The Awakening (The New Revolution Series Book 1)

Chapter 1: The Hell of Kansas

The war is over and now we are nothing but peasants and prisoners to this new country. Welcome to the New United Districts. That's what they call it, our new government Cerberus. This place is my home and it will always be the great United States to me. Most have forgotten about the old country and have submitted to the new ways.

My name is Delaney Nordbrock and I have not forgotten our country. I still believe in our old beliefs and values we used to stand for. Equality for all no matter where you come from or what you believe in. It's hard to have that nowadays.

I am 19 years old and have long blonde hair and blue eyes that I get from my mother everyone used to say. I remember it all beginning four years ago and the bloody One Year War. It has now been five years of occupation under Cerberus and every day is longer than the last.

My family, I have no idea where they are at nowadays. Two weeks after the war ended and the power was turned off they came for us. Cerberus came with their soldiers and robots and drones and separated us from each other. My dad was a mechanic in the old days and was taken to the capital to build drones and robots for Cerberus. My mom was taken to the California District to do something for Cerberus as well but never figured that out myself. The hardest was when they took my twin sister McKenna to the Texas District to a reeducation camp of somewhat to force her to accept and love the new country. I was taken to do the same but was transferred to the Kansas District instead, away from my sister.

I will never forgive them for what they have done to me. They have broken my family and split us apart from each other to please this new country. Our simple life in Nebraska was no more.

I did everything with my sister McKenna. We grew up together, played together, learned to drive together, and now she was gone and I fear that I will never see her again. We looked alike in some ways, such as both having long blonde hair and blue eyes, but we were different too and both had unique and different personalities. I now have to live everyday feeling as if I am missing a part of me.

For the past three years, I have been located in a reeducation school, that's what they call it, but it's really nothing but a prison. They drill us every day on how great they are and try to somewhat brainwash us. If we misbehave in any sort of way or even mention the United States we are severely punished and beaten at times.

Eventually, people submit or give in and they move on to work with Cerberus at the capital with the government or become a soldier in the army. I would rather die than serve Cerberus. That's probably why I have quite a good reputation here at the camp. Not with Cerberus though.

There was never any goal to draw attention to myself or stand out from the others. I just don't believe in Cerberus and refuse to accept their new customs. I refuse to bow down to their officers as we are told to do so, or recite the Cerberus Pledge. One time I recited the Pledge of Allegiance instead which got me in some big trouble with Cerberus officers which landed me in the basement for a couple of days.

The basement is where they have several special prison cells different from the ones we stay and sleep in every night. The ones we sleep in have a window that shows us the outside, some lighting, and a bed with a mattress for us to sleep on. The basement cells are cold and dark with no windows and have nothing to sleep on but the cement floor. Many of the times are crawling with insects of different types.

I've been put in the basement several times throughout the past three years of my stay here. I always am looking for opportunities to get the officers mad or annoyed with me. As long as they see I haven't given up my goal is accomplished. I will never bow to anyone, especially anyone associated with Cerberus.