ‘Well, sooner or later they will use missiles, once they get bored of "shoot the little plane" game,’ he thought.  He looked at his GPS.  It said he was at 8500 feet.  “Whoa, too close!" he said to himself.  “Don’t want to catch a tree."  He knew that his GPS was for sea level not tree level.  He pulled up but nothing happened.  He tried again.  Still nothing.

He looked at his wing and there was a few new holes in it.  “Great, there goes the steering," he said.  He started looking around for a place to set down.  Nothing but trees and rocks.   Then he saw a lake just a little bit ahead of him.

“Well, guess it's as good as any place.”   He turned a little then saw the jets coming around.  “Well, now or never,” he thought.  Then an idea came to him, and he put his plane into a roll heading down for the lake, hoping that his plane would hold together long enough and not pick up much more speed.  Just as the jet fired their first round of guns he hit his trick smoke button.

Out of the back of the plane the white smoke came. The jets stopped firing and seemed to be buying it.  They flew and watched as his plane got closer to the water.  When he got closer to the water he pulled the landing gear lever and the gear came out.

Then he thought of his family and friends, and the squad.  Was this it?  He had always laughed whenever pilots talked about water landings.  He would say, "there is no such thing as a water landing.  Crashing into the water at over 100mph does not count as a landing."  He pulled his hatch open, grabbed his backpack and braced himself.

Chapter 2

The front landing wheel hit first and pulled the plane down.  He hit the water hard.  The impact threw him into this seatbelt and water came rushing in fast.  The plane flipped and started sinking upside down.  He went for the seatbelt buckle and pushed it, trying to get it to unlatch.  It would not budge.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out his knife and started cutting it.  By now he was almost out of air.  He got the belt free and swam for the surface.

Ayden took a deep breath and looked around.  He was on the edge of the lake.  His plane was nowhere to be seen.  He looked up and saw the jets circling around.  ‘They must be looking to see if I survived,’ he thought.

There was a patch of weeds to his left.  He put his backpack on and started swimming over to it, trying not to splash much because he knew that the jets would see it.  He made it to the weeds just as the jets flew past.  He slowly treaded water so as not to make any ripples and stayed hid in the weeds.

The jets circled a few times, then seemed to be happy with their kill and headed back toward the city.  After he could no longer hear the sound of the jets, he started swimming to the shore, still careful not to make much splashing.  When he got to the shore he crawled into the woods a few feet and laid down.

He started checking himself over for injuries.  He found a cut on his left leg, but other than that just small scrapes and bruises.  He took off his backpack and started digging through it looking for a bandge of some kind.  He found a roll of duct tape and some socks, and wrapped the cut with the sock and taped it.

He was getting cold now.  His clothes were wet, but he was scared to start a fire, so he just laid there, thinking.  ‘Why would the army shoot us down?  We are just a stunt squad, not even a fair target, with us having no weapons.’  Then he thought of his squad.  ‘Wonder if anyone else survived?” he said to himself.

He jumped when he heard the crack of a stick breaking.  He laid still and listened.  He heard voices, faintly, but he could hear them.  He crawled a little closer to where he heard them.  Then he heard one say, “why are we even out here?  There’s no way anyone could have survived that crash.”

He heard a second, deeper voice reply.  “Because command wants to know for sure that the pilot was killed.   So just keep circling.  We’ve only got a little bit more to go.“

Ayden laid still and quiet, then he saw the two men approaching.  They were wearing blue army uniforms and carrying assault rifles.  Ayden got as low to the ground as he could, hiding in the underbrush. The two soldiers were getting really close but seemed to be focusing on the water where he crashed.

They stopped about 20 feet from where he was hiding and just stared at the water.  Finally after a minute or so, which felt like hours, the one with the deep voice said, “ok, I don’t think that he made it.  They probably don’t even know what hit them, poor guys.”

The other one nodded.  “Yeah.  It’s a shame they had to be shot down, but sacrifices have to be made in times of war.”

The deep-voiced one turned and said, “ok, let’s head back to base.  It will start to get dark in these mountains pretty fast, plus operation lock-in is going to start soon and I really don’t want to be anywhere near here when they start that.”

The other one followed and asked, “why’s that?”  The deep-voiced one replied, “cause there gonna be bombing this whole place to bits soon to seal off the base.”  The other one spoke again but was too far away for Ayden to hear.  All he knew was he needed to get out of here before the bombs they were talking about fell.

He thought for a minute about what to do.  He had no GPS.  His map was ruined by the water, and his body was starting to hurt from the crash.  He figured the adrenaline must be wearing off,.  He decided that following the two soldiers would be his best bet.  Wherever they were going sounded safe to them so maybe he could just get close and be safe too.

He started following the two, staying as far away as he could, mostly following their voices and trying not to step on a stick.  His leg was starting to hurt pretty bad from the cut.  He followed them for what felt like miles but could not have been more then two miles.

It was getting darker now with the storm approaching and the sun getting lower. ‘It must be 3 or 4:00 by now,’ he thought.  Then as they came to the bottom of the mountain and were just about to start up the next one the soldiers turned and walking along the edge of the next mountain.  He heard the sound of vehicles and slowed down to listen.  Lots more voices, so he laid down and started crawling,

Ayden came to a bush and looked through it.  He saw what looked like a tunnel going into the mountain, and trucks were driving in and out of it.  The two soldiers were talking with a guy who looked like he was in charge, and the guy nodded and seemed happy with what the two soldiers were telling him.

He looked around a little more.  Soldiers were checking the trucks that were coming in.  One truck was broken down and close to where Ayden was hiding.  A mechanic was fast at work on it.

There was a building on the other side of the tunnel entrance.  Ayden laid there for a bit watching as more and more trucks came and went.  Then the trucks stopped coming, and most of the troops headed inside the building on the other side.  The smell of food was coming from inside the building.  His stomach growled.  He started regretting not eating before they took off.

He looked in his backpack and found nothing but candy wrappers.  He needed food.  He looked back at the tunnel.  Most of the solders were inside eating.  Only a few were still out side and they were all in a group next to the building.  Ayden looked at the broken semi truck.  No one was around it.  He started thinking, ‘maybe I could just sneak over to it and look inside.  Maybe there’s food or a first aid kit.’

His leg was hurting bad and swelling, so after a few more minutes he started crawling toward the truck.  Every few feet or so he would stop to look at the group of soldiers.  They seemed to not be noticing anything, so he kept crawling.  Finally he made it to the truck.

He crawled up inside, careful not to get too high so the soldiers would not see him if they looked over.  He started digging around and found a first-aid kit behind the driver’s seat.  He put it in his backpack.  Then he found a sack lunch under the passenger’s seat.  He took it and started to turn around to crawl out, then he heard foot steps coming.

Ayden quickly crawled into the sleeping compartment of the truck and covered himself in the blanket.  He laid as still as he could.  The driver’s door opened and the driver got in.  Ayden just laid there.  He could hear his heart beat in his own ears.

The driver reached under the passenger seat and felt around.  “What the?  I thought I put my lunch here,” he said to himself.  He felt around a little more, then got down and looked under it.  “Well, that’s weird.  I coulda swore I put it here,”

Then an idea seemed to hit him and he started to get out.  “That dang mechanic probably took it when he was working on this damn thing,” he said as he closed the door.

Ayden laid there for a few more minutes.  He heard the driver swear about the mechanic till his voice faded away.  Ayden uncovered himself and put the blanket in his backpack.  ‘You never know,’ he thought to himself.

He crawled out the passenger door and headed back to the woods.  He heard the driver yelling at the mechanic for a bit, then things seemed to die down.  It was getting dark now and he could see lightning all around them.

Ayden crawled a ways back into the woods but kept close enough to hear what was happening at the tunnel and the building.  He opened his backpack and took out the sack lunch.  There were 2 sandwiches, a juicy-juice box, and some cookies.  He started eating a sandwich and drinking the juice box.

After he was done he took out the first aid kit and opened it up.  Inside he found the basic stuff: gauze wrap, cotton, band aids, and some pain killers.  He cut the sock from his leg wound.  It was oozy and turning green.  He cleaned it as best as he could and then wrapped it in the cotton and gauze.

Just as he finished he felt a rain drop on his arm, then another and another.  He quickly found a big tree and crawled under it, hoping it would shield him from the rain.  For the most part it did.  Every now and then a rain drop would hit him.  He was feeling really tired now so he laid down and pulled the blanket over himself.

Sleeping was hard for him.  He kept seeing the flashes of light and the explosions, and hearing the yells.  He was just dozing back to sleep after waking up from a bad dream when he herd a dull thud.  He opened his eyes to see what it was.  It was still dark but the rain and thunder were gone.  He crawled out just as he heard another thud.  He looked around.

Then he saw it; an orange glow down the mountain from him.  There was a flash and explosion next to the glow, and he heard the sound of a plane.  He looked up and saw many flashing lights from planes flying over head.  He remembered what the two soldiers had said, about bombing to seal off the base.

‘They must be going to drop bombs to cause land slides and seal off any roads,’ he thought to himself.  He looked back at where the bombs were hitting.  Sure enough, the mountain looked like it was moving in the glow of the fires that had started.  He quickly felt the ground.  It felt just a little damp.

“Dang mountain showers only last a few minutes,” he said out loud.  He noticed that the bombs were getting closer.  ‘They must be gonna hit this area too!’  He packed his backpack and started walking back toward the tunnel.  Then he got to thinking, ‘What then? Go to the tunnel and just starve to death? Turn myself in and hope to be allowed to live?’

He needed a plan.  He stopped and opened his backpack, pulled out his compass and looked at it.  “Ok, if I just head north I’ll end up home back in Montana.“  He found north and started walking.

By now the bombing was really close, so he started to pick up his pace.  He could see the glow of the fire getting closer.  At the end of the mountain he was running alongside there was a ravine with a small creek running through it.  He started following it.

It headed north.  He looked back.  The bombers were bombing another part of the mountain now, but the smoke from the fire was getting thick.  He could faintly make out the glow from the sun rising,

He stopped for a bit to take a break.  He didn’t know how long he had been walking but it felt like hours.  The sun was higher now, casting a reddish light from the smoke.  His throat hurt and his eyes burned.

He got up and started walking again.  He had been drinking out of the stream but it had turned black from the fire.  Soon he got to a place that had been bombed.  It was just rocks and dirt ahead of him.  He sat down at the base of it.  There was no way he could ever hope to climb it.

He looked at the cut on his leg.  It seemed worse.  He changed the bandage and then made himself get up and start looking around.   Just as he was about to give up he saw a small part of the mountain that had not been hit as bad.  He walked over to it and put his hand on the rock.  “Even the mighty mountains are not safe from war,” he said to himself.

He started working his way up it.  Soon he was standing on top of the landslide.  It was dusty and smoky.  He started walking but after a short while he stopped and looked around but everything still looked the same.  He pulled out his knife and scratched an ‘X’ in the rock facing the way he was walking.

“No going in circles for me,” he said, then he walked till he could barely see the X behind him and scratched an ‘X’ in another rock.  He did the same, and kept going.

