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colonypark · 2 years

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Chapter 2 Mercy

Colony Park

Chapter 2 “Mercy”

Michael and Sadie leaned over the floor in the mold scented basement of their decade long rental as they loaded the stacks of crisp bills into a large rucksack.

“What happens if someone tries to take this from us?”

“Why would someone know we had this money? You plannin’ on tellin’ someone?” Michael couldn’t help but pick on Sadie. After all she had been not only his wife, she had also been the only person he ever confided in.

“I’m not going to tell anyone but you.” Sadie returned the favor.

“Your not going to tell your mom?” Michael continued in his playful banter.

“Not even my mother.”

“Good, cause loose lips sink ships.”

Michael’s face became straighter as his eyebrows lowered back towards the bridge of his nose. “You do know that from here on out it may be a little different than the world you know. My intention is not to scare you, and I could be one thousand percent wrong, but if I am only 50 percent right, you need to hear what I am saying. I need you to take it in and store it deep in your mind.”

Michael paused as if he were trying to find the least alarming way to relay the information she needed. As he was rummaging through his mind trying to find the words, Sadie put her hand on his.

“It’s going to be okay Michael. I’m not scared, you can tell me.”

Michael looked into her green eyes that he had fallen in love with. “Everything can kill you from here on out. Every person we come across we will need to be concerned about. Every road we travel will need to be the least traveled to avoid any nomadic looters.”

Michael took a slow deep breath and looked over to the pantry they had already packed away into the trailer. “Food is a lifeline. With all the politicians gone we need to move fast. 60% of the population depends on food stamps to eat. 85% of people in our city specifically. We have half a trailer of food with Four lives that mean everything in the world to me.”

“Four lives? Oh, stop it!” Sadie tapped on Michael’s bicep.

“Well, it’s gonna take more than me to keep the 5th one alive. Sadie, I need you to take this.”

Michael reached to his waste and unstrapped his belt.

Michael began to help put the belt and holster onto Sadie.

“You need to take this, belt and all. Thank you for putting jeans on by the way. They look good on you.” Michael had that smirk again.

“Where is the safety?” Sadie asked as she recalled the previous rounds of live fire exercises Michael and her would practice relentlessly.

Always sure to remind her, “I am only as strong as my weakest link. If you don’t know how to shoot, I don’t know how to shoot. If you don’t know how to run a mile, I don’t know how to either.”

Michael pointed to the safety sticking just at the top of the holster, “It’s just below the back of the slide. See that switch right there.” Michael pointed to the safety sticking just at the top of the holster.

“What does red mean again?”

“Hot, hot, hot.”

“The weapon is always what?”

“Loaded, Loaded, Loaded.”

“Leave the weapon hot at all times, Your finger is the safety. Remember there are no accidents, there is only negligence. Do not let this out of your sight and always keep it on you. We’ll get your AR figured out when we get to the park.”

“Wait, you want me to be G.I. Jane?” Sadie couldn’t help but laugh at the idea.

“Well, if you want to watch me have no help trying to take on six guys by myself, lose and then you get raped to death in front of our kids, then be my guest and don’t carry anything.”

It took a second for the words to hit Michael’s ears. Those very words he spoke had already been processed by Sadie.

“You asshole, I’ll carry the gun.” Sadie scowled

“Thank you love.”

“Why are you laughing?”

Sadie looked over to Michael who was doing his best not to laugh. Doing his best to avoid a scorned wife. How could he though? Laughing is as normal as a breath is to the lung. As uncontrollable as the natural inclination to the breathing process itself.

Michael looked over to Sadie, “It’s not like you give me any better odds against the six.”

“Not funny Michael. I’ll shoot you after I kill all six of them myself.” Sadie yelled

“Oh Darlin, say it again. I ain’t never been so turned on.” Michael said to Sadie as he smacked her on the butt chasing her up the stairs and out the side door that was at the top of the steps.

Hey that ruck goes in the bed of the truck on your side. It’s waterproof, strap it down with those bungies. Let’s go through the check list.” Michael reached into the side pocket of the truck door pulling out a three-ring binder.

After a five-minute run through of the load plan, Michael and Sadie loaded into the truck and headed out to pick the boys up from Grammies.

“Can I ask you something?” Her eyes fixated out the window.

“yes.”

“Please tell me we have food.”

“We have enough for 3 years. Ain’t no one gonna starve, but the bad news is they are MRE’s.”

“Do you see those lines at that store over there?”

Two cop cars were parked at the entrance of the grocery store they would frequent. That same grocery store they would never go to again. Lines of cars aligned one right after the other waiting to enter the parking lot. Those hundreds of cars led to a serpentine line of people. Man, woman, and child.

“Those poor mothers.” Sadie said

“Darlin, life is going to be hard on everyone from here on out. Have faith my love. If not in God, then have faith in me.” Michael smiled at Sadie quickly glancing over at her.

“I want to know that the boys will be fed. We need to eat and some of those people in there were fighting already.”

“Yeah, I saw it too. Up by the door. I don’t know why those cops are even working today. You didn’t notice the gas stations, did you?” Michael signaled with his hand over to a fuel station.

“Out of fuel.” Sadie read the banner hanging over the sign where the fuel prices were usually displayed.

“That’s the fifth gas station with the same sign since we left the house. We ain’t been but Three miles. I can’t imagine the next three are gonna look any better. Do You have that gun I gave you?” Michael pointed at his firearm just below the ignition by his knee.

“Yes, I got mine.” Sadie answered as she pointed at the location of hers.

“Good. Do you remember everything we went over.”

“Yeah, I think.”

