by R. P. Wolff
“As most of you know, the United States’ citizens have amended our Constitution and enacted the 28th amendment, which establishes Materism as our national religion. As part of this conversion date, the few infidels that remain must convert to Materism. Don’t worry, we will provide them the religious education necessary to convert.”
Lance sighed loudly, glanced at this daughter, shook his head, and said, “This is bad.”
“In order to accomplish this, as I speak, all the schools are identifying the infidels for immediate conversion. The schools will safely take the infidel students to a fun camp to teach them Materism. This conversion process shouldn’t take too long. All students who are already registered Maters will remain at school and will continue their normal studies. Parents do not worry about your children. The schools will take good care of them and ensure their safety.
“For the infidel parents, you must immediately register and have a Freedom Chip injected into your hand if you haven’t already. For your convenience, you can register at all grocery stores and gas stations.
“In addition to these minor changes, effective immediately, cash or credit will not be accepted for goods or services throughout the country. Stores will gladly accept the balance on your Freedom Chip. You can exchange any cash you have onto your Freedom Chip at any designated stations.
“As we have mentioned in the past, our economic system is improving to one where there will be no evil, selfish, wealthy people. In accordance with Materism, we will share our wealth and resources. The United States doesn’t need any other country. We can survive with our own vast resources. Most of you will keep your same job or business if you are lucky enough to own one. But we will all be on the government general schedule pay system or commonly known as the GS system. If you are a registered Mater, you will keep your career, but you will convert to the GS fair system.
“Under this system, no one will be homeless! There will be no hunger! There will no unemployment! There will be no crime!
“Finally, I have come to the major announcement.”
“What,” Lance said in frustration. “How worse can it get? What other major announcement could he have that would top what he just said?”
Becca frowned and shrugged.
“Effective at midnight tonight, I am resigning as President of the United States to allow our true leader to run the country. I am proud and excited to announce that our Mother of all the Gods, the holy Zelda Mater, will be our fearless leader.
“I say this in the name of the Sun, the Land, and the Sea. May the Gods bless you, and may the Gods bless the United States of America.”
Lance and his daughter froze and gaped.
The voice on the radio said, “We interrupt this radio station for a special announcement from President Max Tillman. Please stand by.”
Lance realized that the government planned on repeating the same message again.
“Dad, what are we going to do?” Becca gasped.
“I don’t know, but we need to call your mom right away.” Lance took out his cellphone and called his wife, who was in New York on business. Lance felt like crying. This was like a nightmare that wouldn’t end. He had lost his country to a bunch of crazies. He had to get out of the country—to Mexico, the new land of the free.
“Come on, answer,” Lance demanded. He glanced at his phone and could see that the call wasn’t going through and there was no signal. “Oh no, the signal is bad,” he said.
Becca said, “Do you think they shut off the phones?”
“I don’t know. Let me see your phone.”
She handed him her phone, and he inspected it only to see that she didn’t have a signal either. “Oh man, no signal.”
“What are we going to do, Dad?”
“Well, you’re definitely not going to school. We must get out of here. We have to get to our house and get our stuff and get the hell out of this country.”
“What about mom?”
“She’s in New York right now. I don’t know what to do. We have to somehow give her a message that we are going to Mexico.”
“We’re going to leave the country?” Becca asked and started crying.
“Yes, I think we have to.”
“What about the wall? How would we get around that?”
“I know for a fact that there are many openings in areas where there are rough terrains.”
Becca covered her eyes and continued to cry. “Dad, I don’t want to leave Lewisville.”
“Honey, you heard the President. Do you want to go to this … this camp?”
“No. No way.” Becca sighed. “Oh my God, Dad. I’m scared. I’m worried. What are we going to do?”
Lance sat there and felt helpless. He was always a man in control, but he now felt helpless with no control. But he had to think quickly; otherwise, he might lose his daughter. Then, he thought about his wife. What would happen to her? Hopefully, she would hide somewhere until he could somehow find her.
“Dad, what are we going to do?”
“We have to get to our house right away and grab as much stuff and food as we can take.”
Lance put the car in drive and sped away.
Chapter 2
Lance almost got into an accident while he drove quickly to his house. People were driving crazy. Everyone seemed to be in a panic.