But now he had another idea, just in case he could not find the X on the rocks.  He pulled out the survival book his dad had given him and found a page that didn’t have much writing on it.  He dug in the pack until he found a pen and started making a map, basing it off the rocks he was passing and how many steps he took between rocks.  It took time but it made it easier and he knew he would not go in circles

He had been doing this for an hour or so when he got to the other side of the rock slide.  He found it a lot easier to get down on this side.  “Well, if I ever feel the need to go back and say “hi” to the soldiers it will be easy to get back up to my death!” he said wryly.

He started walking again.  The smoke and dust was settled and he could see the sky.  It was blue and sunny.  The sun was only halfway down, so he still had a few good hours of light.  He made his way north and as the sun was getting low he came across a road.  It looked to be a highway.

He stayed in the woods and started following it north.  No cars went by.  Soon he saw a sign that said “Estes Park, 14 miles“.

‘Sounds like a good place to go,’ he thought.  ‘But what if they’ve been taken over?’ he wondered.  ‘Well, I need help or some kind of meds for this cut so I have no choice.’  He started walking, being carefully not to get to close to the road and staying in the woods,

The sun set, making it hard to see the road, but he kept walking.  He was so tired and hungry, having eaten all his food by now.  His leg was really starting to hurt and his body felt sore from the crash.  Finally he came to a hill that overlooked the city.

It was dark but in the moon light he could make out homes.  No lights though.  He wondered if they had been taken over or if they had just lost power.  He laid there for a bit, watching the city.  He was really tired so after a while he crawled back into the woods a ways and found a good tree to lay under.  He would go look at it in the light and then maybe go down.

He laid his head down and looked up at the stars, thinking of home, wondering if maybe they were looking up at the same sky.  He remembered all the times they use to all go outside, him and his friends.  They’d look up at the stars, making up their own constellations.  He smiled thinking about it.  Then he thought of his parents.  They must be worried about him, he thought.  ‘Soon I’ll see them,’ he said to himself, then fell asleep.

Ayden didn’t sleep good that night.  The same things kept flashing before him in his sleep.

Chapter 3

Ayden woke to the sound of birds.  He crawled out from under the tree and drank some water.  He had no bandages left so he didn’t bother looking at his cut.  He crawled to the edge of the hill and looked down.

It was still quiet but he could see people moving around.  They were in groups, but there were no soldiers.  He went back to the woods and hid his backpack under the tree, then returned to the hill.

“Well I have to go.  Maybe I’ll blend in a little,”  He looked down at his clothes.  They were covered in mud and tore up, and his pant leg had blood on it.  ‘So much for blending in,’ he thought with disgust.

On the outskirts of town he saw someone’s laundry hanging, so he started sneaking down toward it.  He got to the edge of the yard and looked around.  No one was in sight.  He slowly crept over to the clothes and found a pair of jeans and a shirt that would fit.  He quickly pulled them from the clothesline and crept back to a hiding place.

The pants were a little big but he used his belt and they would work.  He hid his old clothes and headed into the city.  At first every person that passed him scared him, like they would pull up guns and shoot him.  But soon it seemed no one was interested in anyone but themselves, so he relaxed.

He saw a bar up ahead and headed into it.  When he got inside it was dark, with a couple old oil lamps lighting up part of the room.  There were only a few people in there.  He saw one sitting alone at the bar; a big guy with short, black hair.  Ayden made his way over and sat two bar stools down from the man.

The bartender walked up to Ayden.  “We don’t have anything cold because of the power outage, but we still got warm beer,” he said.

“Do you have water?” Ayden asked.  The bartender laughed and said, “yeah, $10 a bottle.”   Ayden sighed and handed the bartender a 20.  The bartender gave him a bottle and two 5’s and walked away.  Ayden opened the bottle and drank.  It felt like the first time in a long time that he let himself relax, but he did.

After a few minutes the man next to him looked over.  “You’re not from around here, are you?” he asked.   Ayden tried to think of a lie.

“Oh, no.  I was camping at the lake and now it seems the power’s out so I was hoping someone could tell me what’s going on,” Ayden replied.

The man gave him a weird look but said, “what, you not been following the news? The whole world’s turned upside down!”

Ayden looked surprised.  “What happened? he asked.

The man gave a sigh and said, “ok, first the government voted that in order to deal with the problems, the world must come under one rule, so most of the big countries tried to merge their money to become one.  Next, in order for it to work and for them to be able to have workers and grow food, they have to round everyone up and put them in work camps, city by city.

“Well, 26 of the states didn’t like that idea, so they rebelled.  At first it was a losing fight but Montana gained control of the atomic weapons there and said they would use them unless the government stopped the attacks on it’s own people.  So right now it’s a stand off.  The 26 states. vs. UN.  Right now they are going after the big cities but soon they will be here.  Then we will be rounded up and taken who knows where.”

Ayden just sat there in shock.  Wow, they really were at war, but this time it was with themselves.  Many questions flooded his mind.

“So, what about you guys?  You’re just gonna go quietly and hope it all goes good for you?”  Ayden asked with anger in his voice, that he didn’t even know he had.

The man laughed.  “You going to fight them yourself?”

Ayden thought about that.  The man was right, but still, there had to be something they could do.

“Well, we’ve got to do something, right?  This is our country!  We have to fight to defend it!” Ayden said.

The man looked at him closely then said, “Ok, a few of us got together and we have a plan.  But we have to let them takes us, for now.  Many of the people here will fight but they lack a leader, and right now we can’t get them all together to plan.  Plus some people will not believe us right now.

“So,” he went on,  “we’re going to let them take us.  We will most likely be put into a camp, then we will all be together.  People will see that our freedom is being taken.  Then we will fight.”

Ayden thought about this.  The man was right.  Getting everyone together would be really hard.  He still didn’t like it, but nodded his head, and said, “sounds like it’s the best plan, so I’ll just stick along with you guys.  I’m Ayden, by the way.”

The man shook his hand.  “Name’s William, but call me Will.”

They sat there for a little bit in silence.   Ayden looked around the bar.  It almost seemed like there was nothing happening.  Like he had never been shot down; like his buddies back home would come through the door any minute and they would all go shoot pool and joke around.  He felt a longing for those times again, when everything was so easy and simple.

The sound of screams and yelling broke him from his daydreaming.  He turned to look out the window and saw Will do the same.  People were running past.  He looked up the road and saw troop trucks driving down the road.  They came to a stop a few buildings down from the bar and soldiers started unloading.

“They’re here.  It’s time,” Will said, and he walked back to his barstool.  He took a drink from his cup and gave a look around the place like it would be the last time he saw it.  When his eyes landed on Ayden still at the window he said, “boy, get over here and sit.  No need to get a front row view.”

Ayden went over and sat down.  He looked at the other people in the bar.  They all seemed to be just calmly sitting there, not really caring about the army outside.  So Ayden just sat there with them.  At times he felt the urge to run, but to where?  By now the city was most likely surrounded.

The door opened and soldiers poured in.  Ayden jumped a little but stayed where he was.  One soldier, who seemed to be in charge, walked up to the bar and looked over at Ayden and Will.  He said, “In the name of the UN I place you under arrest.  You will be transported to a camp to be processed.  Do you all live in this city?”

Ayden felt his stomach drop and before he could say anything,  Will said, “Yes.  Myself and my nephew live here in town.”  He pointed at Ayden.

The soldier nodded and then said,  “Ok, everyone up and outside.  Get into the troop trucks to he transported.  There’s nowhere else to go.  We have control of this country.”

Someone from the back replied, “Actually, I heard that AMERICA has control, you know, the 26 states?  I’m sure you have heard of them.”

This seemed to anger the soldier in charge, but to his credit, he controlled himself and replied, “The rebels will soon surrender, and if the UN is willing, they might let them live to shovel horse stables.”   He made a hand gesture and a soldier walked up to the man and grabbed him and put handcuffs on him.

The man laughed a little and said, “Ok, I’ll get in your little trucks.  No need to get rough.”   The soldiers led him away.

The one in charge looked around.  There was only 5 people left: Ayden, Will, the barkeep, and 2 other guys in back.  The soldier said, “Anyone else have anything to add?”

One of the guys in back said, “Long live America!“ then started walking out the door with the other man.  The soldier in charge seemed at a breaking point with his anger.  Ayden was really hoping that Will didn’t have anything to add, but Will just walked toward the door.  Ayden followed him, the barkeep in tow telling the soldiers to keep their hands off his beer.

When they got outside, Ayden looked around.  People were lined up and the soldiers were putting what looked like name tags on them.  But when Ayden looked closer it was a number with a bar code so they could scan you and see who and where you came from.

When the soldiers got to Ayden they asked his name.  Ayden told him his name was Josh Smith and that he was from Utah, staying with his uncle for the summer.  The soldier typed something into his handheld computer and handed Ayden a tag.  Then he moved on to Will.

After they had all been given tags the soldiers moved them into the trucks.  Ayden was in the middle, next to Will and the other people from the bar.  The man from the back still had his hands cuffed but Ayden saw his name tag.  Stan was the man’s name.  He would have to remember to hi-5 the man when he got the chance.

The truck lurched forward and they were off.  Four soldiers sat in back with them.  They had closed the canvas on the back so no one could look out, but there was a small rip in the canvas where Ayden was sitting, so he could get a small view outside.

Along the way they went through a few other cities and picked up a few more people.  Some of these people were hurt, but when they tried to talk, the soldiers told them to shut up.  At one town they picked up 6 more soldiers to ride with them.  Now they were all cramped in the back of the troop truck.

After a few hours the soldiers started passing out water.  Ayden was really wanting water so he gulped his down.  Soon they started smelling smoke.   Ayden looked around.  Everyone else seemed to be smelling it.  He leaned back a little and looked out through the rip in the canvas.

He said tall pillars of thick black smoke rising from the distance.  He caught a glimpse of a highway sign when they came to a 4-way stop.  It said, “Casper, WY 36 miles’,  and the road headed right toward where the black smoke was coming from.

His heart sank.  That must be Casper.  It looked bad.  The people must have fought back.

The truck took off again, headed alongside the smoke.  Ayden thought back, trying hard to think of where on the map they would be.  They must be headed north if Casper was on their right.  Then he remembered his dad saying, “if you’re ever lost, remember the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.”  He looked at the back of the truck.  The canvas looked brighter on the passenger side of the truck, and it was late morning, so they must be headed north.

After several hours the truck came to a stop.  The sun had gone down by now, but lights from spotlights shone down on them when they were ordered to leave the truck.  As Ayden stepped on the ground he looked around.  They were in some kind of camp, with high fences topped by barbed wire.

He looked across the camp.  There were sleeping bags, hundreds…probably thousands, lined up on the ground.  They were told to stand in lines, and the soldiers started walking by, scanning their tags.

After they had all been scanned in, the women and men were split up and told to go to the sleeping bags to sleep, the men on one side the women on the other.  Ayden was really tired after the last few days so he followed Will to the sleeping bags.

Will looked back at him and said,  “So, Gimpy, what’s with the limp?” Ayden had forgot to tell him about his leg.

“I just have a small cut, that’s all.  Nothing to worry about,” Ayden replied.