“You’ll be fine. Remember you need to be conscious of what’s behind the target. It could be me.” Michael said.

“Okay.”

“You are going to be fine Sadie. I know you are nervous. You are trained for this. In fact, trained by one of the best if I say so myself.” Michael pointed at himself as Sadie joined him in laughter.

“If anything happens stay loose and let your training kick in. We practiced holstering and you continue to practice. With all the drills we have ran through, You know more than your average enemy. Have faith in yourself the way I have faith in you and you will have no need to shake.” Michael pointed to Sadie’s hands.

“They are not shaking because I am scared for myself. They are shaking because I am scared for our boys.”

Michael smiled as he glanced again over to Sadie, “That’s because you’re a true patriot. Those people you saw on those videos. Those people looting and stealing. They took their pain and gave it to hate. They gave it to envy and selfishness. You on the other hand you took your most recent pain and gave it to empathy, compassion, and the thought of another.”

Michael took a second to think and continued, “The most Nobel of men are those who plant a tree knowing they will never enjoy it’s shade. You need to know that we will only be able to do so much. The best thing we can do is do our part to give them a head start. Make sure they get further than we did.”

“I know, you’re right.” Sadie put her head down in her hands and began crying.

“I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Michael placed his hand onto her back and began to rub.

“I am so sorry my love. If it makes you feel any better, I am guessing as I go too. It is not necessarily the worst thing. In fact, I would say it’s really what we do any time we do anything at all. I mean, if we make a choice, it is our most current set of information that determines the outcome. And if that is the case than its always a guess because we never have the information that we would have after the event. If we did, I am sure that added information would be the only way for us to not guess our way through life.”

“You are such a nerd.” Sadie laughed as she began to wipe her tears from her eyes.

“Guess what” Michael said

“what”

“We’re here.”

“You ready?” Michael asked.

“Doesn’t matter my moms walking down the drive way right now.”

Sadie opened the door and walked over to meet her mother.

“Hello Sadie. Hello Michael” Fay coldly looked over to Michael

“Hello Fay. Thank you for watching the boys. You really did us a favor.”

“Don’t mention it. I love hanging out with my little ones.”

“Is Jason here?” Michael asked.

“Yeah, he’s inside on the couch again. Beers are in the fridge.” Fay signaled to the front door.

As Michael walked into the same house he had every holiday for the last 11 years it always brought the thought of how much different Sadie and him were. Sadie had been raised in this house from the time she was 5 years old until the day Michael stole Sadie’s heart from her dad.

Sadie’s mom and dad provided an upper middle-class lifestyle. There home surrounded by well off people in a more rural type of neighborhood when Sadie was a child. As she grew the neighborhoods became denser.

Michael grew up in a neighborhood as opposite to Sadie as night is to day. Any lifestyle provided by either of his parents would have been better than what they did provide. His father was absent and his mother remarried the first available man to help her out of her 4 kids and no prospect situation. No concern for anyone but herself she abandoned her kids unlike there father were she would disappear every day rather than one and done like him.

Sadie’s parents were unbroken. They were mended together by 50 years of trials and tribulations. A remarkable feat in Michaels eyes. No matter what their political differences were, Michael had a great deal of respect for not only Sadie’s parents, but Sadie’s entire family. They all did their jobs and that’s all Michael ever wanted from anyone.

Michael’s house was where-ever they had not been evicted already. His earliest memories after leaving their military home in Jacksonville, Florida were Battered women’s shelters throughout the city. His grandparents eventually picked him and his siblings up. They spent the next couple years in the home of there great grandparents while their mom figured out her situation. By time she had married, they were back in the home. Stable for a few years till she created a resentment with her new husband which led into his relationship with Michael and his siblings.

Neither Jason nor Faye knew this about Michael. Michael confided only in Sadie. She was his rock, his savior, His safe place. If Not for her he probably would have ended up like Jason’s brother after the war. A lonely, miserable drunk till the day he took his last sip.

“Hey Jason, how are you.” Michael called to Jason

“Hey Michael, good, how are you?”

“I’m good, I grabbed you a beer.” Michael said as he walked around the couch and handed it to Jason.

Michael already noticed what was on the T.V. and he was already preparing his evasive conversation.

“I didn’t want to pick up the kids without thanking you before we left to get to the new place.”

“Oh you don’t have to thank me. Faye did all the work. I was only here to be the jungle gym.” Jason responded with the same straight and narrow face he usually wore.

“Well, I hope they didn’t go too hard on you. They are getting so big now.”

“No problems here. Just make sure you guys bring them by every now and again. How far away is the trailer park you’re moving to.” Jason asked as he drew out the word trailer.

Michael ignored the location of the emphasis, “It’s not far, about 50 miles out. Once you get on 14 it’s smooth sailing for you.”

Michael wanted to give the impression that they need to come see them. The home they were moving from was about 6 miles from them now and they visited there home a total of 3 times in 8 years. Michael didn’t think it would be any more likely once they moved from a house to a trailer.

Michael did not want confrontation, so he added after the overly extensive delay for a response, “It really is a nice park. Not really what you would think of when you hear the word trailer park.”

“Yeah, what’s different about these tin cans from others?”

“They have land.”

“What is so important about land?”

“You can grow on it, have chickens, be somewhat sustainable. I have always envied your lot and I need to have more land than what we have now.” Michael could see himself about to defend his position, so he reluctantly withheld his next sentence that was going to lead to a horrible political fight.

“Why do you need land so bad that you are willing to take my daughter away from us again.”

Michael stood there for a second weighing his options in his mind. Michael’s temper was so bad he knew keeping his emotions under control would be the number one goal. He also knew that sometimes Sadie’s dad needed to get a horn. I can handle this Michael said to himself in his head.

