Raising Hell

Dangerous Rose

I have always believed that we were put on this earth for a reason. We all had a mission given to us the day we were born and it was up to us to fulfill it or ignore it. My plan was the latter, the only problem being, I didn't know what my mission was. Unfortunately our destinies aren't written down on an ancient, gold scroll. In the end our futures are dependent on our participation in the matter. I was determined to figured it out, or at least die trying.

The concrete floors are cold on my tired feet. I rub my eyes, attempting to get my vision back from a long night of sleep. I look over to my mother, a frail figure in the bed opposite to mine. I stand up and stretch my back. I look at the clock, 4:23 am. I should hurry if I want to make it before the men do. I grab my boots from under my bed and put them on. I grab a apple from the table and slowly open the door to the hallway of headquarters, making sure the door doesn't squeak causing my mother to wake up. I slip through the opening and close the metal door softly. I tiptoe quietly trying not to disturb sleeping civilians. I push the elevator button to down and quietly hum along with the sound the lift is making. I enter and push the TR button. The doors shut softly and I am descending underground. The doors open and I exit. Looking through the hallway making sure no one is walking, I jog to one of the training room doors and enter.

I suppose I should explain. The year is 2087 and the population is approximately three hundred thousand. Fifty years ago a terrible disease hit the earth and spread like wild fire. It was a brutal sickness and billions died. The three hundred thousand of us were supposedly fortunate and we were immune. Why, we still don't know but we tend not to complain. The remaining population all traveled to the US to share supplies. It went well for a while but eventually people disagreed on countless things; from the use of our supplies to laws. So we split up in to two different cities. My city is named after our original ruler, Valmeadow. The other city, Southwald. The two cities are separated by what was once the Mississippi river but now miles and miles of dirt and sun. The cities don't speak to each other much but are always cautious and fully aware of their actions. Both cities have armies, both stronger then any in history. My father was a member of the Valmeadow army until he was stabbed and killed five years ago while attempting to break into the Southwald headquarters. My city is beautiful, most citizens live in the headquarters but some live in small houses on the outskirts of the cities, the brave ones. The men constantly train for the battle that has yet to come and the children are assigned to studies until 18, when the boys go off to train and the girls stay home with their mothers. The young men train everyday for four to five hours whereas the older men train three times a week for about an hour. My father always hated the idea of not letting the girls fight alongside the boys and would sneak me in, before his training began. If anyone found out, my father would be stripped of his title as a soldier and dishonored, but no one ever did. My mother knew but never said anything except for the occasional cuss word when coming home with scraped knees and knuckles. When my father died I kept going every morning.

I turn on the dim, flicker-y lights and go immediately to the storage room and grab a punching bag. I drag on the floor and clip to the strap connected to the celling. I start with my punches until my knuckles bleed and then start kicking. I glance up to the clock on the wall 4:47. The young men train at five. I sigh sadly and drag the bag back to its rightful place. I wish I could of practiced aim today but starting now was to risky. The training room had sound proofing built into the walls but I would most definitely be distracted and loose track of time, putting my secret at risk. I shut the lights off and jog back to my room shutting the door behind me. I shuffle back to my bed and take my boots off under the light blanket. I put my head back on my pillow and instantly fall asleep.

What seems like two minutes later the lights turn on automatically, telling my mother and I its time to start the day. She flutters her eyes open and stretches her arms. She looks at me confused.