Will didn’t buy it  and said, “Let me have a look when we get to our fine sleeping quarters.”

When they got to the sleeping bags Ayden sat down and pulled up his pant leg a little.  Will bent down and took a look.  “Ouch!  That’s quite the cut.  What happened, did you sleep with your ‘camping knife’?”

Ayden though for a minute, then said, “ok, look, I was not honest with you.  I was not really camping.”

Will laughed and said, “yeah, I kinda got that, ‘nephew’.   So, you going to tell me the truth now?  What happened?“

Ayden though for a minute then told him about the planes, the explosions, the crashing, and the base he saw.  Will just listened until Ayden was done talking, then thought for a minute.

“So,” said Will., “you must have flown over something they didn’t want you to see.  Do you remember seeing anything?  On the ground, or when you were flying?“

Ayden thought back but could not remember anything.  He shook his head no.  Will thought again and then said, “well, whatever it is they must not have wanted anyone to find it, cause they bombed the mountains and shot you guys down.  Do you think you can get back to it?“

Ayden was surprised at the question. but remembered the X’s and the map hidden in his backpack.  He said, “well, yeah, I think I could.  But what would I want to go back there for?  Relive old times?  No thanks, I’ll pass.”

Will laughed a second then got serious.  “Whatever they didn’t want you seeing must have been really important if they were willing to just shoot you down.  This might be useful if we can get to Montana or one of the other free states, and I know someone who can take a better look at this leg in the morning.”

Ayden thought about what he had said.  Just when he was about to reply one of the soldiers came over and told them to shut up and go to sleep.  As Ayden laid down he looked around.  Everyone else was laying down too.

The lights were dimmed and everyone started falling asleep.  Ayden looked at the stars.  Was it true?  Was whatever they flew over important? Questions flooded his mind but he soon fell asleep.

Chapter 4

Morning came a lot faster then he would have liked.  He sat up and looked around.  People were getting up, but mostly just standing in groups, talking in low voices.  The men and women were allowed to be together right now.

Ayden looked over at the sleeping bag next to him.  Will was gone.  He stretched and started to stand up, trying to put weight on his cut leg, but trying not to let the solders see him hurting.  He walked over to a group, just trying to blend in and little more.  He had a slight limp but it was nothing he could not cover.

He stood in the group, not really talking.  Just listening.  They were talking about what they all knew.  The person to his left was just starting a story.

“Yeah, we came from a small town outside of Casper.  Looked bad there.  A few people managed to hide in our town and some just went with the soldiers.  We tried fighting back but we were way out-numbered, so we had to give in.  But I heard stories that other towns have been more successful.  One town I heard about switched all their street signs overnight and confused the UN!” he laughed.

Everyone laughed a little bit, then someone said, “yeah, the UN came in force, but half our army is working with them, the other half is in the 26 free states.”

Ayden felt someone tap his shoulder and he looked behind him.  Will stood there and said,  “come on, I’ve got someone to take a look at your leg.  She’s a friend and she knows your story.”

Ayden nodded and walked behind Will.  He was kind of upset at first that Will was telling people where he came from, but then decided that if Will trusted someone then they must be ok.

They got to the girl Will was talking about.  She was 5’8” with blond hair down past her shoulders.  Her sky-blue eyes stood out.  From behind all the dirt on her face, she looked about 20.

“Ayden, this is Amanda.  She’s an EMT,” Will said.  Ayden shook her hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Amanda said.  “Now let’s take a look at your leg.”  She pointed at the sleeping bag nearby.  “Here, lay down in my office!” she joked.

Ayden smiled and laid down.  She bent down and pulled his pant leg up and looked at the cut.  It was green and had white ooze all around it.  “Ouch, looks bad.”

She reached under the sleeping bag and pulled out a first aid kit.  “Where did you get that? “ Ayden asked.

“Oh, I have my ways,” she replied.  She pulled out some cotton swabs and started wiping the cut.  It hurt really bad, but Ayden just bit his finger until he could have sworn that the finger would bleed.

“Sorry about the pain,” she said in a soft voice.  She kept working till the ooze was all gone, then she poured some peroxide on the cut.  It stung at first, then got better.  After cleaning it really good, she wiped it dry, then she said something to Will and he ran off.

Amanda looked at Ayden.  “I’m going to stitch this up.  I sent Will to go get some thread.  I saw a woman had smuggled some in.”

Ayden nodded then asked, “you must do this a lot, helping people.”

She smiled a little then said, “I’ve been doing this for a couple years now.  I like it.”

Will came back and handed her the thread and a needle.  Amanda took it and got ready.  “Ok, this is going to hurt a lot more.  I would use anesthetic to numb it, but I don’t have any right now.

Ayden nodded and laid back and looked up.  He felt the needle go into his skin.  It burned like fire but Ayden just laid there, determined not to make a sound.  He thought about home and family, and tried to just pretend he was back home swimming in the lake with his friends.  He remembered all the hot summer days they would spend at the lake after work, or rafting the rivers.

Then he thought of Amanda.  He wondered what did she in her spare time, or if all she did was work and help people.  He had never been one to help people like she did, never seemed to have time for it.  Maybe he would try and change that when he got back, but all he was good at really was stunt flying,

A sharp poke broke him from his thoughts.  He looked down.  She was almost done stitching him up.  When she was finished she wrapped it in gauze and a bandage.  He sat up and looked at it.

“Thank you so much!” he said.

She smiled and replied, “you’re welcome.  Anytime you need it!”

“Well, now that we have that out of the way, let’s go over to that group over there,” Will said, pointing toward the fence.  “It’s where we are going to be planning our next move.  But we need to just go there a few at a time so as not to draw attention and make them suspicious.  Take a limp or something!” Will said jokingly.

Ayden smiled and said, “ok, I’ll just limp around and end up there!“

Will nodded and thanked Amanda as walked off.  Ayden stood up and looked at Amanda and said, “want to limp around with me?”

She seemed really happy at the offer and stood up next to him.  “Sure, I’d love to talk a limp,” she said.  They started walking until they got to the fence line, then walked along the fence line.  Soldiers were spaced around it here and there, but not too many of them.  Ayden looked over to her.  “So, where are you from?” he asked.

“I’m from Casper.  We managed to escape during the fighting.  We stayed as long as we could, but there was so much fire and guns going off that we had to run.”

“We?  Who’s ‘we‘?  Where are the rest of them?” he asked.

Amanda looked far off, then said, “the EMTs I work with.  There were five of us.  We got split up when we got to a small town.  Three of the others ran into the woods to try and hide.  Myself and the other hid in the city and let the soldiers take us when they got there.  She’s around here somewhere.”

Ayden looked over at the center of camp.  There were around 700 people there.  It would be hard to find anyone, though he saw that the group Will pointed out was a little bigger now.  He and Amanda would be there as soon as they walked the fence line.

“Well, I’m sure she’s safe here somewhere, and don’t worry, we will make it out of here and find your friends out there,” Ayden said.

She nodded and looked at a part of the fence and slowed down.  “Ayden, do you see that?” she asked.

Ayden looked at the fence closer.  He could see where, in the haste to make the camp, the soldiers had only put a few wires holding together a part of the fence between two poles.  They kept walking but Ayden said, “I saw it.  I think that we could get that to give way if we hit it hard enough.”

Amanda nodded.  “Yeah, I think so, but it will take a lot of people to do it.  Maybe we should bring it up at the meeting.”

Ayden looked through the fence.  He saw the weapons and vehicle storage area about 150 yards from the fence line.  Maybe they could reach it if they were fast, and get some weapons.  He told Amanda his idea.

She though a minute and looked at the rest of the camp.  “Ayden, these people are not soldiers.  They can’t fight a war.”

“I know they’re not, but right they have to be.  If we want to be free we will have to fight!  I don’t like the idea any more than you do.“

She nodded.  They had reached the group by now and found Will.  They stood next to him.  Someone was talking, and by the looks of things it was the leader.  Ayden listened to him,.

“Ok, look, we just need to wait things out.  Maybe we will be allowed to go back to our homes, and just live our lives.  I know some of you want to fight back, but for now let’s just wait and see what happens,” he said.

Someone from the group spoke up.  “What about the free states?  We’re really close to Montana.  We can make it!“  Some people in the group made sounds of agreement.

“We don’t know if they are still free states any more.  By now they’ve probably been taken, or have given up.  And even if they haven’t, it will only be a matter of time before they are over run,”  the man leading replied.

Ayden could not believe this.  They were just going to stand here and let themselves be held prisoner?  He thought they would fight back.  All the people that had fought and died to remain free had not questioned whether to fight or not.  Yet some of these people were wanting to back down.

Anger filled him and he stepped forward.  “Who are we to just stand here and do nothing?  Others died fighting for our freedom, and here we are questioning whether to fight or not.  We need to fight!  I know we are not soldiers, but in times of war, we the people sometimes have to take up arms and fight for our country and our freedom!

“I say we fight back and show them what we are made of,” Ayden continued.  “Let’s make freedom count!!  United we stand, divided we fall.  Let’s rise up and break free!  Let’s fight for freedom!“

By now most of the group was looking at him, some with questioning looks, others with the look of a fighter on their faces.  Ayden had calmed down a little by now.  He had never been a public speaker, so it was weird that he had jumped up like that.

“Yeah, let’s fight!  Let’s show them who we are!” someone from the group said.  Ayden was surprised.  He was sure they would all be laughing by now.  Then someone else said something and soon everyone was nodding and agreeing.

“Fine, go on, fight for your little freedoms,” the man that was in charge said, and he walked away.  Everyone was looking at Ayden.  He could see Will and could not tell if he was happy or groaning, but Amanda looked happy and nodded for him to go on.

“What’s the plan?” someone asked.

Ayden replied, “ok, we wait for tomorrow morning.  I’ll give a signal and we will run for that part of fence over there,” he pointed. “It’s weaker than the rest of the fence, so if we hit it hard enough, it will give way.  Then we make for the weapons locker get armed, and steal some trucks and head to Montana.”

Everyone nodded.  Ayden looked at them.  Most of them were just business men or farmers.  They were not soldiers.  Did they really have a chance?

Will walked up to him and asked, “do you want me to take it from here?”  Ayden was happy that he asked,.

“Yeah, please do!”  Ayden walked into the group as Will began speaking.

“Ok, everyone needs to go spread the word, but do it quietly.  Remember, tomorrow morning.  Let everyone know.”

Ayden had moved to the back of the crowd by now.  Amanda was next to him.  Will was still talking and the people seemed to be liking what he was saying.

“Well, you must have been good at high school pep rallies!” Amanda teased him.

Ayden laughed.  “No, not really.  I was just angry that they were just going to sit here and do nothing.  I’m not a leader by any means,” Ayden replied.  They moved out of the group and found a place to sit down.

Ayden looked around, more trucks had come and gone and a more people were here.  He looked at the soldiers.  Some wore blue, some green.  “What do you suppose that means?  The green solders?” Ayden asked Amanda.

She though for a minute.  “Maybe that’s to define where they came from.  Blue is UN.  Green must be USA, or what’s left of it,” she said.  That made sense to Ayden.  “So you crashed into a lake?  Where at?” Amanda asked.