“Sir, you know I love your daughter. I have not always been the man I need to be for her, but you don’t know the man she is with now. The man she was with before, that you rightfully dislike, died a long time ago. I know that I have created this gap in between us all those years ago, and I can’t undo it. I can only break my back being a better man than I was yesterday. Your daughter will eventually have the man she deserves, and I hope to be that man.”

Michael, with water in his eyes, began to pad them dry with his shirt sleeve as he walked back out the front door.

“Ms. Faye, thank you again for watching the boys. I hope you and Jason can find some free time to come see us. If not we’ll see you guys at Christmas. Darlin, we gotta go, I really don’t want to unpack at night.”

Michael looked over to the boys, “Alright you little monsters, get in the car.”

Logan, Levi, and Lucas all piled up into the truck quickly searching through the controls of the DVD player.

Sadie and Faye said their goodbyes as her and Jason waved to us while standing on the porch as we backed down the driveway. Jason looking just as stone faced as Faye.

“Alright boys, new home we are bound.” Michael said to the boys in the back seat who were already deep into their movie playing on the DVD. Headphones drowning out mom and dad’s voice.

“Sadie, I don’t think they are gonna come see us.”

“Of course they will, don’t be silly. Why would you think they won’t come see us.”

“I tell you all the time, they don’t like the fact that I don’t show off like the rest of your family. They don’t realize that I have never had this much in my entire life. Perspective is everything and they don’t have any. They see nothing, and I see everything. I have a bed Sadie, if all I had were a bed with a frame rather than a sheet and a pillow tucked in the corner of a living room that would be all I ever need with materials.”

Sadie could see Michaels eyes tearing up.

“I wish you never walked into the garage that day.”

“You shut up right now Michael. Your boys need you. I need you. Need I remind you what you told me about your friend. It’s selfish to give your pain to everyone else.”

“I know, I know. I don’t know what I must do for them to forgive me. It was you that I hit not them.” Now the tears were beginning to drop from where they were building.

“I am so sorry Sadie. I never meant it. I have no excuse for what I did and it makes me want to die. Every time they show their hatred for me its like hitting you all over again.”

“Michael, you must stop, that was years ago. We did go through some stuff and what you did to me was wrong, but I already forgave you. You have came so far and I am not going to lie to you. When you told me you were gonna kill the old you, I thought once a hitter, always a hitter. You didn’t though. You stayed true to your word. It was the second promise you made to me and the first one I looked forward to.”

Michael whipped his eyes a little bit still avoiding eye contact, “What was the first promise?”

“You said you would never leave. Once you hit me, I feared that promise. It was the first thing that came to mind right after. I never saw you lie to anyone, and you had never lied to me. You have always been a man of your word.

She took a break to see if Michael was going to add more to the conversation. Once she saw he was content on silence she added, “You are 100% not the same person you were. If they don’t know that yet, well fuck them.” Her volume fell off as she finished the sentence.

“Your parents love you. They are right to be mad. Most day’s I think you’re wrong for staying with me.”

“I am not going anywhere. You are a good man who was going through something bad. Who still goes through your issues. You have grown, we have grown. You are a good father, and your boys love you so much.” Sadie continued to reassure him.

Michael looked back to Sadie and waited for her eyes to meet his, “I don’t deserve you. There has got to be a God and you are my angel.”

#colonypark #chapter2 #dystopian writing #Chapter series #political fiction

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365runesoftheamalgamations · 2 years

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The Not Yet Abandoned Works pt.5

Photo by Isaac Mehegan on Unsplash

welcome to the pages of our Creation

Introducing the Vagabond Child,

Initial Concept:

It had been a while since the Incident. Not many people came by anymore, no one daring to venture into the wilderness that had taken over their utopia. Those who did manage to get out of the beds and away from their homes were Scavengers, ghosts in search of the glory of the Old Days. ~ dystopian, survival, speculative fiction, low fantasy ~ third person, present tense ~ environmental devastation, hopeless future, strangers to guardian/charge, hope in the hopeless, found family

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World:

Kliomela, the World of the Broken Moon Ravaged by environmental disaster and Humanity's destruction, Kliomela is a dying World full of the devastated Lands and people. Most await the end of the Worlds, when finality comes, and others seeming scavenge, looking for the memories of the times before the World was destroyed. Trogas, the Scavenger's Fields The graveyard of what was once Humanity's domain, Trogas is the personification of their destruction. Holding most of the Lands hostage under the trash piles of forsaken History, it is known as the Scavenger's Fields. Many people dig through the ruins, hoping to find something to take with them to the grave.

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Magicks:

The Knowledge of the Observers: Created by the Three themselves and blessed by Time, the Observers hold the Knowledge of the Worlds within their mind. Having the ability to note every whisper of Beings and Beast, they hold Knowledge without spoken thought. The Tenderness of the Herbalists: Blessed by the Ancients and given the Nature, Herbalists hold the abilities to manipulate the Lands. Holding a Connection to Nature that most cannot replicate, they give themselves to the plants and animals and bodies and Worlds.

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Societies:

The Scavengers: Those who hold nothing but quiet resignation in the ending of their World, the Scavengers are those who simply wander through the fields, collecting relics and surviving until they expire. The Lost: Nothing more than breathing corpses, the Lost are those who were destroyed along with the World. Either abandoning the World for the fantasies of their minds, or lost when the World ended, the Lost hold nothing in reality. The Ignorant: Ignoring the Realities of the World and pretending the past is now, the Ignorant show the delusional foolish endeavors of those who hold nothing but their memories and the forsaken Histories.

