The Outlaws <<Book One of THE OUTLAWS series >>

A New Beginning (Hopefully)

     Sunlight peeked through an uncovered part of my window as I snapped awake. The light made my bright eyes seem even brighter, highlighting the tears that has been rolling down my cheeks. As I sat up, I thought about the nightmare that had occurred.

     I hadn't seen that image in a couple of years. The last time it had actually shown up was when I was ten, exactly two years after it had happened. Whenever I mentioned it, my dad would say it was for the best and change the subject, only it wasn't the best for me. I would cry every time I thought about her. I became kind of antisocial; I only spoke up when it was to my family or really close friends. I would be outside alone, looking for any sight of her. I wasn't allowed to go past our street. Because of what had happened between her father and mine just a couple days before, there was a blockade built to keep the two sides of town as far away from each other as possible. The Government wanted to avoid any conflict between them, and keep it that way.

     You had family on the other side? Better have said goodbye. Friends? The only ones you need are the ones on your side. Jobs? You could find a new one on your side of the blockade. If you were on the wrong side, they would kill you in sight. The responses they gave us were even more harsh then they sound, which either gave people happiness, or broke their spirits. If you messed with someone's happiness in our area, you had to pay.

     The blockade led the people that had anything to do with the opposite side riot. They would find ways to get over the blockade, even under it. Every time someone came up with a plan, the government found out first.

The towns were separated within themselves, creating two groups in each.

Those who liked it, and those who didn't.

Each side would fight each other in a never ending war that had reached its final limit. People on the same side were turning against each other; some changed to the other side with permission from the Government. Each side slowly slipped into madness, the blockade being the only thing blocking our world from chaos. The longer it stood, the angrier people grew.

Each side soon became separate gangs, first starting out with a few people in each, thinly to grow bigger with each day. The more gangs there were, the more arguments, murders, and attacks happened. I didn't know what was going on, but Carlos and Gray did. They were the ones that actually took me to an abandoned house while my dad fought people who were trying to kill him off. Being the leader of the strongest, most popular gang on our side of the blockade, he couldn't turn down a fight even if he wanted to. The only thing we could do was sit back, watch, and hold on to our hope for the best.

💫

     I quickly wiped the remnants of any tears and looked at the time on my phone; 6:10. I had exactly an hour to get ready and get to school. I groaned loudly as I regrettably peeled back the oh so warm blankets that covered me. Taking quick glances around the room, a few things popped out at me. My outfit for today, the spray paint shoved into my backpack, a cork board with pictures of me, Carlos, and my dad. There was even a couple pictures of Gray, but they were covered almost completely with pictures of me and Her. A sad smile appeared on my face as I walked over to the board and grabbed the nearest picture of us.

     We were both seven, and everything had been going great. Our dads were friends, there were no gangs to worry about, and my brother would hang out with Gray every day. It was perfect, nothing could ever ruin our constant feeling of happiness.

     Well... almost nothing.

     I shook the negative thoughts from my head and stuck the picture back onto the cork board with the blue pushpin it had been stuck with. Mourning her now would do me no good, especially since I had a new life to start. In a new city, with new people.