American Roundup (ongoing Story)

THE BEGINNING

If you would have asked me two weeks ago who my hero was I would have probably told you some high up celebrity, but if you would ask me today I would tell you my hero is anyone who survived during an historic tragedy. If you knew me based on whom I was when it was still a law to go to school you would know history was not my best subject. I wish now that I would have paid more attention in class instead of falling asleep, laughing with my friends, and flirting with random guys, because none of them are here with me now.  I'm not even sure if they are still alive.

We were supposed to be preparing for a natural disaster. A state of emergency was in effect for the whole state the biggest drought in California in over a thousand years. Raging wildfires broke out and the firefighters had to work day in and day out. Helicopters lived  in the sky for almost a month dumping water on the trees that surrounded our city. It didn't take long for citizens to flee the state while others were stocking up on supplies. Then there were citizens in the upscale neighborhoods who didn't take the announcement seriously. My parents were in that category. Besides watching the chaos on the streets and inside the stores being wiped out on television it was a normal Sunday. I remember my parents laughing about the uproar over a small drought. It is unbelievable how fast your life can change overnight.

The next morning I woke up sick to my stomach. My mom thought it was probably just something I had eaten the day before. She was probably right I was not a fan of sushi but it was tradition that we eat it on Sunday nights. After taking turns kissing my forehead, my parents left for work like usual. I wished I would have known that was going to be the last time I seen them. Everything was fine and I even started to feel a little better.

At twelve o'clock my cell phone started to glitch and the power started to flicker. I wanted to call my mom but my cell phone screen was black. I rushed down our flight of stairs almost tripping because my dad had just waxed the floors the day before. My first instinct was to turn on the television. It was working fine but on every channel there was a womans voice calling for a state of emergency. It wasn't just for our state but nation wide. I sat there my body cringing at the loud buzzing sound as it echoed through the surround system in the house. The tone of her voice was ringing in my ears and I felt it in my throat. I still can hear her saying, 

" Your constitutional rights have been suspended. The normal laws are no longer if force. Electric power will be shutoff and all the banks will be closed the ATMS will be offline. This message is to the American citizens you will be rounded up without warrants for any reason. We are the worldwide government army and we declare martial law due to financial collapse and wide spread bank failures. If you do not cooperate with government officials it can and will result in death. The Safe Camps have moved their focus away from natural disasters and are focusing on controlling toward an un-ruling population. This is American Roundup two thousand sixteen."

My first instinct was to lock the doors and close the blinds. I walked around in a panic unsure of what was going on. I got my book bag from up stairs. It was lying on my desk. It was a book bag my mother had picked out for me when she visited  London. She always wanted my fashion to be up to date. I emptied my books out of my bag and grabbed three outfits from my top dresser drawer  my toothbrush and a picture of my parents. I heard people yelling out side and walked over to my window to see the neighbors throwing bags in there cars to leave. I wanted to stay home in case my parents came back for me. I knew they would, but before the world had time to wrap their heads around what happened the government already had the upper hand. I ran downstairs unsure of where  I would go. I grabbed a box of matches my father kept hidden in the junk drawer for power outages and I grabbed a flashlight, bread, crackers and water. I didn't think I needed a gun, but my father had some hid in his safe and my girl scouts instinct must have kicked in because I grabbed his nine millimeter and two boxes of bullets and put them inside my secret compartment in my bag where my makeup use to go. 

All of sudden I heard helicopters flying above me and I heard gun shots. My inner child wanted to hide in the closet but my curosity  needed to what was going on. I peeked out the window to see miltary in uniform dragging crying kids from their mothers and wifes from their husbands. They had big black bulletproof trucks and buses loading everyone up. I didn't know why they were separating the families like they were. I should have looked away, but my eyes were stuck on the horror that was around me. I watched for to long because I seen one man trying to fight back screaming for his children and his wife asking them why they are doing this. I wanted to see if anyone would answer his plea, but they shot him in the head. I didn't see no blood he just collapsed in the road and they dragged him by his legs back into his home. The child screamed out for his father. Kicking and screaming in agony he was young he was not even school yet.  I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths but I just couldn't get enough air to my lungs. 

I knew I couldn't wait on my parents or I would be the next one getting shot or slung into  the back of the bus. I went to our basement and went out the back the door and hit the woods. I probably shouldn't have since there were dangers of wildfires but I didn't care. I only hoped the helicopters swarming above would not spot me. Luckily for me I was already wearing a dark green shirt, pants and sneakers. Attire to hot for California but my mother always froze me and my father keeping the temperature low in the house. So low penguins could live with us and survive. I ran for miles it felt like. I was running trying to let the screams, gunshots, and the hurling sound of big motors disappear behind me, but they were all around me I could hear them in the distance. 

I remember hearing muffled sounds of people talking. The closer I got the clearer I heard them. I slowed down, pressed my back up against the bark of the tree. Turning my head slightly trying not to be seen. I wanted to make sure it wasn't military. It was a family sitting on a fallen tree log. A man woman and two small kids. Each one had small pouch attached to their waist and one on their backs. They were dirty so I knew they had been out here longer than me. They were storing creek water in there clear containers. They must have been running like me. I wondered if I could go with them. I wanted to ask them. Before I had a chance to speak my feet crunched the leaves and one of them men cocked his gun and I could hear him coming my way. I closed my eyes and wanted to tell him I was a good person, but the closer he came the more I froze. Before I had time to open my eyes he had slung me on the ground by my hair and asked me what I was doing. I remember looking at his family desperate for help. I wished my mother and father were with me. 

" I had to leave my home," I said scooting myself further away from him.

" You cant follow us, he said waving his gun around like a mad man.

"You will get us caught. No get out of here."

I stood up and asked him what was happening to our world. he looked at me and looked back at his wife and kids 

 "The martial law bill was sneaked through the senate. The president kept his term by calling for martial law. Our country is in debt and out of hand. Riots and killings are at an all time high.   The government is saying we are un-ruling but they are the ones un-ruling. They caused this mess making Americans think its their fault."

"What should I do, I said with tears filling my eyes, Where should I go."

"I don't know, he said, just stay away from the safe camps. They are not safe. You will be microchipped or shot." He lowered his gun and told me to run along so I did. 

I didn't know where I was going to go or what I was going to. I only hoped my parents were back at home waiting on me but there was no sign of them. . The neighborhood had been vandalized and some houses were blown up. Windows were busted out, mailboxes were turned over, cars smashed in and some even had  bullet holes in them. People were laying in the streets where they had been shot. Vultures were already feeding off of them. I noticed some houses were spray painted with blue x's and some with red. My house had a red X. I thought maybe because no-one was home. I didn't know if the miltary would come back for me or not.  My house had been raided all of my food was gone and I didn't know how I would survive on my own, but I was scared to leave.

I came to terms with myself after a two weeks of being home alone that my parents were already dead. I was hurt but I never cried I couldn't grieve because everyday I was trying to stay alive.