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Characters:

The Man: World worn and forfeiting the hope of better days and Salvation, the Man is a Scavenger who simply wanders through the days, awaiting the end that will come either from his body or the World. The Child: Found and rescued by The Man and given new meaning as a Scavenger, the Child is silent and observing. More than intelligent and with something greater than the need or the desire to survive, she holds a light inside her that not even the dying World would be able to extinguish.

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Status:

Currently scene drafting and figuring out how the story will be told. Everything is leaning towards it being shorter scenes and little drabbles, more in a timeline order but being able to stand alone by themselves.

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Snippet:

Small tears, barely there, start to stream down her face, puddling near her ears as her breathing slowly begins to hitch. He hands grip the blanket tighter and even her body seems to start to curl in. Nightmares, or memories, neither too good by the looks of it. He waits for a minute, before he moves. He wipes away the tears, moves a gentle hand across her face before settling it on her head and patting it gently. A few more hiccups escape before the child calms, before her body relaxes, before the only sounds is a soft rustling as he runs a hand over her hair. He stops only after her face smooths out completely, only after the last of the nightmares leave and her tears finally recede. He sighs, gives her one more look before laying down himself, his back touching the hard mattress and his eyes catching the night sky. The stars don’t shine anymore, they simply glow, small dots of a past long abandoned. The moon, hovering close and breaking apart, glows a dull hue, no longer able to shine like it once did. But he doesn’t mind, not when the child moves, unconscious desire pulling her closer to him where she settles, small hands gripping him instead of the blankets. He sleeps, huddles close to the child, waits for a day that may not come.

#tumblr writers #amwriting #writeblr introduction #wips intro #works in progress #The Vagabond Child #dystopian writing #survival #writing snippets #vagabond.child

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nathanielconnors · 1 year

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The world I picture in Evolution A200.

#dystopia #zombie apocalypse #end of days #dystopian world #dystopian writing #dystopian art

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distinguishedgentlemanswritings · 2 years

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Part 3

Series Masterlist

We're back again! So in this part we're going to introduce the main theme of this story, it was alluded to in the last part but only slightly so I'll be establishing some parameters of it here. But there will be more to be revealed.

Enjoy :)

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The walk back was slow, mainly down to Will, despite the shock and pain having ebbed away, they were still shaky. Maybe they were subconsciously delaying Ana seeing them like this.

As they approached the house, Will spotted Ana sat on the step outside the house, but just barely as the streets out here didn't have lights anymore. Her shadow gave her away, cast by the warm light emanating from the kitchen. Soon she also spied them, standing up, tugging her shawl around her shoulders tighter and waiting for them to come closer.

Ezekiel and Hunter went silently in the door, leaving the pair outside. When Will came into the light, shining through the window, Ana gasped softly.

"Are you okay?" They nodded slightly, because they were, it could've been a lot worse. At least they were here and not in a cell. "Sore?" She asked softly, noticing the way they leant on one leg more than the other, the way they avoided moving their head too much. "Go upstairs," she told them, and silently they obeyed. Everyone was in the kitchen, Ezekiel sat at the island with Emily on his lap, Hunter digging into the food in the pot on the stove. Will moved passed all of them and made their way upstairs and into the bathroom.

Ana remained outside alone for a short moment before going into the kitchen.

"What happened to them?" She asked, looking - no glaring - at Ezekiel.

"They helped me," Hunter answered, setting the lid back on the pot. "They didn't need to, shouldn't have done it. But you know how they get."

"It was a quick scuffle. Sh-they got thrown about a bit but they're fine." Ezekiel took over, but the anger didn't leave Ana's face.

"Like Hunter said, you know how they get," it was Emily who spoke next, the logical older sister Ana didn't need the input of.

"Never again, Ezekiel. They aren't doing this for you again." Ana said, her voice stern, scarily quiet for her angry disposition. Without a response she went upstairs.

"You're in big trouble, Ez," Emily said, he nodded in response and pulled her closer. "It'll be worth it." He muttered.

"Best had be," Hunter butted in as he left, loudly shutting the door to his room.

Upstairs, Ana was in their bedroom, a book open on their desk, beside it a small collection of candles and a mortar and pestle. She spent a small about of time combining herbs, checking the book frequently for what to do. Will's handwriting could be hard to read. Eventually she was pretty sure she was done so gathered up the candles, the mortar and some towels before joining Will who was still in the bathroom.

They were sat on the ground, leaning against the bath. Their coat and scarf dumped on the ground behind the door. Ana slid into the room, shutting the door behind her and placing the items down, candles on the window sill, mortar on the side of the bath, and towels on the hooks on the back of the door.

"I think I did it right," she said as she added a small amount of water to the dry ingredients, creating a paste. "You're so much better at this." Will scoffed slightly, causing Ana to turn and look at them as they clicked their fingers. "Yeah I guess you can do what I do either." She mused before turning back around and lighting the candles, no matches or lighter needed. As she clicked her fingers sparks appeared, keeping her thumb and index together kept the flame alive. She lit the candles laid out on the ledge, parting her fingers and the flame vanished.

The room felt cosy with the warm light of the candles, and even warmed up slightly. Ana leant over Will to put the plug in the bath, and turn the taps on. She then knelt down in front of Will, bringing the mortar with her and placing it on the ground. Will looked over at her, the exhaustion clear across their face, high intensity situations were not a thing they handled well. A three day nap would solve everything but that wasn't an option.

