Rebellion

A New Story

You rub your eyes as the group assembled for their meeting. It was early, nothing you weren't used to, but you had felt as though you had just finished a night shift and had to get up for an early morning shift. Nevertheless, you try to pay attention and show that you are, in fact, dedicated. This was the beginning of a new story.

"So, who wants to take Rookie around?" Felix asked.

Your face went pale as you realize that he's talking about you.

"We can," Mark said. "Amy and I have to run out for food."

"Are you sure that's safe?" Mary asked. She turned to you. "No offense, but they don't know what they're doing yet."

"They have to learn somehow," Amy said. 

"I can handle it," you piped up. 

A few gave you doubting looks, but said nothing. You were tempted to say something about your previous skills, but with a warning glance from Jack, you decided against it. 

"We'll show them the ropes," Mark stated confidently.

"We should make a list of what we need," Amy suggested, changing the subject.

The others went on with their morning as Amy and Mark pulled you to the side.

"Okay, we need more crackers, maybe some fruit," Mark said.

Amy started writing things down. "We just finished the last of the apples, so I think other fruits would be good."

"Grab some donuts!" Jack called across the room.

"Do you guys really want stuff that could go bad?" you asked. They looked at you, and you scrambled to come up with something else to say. "I just think we're running a risk of waste."

"We need some form of nutrition," Amy said. "There's only so much you can gain from powdered soup and instant ramen."

You nodded and pressed your lips together. You decided right there that may just be best to remain silent until spoken to. You couldn't risk being found out, and obviously, you were out of your element.

Amy and Mark quickly assembled their list and then made their way to the exit with you in tow.

"Put this on," Nate said to you. 

He handed you a heavy vest. You realized with horror that it was a bulletproof vest. Glancing over at Amy and Mark, you noticed that they had already put theirs on.

"Is this normal for you guys?" you asked.

They paused for a moment, then Mark answered, "Yeah, pretty much."

You didn't know what else, so, as they carried one, you kept quiet. But you couldn't shake the feeling that you were headed into danger. You had worn a bulletproof vest before, but that was while you were a soldier. These people were civilians. 

And then it hit you. They had been civilians. After Anti, Dark, and the others had taken over, they were not only considered outcasts, but they were downright wanted.

You shook yourself out of your thoughts and followed Amy and Mark out of the hideout. As soon as the sun hit your face, you realized just how little light there was in the headquarters. As you shielded your eyes, Mark pulled his hood low over his face while Amy put her up and tucked her hair in.

Within minutes, you made it to what used to be the grocery store. It was dark, and debris from some taller buildings that had been destroyed. Mark led the way, but he didn't go inside. Instead, he moved around to the back area.

"I don't understand," you said, pausing. Amy looked at you as you continued, "I thought this place closed." 

"It did," Mark said. He helped Amy over some of the debris. "But you'd be surprised how many people are still willing to help the Defiance."

You were surprised, but you didn't express it. Things were looking grim for your new group, however, they were making the best of it, and this seemed completely normal for them.

You followed them around a corner to the only part of the building that wasn't destroyed. Mark banged a few times on the metal door. It opened after a minute, and a bald man with a beard opened it and stuck his head out. 

Almost instantly, you recognized him as Matthias, a man who had been on the watchlist by Anti and Dark. He hadn't done enough to warrant being investigated, but he was suspicious enough that they kept their eye on him.

"Hey, you looking for more food already?" Matthias asked.

"Yeah, we went through it a little quickly this time," Mark admitted.

"That's the problem with having so many little kids and babies with us," Amy added.

"Tell me about it," Matthias said. His eyes met yours. "Who's this?"

"This is (y/n)," Mark said. "They're new."

"Learning the ropes, I see," Matthias observed. "Well, come on in."

Mark and Amy followed him through the door. With a quick glance over your shoulder, you followed. You thought you had seen someone patrolling nearby, but if they had been, they weren't there now.

As you entered the area that had once been the store, you were surprised to see that Matthias wasn't living alone. There was another woman there with a young girl and a baby, as well as two other couples, one of which had three girls of their own.

"Whoa," you said, almost without thinking. "Looks like you've got a few families living here."

"Something like that," Matthias said. "This is my wife, Amanda." He gestured to the woman with the baby, then to the couple with the kids. "My sister Sarah, and her husband Bryan." Bryan waved. "And my brother Joey, and his wife, Kelly."

"Sup?" Joey said. They were fairly young, and had no kids, but Kelly was helping with one of the girls and Joey was carrying one of the others on his back.

"So, it's not a few families," You said, stepping in farther, "it's all one big one."

"Yep," Matthias agreed.

"Seems like a lot," you comment. "Especially for such a small area."

The building really was small. There were sleeping bags on the floor, and a few beds along the wall. This room seemed to be the only one they really had. For that many people to be staying in one place, it couldn't have been comfortable.

"Yeah, well," Matthias sighed. "You do what you have to for family. Especially in times like this--you make things work with what you can."

As Matthias and Mark made their way to the food storage, you watched the rest of the family. Your heart broke as you watched the kids play on the dirty floor. Suddenly, deciding to help the Defiance wasn't about taking down the Opposition. It wasn't about starting a new life. It wasn't even about allowing the Defiance to show their faces again.

It was about the families, the ones who didn't do anything to deserve a life like this. It was for the children, who deserved to have a childhood that didn't revolve around staying innocent. Most importantly, it was for those who were innocent, those who couldn't fight for themselves the way that you could.

Suddenly, you felt more motivation burning inside of you than ever before.