“In the mountains by Boulder, Colorado.  We were about to do a stunt air show.  We were all shot down, but I managed to find a lake to hit,” Ayden replied.  She nodded.

Just then Will walked up and sat down.  “Quite the show you put on there, kid.  Made me want to grab a pitch fork and a torch!”

“Yeah, I don’t know what came over me.  I just wanted to fight back, and they were just talking and not getting anywhere so I put my two cents in,” Ayden replied.

“Two cents!  You got half the camp rallied to fight!  They listened to you.  But right now we’ve got to make a plan for you, Ayden “ Will said.

Ayden was surprised.  “A plan for me?  What do you mean?” he asked.

“Look, kid, whatever you know, it’s important.  I heard word around camp that they had moved all the world leaders to a secret mountain.  I’m thinking that if they were willing to shoot you down and bomb the mountains around you, then it’s got to be worth looking into.  You might be the only person that knows how to get into those mountains.

“So we have to get you to Montana.  Here’s what I’m thinking,“ Will went on.  “After we take that fence down you run straight to the trucks get in one and start driving.  Head north.  We’re only a couple hours from Montana.  Driving, you can make it.”

Ayden was surprised to hear all this.  Was it true?  Were all the world leaders there?  But what about fighting?

“I want to fight.  Those people were looking to me back there.  I have to fight with them,” he said.

“No, Ayden.  It sucks, but you have to make it out of here.  I will lead them,” Will said.

“Ok, you can lead them, but I want to help take the fence down at least.  That will put me in the front!”  Ayden was angry now cause he wanted to fight.

Amanda spoke up.  “I can go with Ayden.  Having an EMT along might be a good thing.  Besides, I’m not one for fighting.”

Will nodded.  “Yeah, that’s a good idea.  Two might be better than one with old Limpy here.”  Ayden felt better about having her come along.  “Ok so in the morning, we will break out then,” he said.

As night fell they all got ready to go to bed.  They were allowed to sleep wherever they wanted.  Will, Amanda, and Ayden slept next to each other.

As they lay there falling asleep Ayden though of home, wondering what they were doing; if they had been taken to camps, or if they were fighting alongside Free America.  He wondered if there even still was a free America.  He drifted asleep thinking of all this.

Someone shook his arm and he woke with a start.  Amanda was leaning over him.  He jumped as he woke up.

“Shh, look,” she said, grabbing his arm and pointing up.  He looked up and saw shooting stars.  Not just, one but lots.  The sky was filled with streaks of stars.

“Wow!” was all he could say.  Will was up by now and looking at them.

“Must be a meteor shower,” Will said.   Ayden nodded.  It was amazing.  He had never seen so many at one time.  He looked around.  Everyone seemed to be awake now.  They were all looking up.

Then he saw some of the solders looking up also.  Will was looking in the same direction.  “Not so different, huh!” Will said.

“Yeah, too bad they are holding us here,” Ayden said with some anger.

Will nodded slowly.  “They are following orders, you know.  Doing their job.  They might not like it but you got to give them credit for sticking with it.

Ayden thought about that for a minute.  Will was right, even if he didn’t like it.  But still, they shot down his friends and were holding him and other people prisoner.  Will might be able to just let that go but Ayden would need time.

He saw the sky turning light colors and knew the sun was close to coming up, so he just laid there and looked at the stars, thinking.  He drifted back to sleep.

Chapter 5

The sun was up now, just over the ridge line.  Ayden sat up.  Amanda was asleep again, but Will was already up and standing by a group of men, talking in low voices.

Ayden got up and walked over to join them, as he got there he heard Will saying, “ok, when we are all grouped up for breakfast that’s the time we will fight.”  He looked at Ayden as he walked up.  “Oh, good, you’re up.  Amanda up yet?”

Ayden shook his head no and stood next to Will.  He was never really much of a morning talker.  Will nodded, then looked back at the group.  “Ok, go and make sure everyone knows.”

They all nodded with agreement and walked off.  Will turned to Ayden.  Want to go for a walk?” Will asked.  Ayden nodded and walked next to Will.

They walked in silence over to the fence line and started walking down it.  “So, we all ready then?” Ayden asked.”

Will nodded and said, “yeah.  When we are grouped up for breakfast is when we will fight back.” Ayden nodded and as they got to the weak spot in the fence he looked at it.  It was still unfinished, so it was still the weakest spot in the fence.  ‘Good!’ he thought.

He looked at the armory on the other side.  There was about 10 blue uniformed soldiers standing by it.  He looked over at the vehicle building and saw the green soldiers guarding it.

“Think we stand a chance?  I mean, all we are is people.  We’re not armed solders.  We’re not trained to fight a war,” Ayden asked.

Will slowed his pace a little and said, “it’s going to be hard, but it’s that or die as prisoners of these people.  Hundreds of years ago a small group of people took up arms and fought the biggest army on earth at the time.  They were out-numbered, and they were not solders.  All they had was an idea; a simple idea that they were willing to die for.

“And they won,” Will went on.  “America is proof of that.  The idea of being free is very powerful.  The people here want nothing more than to be free again.  So, maybe we will win, as long as we have that idea to fight for.”

Ayden though about that.  Will was right.  Maybe with that idea, they could win.  He heard the horn blow.  Breakfast time.

They walked over to the group of people forming.  He saw Amanda standing on the edge toward the weak part of the fence.  Ayden and Will walked up to her.

“You ready?” Ayden asked.  She nodded.  Ayden felt his stomach turning.  The time was getting close.  He looked around.  Almost everyone was there.  Lots of them seemed to be looking towards him.

He felt his anxiety rising, then took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming himself.  This was it; now or never.  He looked at Will, who nodded his head.

Ayden looked at the group.  “What’s worth fighting for?” he yelled.  Everyone looked at him.  “What’s worth giving our all for, and fighting to whatever end for?  Freedom!” he yelled and turned towards the fences.

He saw out of the corner of his eye that everyone was turning with him.  He started running at the fence.  Everyone was running with him.  He looked side to side and saw a wall of people on both sides running with him.

He heard an alarm sounding.  The soldiers must have set it off.  Still they kept running.  They were about 50 yards from the fence now.  They were at full speed, a wall of people heading for the fence.  40 yards, 20 yards, then they hit with heavy force.

The fence held for a second, then gave in to the force of the impact.  People poured out of the fence and stood in a group.   Ayden heard Will yell, “to the armory!”

They started running towards it.  He saw the blue soldiers raising their rifles, pointing them at the mob of people.  More soldiers had joined the ten.  Now there was about 20.

Ayden braced himself for the shots.  He heard the rifles fire, and people yelling, but none of the shots hit him.  He looked up and saw the blue soldiers, half of whom were laying on the ground and the other half running behind the building.

Shocked, he looked to his sides.  No one seemed to have been shot and no one had a gun.  Then he saw it.  The green soldiers were firing at the blue ones.  It was an all-out war between them.

He kept running until they got to the armory, and once they were inside he looked around.  There were guns everywhere.  People were dashing to grab weapons.  He grabbed Amanda’s hand and led her to the far wall.  They each grabbed a gun.  He saw backpacks, so they each grabbed one.

“Where’s Will?” Amanda asked.  Ayden looked for him and saw that he and a group of people were making a fast plan.  Some people had already headed back outside and he heard heavy gunfire.

“This way!  Come on!!” he said to her, and they ran over to Will.

“Good, you guys are here.  We’re going to make a run for the trucks.  Let’s go,“  Will said, and they all headed back out side.  It was a war going on when they got outside.  The blue solders were grouped by a building that held supplies, and the greens were fighting them, with the people from the camp fighting alongside them.

Some people were laying on the ground, downed from gunfire.  Ayden turned with Will and the group, and they ran for the trucks.  Shots whizzed past his head.  He just kept running.  They made it to the truck building and ran inside.

Shots rang out inside and he dove for cover, pulling Amanda with him.  They were pinned down.  He grabbed his gun and jumped up, and fired a few shots then dove back down.  Just as he did, a shot hit the wall behind where he had been standing.  He looked over at Will.

The people with him were moving to the side, flanking the soldiers firing at them.  Soon the shots stopped and Will called all clear.  Ayden stood up.  Two of the people with them were down.

He ran over to Will.  “Ok, we’ve got the trucks.  Now what?” Ayden asked.

Will pointed at a jeep.  “You guys get in that and go.  Get out of here.  Head north.  We’re close to the line.  Get there and tell them what you know.”

Ayden looked at the jeep. “What about you guys?”

Will gave nod at the troop trucks.  “We’re going to drive these things over to where they are fighting, and try to load the people up and get them out of here.  We will be right behind you.“

Ayden wanted to argue but an explosion rocked the building, and thick smoke and fire started burning up the wall.

“They must be trying to burn us up in here.  GO!” Will shouted, and pushed Ayden and Amanda toward the jeep.

Ayden ran for the jeep and jumped in.  He glanced back.  Will and the others were starting the troop trucks.  Amanda jumped in next to him.  They threw the backpacks in the back and Ayden started the jeep.  He gunned it and drove into the garage door and right through it.  Sunlight, smoke, and gun fire filled the air.

It was hard to tell what was going on or who was winning, but it was a fierce battle.  Smoke was rolling up from the supply building.  More green and blue soldiers had arrived.  He saw the troop trucks rolling out of the building behind him, heading for the fight.

Ayden stomped on the gas.  Shots hit the back window and he ducked with Amanda.  She rolled her window down and fired.  Ayden just kept driving.

They had barely made it away from the camp and were driving for about five minutes before either one said anything.  “Think they will be ok?” Amanda asked.

“Yeah, they will be fine.  They’re fighters.  They will be right behind us,” Ayden said.  She nodded.  Ayden looked in the mirror.  He just saw smoke rising in the distance where the camp was.  He kept driving.

They had been driving for an hour or so when they came over a hill and saw something up ahead on the road.  It was a road block.  He quickly turned off onto a side road.  He looked over the field at the road block.  Two trucks were driving away from it,  toward the road they had turned on.

“Dang it!  I think they saw us,” Ayden said, and he gunned the engine.  The jeep took off.  He followed the road, looking back.  The trucks were turning onto the road, picking up speed at they went.  Ayden drove as fast as he could now.

He saw a line of trees coming up.  There was a river flowing alongside the trees, and an idea came to him.  “Ok, Amanda, grab the backpacks.  We’re going to hide this jeep, and we will have to hide in the woods.”

She looked at him like he was crazy.  “Where are you going to hide a jeep?” she asked.

Ayden let a small smile slip.  “In the river!”  She gave him a surprised look but reached back and picked up the packs.  “Ok, when we hit the water have your window rolled down.  Be ready to get out, but throw the backpacks out right before we hit.”  She nodded and got ready.

Ayden turned toward the river.  Once they had gotten into the woods a bit, he drove close to the shore at a part where the river was next to the road.  He got ready and yelled, “here we go!”

He turned the jeep off the shore into the river.  Amanda tossed the packs out and held on.  They hit the water hard, at about 50mph.  They were thrown into their seat belts.  Water rushed in.