"Come on, clothes off," Ana said, reaching for the hem of their jumper. Will sat mostly still, allowing Ana to move them as needed to strip them down to their underwear. Bruises were starting to form across their skin, painting their arms and back in faint blues and purples. The colours wouldn't have the chance to develop further. "May I?" Ana asked, gesturing to the wraps around Will's chest and they nodded slightly. A benefit of Ana's inclination was that their hands were never cold, her hugs were warmer. It was true of both the sisters, it makes sense that people like Will and Ezekiel gravitated towards them.

Soon the wraps sat in a pile by the rest of Will's clothes, and Ana settled, cross legged, in front of Will, the mortar in her lap. Will glanced at the stone bowl, contemplating for a moment before reaching into the bath behind them, which was slowly filling, and scooping out some of the water. They added the water to the bowl and Ana chuckled softly, not saying anything as she mixed the concoction. She gathered a small amount on her fingers and reached over, starting to spread it over the faint bruises on Will's right arm, clearly the one they had landed on more heavily.

As the mixture was layered across Will's skin, the soothing warmth of it began to relax their muscles and they allowed their head to lean back against the bath. The feeling wasn't as intense as Will had intended the recipe to be but it worked and they were grateful for it. After covering their arms in the stuff Ana gently brushed some over the graze on their chin, and a bruise that was forming on their forehead.

"You really took a tumble, didn't you?" Ana muttered softly as she pulled away, Will just nodded as they sat up and turned around, resting their forehead on the edge of the tub. She continued to spread the mixture across their back, rubbing it gently across their shoulders.

Eventually the bowl was empty and placed in the sink, the bath was also full so the taps were turned off. The pair sat in silence for a short while, Will just wanting to bask in the relief Ana's handy work.

About half an hour had passed before the silence was broken. Ana stood up, checking the temperature of the water in the bath before saying, "come on, let's get you in." Will opened their eyes and looked up at her, staring in silence for a few seconds before standing up. After removing their last item of clothing they slowly stepped into the bath, assisted by Ana as their legs were still shaky. They sat down, hugging their knees slightly as Ana knelt down, retrieving a jug from under the sink.

The rest of the process was conducted in silence. Ana gently washed away the now dry herb remedy, which also washed away the blues and purples that had marred Will's skin.

The bath was drained and rinsed as Will stepped out, wrapping a towel around themselves and began drying. Ana sat on the side of the bath, watching quietly as they pulled their clothes back on and bundled their coat and wrappings in their arms. They turned to Ana, taking a short few steps to be closer to her and pressed their forehead against hers.

"Better?" Will nodded.

They pulled away and Ana stood up, extinguishing the candles before they made their way out of the bathroom and into their bedroom. Will hung their coat and scarf and stashed the wrappings away in the wardrobe. Ana pulled a cardigan out and traded it for the shawl still draped around them, and Will pulled on a second jumper.

"You need to eat," she said, heading back towards the door and Will suddenly became aware of their stomach rumbling. They both headed down the stairs and into the kitchen, which was now only occupied by Hunter. He was serving himself another portion of the stew on the stove, but this time he had served it up in a bowl, and there were slices of crusty bread on the side, which he had found in the oven.

He looked up when he heard them both enter, a smile appearing on his face.

"Thought you two would be down soon," he said, presenting an extra two bowls he had poured out and placing them on the island. He moved his own bowl over, along with the slices of bread and the three sat down together.

"Feeling better, kid?" Hunter asked just before he shoved stew into his mouth. Will nodded. "We shouldn't need to worry about them coming after us, if we'd stayed in Clarrent street then maybe but we're way too far away for them to bother coming."

"Someone could be coming after you?" Ana questioned as Will tucked into their dinner.

"Well no but I had security come after me. Will tackled him," Ana shot a glare at Will but they didn't react, too focused on the stew. "But it's fine, why would they bother?"

"I guess only Ez knows the answer to that," she muttered bitterly, which did catch Will's attention, but only for a second.

When they had all emptied their plates, Hunter stood up, collecting the dishes from the table and depositing them in the sink.

The tranquil silence was interrupted suddenly by a band of heavy footsteps coming up the street. Ezekiel came bounding down the stairs, taking two at a time, and Emily followed close behind.

Will and Hunter put themselves between Ana and the door, Ezekiel grabbed her arm and pulled her towards her sister. Emily grasped onto her and they stood in the doorway, watching and waiting as the others were.

For a while it was quiet, slight shuffling heard out in the streets, voices so quiet the words were undiscernible. Soon the footsteps moved into the porch. Will quickly glanced back, hoping Ana and Emily had gone upstairs but obviously they hadn't. They looked back towards the door, fists clenched, their legs sturdy beneath them once again.

There was a slight rattle against the door, then silence. Hunter slowly stepped towards it, but Will grabbed his arm, holding him back and pulling his attention from the door. As soon as Hunter's eyes were on Will the door violently swung open and the room was flooded with uniformed bodies.

The trio all leapt to action as the sisters went hurriedly up the stairs. They were quickly overpowered, with three officers for each of them. The scrapping didn't last long, Ezekiel was pinned into a corner by three men, Hunter was on the ground with two on top of him, and Will was pinned against the island, their arms pinned behind their back. They all continued to struggle, Hunter earning a kick to his ribs as a result, and another man walked in. He glanced at the tablet in his hand and looked at the three people they had restrained.

"That one," he stated, gesturing to Will. This caused Hunter and Ezekiel to pile all of their energy into getting up but it was no use. Will was dragged away from the table and out of the house. They had no energy to fight, even if they did it would be pointless. The officers took them to where a van was parked just down the street. They were cuffed and loaded into the back of the van, along with three officers. The van's engine started silently and moved off, back towards the city.

