Rebellion

Lost In The Echo

Lost In The Echo

More elites had crossed their path. Thankfully Chester wasn't with them this time. The elites were hard enough to deal with but with Chester they were almost impossible. He was just too powerful. If he hadn't passed out from Mike's shot to his hand, he would've killed Dave. Dave sighed as they walked on a road with a sign about two hundred feet ahead of him that said 'Welcome to Nevada'. Because Nevada was such a happening place. He trudged through the sand on the edge of the road. They each had backpacks full of water, food, extra ammo and weapons, and some personal things. Dave had a picture of his wife. Ryan and Tak both had bouncy balls that they would bounce as they walked. Rob had a book to read. Brad and Joe had notebooks. Mike had a lyric book.
They passed the sign. He kept his cap on and his head low to hide his face from any place where elites or government officials might be hiding. They hit the first small town in an hour. They covered their faces with bandanas as the dust blew up into their faces. The smell of burnt flesh and decaying bodies filled the air. This place must've been destroyed at the start. They gagged and Mike threw up on the side of the street. They were all too young to see this. Blood covered the pavement and the grass. Entire families were murdered in their own homes. Houses were burnt or torn apart. Dogs and rats chewed on people. Bodies of all sizes laid in the road, charred and falling apart.
The dust continued to blow around them and the sky grew darker. The wind picked up and more dust flew into their eyes. And then the first drops of water hit them. He glanced back at the others. Ryan and Tak were swaying slightly. Rob was taking slow steps. Brad and Joe were talking quietly and then coughing as the dust got into their mouths. Mike was walking behind everyone, slowly. His hands gripped the straps of his backpack. They were all exhausted.

"I think we need to stop," Dave called, "There's a house up ahead that looks good."

They nodded or made a signal to tell him they heard him and then they continued walking. Dave led them to the house and they climbed up the stairs. He looked around inside and decided it was fine to stay in for a night. He sat down against the wall and everyone else sat down on the furniture, sighing with relief. In about five minutes everyone was asleep. Dave smiled slightly before getting up and counting their number. Apart from themselves, they had ten other members of the Rebellion. He went to the door and glanced out. The rain was in full blast now and the dust wasn't flying anymore since it was mud. The dead and burnt grass crumbled under the force of the wind and rain and small pools of water appeared.
It was so much easier when the world wasn't like this. If things hadn't changed, he could be living an easy life with a woman he loved. Maybe they'd have kids. He sighed as he closed his eyes and leaned against the door frame.

"Missing it?"

"You don't know the half of it."

"We're going to get it back."

"I hope we do. But there's so many of them and so few of us. They can do whatever they want and get away with it."

"But they don't have something to fight for. We do."

Dave smiled at Joe who gave him a tired smile in return. It was too much for all of them. None of them needed to be in this position. They all wanted to be back at a nice home with a family.

"I want to go home," Dave sighed finally, "I want to live in a house and not have to worry about ruling an entire country and fixing it back up."

"You're not going to be doing that alone. We're all going to be there to help you."

"I know."

It was quiet except for the pattering of the rain. Dave looked over at Joe.

"I told Mike that torturing Chester was wrong. But the longer I'm doing this, the more I feel like it's ok."

"Just remember how you felt."

"I did. And that's the thing. Mike is just like how I was but I think he is more willing to hurt someone than I am."

"You still have that picture."

"I do."

"Why does it matter? If you hate him so much, why keep it?"

"Because.....because it gives me hope that all of this can be fixed. If someone so dark and evil could've once possessed that light, then maybe this dark and evil world can have light too."

"And it will. You're going to be a great president."

Dave laughed softly and shook his head, "I don't know if I want to be. I just want to be normal."

"How about you get some sleep and I'll watch the rain for a bit? You need to rest, we can't lose you."

Dave nodded and headed back towards the room where everyone else was. It was quiet in there. They were making progress. They were slowly making their way towards D.C. When they got there, Dave wasn't sure what he was going to do. He wanted Mark Wakefield gone but they had to show the people that they were strong enough to lead the nation. A public execution might do them well.
In the morning, they packed up and headed out on the streets again. He led the way once again as they walked through the burnt city. It was terrible that it was so destroyed. Why did the government have to destroy everything? There was nothing to gain from doing that. Ryan and Tak came running back from their scout mission.

"See anything?"

"There's one patrol as we're leaving the city but I'm thinking we can get around them pretty easy," Ryan said. Dave nodded. At least it wouldn't be too bad getting out of the city.

"Alright cool. Then we should get moving. As we get closer to D.C, there will be more obstacles and patrols will be the least of our worries."

"True," Tak said as they got back in the line. Mike was walking next to him.

"I shot him," Mike said quietly, "And he passed out."

"You did."

"He's weak," Mike growled, "There's nothing I can't stand more than a guy who pretends to be strong."

"The thing is, he is strong. A shot to the hand could make anyone pass out."

Mike sighed but continued to walk next to him, "I just....I want this to be all over."

"I think we all do."

Dust blew up in their faces and they wrapped the bandanas around their face to keep it off. It was such a wasteland out here. He froze when he heard something.

"Into a house, quick. I hear a copter."