Ayden felt for the door handle.  He grabbed it and pushed it open.  He felt the passenger seat.  Amanda was already out so he pulled him self out.  The current was fast.  He looked around until he saw Amanda holding onto the packs and floating close to him.  He swam over to her and they both swam for the shore on the other side.

Just as they got out and into the woods he heard the trucks pull up, and troops got out.  “Looks like they lost control or the jeep and went into the river, whoever they were,” one soldier said.

Another one yelled, “spread out and look for them.  If you find a place to cross, report it.  They might have gotten to the other side.”

The men yelled, “yes, sir!” and they split up.   Ayden looked over at Amanda.  She had a bruise on her arm, but other than that she was ok.  She kneeled next to him.  “Now what?” she asked.

Ayden though for a minute.  “We need to head north.  We’ve got to be only a few miles from Montana.  That road block might have been a stop before the line,” he said.

She nodded, then she looked at the packs.  “What about these?” she asked.

Ayden looked at them.  “Let’s open them,” he replied.  They did, and inside was a blue soldier’s uniform, helmet and all the gear the soldiers carried.

“What is this stuff?” Amanda asked.

Ayden smiled.  “It’s just a spare outfit for the UN solders.  Must be in case they need to change on the spot.  It’s getting cold.  It might be a good idea to put them on.  Will they fit, I wonder?”

She looked at it and replied, “it’s going to be a little loose on me, but it should fit you.

Ayden nodded and said, “yeah, looks like it will fit just right.  Let’s move farther into the woods and change.”

“She nodded and replied.  “Lucky you!  Maybe you should join them too!” she teased.

Ayden smiled and pointed north.  “That way!” he said, and they quietly headed off to the north.

They had changed their clothes and hid their old ones in the woods.  Ayden looked in the packs and pulled out a vest.  Amanda looked at it.  “What’s that?”

Ayden looked at it closely.  It’s a bullet-proof vest.  Here, put it on.  I’ll put mine on too.  Who knows, might come in handy.  She nodded and they put the vests on.  They were heavy, but might come in handy this close to the battle lines.

He also found a hand gun in each bag, and he tucked his behind his bullet-proof vest.  They started walking, stopping every now and then to listen for the soldiers.  When they were sure they heard nothing, they kept walking without stopping to listen behind them.

Suddenly Amanda grabbed his arm and pulled him down with her.  She pointed through the woods.  He saw a house about 150 yards from them.  He looked closely at it.  No one seemed to be around.

They were both hungry, having not eaten since yesterday, so Ayden said, “maybe there’s food or something useable in there.”

Amanda nodded.  “It looks like no one’s around.  Maybe we could just slip in there and take a look around,”  she replied.

Ayden thought, then said, “Ok, let’s make a circle and make sure there’s no one around.”  They headed off, making a full circle until they ended back where they started from.  The house looked empty, with only a garage off to one side of the house, and no outbuildings.

“Ok, it looks all clear.  Let’s move in,” Ayden said.  They slowly made their was toward the house, stopping every few feet to listen.  They reached the door.  Ayden took the door handle in his hand and quietly turned it.

The knob turned right away.  “Must have left in a hurry and left it unlocked “ he said in a hushed voice.  They made their way inside.  He looked around.  The house looked like it had been tossed.  Stuff lay everywhere and furniture was overturned.

He walked toward what looked like the kitchen.  There was food on the table; rotted, but it looked like they had just sat down to dinner when they had to run.  He looked at Amanda.  She was looking around in the living room, looking at pictures of the people who had lived there.

“Do you think they are safe?” she asked.

Ayden looked at her.  She seemed worried about them.  “I’m sure they are somewhere safe right now.  Most likely they had enough time to make it across the line to safety.”

She nodded and walked over to him in the kitchen.  “Anything good to eat?” she asked.

Ayden pointed at the food.  “Well, if you like green mold, then do I have a treat for you!”  She laughed.  They headed to the back of the house.  Suddenly they heard tires crunching on the gravel of the driveway.  Ayden ran to the window and peeked out.

The two trucks had followed them to the house and had pulled up.  Soldiers were getting out.  “Soldiers!  We need to hide,” Ayden said to Amanda.  They turned and looked around.  They were in a master bedroom.  He saw a closet.  “There!  Let’s hide in there!”

Amanda looked at it and said, “Oh yeah, hide in the closet, they’ll never think to look there! she said with sarcasm.  But she followed him into it.  They crowded into it and pulled clothes over themselves.  He felt her hand grab his and hold it tight.

He stood there, listening.  He heard the soldiers break the door down.  ‘They didn’t even try the door knob,’ he thought to himself.  He heard boots walking on the floor, and heard the soldiers calling out “clear!” as they went room to room.

He heard one approaching the room they were in and peeked out from between the clothes.  Two soldiers entered the room and looked around.  “Clear!” one of them yelled.  Three more soldiers joined them.  One seemed to be in charge.

“Search the house again.  I know they’ve got to be around here somewhere.”

The soldiers nodded, and all but one walked out.  He looked at the commander and asked, “Sir, do you think that they came this way? They were smart enough to hide their clothes in the woods.”

The commander nodded.  “Yeah, they seem smart, but they must be hungry.  If they are among those that escaped from the camp, then it will have been a while since they had a good meal…though it’s not like we’re eating any better then they are.

The soldier laughed a little,  then asked, “so you think their probably headed for Montana?  I know we spread the rumor that free America had given up, but maybe they’re trying to get there anyway.”

The commander replied, “yeah, I’m sure that’s where they’re going.  It’s the only hope they’ve got.”

Ayden was laying there holding his breath.  He could hear his own heart beat in his ears.  His hand had gone numb from Amanda’s grip, but he didn’t try to pull his hand away.   He was hoping that they would say how things ended at the camp, but the conversation was interrupted when a soldier entered the room.

“Sir, we checked again.  No one here,” he said.

The commander nodded.  “Ok.  Let’s go back out there and try to track them down.  But remember, we’re only 3 miles from the line, so everyone be careful.  Oh, did anyone check the garage?” he asked.

The soldier replied, “yes, sir.  No one in there.”

“Let’s load up and head out.”  The commander turned and the soldiers followed him out of the room.  Ayden heard their boots walking out the door.  The trucks started and a moment later the sound receded.

Chapter 6

Ayden waited a good ten minutes before he moved.  Quietly, he pulled himself up and stood, freeing his hand from Amanda’s.  He rubbed it to get blood back into it.  She came out behind him.  “Sorry,” she said.

“It’s ok.  Better than being shot!” he replied with a small smile.  She walked up next to him as he carefully peeked out the window.  The trucks were gone.  He walked back into the kitchen.

“What now?” Amanda asked.

“Well, we need to find a way north.  We’re only 3 miles from Montana,” Ayden answered.  She nodded her head.  Ayden started walking around the house, trying to think.  With the soldiers looking for them it would be harder.

He ended up at the door to the garage.  He opened the door and saw two 4-wheelers.  An idea hit him.  Maybe walking slowly would be a good idea, but riding fast and hard might work better.  It would make noise, but 4-wheelers can go places that trucks can’t.

He looked at Amanda and told her his idea.  She just listened.  He could tell by the look on her face that she was scared, but she agreed to his idea.

“Maybe we should wait a bit for them to get further away, though,” she said.  Ayden nodded and sat down on the steps to the garage.   Amanda sat next to him.

He looked at her.  She was covered in mud and dirt, had cuts and bruises, but still, she looked beautiful.  He could see she was still scared, so he reached for her hand and held it.  He had never been good with girls, but she was different.

“What’s it like?  Back at your home?” she asked.

Ayden was startled by the question, but he answered.  “Well, it’s a lot like here, only there’s mountains reaching to the sky, green from top to bottom.  Rivers all over.  We only get a little bit of summer, but we make the most of it.”

He got a far-away look on his face and continued.  “My friends and I use to raft the rivers as soon as they were low enough from the spring flooding.  We’d camp at night, making campfires, laying under the stars after a long day of rafting and playing in the water.”  Talking about home made Ayden miss it more then ever.

Amanda listened to him, then said, “that sounds amazing.”

“I’ll show you some time, if you want.  We’ll go rafting and make a campfire, then spend the night looking at the stars,” Ayden told her.

“I would love that so much, “ she said.  He looked at her.  She seemed happier now.  He was looking forward to that day now.

“What about you?  What’s your home like?” he asked.

She thought for a minute, then said, “wake up, go to the hospital, wait for calls to come in, then just go home and get ready to do it all over again.  It’s a program I’m in.  I moved away from my family and friends to study medicine.”

Ayden was surprised to hear that.  He thought she would be out having fun everyday.  “Well, I think its great what you do, helping people.  It’s good of you.”

She laughed a little.  “Yeah, but sometimes you get caught up in it and forget that you’ve got to take a break for yourself.”

“I guess that could happen, but don’t you worry, we will be having that camp fire sooner than you know.”  He looked at the 4-wheelers.  “You ready?”

She nodded.  “Yeah, let’s do this.”   He let go of her hand after helping her to her feet.

“Ok, I’ll go first.  You follow.  We’re just going to ride as far and as fast as we can.”  She agreed and they climbed onto the 4-wheelers.  Ayden started his.  It started right up.  He looked over and Amanda gave him a thumbs-up.  Hers had started also.

He got off and pulled the garage door open and jumped back on the 4-wheeler.  He hit the gas.  It took off and he turned north once they were out of the garage.  He saw a clear path head into the woods and drove for it.

Throwing a quick glance over his shoulder he saw Amanda right behind him.  He ducked a few branches and kept making his way through the woods, looking side to side, hoping not to see any soldiers.

They reached the top of a hill and stopped.  In the distance, over the trees, they could see a fence line.

“That must be it.  Montana.”  He saw a road far over to their west.  It looked like the one they had been on in the jeep.  He looked back at Amanda.  “Ok, this is it.  Let’s get down there and get to safety.”

She smiled nervously and gave him the thumbs-up again.  Ayden turned his 4-wheeler to look for a way down.  A shot rang out and the tree next to him seemed to explode in wood chips.  He yanked his head around and saw a line of soldiers running through the woods.

“GO!” he yelled.  He gunned his 4-wheeler straight down the hill.  Trees whizzed past.  ‘This isn’t a good way to go down,’ he thought to himself.  More shots went past them.  He heard Amanda yell.

He glanced back and saw she had been hit in the lower leg.  Suddenly the ground dropped out from under them and he felt the 4-wheeler hit the ground hard.  He was thrown forward into the handle bars, and then he was rolling.  Everything became fuzzy, then black.

He could hear his heart in his ears again.  He felt Amanda checking him.  His ribs felt like they were on fire.  Breathing hurt.  He opened his eyes, and it took a second for things to come into focus.

Amanda was leaning over him, yelling, “come on, Ayden, get up!   Get up!”

He leaned up.  It hurt to move, but he sat up all the way and saw his 4-wheeler.  It was done for.  They had ridden off a bank onto a dry riverbed.  He saw that Amanda’s was still rideable.

“What happened? “ he asked.

“You drove off the river bank.  I was able to slow down enough to ride it down, but the soldiers are right behind us.  We’ve got to go now!”   She was pulling on his arm.

