Dividing the Nation

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

I unwillingly open my eyelids, wanting to leave them closed for another hour. But I know I have things to do today. I live in my small twig hut in the woods, near the southern border of Montana. It's shabby, but it's home all the same. All it has room for is a bed and trunk.
       I get up and go to to the stream to wash my face. I sit back against a tree and go over the things I have to do. Today is hunting day, so that's first. Then I have to collect fire wood and purify some stream water. Each day is pretty much the same, but you never know what could happen. I go get my bow and arrows and pack a bag with food, then head out. I walk for about a half mile before I reach my favorite hunting tree. I climb up, sit, and wait.
I sit for about an hour, and then my stomach starts to growl. I reach behind me to get my bag, and that's when I see something move in the distance. I freeze where I am, and carefully get my bow. The animal gets closer, and I see that it's a huge deer, the biggest I've ever seen. When it's in range, I load an arrow in and pull back the bow string. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My eyes open, and I fire. I hear the soft thunk of the arrow hitting the deer, and he drops immediately. I jump down from the tree and run to the deer. I couldn't believe how big it was. I start to slowly drag it back to the hut, and then an explosion ripped the air around me. I dropped the deer and looked up. In the direction of the closest town, a large mushroom cloud was forming. My stomach did a somersault. I grabbed the deer and began to go at the fastest pace I could. I heard the sound of trucks and helicopters in the distance. It was no use. I had to leave the deer.
       I dropped the deer and ran. I reached my hut in about three minutes. I grabbed my crisis bag, filled with camping gear and food. I threw in a few important possessions and ran. Dusk was falling, and I could see lights of trucks. They were close. Helicopters roared overhead as I ran, getting louder by the second. I looked back, and saw the fleet of trucks. They were led by bulldozers that were pushing down anything in the way. The mighty forest crumpled at their power. There are three armies in what some call the "Second Civil War," or "CW II." There's the Defenders, the Army of Arricit, and the Federal Army, which is the original US army, which I personally support. The army behind me was waving a Defender flag. A bitter taste filled my mouth as I thought of my mom. I looked back one more time and saw the bulldozer roll over my hut. No going back now. I turned and started to run faster. Just then, an explosion rang out in front of me, and I was thrown back. A large ringing began in my ears. I struggled to get back up. As I regained hearing, I could tell the trucks were close. I stood up and began to stumble forward. All of a sudden, someone grabbed my arms and flung me around. It was a soldier. This is where it all ends. He dragged me back towards the fleet of trucks, which were now stopped, and threw me in the back of one. The door slammed behind me. I could barely see, but the little bit of light coming through the cracks in the back of the truck gave enough to see outlines. I saw a soldier in front of me raise his gun above his head. I ducked, but the butt of the gun slammed into my head and I was out cold.

                                  ***

       When I wake up, the light is overwhelming. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to see through my other senses. I'm strapped down to a table, but I can't move. I hear faint voices in the distance.
       "What are they going to do with the captives?" A man. "They're supposedly forcing them to fight. There's talk of killing the weak ones." This time it's a woman. "How will they get them to agree to fight?" The man says. The woman replies in a more hushed tone this time. I had to strain my ears to listen. "I've been told to erase their memories. Just the minor ones. They'll remember how to read and write and all, but not things like where they learned it and who taught them." I hear a door open and a man walk into the room outside. "Dr. Worthen, your next subject  is ready." 
       I hear the door to my room open, and someone walks in. They stand there for a minute. I try to stay as still as possible. "I know your awake," the person says. The voice is of the person that was talking outside. Dr. Worthen I'm assuming. "The serum only works if your conscious. You'll just feel a pinch, and then you'll go right back to sleep." I squint to see. She walks up to me, holding a large device that resembled a phone. She holds the longer end up to my upper arm, and pushes a button. Something pinches my arm, and the light slowly fades, as I slip back into unconsciousness.