The group scattered and Dave found himself in a house with Mike and a few soldiers. They ducked into the burnt walls to hide amongst the rubble. A copter landed in the open street and a few men got out. They were all armed with guns except for the taller one. He had a double holster and a sword. A gauntlet shown on his wrist, marking him as an elite and Dave would recognize him anywhere. Chester Bennington was back in action. They all had masks over their faces and Chester's head was hidden by a helmet. Dave didn't fail to notice the armored left hand as well. He was getting smarter.

"They'll be around here somewhere," Chester's voice called over the wind and dust. Dave swallowed and glanced over at Mike who seemed absolutely livid that Chester was still fine and walking around like nothing ever happened. The soldiers started searching houses and as soon as one of their members was found, they'd all be doomed. And then there was banging. Gun shots went off and Dave grabbed Mike's arm and they raced out of a hole in the side of the house.

"Stop them!" Chester yelled as they ran for their lives. The others were appearing and running as well. Dave reached into his bag and grabbed the first thing he could get his hands on. A smoke grenade. He bit off the top and threw it back towards the elites. Soon the dust wasn't the only thing covering them, but a ton of smoke was. They sprinted out of town and into more sand. There was a cliff not too far. If they could get there, it might be easier to lose them.

"We need to get to the cliff," Dave shouted and he picked up speed. He heard the engines before he saw them. Apparently they'd come prepared with jeeps as well.

"We have to fight," Mike managed before turning and firing a bullet towards the first jeep.

"Mike's right. We can't outrun them like this. Try to find some kind of cover and get ready to fight."

The group separated a little bit and Dave took out his gun before shooting at the tires of the truck. They were pretty well protected and soon, soldiers were leaping from the jeeps onto the ground. Chester was one of them. He was double wielding his pistols as he fired at some of the rebels they had with them. Dave had to protect his people. He ran forward and tackled Chester to the ground. The elite hit the ground hard underneath him but was already pushing on him. He felt Chester squirming underneath him and he grabbed one of the elite's hands. All he had to do was get him into a precarious position and keep his hands away from the gauntlet. Chester growled at him and pushed at him again and twisted his wrist in Dave's grip. He knew exactly what Dave was doing. Dave clenched his teeth and tried to get himself up. He reached back for his knife that he kept in his belt. He was about to grab it when Chester moved and knocked them off balance. Dave watched as his grip slipped on Chester's wrist.
As soon as the elite freed himself, he was slamming his hand hard onto the gauntlet and his form was shifting. Dave scrambled out of the dust and swallowed as he was faced with an armored tiger. The beast stalked forward and snapped at him. He jumped out of the way but wasn't ready for the swipe of the paw. It caught him on the face. He hit the ground hard and rolled over, blood dripping into his eyes. He could feel the stinging of the dirt in the cuts and they hurt like hell. The tiger lunged at him again and he could just picture Chester's victorious snarl. There was no way he was getting out of this.
He put his hands in front of his face, hoping that wherever the tiger decided to bite him, may give him a chance to live. He watched as the tiger jumped for him, only to be knocked into by a blurry form. He blinked the blood out of his eyes to see Mike and Joe attacking the beast. He heard the battle going on around him and he reached for his gun but someone grabbed him from behind and dragged him out of the field.

"Stop fighting! It's just me!" Brad's voice came into his head, "Stay here while we hold them off. You can't fight like this."

Dave glared at him, "I'm fine."

Even as he said that, he saw black at the edges of his vision and he had to blink several times to steady himself. He sighed but nodded to Brad to show he understood and then the other man was gone. He ducked behind the rocks and watched. Mike and Joe had the tiger cornered. It was growling threateningly at them and snapping at their guns. Ryan and Tak were teaming up with Rob to shoot the tires off the trucks while fighting against the other officers. And then there were sirens going off and Rob jumped into one of the closest trucks. They were stealing government vehicles. Yes. He smiled to himself. This was it. Brad yelled for Mike and Joe to hurry up. The two of them ran to the truck and then it was next to him and he was being helped up. Gunfire was heard from next to him and back towards the officers. He glanced back as the truck started up to see Chester standing there again, blood staining part of his jacket. The elite watched them drive off. Dave sighed. They still hadn't been able to get rid of that man. He would follow them eventually.

"Are you alright?" Mike asked, kneeling down next to him.

"Yea," Dave said softly as Mike ripped a piece of cloth off of his pants and pressed it to his head.

"Chester got you pretty bad," he said softly. Dave nodded and took the cloth from Mike to hold against his own head.

"It'll scar but whatever. I didn't expect to get through this without getting hurt."

Mike nodded and sat down next to him, "Why did he let us go? If I were him, I would've chased after us."

"We're only halfway through Nevada, he has plenty of time to kill us," Dave said quietly.

"He can turn into a tiger and we're armed with guns," Mike said softly, "Dave I hate this. I want things to be back how they were."

"I do as well. It'll be alright Mike," Dave sighed as he put his arm around Mike. The younger man put his head in his arms.

"I don't want revenge anymore. Yea it'd be nice, but I just want my old life back."

"Me too. But it'll never be the same. We can't get back the people we lost."

"I know," Mike said softly and his voice broke, "I know that. I just want to not worry about dying every day. I want to live in a house and get a job and live the life I was supposed to."

"I know, I know," Dave said quietly as he gave the younger man a hug. This was it. The constant running was finally getting to Mike. It was only a matter of time before people started giving up. "We can't give up Mike."

"We won't. I won't let you walk into this alone."