He looked at her 4-wheeler.  It could only hold one person safely, let alone both of them, and trying to flee while being shot at.  “You need to go!  I’ll stay here and try to draw them away.  Just follow the river north.  We’re only half a mile,” he said.

“No, I’m not leaving you.  We can both run out,” she insisted.

He shook his head.  “You’re hit.  You can’t run.  Trust me, I’ve hurt my leg before!” he joked lamely.

She just shook her head.  “No, Ayden.  We both need to get out.  I won’t leave you here,” she said stubbornly.

“Look, you can go get help.  It won’t take long.  Ill run as fast and far as I can.  I promise I’ll see you there,” he insisted.

She looked at him, trying to decide, then said reluctantly, “Ok, I’ll get help.  But remember, you owe me a campfire.”

He smiled.  “Don’t you worry, we will toast marshmallows all night!”

She held his hand, then she leaned in and kissed him.  It surprised Ayden, but he kissed her back.  It lasted only a few seconds, but to Ayden it felt like hours.

Then she straightened up and said, “I’ll see you there.”   She jumped up and ran to her 4-wheeler.  Ayden watched her go, then stood up and looked around.  He heard soldiers getting closer, so he started running in the opposite direction from where Amanda went.

His ribs burned with every step, but he kept pushing himself.  He knew he wouldn’t make it far but the farther he could make it was more time Amanda had.  He remembered the handgun he had and pulled it out, cocked it, and kept running.

He heard a shot and a tree 20 feet away took the hit.  He looked back.  The soldiers were getting closer.  He could see them now, dodging through woods about 50 yards behind him.  He ran harder, giving everything he had.

He reached his arm around and pointed the hand gun behind him, and fired a few shots, trying to slow them down.  It worked, but only for a few seconds.  They were moving much faster than he was.

Suddenly a shot was fired from in front of him.  He looked up and saw that some of the soldiers had cut him off.  He looked to his left.  There was a river there.  Without thinking, he jumped in.

He felt the vest pulling him down and the current started dragging him on the bottom.  He reached for the vest and pulled, but it was on too tight.  He managed to get the trauma plate ripped off and let it go, making the vest a little lighter.

Ayden started choking on water just as he made it to the surface.  He pulled himself out and looked back.  He had drifted about 30 yards down stream but he was on the same side as the soldiers.

They spotted him and started running toward him.  He saw a log and got behind it, holding the hand gun.  This was it, he thought.  He hoped Amanda had made it across the line, and that Will had somehow got the people to safety.

He thought of home and hoped they were safe.   He gripped the gun tighter.  ‘Well, if I’m going to die I want to die a solder!’   He got ready to jump up.

Just as he jumped up a boot hit him right in the chest.  He fell back onto his back, the gun falling from his grip.  It look him a few seconds to get his breath.  Then he looked up.

Soldiers were all around him, pointing their guns at him.  The commander walked up.  “Quite the show you put on there.  You’re a fighter, aren’t you!” he said.

Ayden was filled with anger now and said, “do it.  Just shoot me and get it over with.”

The commander raised his eye brows, and said, “shoot you?  Why would I do that when I have a prisoner I can take back?  I’m guessing that you escaped from the camp, judging by the blue uniform,”

“Yeah, I did, and I won’t be your prisoner for long.  I’ll always try and escape.  I will always fight to be free,” Ayden said.

The commander looked at him like he was studying him, then he pulled out his handgun and pointed it at Ayden’s head.  “Is that so?  You would rather die than work for us?  You would die to be free?” the commander asked.

“Yes I would rather die a free man than serve my enemy!” Ayden replied.

The commander cocked the gun and said, “bullet proof vests don’t work so well without the trauma plates.”

Ayden was puzzled.  “So what?  Not like it does me much good now.”

The commander looked at him, then said, “200 yards, that way,” he pointed.  “That’s where freedom lies for you.  There’s an outpost there, held by Montana.”

Ayden was confused.  Was he taunting him?  “Yeah, and I’m sure my friend made it,” he said.

The commander pulled his gun away, and said, “I don’t know what happened to your friend, but I can say you’ve got 30 seconds to run, and that’s it.  Then me and my men are going to use you for target practice.  Remember, that vest won’t take a high-powered gun.  Understand?”

Ayden was puzzled.  One of the other soldiers put his hand out to help Ayden to his feet.  Ayden stood up and looked at the commander.  “Why?  Why are you letting me go?” he asked.

The commander replied, “because I believe in freedom.  I am only following orders.  But if you happen to slip away, then its not my fault.  Now, you need to go.  Here,” he handed Ayden the hand gun.  It’s empty, but who knows, might be a good souvenir.”

Ayden took it and looked at the commander.  “Thank you.  Why not come with me?” he asked.

The commander laughed.  “Nah, I’ll stay here.  Maybe someday our paths will cross again.  If you guys do win, remember us, ok?”

Ayden nodded, then started walking away.  He looked back.  The soldiers were just watching him, so he kept going.  He got to the tree line and saw, 100 yards away, the Montana outpost.  He started running toward it.

Pain from his broken ribs shot through him like fire, but he was so happy.  He had made it!  He was safe!  He could get to them and find Amanda!  He saw some of the Montana soldiers spot him, and could see many more gathering, pointing at him.

He just ran at them.  Then he saw them raising their guns at him.  He looked back.  No one was following him.  Then he remembered he was wearing the blue uniform of the enemy soldiers, and holding a gun.

Before he could drop the gun and put his hands up he heard shots ring out and felt three hit him in the chest.  The force knocked him back onto the ground.  It took a second for what had happened to sink in.

He had been shot!  He tried to move but couldn’t.  He felt numb all over, then noticed that he could not hear his heart beat in his ears anymore.  He felt his arms and legs going cold.  The world was getting darker.  He tasted blood in his mouth.  The vest must not have worked, he thought.

He could barely open his eyes.  He looked up at the sky through slittted eyelids.  It was turning colors now from the setting sun, bright reds and oranges filled the sky.  He thought of how beautiful it was.  He wished he could just be up there, flying his plane, like nothing had happened.  All he went through, only to be shot by his own side.

He thought of Amanda and how he would never get to give her the camp fire he promised.  He thought of his family back home, of Will and the people from the camp.

His vision was fading.  He could hear the Montana soldiers walking up to him.  He let his eyes slide shut.  This was it, the end.  He felt calm, for some reason.  He just laid there and let the darkness cover over him.

He thought one last time of Amanda… and then nothing.

Epilogue

Ayden felt as though he was floating in nothingness.  His head was spinning with so many thoughts it was hard to keep track of any single one of them.  He remembered being shot and falling to the ground, and then everything went dark.

‘Am I dead?’ he wondered.  He could hear a sound, but It sounded so far away.  It was a beeping sound, but there was no clear direction that the sound was coming from.  Slowly the sound got louder and louder, then there was a sharp pain in his chest.  It startled him.

Now the sound was right next to him.  He slowly opened his eyes.  He was in a white room, and the beeping was coming from a machine next to him.  He saw numbers on the screen.

Confused at first, he started to put together where he was.  He must be in a hospital.  ‘But how?’ he wondered.  ‘I died!’

He tried to sit up but his ribs hurt, so he laid back down.  He heard foot steps approaching, then the door opened and there stood Will with a grin on his face.

“Hey, kid, you’re still with us!” Will said excitedly and walked over to Ayden.  “It’s good to see you awake!  You gave us a good scare back there.”

Ayden looked at him.  “How?  What happened?  How did you make it here?  Didn’t I die?  Where’s Amanda??” Ayden asked.  Will laughed and sat down on the edge of the bed, and took a bite of the untouched food that sat on a tray next to Ayden.

“Hold your horses!  I’ll explain everything soon enough,” Will replied.  “First off, after you guys took off in the jeep, myself and the others went over to the rest of the prisoners and we managed to get most of them in the troop trucks.  Then we took off after you guys.  Well, we must have gone down different roads.  We ran into a road block, and got split up,  but we managed to out run the other trucks.  We had to run on foot until we got to the line.

“I found someone in charge and told them you had good Intel that they needed, so a search and rescue party was formed to try and find you guys.  We looked at maps and found the road that we thought you might have taken.  We were at the line about a mile from where you were shot.

“We heard gun fire so we headed toward it, thinking it might be you and Amanda.  We ran into Amanda.  She said she was hurt but not too bad.  She told us what happened and we headed your way.  We saw you running like a mad man for the line.“

Will stopped and swallowed hard, then went on.  “Then we saw the troops at the outpost shoot you.  We ran for you and got to you just in time.  The vest took the shots, but the force stopped your heart.  Amanda gave you CPR and managed to bring you back to life.  We got you to this hospital and here we are now.”

Ayden sat there a minute, taking it all in.  “Where’s Amanda?” he asked.

“She’s downstairs,” Will replied.

‘Good,’ Ayden thought.  ‘She’s ok then.’  Out loud he asked, “so, how long was I out?  How’s America?”

“Only a day and a half.  Doc says your ribs are just cracked, that’s all, so that’s good.  As far as America, well, its still a stand-off.  The governor of Montana, Scott Walker, is the leader of Free America by a rushed vote, and the UNE, as it’s being called, the United Nations of Earth, is trying to have talks to make them give up.  Other then that I don’t know much.”

Ayden nodded.  Just then a doctor walked in.  “Ah, good, Ayden, you’re awake.  I’m Doctor Steve.  How do you feel?” Steve asked.

“Good, I guess.  A little sore.  When can I leave?” Ayden asked, never having been one for hospitals.

Steve laughed.  “Well, if this was normal times I’d keep you here a few days, but we need the bed space, so I’m hoping to have you out by nightfall.”

Ayden looked closely at him.  Steve sounded tired.  It looked like coffee was the only thing keeping him awake.  He took Ayden’s blood pressure and listened to his heart, then walked out of the room mumbling.  Ayden raised his eye brows and exchanged a look with Will.  “Well that was good, right?” Ayden asked.

Will laughed.  “At this point I’m not 100% sure!”

There was a knock at the door.  Ayden looked over at it and saw Amanda.  She ran in and hugged him.  “Ayden!  You’re awake!”

Ayden smiled and hugged her back.  “Yep.  It will take a lot more than that to stop me!” he joked.

Will rolled his eyes.  “Not a whole lot more, I’m sure!”  There was another knock on the door, and this time when it opened, a soldier stood in the doorway.  He looked at Ayden, Will, and Amanda.

“I’m Sergeant Marcus with the Free America Armed Forces.  I need to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind,” the soldier said.  Ayden nodded.  The soldier walked over, eyeing the rest of the food next to Ayden.

Ayden nodded toward the food.  “Want some?  I’m not going to eat it.”  The sergeant seemed happy to take it and he ate a few bites before he continued speaking.

“Sorry.  Food on the lines is hard to come by,” he said.  “So, I understand that you might know where some kind of stronghold is.”

Ayden looked at him and said, “yes, I think I do.  My stunt-flying squad was shot down over the mountains west of Boulder, Colorado.  I managed to crash-land in a lake and when I got to shore, there was a base dug into the mountain there.  They bombed the mountains around it to seal it off.”