The officers that remained in the house kept the other two restrained until they were given the all clear. That Will had been transported away. They got up and left the house, climbing into the second van that was waiting.

Almost instantly Ana and Emily could be heard rushing down the stairs. Ana frantically looked around, tears welling in her eyes when she couldn't see Will.

"What did you do!" She screamed, throwing herself towards Ezekiel, who had managed to stand up, and pounding her fists against his chest. Hunter was the next to move and he quickly subdued Emily, hugging her tight to his chest, which she resisted for a moment before collapsing against him in streams of tears. Emily hurried over to Ezekiel, who quietly muttered, "I'm fine." To which she nodded and then took his chin in her hand, turning his head to see the bruise along his jaw.

By now Hunter and Ana were on the floor, his arms wrapped around her more gently now, rocking slowly back and forth. He looked up at Ezekiel, and his voice came out calm.

"What did you do?"

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And that's part 3 for you!

I'm itching to write part 4 already so it shouldn't be far behind.

till next time x

#writblr #writing #original writing #short story #feedback?#lgbt #advice #fantasy writing #dystopian writing

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opens-up-4-nobody · 1 year

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Once I was scrolling thru naruto fics and saw the tag "buisnessman!Kakashi" and all I could think about was Kakashi being a child businessman, owning all the konoha adults at doing business while wearing an oversized suit and tie. That idea is so fucking funny to me.

#obito: that kakashi! hes always showing me up by getting better deals than me >:-(#also just the idea of lil child Kakashi showing up at a business meeting and sealing the deal with an outline written in adorablly childish #handwriting. written in crayon lol #call this the naruto businessman au #every ninja is a business person and it exactly parallels canon. that is my dream #sealed inside naruto is the partial spirit of the ultimate buisnessman but its too powerful and everyones afraid #fucking hashirama's face on the wall as the company founder lmao rip madara: fuck this company ur brother embarrassed my brother so bad #at deal making that he died. im gonna tear it all down. face me hashirama! deal for deal. ill become the ultimate businessman ill control #the world and put an end to all this business!#oh got its so weird like the founders waterpark au that i also keep deep in my heart #anyway this is weird wtf am i doing. procrastinating and its like almost 11 i should keep writing or go to sleep lol #but wait: 10 years ago the spirit of a ferral businessman was unleashed upon this building. there was no stopping him. his charisma was #unmatched. his expense reports! his terrible otherworldly expense reports! he was too efficient! he fired half the staff! the spirit of #that buisnessman is sealed inside of u naruto. thats why theyre so afraid of u. and then cut to naruto in an oversized buisness suit #looking shocked. aw iruka as a daycare working. cute #anyway this is fucking dystopian lol #unrelated #naruto ramblings

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thingsthatcometomymindwheniwrite · 8 days

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writing tips blogs: “to make your character feel real and relatable you need to take a little from them.”

dystopian writers: “On it boss!” *turns to main character and points at them with a pencil* “No bitches, no family, no limbs, no hope, no healing, no rest, no peace, no clue, no wisdom, no help, no freedom, no redemption, no happy end, no comfort, no safety, no food, no mercy, no dignity, no conclusion, no impact, ONLY WAR.”

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troythecatfish · 5 months

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( Well Written ) dystopian worlds are NOT actually attempting to predict the future, They are a critiques of the present.

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thoughtportal · 1 year

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happen-allow-many-else · 2 days

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#acnl #nope #anabella carrasco #wiccan #zoro #owlboy #johnny suh #writing tips #nogizaka46 #dystopian #dean winchester smut #tatoos #kuroo tetsurou

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best-lot-power · 6 days

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#wiccan #owlboy #writing tips #dystopian #poetry #tatoos #noah schnapp #kuroo tetsurou #natalia andreeva #on my block #lgbtq positivity #nct dream smut #outdoor #dirk gently #wildflowers

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colonypark · 2 years

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Colony Park Chapter 1: The Move

Colony Park

Chapter 1: The Move

BY: Christopher Lane

“Sadie, we’re moving. We should have left the last time I brought it up.” Michael said.

“What are you talking about? What’s wrong this time?” Sadie answered.

“My love, we need to get the boys and we need to pack all that we are going to need in less than 24 hours. I am not sure how long we will have till they close the banks. Lucky for us, I can’t help but prepare. I put some cash inside a wall in the basement.”

“Wait you hid money? Where?” Sadie asked Michael.

“Out of everything I said, all you heard was I hid money in the basement?”

“How much money?” Sadie asked.

“It’s enough for us to get into that trailer park sooner than what we were already intending. We need to go over there and sign some papers, I told them I was not sure which one you would want, but they have quite a few available.” Michael said.

“What do you think is going to happen if we don’t leave? I don’t get why we need to leave. We have been here for 10 years. Our boys have spent most of their lives in this house.” Sadie said

“Darlin, please, I am not a fortune teller. Anything I say about what could happen would be nothing more than a guess. I don’t know what exactly is going to happen, I just know that I am way beyond my comfort level to be where we are now. We need to go my love. It’s not safe here anymore. I promise this is not another PTSD thing. This is the current reality we are in. Unfortunately, this is not a flashback.” Michael said

“Alright, we’re packing, but I want you to keep telling me what’s in your head. Should I call my parents to watch the boys?” Sadie asked.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Let them know were moving out to South Byron to that trailer park we had talked to them about before. Be quiet about our real reasons though. You know your parents are not going to believe what’s going on and I don’t have the time or desire to convince them into reality. If they don’t know by now, they will never know.” Michael answered.

