by Keegan Long
“Don’t worry,” he told me. “We’ll get you guys out of here.”
“Can I ask you one question before you go Mitch?” I asked as I still had so many questions that haven’t been answered yet. “Who sent you to save me?”
“The President of the United States of course” he replied with a bright smile as he left and closed the door behind him.
In shock, I fell back onto my bed and soaked in what I had just heard. So my suspicions were true.
The President is still alive after all.
3
The Executive Order
Today was the day that I have been waiting for. I was soon going to be free from the grasps of Cerberus. No more beatings, no more time in the basement, and no more prison food. Freedom was upon me.
I have to admit knowing that I was getting out of here excited me like no other but the possibilities of everything that could go wrong scared me like no other. When I get out of here though I am going to make my parents and sister proud and fight for my real country. It was time Cerberus pay for all the millions of people they have killed in the past years. It was payback time.
I stood up and waited in front of the door knowing that the buzzer was to go off at any minute to unlock my door. I tried to mentally prepare myself for what was about to go down but was that even possible? I don’t think so.
The buzzer had finally gone off and I raced my way down towards the dining hall. As I entered I didn’t even bother grabbing a tray of food. I headed straight for our normal table and waited for the others to join me. They had no idea yet that today their lives were about to be changed forever.
“Why don’t you have any food, Delaney?” Sarah asked me as she sat down next to me while the others joined the table as well. “Not hungry?”
“It’s going down today,” I told them getting straight to the point. “We are getting rescued.”
“Are you serious?” Nicole asked in shock as she almost spat her milk all over the table. “How?”
“The guard who gave me the note before came to my room last night,” I told them. “He said he is here to help us escape.”
“Who sent him?” Bekah asked me.
“You’re not going to believe who,” I answered. “The President of the United States.”
“No freaking way,” Sarah said letting her mouth drop without realizing it.
“Does anyone even know who the President is?” Nicole asked the group. “Like I was pretty young and never paid attention to anything so I don’t remember. Or is it a new President?”
“I have no idea,” I told her. “But we will soon find out.”
“Did the guard say when this was going down exactly?” Sarah asked.
“Should be any minute,” I told them. “The man’s name is Mitch and he said it would happen during breakfast.”
“Well I’m skipping out on breakfast now,” Nicole said as she pushed her tray of food away from her.
“Same,” Sarah mimicked. “We are probably about to do a hell of an amount of running.”
Then it became silent. Too silent. It had seemed that time had slowed down and even paused at moments. Then it happened. They were here.
There was a massive explosion in the distance which sent the whole building shaking and the lights to go off, which would soon come back on once the backup generators kicked in.
A large amount of gun fire could be heard going off in the distance and kept getting louder and louder as it came closer to where we were.
The sirens began to go off as well and these things were loud as hell. A female voice recording could be heard throughout the entire complex telling everyone to return to their rooms and that this was not a drill. No one listened though and we all sat here still in the dining hall waiting to see what was about to happen.
The guards who were in the dining hall with us, which was probably about eight or nine, rushed over to the dining hall door and barricaded it shut while pushing tables in front of it to keep anyone from getting in or out. This was no use though.
“Stand clear!” Mitch’s voice could be heard from the other side of the door.
Mitch and the group behind the door had planted an explosive charge and sent the door and tables blown to bits as he and his group rushed into the dining hall while laying waste to the guards inside.
“Well, that’s all of them I think,” Mitch told the group of soldiers that were with him. “These bastards deserved this. They had it coming to them.”
When Mitch and the other soldiers he was with came into my view I noticed that Mitch wasn’t in his guard uniform anymore. They were all completely dressed in army green camouflage suits and helmets. What really made them stand out though was that each of them had an American flag patched on their upper right shoulder of their uniforms. They still believed in what we used to be. Just like me.
Mitch then made his way over towards our table.
“Why don’t we get you guys out of here,” he said with a smile as he extended out his arm to me. “What do you say?”
“I would like that,” I responded as I reached out and took his hand. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“You guys will need these,” he said as he each handed us a fully loaded army pistol and a few extra clips. “It’s not hard. Point and pull the trigger.”
“We know how to use these,” I smiled back at him. “Don’t you worry about us.”
“Remember, I have to get you all out alive” he joked. “Alright everyone let’s roll out!”
Everyone cheered in response as they all had their guns drawn as we walked out of the dining hall and towards the front gate.
“We didn’t meet much resistance but I’m sure more is on the way,” Mitch told us as we continued to walk carefully towards the entrance. “We got three blackbird helicopters waiting for us outside to escort us out of here.”
“How did you guys manage to get those things running?” I asked him while I stayed cautious and we made our way through the complex.
“We have a brilliant team of scientists and engineers helping us back at the base,” he told me. “They have developed new technologies to get these things running where there is no power. There’s power here in Kansas but the tricky part is when we are outside the borders.”