The soldier looked at him closely then said, “We have Intel that they moved all of the ‘leaders’ of this now-UNE to a secured base in the mountains, and our info tells us it’s in Colorado.  Maybe you found it and that’s why they shot you down.”

Ayden thought about that.  He had been right.  His felt a tug at his heart for the needless deaths of his flying buddies.

“Can you find the way back to it?” the sergeant asked.

Ayden remembered the marks and the map he drew.  “Yes, I can. I made a map and marked the way.”

The solder looked excited.  “Good, good.  I’ll report all this to my superiors.”  He took one more bite of the food and left the room.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Amanda spoke.  “Can you tell them how to get back there, or do you have to show them?” she asked.

Ayden looked at her.  He could see the worry in her eyes.  He thought about it, but he knew that no one could find the map or the marks, or maybe it was that he didn’t trust anyone enough to find them.  “No, I don’t think I can.  I’d have to show them,” he said sorrowfully.

Amanda nodded slowly but didn’t speak.

“Well, I know the area, so if you have to go, I’ll just have to go with you,” Will said.  Ayden smiled.  He was glad Will would have his back.

The doctor walked back in.  “Ok, Ayden, can you stand up?” he asked.  Ayden, with the help of Amanda and Will, stood up.  It hurt life fire at first but after moving around a little he felt better.  He could walk on his own.

“Yeah, I’m good to go, doc,” Ayden said.

The doctor nodded and said, “ok, you can head downstairs to the front desk for check-out.”

Ayden followed Will and Amanda out of the room.  As he stepped into the hallway he was met with a sight he was not ready to see.  Injured people laid in the hallway, some with blood-soaked rags over wounds.  As they made their way through he could see the tired doctors trying to sort everyone out.  The most seriously injured first, then the least.

The sights and smells made Ayden’s stomach lurch, and he felt anger.  When they got to the stairs, Ayden looked back and said to Will, “they call this a better world?  I guess it’s only better if you do what they tell you to do.  Where’s the freedom in that?”

Will nodded, but didn’t say anything.  They made their way down the stairs.  Ayden felt every step in his ribs.  They got to the ground floor and the sight here was no different.  People laid everywhere.

Ayden felt Amanda’s hand grab his as they made their way forward.  They got to the front desk.  The two exhausted clerks working the desk took a few minutes to see them, and then one walked over.  “How can I help?” she asked politely, the weariness showing around her eyes.

“I’m here to check out,” Ayden said.

“Name, please?” she asked.

Ayden Sirrea,” Ayden replied.

The clerk nodded, and looked through her papers.  “Ah, here you are.  Letting you out so soon?” she asked, seeming kind of surprised.

Ayden replied, “yeah, they need the room and I can walk,” he said.  She nodded and wrote something down.

“Ok, I just need you to sign here,” she said, and handed the paper to Ayden.  He scrawled his name on it and gave it back to her.  She thanked him and they all walked outside.

Once outside Ayden looked around.  The sun was heading down.  There were no lights on around town, and very few people.  Flags hung from homes and buildings.  The city looked like it had taken a hard hit, but still stood.

A car pulled up in front of them and the sergeant who had visited earlier stepped out.  “Good, I got here just in time it seems.  I need you to come with me, Ayden,” he said.

Ayden looked at Will and Amanda.  “They’re coming with me,” he told the soldier.  “It’s not negotiable.”

The sergeant looked at him, then deciding that Ayden meant it, he nodded.  All of them got in the car.  Ayden sat by the window with Amanda next to him in the middle.  He looked out the window at they drove along.  Some homes were boarded up, and there was smoke hanging in the air.  He expected the people to be hiding but he saw people helping other people board up windows.

“Nothing like civil war to bring the people closer,” Will said.  Ayden nodded his agreement.

Soon they headed out of town and down a dirt road.  They came to a base with stone buildings.  It was flat here.  Ayden could see for miles.

The car stopped in front of a small building.  The soldier got out, and Ayden and the others followed.  The sun was setting now.  Ayden looked at it and smiled a little.

The soldier beckoned them to come into the building with him.  Ayden followed, with Amanda and then Will.  Once inside, the soldier opened a steel door and behind it was a stair case that went down.  Ayden stepped onto the stairs, following the soldier down.  They walked down for what felt like forever, then came to the bottom.

“Man, it must suck to walk that everyday to work!” Ayden joked.  Amanda and Will laughed, but the soldier, who must have to do just that, only gave Ayden a look.  They walked down a hallway, then came to a door at the end.  Two guards were standing by it.  The soldier typed a code into a panel then it scanned his eye and finger print.  The door made some loud sound, then opened.

Ayden followed the sergeant inside.  He was surprised at what he saw.  It was a huge room filled with computers and people.  A big screen on the far wall showed the Earth and America.  It was lit up in 2 colors, showing the free states and the rest of the country.

The soldier led them along a catwalk until they got to a room at the far end.  “Wait here,” he said, then he walked into the room.

Ayden looked around.  They stood there, not saying anything.  Soon the soldier came back.  “Ok, you‘re clear to go in.”

Ayden nodded and walked in.  He saw a desk with a man behind it, looking at some papers.  When Ayden got closer the man looked up.  “Ah, Ayden, right?  Good to finally meet you.  I’m Scott Walker, leader of Free America,” he said.

Ayden shook his hand.  “Good to meet you, sir.  These are my friends, Amanda, and Will.“

Scott looked at them and shook their hands.  “We’re pressed for time so I’ll just get down to it.  I’ve been told you found a base in the Colorado mountains, and we think that’s where the UNE leaders are hiding.  Do you think you know a way in?” Scott asked.

Ayden replied, “yes, sir, I made a map of how to get through the mountains, after they bombed them.  I also know of a tunnel that they used to stock it, and they didn’t bomb that.”

Scott said, “that’s great!  Can you give us the map or tell us how to get there?” he asked.

Ayden frowned.  “No, Sir, the map is hidden in the woods, outside of the town I got picked up in.  But even if I could tell someone where it was, they would never be able to follow it.”

The Governor looked thoughtful for a moment, then said,  “Ayden, I really don’t want to ask you this but we are running out of choices.  Soon the UNE will get enough backing to attack us.  Although we have the nukes, using them is a last resort.  It’s our shield for now, but sooner or later they will come at us with everything.

“You saw the hospital.  It’s going to get worse.  So, what I’m asking is that you go back there, with our top-trained squad.  If the world leaders are there, we can either hold them prisoner, or destroy the base.  Kill the snake by cutting off it’s head.”  Scott made a chopping motion with his hand.

As Ayden thought about this he felt Amanda’s had grab his and squeeze tight.  He looked at Amanda.  He could tell she was scared but that she was right there with him.  He looked over at Will and saw the fight in Will’s eyes.  He thought of all the people he had seen die.  Of the cities burning, and the people at the hospital.  He thought of all the pain that the UNE had caused so many people.  Ayden knew what he needed to do.

“Yes, sir.  I’m in.  When do we leave?”

The End

If you enjoyed this book, you may enjoy the sequel:

"Journey to Freedom: Fight of a Nation"

The first chapter is included below as a sample:

Journey to Freedom: Fight of a Nation

By Tristan Miske

Copyright April 2013

All rights reserved

Chapter 1

Ayden woke to the sound of his alarm clock.  He jumped up with a start at the sound and looked around.  He was in a small bunk room with only a  bed and a clock.  Through the one small window he could see a little sunlight coming in.  He relaxed a little bit and walked over to his boots.  He kept them ready at the foot of his bed.

It had been only 3 days since he had arrived at the base in Montana.  They had been working on the plan to get back to Colorado; to get to the base housing the top leaders of the new government.

Ayden tied his boots and walked out the door.  The wind was cold and the snow crunched under his feet as he walked.  Every morning he went for a run.  His ribs hurt but they had been getting better.  He coughed a few times and stopped walking to look around the base.

It didn’t look that big on the surface but underground it was a huge maze of tunnels and rooms.  He mostly stayed on the surface.  He could see the guards walking around, getting ready to switch shifts.  He walked over to the mess hall, and as he got close to the hall he saw Will walking in the door.  Ayden hurried to catch up to him and they walked through the door.

There was only a few people in the building.  He stood in line with Will. “Morning!” Ayden said.  Will looked over to him and nodded back.  He looked tired and worn out.  “You ok?” Ayden asked.

“Yeah, just a little tired.  Not sleeping good lately.  I don’t like just sitting here waiting,” Will replied.

“Well, don’t worry, I’m sure we will get our orders soon.  We just have to wait for them to finish up the plan.  I agree though, I don’t like just waiting around for something to happen,” Ayden said.

Will nodded, then looked around.  “Where’s Amanda?” he asked.

“She’s still asleep, I would guess.  She’s seemed tired too.  War must have that effect on people,” Ayden said, trying to lighten things up a little.

Will half nodded and handed Ayden a tray to put food on.  Well, we might as well eat, then maybe go check in with Amanda,” Will said.  They went down the line to get food.  It was not much; rice with bread.  They had been on rations to save food.  As they sat down Ayden looked at the little amount of food on his tray.  “Oh man, what I would give for some good ol fast-food right now!”

Will laughed a little.  “Well, kid, maybe if you turn yourself in the UNE will be happy to give you some for your last meal.”

Ayden smiled a little.  It hit him just how much it felt good to smile again.  Ayden was no soldier.  He was just a stunt pilot who got caught up in a war.  He wished it was all over already so he could just go back home and hang out with his friends and fly.  He thought of just how peaceful it really had been.  Everything he had thought would always be there seemed so far away, lost in a war.

“You going to eat that bread or what?” Will asked, interrupting Ayden’s thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m working on it.  Thought I would savor the taste” Ayden replied.

Just then 2 soldiers walked up to them.  “Sirs, commander Walker would like to see you both in the strategy center,” one of them said.

“Um, ok,” Ayden said after a moment.  He and Will stood up and started following them.  “Should we get Amanda?” Ayden asked Will.

Will thought for a moment.  “Nah.  We can let her sleep.  I’m sure it’s just some updates about the war anyways.”  Ayden nodded.  The war was at a standstill.  Both sides seem to have come to a stand off.  The 26 free states vs. the 19 UNE states, with 5 states having become the battlegrounds.

The soldiers lead them down into the base below.  As they walked down the countless tunnels, Ayden started to wonder how the soldiers even knew their way around.  Soon they came to a door.  One of the soldiers put his finger onto a scanner and then typed in a code.  The door buzzed, then unlocked.  As they stepped in Ayden saw computers lining the walls, with one big screen being projected on the wall.  It showed the states marked out, with the free separate from the others.

Ayden saw Scott standing in a group bending over a table with a map on it.  Scott looked up and nodded for them to come over.  “Will. Ayden.  Glad you could join us,” scott said.  They both nodded and looked at the table.  Papers were spread all over it.  Ayden looked back up as Scott went on.  “Ok, we have come up with a plan to get you as far as the foot hills of Estes Park.  We also have an army ranger team set up for you.  From there you will have to go on foot.  Will,  I’m sure you know the area well?”

