The Greatest Lie

Stand Up

 A civil war forgotten in history had briefly broken out when all the different pieces of division boiled over into violence. The peaceful protests that had been demonstrated for varying causes over the last one hundred years began to show signs of blood. The two political parties had been at each other's throats for a decade at this point, in a more heated exchange than had ever been witnessed before. Both sides were at fault and it didn't matter in the end who threw the first stone. People chose sides as they entrenched themselves into whatever group they wanted to put their support behind. Clashes between the groups turned into chaotic melees that left bodies littered on the streets in broad daylight. The fighting went on for months as cities slowly crumbled away into piles of ash and rubble. The people who could, fled the city in droves and snatched up properties in the surrounding rural areas. They were safe havens for the time being, but the only thing they accomplished by running was spreading their indoctrination that had caused the divide in the first place. The politicians and law enforcement officials did nothing but further dump fuel on the fire. You were immediately judged by what side you held your loyalty towards, and even mentioning support of a position could ostracize your from your family, friends and even place of employment. People had grown to hate the police forces and martial law against the citizens did not help put their minds at ease. The different groups were too fractured and stuck in their manufactured ideals to see that they needed to join together as one to make a difference. In the end, the only winner from this unrepairable divide was M Corp.

In less than an hour Victor had gone from quietly contemplating the actions that had taken place to get them to this point, to being the appointed leader of his fellow coworkers in a revolution. He had opened their eyes and minds to questions they weren't even aware they needed answers too. They were too comfortable conversing about a possible uprising right outside the M Corp facility, that Victor had to sternly inform them that they couldn't talk about these things in ear shot of people they couldn't trust. Everyone followed his first order as they silently walked behind him. Victor had become a little scared and paranoid that M Corp, or at least Sarge, was already onto him and he knew he had to be extra careful. The average after shift routine usually involved some sort of bantering, or complaining about Sarge's treatment during their shift, but to Victor this silence was justified.

The people who left the city when the violence started were not welcomed with open arms into the smaller somewhat isolated communities they attempted to join. Small towns around the country were rich in heritage and generations of families that had lived in the same area for as long as they could remember. The people from the city wanted to share their liberal ideas that they believed would make these towns better. Change was uncomfortable and the people in these towns were not looking to do things differently. The people from the city thought they were better than the local farmers and mechanics who had worked harder than most to make a living, but were happy to do so. The rich expected special treatment and a red carpet to be laid out wherever they went. One thing they did bring to these small towns was a deep understanding of working the system. They began running for local politics, shaming people for not accepting the changes they were trying to force, and spread the division they had brought with them from their urban living.

Once they had rounded the corner and the security gate was no longer in sight, Victor told them that they could speak freely now. It didn't take long before they began quizzing Victor about what he had planned, but even Victor himself didn't fully have a plan that he could share with them.

"So what are we going to do about the lottery Victor? We all agreed that we aren't going to voluntarily join this army, even though that's what M Corp said we had to do. Are you going to build your own army?" One of Victor's followers curiously inquired, his voice shaking with excitement.

"I don't have all the answers, but the more I have thought about the situation, the only conclusion I can come to is that we need to fight back. If we wait until their new army is created, then it could grow too strong too quickly for us to do anything about it. M Corp has gotten complacent with how easily people have fallen in line. Just look at how few security guards there are at M Corp here, we could easily over power them and force them out. We all just watched that person get beaten yesterday and could have done something about it. The biggest concern now is that if we start a fight, there can only be two outcomes: victory or death. I am ready to put my life on the line for what I believe is right, are all of you?" Victor spelled out his thoughts and left it to a question that everyone would have to answer for themselves.