“And where is base exactly?” I asked him.
“Nebraska” he answered.
I couldn’t believe it. After all this time I was finally going back home. Back to the place where it all started for me.
We made it to the front entrance and from inside I could hear and see the three helicopters outside waiting for us just like Mitch promised. He signalled for the group to stop before we made our way outside.
“In a second here we are going to get on those choppers,” Mitch began. “But once we are out these front doors you don’t look back no matter what. You run.”
With the conclusion of his speech we all got up and readied our weapons once again. It looks like they were expecting to run into some more resistance.
Mitch then began to count down on his fingers signalling when to make a break for it.
Three. Two. One.
We then all bolted for the helicopters that were only a little distance away from us. Then we meet some more resistance from other Cerberus prison guards that must have regrouped from other areas in the building. They started shooting us with their machine guns from all different directions of the field.
“Don’t let them escape!” I heard one of the guards yell to the others. “Better off dead anyway.”
I kept running towards the chopper without looking back just like Mitch told me to do. Bekah, Sarah, and Nicole were right by my side as we made our way towards the middle helicopter.
I fired off a couple bullets of my pistol to my side without aiming to try and give us some covering fire. I heard a loud scream from the side from where the guards were shooting us from. I must have hit one of them. Now that felt good.
We finally made it to the helico
pter and made our way inside. Mitch joined us seconds later and signalled the pilot to start taking off. A couple of the other soldiers that came alongside Mitch also joined but then I heard a noise. This was a noise like no other. The screeching of moving parts as it rushed over towards us and got louder and louder as it got closer. The noise of electronic talking between the mechanisms could also be heard in the distance. They were here and we needed to get out of here now.
“CENTAURS!” one of the soldiers yelled to the group but was soon killed as the robots rushed over to him and shot him several times.
“Aim for the heads!” Mitch yelled as he took out his pistol and began firing at them. “Let’s go!”
The pilot soon had us in the air just in time as the robots made their way to our position. But it wasn’t over yet.
“STINGER!” one of the soldiers in the helicopter with us yelled towards the pilot in front as he pointed behind us.
I quickly looked around behind us and saw that one of the robots had pulled out an anti-aircraft lock on missile launcher and fired it towards us.
The helicopter must have been able to detect this because a series of alerts could be heard coming from the front of the helicopter where the pilot was flying.
“Everybody strap in!” Mitch told us as he signalled us to all buckle in. “Pilot deploy flares!”
“Deploying flares,” the pilot responded as he switched one of the buttons in the cockpit.
The helicopter soon after picked up a tremendous amount of speed as we tried to increase the distance away from us between the missile headed straight towards us. The pilot did as he was told and a numerous amount of bright flares trailed behind us. The missile finally made contact with one of the flares behind us and exploded. It was finally over.
“We’re all clear sir,” the pilot told Mitch the good news.
“Thank the lord,” Sarah said as she let out a big breath of relief. “That was crazy.”
“We’re finally free!” Nicole cheered which was soon joined in by the others and me.
“You’re no longer prisoners under Cerberus,” Mitch told us. “You are now free citizens of what will soon become the United States again with your help.”
We all cheered in applause alongside the soldiers with us.
“What’s the status of the other two choppers?” Mitch asked the pilot.
“Chopper two and three are airborne sir,” the pilot responded. “They are on their way back to H.Q.”
“Very good,” Mitch said as he slumped down in his seat. “Now let’s do the same. Set a course for Nebraska and step on it. I don’t want to run into any drones today while we’re still in Kansas territory.”
“Of course sir,” the pilot replied as he slightly turned the aircraft to be on course.
I was finally free and going home.
4
The Journey to Nebraska
Freedom at last. I have never felt more relieved and overjoyed as what I was feeling right now. I was away from Cerberus and the constant beatings. No more nasty dining hall food. No more nights in the cold and dark basement. And no more Principal Hansen.
We continued in the helicopter flying to the Nebraska and Kansas state borders, but that didn’t really mean anything in today’s world. When we crossed the border though that would mean the power would be no more and it would be nothing but a war-torn wasteland.
Mitch informed me earlier that the plan now was to fly to the border and from there we would have a couple vehicle escorts waiting for us. From there we would drive up to a city in Nebraska that used to be called Omaha. That’s where the base headquarters were located.
“Did you used to live in Nebraska?” I asked Mitch as I tried to make conversation to pass time until we got to the state border.
“Sure did,” he told me. “But now it’s nothing but an abandoned and destroyed city.”
“What was life like for you back in the old days?” I asked him. “Before Cerberus.”
“It was pretty great for me,” Mitch replied with a smile as he started remembering what his life used to be like. “Going to the movies on the weekend and hanging out with friends. The Fourth of July was always a favorite for me. Seeing the night sky light up with beautiful colors and shapes. It didn’t get any better than that.”