Will nodded.  “Yeah, I grew up there, hunted the woods there, so I know my way,” he replied.

“Ok, good,” Scott said.  “Now, we have a diplomatic flight that we are allowed to fly above there.  It’s not our air space but we have agreed to have a talk with them so they are letting us fly on a course that will get us close.”

“Ok.  So, what, we jump out? “ Ayden asked.

“No, that wouldn’t work.  The plane we are sending is not set up to carry all the people we need to send, or to be jumped out of.  We have come up with an idea.  It’s risky but it will work.  How good are you at stunt flying?” Scott asked Ayden.

“I’m good enough,” Ayden replied, puzzled.

“Ok. We’re going to have you fly right under the other plane.  Hopefully it will throw off their radir enough to get you by.  Once you’re at the foot hills you’re on your own.  We have found a few good fields you can land in.  Won’t be smooth but it will work.

Ayden was already thinking of all the things that could go wrong.  The plane could hit turbulence and then both planes would come down.  That was his first thought.  “Okay, that all might work.  What other choice do we have?” Ayden asked.

Scott looked at him.  “None, really.  We have to get to the Boulder mountains.  If we can get in and find the leaders we might be able to end this.  We are out-numbered, and out-gunned.  The nukes are the last option it’s the only reason any of us are still here. I’d really like to not use them, but sooner or later something will change.”

Ayden though about that.  “Okay, let’s do it.  When is the plane leaving?

“In the morning, around 8:00.  We havet both planes heading here now so you can take a few test flights.   Ayden nodded and looked at will. Will looked at him a minute, then nodded. ‘Well, if this don’t work at least hes got my back‘, thought Ayden.  Out loud he said, “Okay, good, let’s get to flying.”

Ayden and Will were walked back to the surface.  After the soldiers walked away Will looked at Ayden.  “So, you think this will work?” he asked.

Ayden though a minute.  “Yeah, I think it will.  I mean, I know I can hold the plane steady, it’s just the landing that’s going to be hard.  Do you think you can really find your way to the mountains?” Ayden asked him.

“Yeah, I know I can, once we’re there.  From what you told me I think you get to do most the leading.”

Ayden nodded.  “I am going to go find Amanda and tell her what’s going on.”

“Okay, sounds good.  I’ll go see about getting us some gear for the trip,”  Will replied.

They parted and Ayden started walking to the bunkhouse that Amanda was staying in, he got to the door and knocked.  Amanda opened the door and let Ayden in.  “Hey, how are you doing? “Ayden asked.

“I’m okay, just tired.  How about you?” Amanda asked.

“Oh, I’m good.  You know the new diet plan I’m on is working great,” Ayden said trying to cheer her up.  He thought he saw a little smile but was not sure.  “So, um, they have come up with a plan,” Ayden said, sitting down on a chair.

“Really? What is it?” Amanda asked.

“Well, we’re going to fly in underneath another plane, and then land close to Estes park, then we will walk in from there.” Ayden told her.

Amanda nodded.  “Do I still get to go with you?” she asked.

Ayden thought about it, then nodded.  “It will be good to have an EMT around, in case someone forgets how to use a bullet-proof vest,” Ayden replied, trying again to get a smile.

Amanda nodded.  “Good/  I will be nice to see home again,” she said.  Ayden looked at her closely.  He could tell she was missing home and her family.

“Hey, don’t worry, I’l make sure you get home when this is all done.  I promise.”  That seemed to cheer her up a little.  “I have to go fly now.  Would you like to come?”

Amanda looked around.  “Well, it would be better then sitting here in this place with nothing to do.”

Ayden jumped up and grabbed her hand.  “Okay, good, let’s go!”  She seemed surprised but followed.  He was surpised at how excited he had gotten at the idea that he was going to get to fly again.  They went outside and started walking toward the air strip.

As they got closer he could see 2 planes sitting on the taxi way.  One was a two-engine plane, the other, a little smaller one-engine.  He guessed the smaller one would be the one they flew under the bigger one.  Of course it would not work if someone saw them but radar was all they were fooling.

He walked up to the plane, and saw the other pilots standing there.  “Hey, you must be Splash!  Name’s Adam, “one of the pilots put his hand out.

Ayden shook it.  “Splash?  What’s that about?” Ayden asked.

“Oh, we’ve have all heard about your last landing.  Ayden, the kid who splashed and dashed!” the pilot joked.

Ayden could not help but laugh a little, and he heard Amanda laugh also.  “Well, I walked away, right? “ Ayden replied with a smile.

The pilot nodded.  “That you did!  So, you ready to head up and try this out to see if it works?” he asked. Ayden nodded, then the pilot went on.  “Okay, so this two-engine is yours.  I’m guessing you have flown one before?”

“Yeah, a few times.  It’s not that hard,” Ayden replied.

“Well, let’s get up there and see what you can do, the pilot said.  Ayden walked over to the plane and got in.  Amanda took the co pilot’s seat.  Ayden heard over the radio that they were clear to take off.  He turned on the engines and felt the vibration in the control handle.  Just like when he was back in the shows, he checked the Ts and Ps.  Everything looked good.

He felt anxiety at being in a plane again.  As he was reaching to power the engines for take-off he felt a flash back to the crash and the explosions from being shot at.  Amanda touched his arm and he looked over.  “Are you ok Ayden?” she asked.

Ayden looked at her.  “Yeah, I’m good.  Just remembering who I’m fighting for,” he replied.  He pushed full power and felt the plane lurch forward, faster and faster until it got off the ground.  He felt the familiar feeling in his stomach.  He turned the plane until he was high enough, then leveled out.  He heard Adam over the radio.

“Okay, we’ve got to be careful not to get too close to the border.  Don’t want to get shot down.  We will head in state.  I’ve studied the flight plan for the mission, so I’m going to copy all the turns and ups and downs we will need to do, so just let me know when your safe under my plane” he said.

“Copy that, I see you now.”  Ayden moved his plane closer and closer, he could feel his plan shaking from the turbulence of the other plane.  He glanced over and saw that Amanda had a white-knuckle grip on her seat belt.  He looked back out the window.  “It’s going to be ok, don’t worry,” he said.

The planes were ten feet apart now.  He was right under the other plane.  “That should be good enough I would guess, right, Adam?  “ Ayden asked.

“Yeah, looked good, let me check with tower,” Adam said.  Ayden waited, then he heard the tower call.  “Yeah, you guys are good.  We only see one of you on the radar.”  Ayden sighed with relief.  He was glad they didn’t have to get any closer.

“Okay, I’m going to do some turns and stuff now.  We put small lights on the bottom of this plane so when you see them light up that means were turning, just like a turn signal,” Adam said.

“Copy that.  I’ll keep a look out,” Ayden replied.  He watched and saw a small LED light turn on, dimly, on the right.  He turned his plane as the other plane turned.  It was shaky at first but got easier after a few turns.  They flew around for an hour or so until both pilots felt good with this unique and somewhat hair-raising style of flying.

“Ok, well, I’ll head back to base now and see you on the ground,” Adam said and turned his plan back towards the base.

“See you down there.  I’m just going to fly a little more,” Ayden replied.  He looked out the window at the ground.  It was nice to be flying again.  He could just pretend that nothing had happened; that he was just flying over the fields back home.  He thought of all the times he had taken his friends up with him and how much fun they had.  He wondered what they were doing right now.  Were they all ok?  Were they joining the fight or just sitting, hoping everything would be ok?

A flash of light reflecting off the window from the sun made Ayden jump and it broke his train of thought.  He gripped the steering control tightly, trying not to think about he squad.

“Ayden, are you ok? “ Amanda asked.

“Um, yeah, I’m good.  Just remembering, that’s all,” Ayden replied.

“Ayden, its okay.  I know you lost friends.  It[s hard.  Will you be ok flying this mission?” she asked.

“Yeah, of course.  It’s what needs to be done.  I’ll be fine,” Ayden said.

Amanda looked at him for a minute, then nodded and looked out the window.  “So this is what you grew up doing?  Flying?” she asked.

“Yeah.  My dad was always flying when I was a kid so I just went with him a lot, and he showed me how to fly,” Ayden replied.

“Well, I think it’s beautiful being up here.  Everything looks so peaceful,” she said.

“Yeah, I love it up here,” Ayden said.  They flew in silence for a while, then the coms came on and said they were to come back to base for dinner.  Ayden turned the plan and flew back to the landing field.

After landing he got out and helped Amanda out of the plane.  They saw the rest of the pilots standing in the hanger so they walked over to them.  “Oh hey, Splash, good to see you landing this one up right!” one of them joked.

Ayden laughed lightly, then looked at Adam.  “So, are we all set for tomorrow?  What time do we leave?” he asked.

“Around 8.  Then you guys will have lots of time to find a place to set down and get into the woods before nightfall.  It’s going to be hard enough as it is,” Adam replied.

Ayden nodded.  “Well, we’re going to head back to the base and get some food.  I’ll see you tomorrow,” Ayden said.  Adam nodded, and Ayden and Amanda walked out of the hanger and back to base.

Once back at base they found Will in the mess hall.  He was sitting at a table reading a book.  “What you got there?” Ayden asked as he and Amanda sat down.

“A book,” Will said.

“Oh, really?  Is it a good book? “ Ayden asked.

“Yep,” Will replied.

“Would I like it?" Ayden asked, trying to get a little more out of will.

“Nope.  It’s not a picture book,” Will said with a slight smile.  Amanda and Ayden laughed.

“Well so much for our new book club then, if I would not like it!” Ayden said.

“So, what have you two been up to?” Will asked, putting the book down.

“We were seeing if flying under the belly of the bigger plane would work like we want it to,” Ayden replied.

Will nodded.  “Ah, good!  Did it work?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s going to work nicely.  Let’s just hope the rest of the mission goes as well,” Ayden replied.

“For now let’s just worry about dinner.  I heard that it’s going to be a good rice dinner,” Will said.  Ayden nodded.

“I’m going to go back to the bunk house and get a better jacket.  It’s getting colder,” Amanda said.

“Ok.  I’ll see you at dinner,” Ayden said.  Ayden watched her walk away.

“Cute girl, huh?” Will said watching Ayden.

“Yeah, she is,” Ayden said.

“You’re sure you want her on the mission?” Will asked.

Ayden though for a minute.  “I don’t think I would be able to tell her no.  She’s just as much a soldier as I am.  We’re not trained to fight a war.  We’re just two people that happen to be caught up in a war,” Ayden replied.

Will nodded.  “Training does not make a person a soldier.  It’s what they’re fighting for that makes them a soldier”

Ayden thought about that for a minute.  “Yeah, I guess you’re right, but training would help.” Then an idea hit him.  He had promised Amanda a campfire.  He looked at Will.  “Hey, do you think you could cover for me if I was to sneak away for a couple hours?”

“Um, yeah, I guess I could,” Will replied, surprised.  “What, you got a date?” he asked.

“Something like that.  I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” Ayden said as he got up and went for the door.

*** End of sample ***

Available from amazon.com at:

http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Freedom-Fight-Nation-ebook/dp/B00CHCAJ64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367430977&sr=8-1&keywords=tristan+miske