“Michael, I don’t even know what’s going on. I never see the things you see, and I just don’t have the time to research it. You know I trust you and if you say it’s so, then it is what it is. You have always kept us at your forethought. I know you have us there this time too.” Sadie said.

While Michael was thinking of the best way to respond, Sadie Added, “What if she asks why we’re moving now? You know my mom is not gonna take us moving away well. She is gonna have all sorts of questions and concerns.”

“Like I have said before, put your foot down if she gets pushy. They both still see us as children who want every say on how we are supposed to live our lives. It’s just something we must overlook.”

Michael hesitated a second, formulating the rest of his response. Diligently trying to differentiate between what was a rational and what was an emotional thought.

Michael continued, “If it is a good faith question, tell her my job told me they would pay out an extra vacation day if I took my time off now instead of the week of Christmas. She should be understanding to that because we already told her we were moving. The only difference is that it’s about 3 months sooner than we had planned.”

“Are you changing jobs? You said when we talked about this last, you would quit your job and find another when we move.” Sadie asked.

“Which room should we start on first?” Michael asked

“Why are you changing the subject?” Sadie asked

“I’m not changing the subject. I only wish to stay on task while we talk, but we need to start somewhere.” Michael answered.

“Let’s start in the kitchen. Now tell me, are you changing jobs? I need to know because of Thomas’s Therapy. He likes her a lot.” Sadie said

Michael motioned with his head in the direction of the kitchen and began walking that way. The thoughts were racing through his head. There were one million responses he could have given, but there was only one answer he wanted to give her.

“Do you remember how I was kicked out of the military?” Michael asked

“Yeah of course, the discharge you refuse to fix.” Sadie answered.

“That’s the thing.” Michael said

“What thing? What are you talking about. Be straight with me.” Sadie demanded.

“I fixed my discharge a couple years ago. We’ll have insurance through the VA.” Michael said as he looked down at his feet in shame.

“What! You never said anything. Is that a bad thing? I thought this is what you wanted.” Sadie asked

“That’s because I don’t think the VA will be operational much longer. That’s why I have been preparing for the last couple years.

Michael took in a long deep breath, looking Sadie in the eyes he asked, “Do you promise not to be mad at me if I show you something?”

“I won’t make you a promise I can’t keep.” Sadie answered

There was a short pause where all Michael could do was keep gazing into her eyes. Afraid that she would find fault in his integrity. The one thing he could offer everyone he interacted with, especially his wife who he loved so much. He would often joke of how valuable something so cheap could be.

Sadie Continued, “We have been married for almost 11 years. We have three boys together. We had nothing, then we had something, and now we have nothing again. The only thing of value we have is our word and I know you are a man of yours, so I am sure it can’t be as bad as you think it is.”

Michael sat the stack of plates onto the counter and grabbed a hammer out of the junk drawer he was standing next to. Closing it just as gently as he opened it, he turned back to Sadie.

“Follow me.”

Sadie followed Michael into the basement. He took her over to a room where the hot water heater stood next to a furnace.

“Cover your ears love.”

Michael began to swing at the wall as blocks of 20-dollar bills fell out from between the studs. With every swing a new batch of twenties with random singles here and there filled the floor. The noise that was being generated drew our three boys’ attention and without missing a beat Sadie made way to meet the footsteps that were stomping towards the basement stairs.

“STAY UPSTAIRS.” Sadie yelled up to the boys.

“WHATS DAD HAMMERING?” Thomas yelled back.

“DAD’s FIXING THE WALL. GO WATCH TV WE’LL BE THERE IN A FEW. GET YOUR THINGS YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO GRAMMIES” Sadie answered.

Once Sadie heard footsteps make there way back across the floorboards, she made her way back to Michael.

“Michael where did you get this money.”

“I have been collecting 100 percent disability for PTSD for about 4 years now. They upgraded my discharge and gave me a full medical retirement. They upgraded me to a chapter 17 medical discharge, and they have been sending me a paycheck once a month. I didn’t lie to you I just didn’t tell you.”

“Oh my God. There has got to be over ten thousand dollars in there. Why didn’t you tell me. We have been poor for so long, why would you keep this from me?” Sadie asked.

“Its $178,257. 83 to be exact. I have cashed the money out every month and I have been putting them in the holes between the floor joists. I have a handwritten ledger here. It is all accounted for including the printout of the bank statements. Again, my love, I did not lie to you. I did not tell you out of embarrassment at first, then I didn’t tell you when I realized how hard it was for you to give up the comforts you had grown accustomed to. I am so sorry. I figured If we didn’t have money, you would become more resourceful with what we have. You blew my expectations out of the water when you adapted so well. We have always had what we needed to survive we never went hungry. We just didn’t have stake money.”

“Michael, I am not mad at you. I just don’t understand you.” Sadie said as she turned away from Michael and made her way back up the stairs. Michael following behind.

In the short amount of time it took to walk back to the kitchen, she had already began to fester over the idea that their poverty was self-inflicted.

“Why do we need to leave today?” Sadie asked as she picked up the stack of plates that he had sat down earlier.

“Have you not heard about Los Angeles Yet? The entire city is on fire. Gangs of people roaming the streets killing and stealing from one another. Chaz called me about it earlier today. A black boy was shot outside of a store by a cop while playing with a gas station toy gun with his brother. A mob started there and all of the people in the area beat the cop to death and hung him from the power pole. His picture has been all over the internet. They hung him naked only after carving “no more” into his chest. It’s not stopping with LA. There have already been reports of rioting in Portland, Austin, Topeka, and Chicago.” Michael explained to Sadie

Michael looked over to Sadie who was crying. She had already pulled up the videos on her phone confirming the story in LA.