“That sounds amazing,” I said as I imagined the holiday as well. I was younger but still remembered it quite well.
Mitch then let out a big sigh of disappointment. “Of course that’s a thing of the past because of Cerberus. They ruined everything. Life used to be so simple but now it’s nothing but a hell hole and we have to fight every day just to survive.”
I started to realize that Mitch really hated Cerberus just as much as me. They took everything away from him. His life, his friends, and even his personality. I was glad he was on our side though because trust me, we need him.
“I still have hope though,” Mitch said as he looked out the helicopter window. “One day I may be able to celebrate that holiday again but with a different meaning now. And now that you guys are with us we have a better chance at getting there.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes Mitch,” I supported. “Whatever it takes.”
“And we’ll help too,” Sarah said. “The time of Cerberus rule is over. It’s time we take back our country.”
“Well it looks like we’re here,” Mitch said as he stood up and looked out through the cockpit. “And the cars are waiting just like planned.”
“I can’t wait to get back home,” I told the group. “Even though I’m not from Omaha I am a Nebraskan.”
Mitch looked towards me with a sad look on his face. “Don’t get your hopes up too high kid. There’s really nothing left but what was left from the war.”
“I know,” I responded. “I just have to see it for myself.”
The helicopter started to make its slow descent towards the ground. As I got out of the chopper I saw the other two helicopters had made it already and were parked not much further away from us.
“Why don’t we just take the helicopter to the base?” I asked Mitch as we started to walk towards the cars.
“Too risky,” he told me. “They are easy being spotted by drones and we don’t want to risk giving away the base location. Plus we don’t have enough juice to get us all the way there.”
“I didn’t know drones flew outside the state boundaries,” Sarah commented.
“Yeah, all the time,” Mitch replied. “They still know there is a small population who lives out here and they try to bring them into the states or kill them if they don’t comply.”
“Well, let’s not run into any of those today,” Bekah said.
“Sounds good to me,” Nicole replied.
“They are extremely fast and precise,” Mitch explained. “Equipped with lock on missiles and machine guns. If one ever engages you don’t try and fight it. Run.”
Nicole now terrified decided to ignore the conversation. “Thanks for the advice.”
“Sorry about that,” Mitch apologized.
We got in the back of the cars and soon were on the road towards Nebraska. Hopefully, the trip goes well and we don’t run into any trouble. Especially drones.
“I can’t remember the last time I was in a car,” Bekah told the group. “It feels weird.”
“I’m right there with you Bekah,” I commented as I looked around the car taking in all the details.
“We should be there in about an hour,” Mitch informed us. “Once we get there we’ll get you guys some food and a good night’s sleep.”
“How about the President?” I asked.
“They’ll be waiting for us there,” Mitch informed me. “In time the two of you will meet. Trust me when I say they want to meet you just as much as you wanting to meet them.”
“I look forward to it,” I told Mitch with a smile.
Time went on as we continued to drive down the long worn-down road. Not soon later we passed the Nebraska welcoming sign, which we
lcomed us to “The Good Life.” The sign we pretty beat up though with a chunk missing from the side and several bullet holes throughout. Not so good anymore I guess.
A little time after passing the sign we entered the city and it was not pretty. Trash littered the streets and abandoned cars filled the streets. Houses were destroyed and the few that were still standing were either missing a ceiling or a wall. This was no longer Nebraska. It was nothing but a trash dump.
“We’re almost there guys don't worry,” Mitch informed us. “We are about five minutes out.”
Then we were all cut off guard when we meet some resistance with gun fire.
“Get down!” Mitch yelled at us to get down to avoid being hit.
“Is this Cerberus!?” I yelled at Mitch over the loud noise of our car getting hit by gun fire.
“Definitely not!” Mitch replied. “No machine gun fire. We’re being hit by pistol and rifle gunfire.
I noticed Mitch was right there was no automatic gun fire. It was small amounts of gunfire compared to Cerberus. No machine guns.
“Then who is it!?” I asked.
“Probably local Snatchers!” Mitch replied. “Just looking to loot our cars!”
I quickly took out my gun and began shooting out the window trying to get them off our tail. A bullet made its way through the car though unfortunately and made contact with our driver’s head. He died immediately and the car came to a steady stop.
“Damn it!” Mitch cursed at the Snatchers. He too pulled out his pistol from his side and began firing at towards the Snatchers.
“What do we do!?” I yelled at towards Mitch.
“We need to get the hell out of here!” Sarah yelled over the gunfire. “We’re sitting ducks out here!”
Mitch pulled out a walkie from his backpack, turned it on, and began to talk in it. “This is Task Force 119. We have taken heavy gunfire and stalled on 180th street. Please send reinforcements immediately.”
“Now what!?” Nicole yelled at Mitch.