“Those poor kids.” Sadie said

She handed her phone over to Michael. The images of children dead in the road, toys still in hand. The sounds of gun fire and breaking glass. The heat, Michael could feel the heat.

“Here, I know what it is already.” Michael said.

“I’m sorry” Sadie apologized for the imagery knowing how hard this was on him.

“It’s war my love. When the ignorant talk of war they envision men fighting men. They never show men fighting women and children. In war everyone fights, everyone dies.”

“Look at me.” Sadie said as she reached to put her arms around Michaels shoulders.

“I see you.” Michael said.

“We’re in this together.” Sadie said

“I am so happy to hear you say that. You know we are going to have to be discrete. We need to take what we need from here, nothing more, nothing less. Bring the armory, go light on furniture. Bring beds, dressers, and all my tools from the garage. Michigan Winter is harsh, so we need to make sure we bring all the kids Winter gear. Let’s drop keep sakes off at your folk’s house and ask them if we can keep it there until we settle into the new place.” Michael said

“What about my parents?” Sadie asked

“When they talk about being scared or concerned then I will call them. Till then you know your parents still think they can trust what they see on the government news channels. They don’t talk about the same things that we see online. Hell, half of what they see on the news isn’t even what exists outside. We have all brought this up to them before and they got mad at us. We can’t feel bad about the ones who don’t want help, or the ones who don’t think they need it. I kind of envy them. It is only a matter of time, if they reach out, we will always be here.” Michael explained

“Maybe I should repeat what we talked to them about last Christmas. Maybe they will take it more seriously if it’s coming from me. I didn’t want to make things worse when you and my brothers brought it up. They really did get so mad about it. Even if you guys were wrong, they should have seen it was out of care and love for them. They responded as if you guys were telling them you felt the opposite. I am glad you guys changed the subject fast. You guys really do work good together.”

Michael grabbed Sadie and rested his head on her shoulder, tucking the back of her neck into his beard.

“Stop it Michael, your beard is so scruffy. You should shave.”

Michael rolled his chin into her neck and held her tighter till she pushed him off in their usual playful manor.

By the way, I already messaged your brothers, they are getting their things together with their families as well. They will be there in 3-4 days, at least that’s what your brother wrote back. My brother Cody and his husband are coming too. We may need to ride heavy in these trailers until we figure things out. It won’t be the most pleasant, but I think its best that we all stay close for right now. At least till we get settled into whatever issues may be heading our way.” Michael said

“Wow, when did you talk to them?” Sadie asked

“Kibbler messaged me this morning in all caps that read,” “9- LINE.”

Michael continued “It’s the passcode we made for each other when we were in Iraq together. We were talking about hypothetical Armageddon's and Kibbler came up with the idea for a message we would know to use if we needed to link up. I have not heard from him since he texted. I called and left him a message and I am waiting for his call back. I don’t know what he knows yet. I only know what I have seen. I started looking online for what was going on and Crowder was on a live feed talking about politicians leaving the United States on air force one. They had camera footage of governors, senators, the speaker, the VP, and the president all loading onto Air Force one with their families. They did not know it was a live video feed, maybe they did, either way they shot the guy taking the video. The video ended with you being able to watch the secret service guy stomp the phone.”

“Why would their families be getting on the plane. What does this mean?” Sadie began to tear up.

“They left us high and dry. The sucked out every resource they could, put it in their random off shores bank accounts and dipped out.” Michael answered.

“There is no way that’s true.” Sadie said

“We have been watching them do this for over a century now. So many politicians went from lower middle class to multi-millionaires. We watched them push regulations that altered the markets to their benefit. They were always invested in the right equity at just the right time. Either they are prophets, or they are inside trading. Hell, look at this.”

Michael searched through his phone and pulled up a video of the speaker.

“Watch this to the end and you tell me what you think.”

The video began to play as Sadie listened diligently. Sadie was so focused as if it were morse code that she was going to decipher.

A reporter at a press conference from several years back asks, “Mrs. Speaker Some people say that you and the rest of the senators are insider trading by being able to participate in the stock exchange. That you may have the ability to profit off your position.”

The speaker scuffed at the question and responded, “We are private citizens as well as elected officials, we should have the right to participate in the stock exchange as any other private citizen has the ability to.”

“You have got to be kidding me. She acknowledged the conflict of interest and then said we should be able to do it anyway.” Sadie said as she handed Michael back his phone.

“You didn’t like politics, so I know you were not keeping up with all the boring stuff. You never got mad at me about bringing up politics, but you were often irritated by the subject. I figured it would be best if I prepare in the background and hope you could trust me when the time came to leave.” Michael explained

“I always thought this was your OCD, PTSD thing. I didn’t think it was anything to worry about. I thought your prepping was a coping mechanism. At least that’s what my therapist said.” Sadie said

Sadie laughed as she added, “I didn’t know you were prepping money in the walls though. That would have thrown off some bells for me.”

“That is not how PTSD works.” Michael smiled as he rolled his eyes.

“You told me that you have habits because of PTSD. Don’t laugh at me, how am I supposed to know. I don’t have it. But come on, hiding money in amounts like that would have made me nervous” Sadie said

“Love, storing food, water, ammo, and a chosen commodity is not a result of the military. That’s the result of wanting to be able to survive the real world. How many times does a government have to fail its people in order for them to put less faith in this systems dependability.” Michael said.

“Okay I get it. You don’t have to get all worked up. Everyone within 20 miles knows how much you hate the government.” Sadie said.

“Exactly! That’s why South Byron is over 20 miles away.” Michael said

#dystopian writing #my writing #science fiction #chapter 1 #political fiction #Colony Park

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