Lance just wanted to get some basic stuff and get on the road before anyone noticed him. He turned onto the street that led to his alley. His alley was only a half block away, but he noticed a police car blocking the alley’s entrance.
“Oh, no,” he said. “They’re blocking our alley.”
“Oh, jeez,” Becca said.
“I’m just going to slowly drive past them. Hopefully, they won’t stop me.”
Lance’s heart raced. There was no way he was going to let them take his daughter to a religious camp.
He slowly drove past the police car and stared at his rear-view mirror.
“Can we go down the alley on the other side, Dad?”
“No, I don’t think so. They’ve probably got another cop at that end.”
“Can’t we try?”
“No, I don’t want to chance it.”
“Dad!”
Lance turned towards his daughter, “Look, honey, this is serious. We need to get out of here because that cop may have radioed us into someone else.” Lance didn’t want to have to deal with her teenaged attitude during such a potential crisis. Lance continued, “We need to get to a gas station because I only have a half a tank.”
“But aren’t you supposed to register there?”
“Oh yeah, that’s right.” Lance sighed and shook his head. “Oh jeez, let’s hope we can still get some gas.”
“But they said you can only buy goods with the Freedom Chip.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Let’s hope that they haven’t fully implemented that yet.”
Lance maneuvered through as many side streets as he could to avoid running into any cops. He pulled up to Round Grove Road and glanced over to the QuikTrip. He could see the unmistaken sign of two cops, dressed in the well-known, all-white uniforms, standing there with their assault rifles across their shoulders.
“Can’t go there,” Lance said trying to remain calm. He quickly turned left, away from the QuikTrip. As he drove, he saw three separate cop cars that had pulled over cars, two on his side and one on the other side.
Becca whimpered, “Dad, this is awful. They’re going to catch us. How are we supposed to get to the border without gas, food, or clothes?”
“Let’s try another gas station.” Lance kept driving slowly to avoid suspicion. Most of the drivers were probably Maters, so the Mater police wouldn’t pull them over. He, on the other hand, was a well-known infidel as they called his type. Anyone who didn’t believe in Materism was an infidel. They might even be looking specifically for him. He had to get gas and get out of town.
He approached the next gas station, and there were even more cops at that s
tation.
“What do we do, Dad?”
Lance exhaled. He figured he needed to get off the busy street, so he made several turns until he was on a side street.
“Dad?”
“I’m thinking.” He pulled over on a side street and put the car in park.
He started weighing his options. It looked like it was impossible to get gas, so he wouldn’t get too far with his car with only a half a tank. So that was out of the question. He would need to use a Mater’s car; someone he could trust. Maybe even use their phone. Who could he trust? He hated his Mater friends. They seemed to get more extreme by the day.
Some of his lawyer friends were atheists, but he couldn’t go to them because they would be targets as well. They would have to register like him.
“Honey, which one of your dance friends do you think will take us in and won’t tell on us?”
She sighed and peered up into the ceiling. “I don’t know. Maybe, Susan’s parents.”
“I don’t know them, though.”
“Okay, what about, Carolyn’s parents? You know them.”
“Yeah, I do. I know them well, but they have been Maters for a long time.”
“But they don’t talk about it a lot. Maybe we try them.”
“Okay, let’s go for it. It’s our only hope.”
Lance drove to their house and arrived within five minutes. He parked about a block away. Lance grunted because he dressed in a suit, which was not the idea outfit to escape in. Fortunately, his daughter dressed in jeans and a blue shirt. They cut through a neighbor’s yard and jogged to the Dunn’s house. Lance decided to hide the car keys by an electrical box in case he needed to get the car later. He worried that someone might take his car keys away from him.
Lance stopped Becca from going to the front of the house.
“No, we need to go to their back door.”
“They’ll be startled.”
“I don’t care. I don’t want any cops to see us.”
Lance opened their wooden gate. Luckily, it wasn’t locked. He quickly approached the back door and knocked on the door’s glass window.
He stared at his daughter with a worried look, and said, “I hope this works.”
After a while, Sandy Dunn, Carolyn’s mother, crept up to the door, holding a gun.
Lance held up his hands, and shouted, “Sandy, it’s me and Becca. Can you please help us?”
She looked confused, but then said, “Oh, Governor, come on in.”
Lanced exhaled as he thought she might accidently shoot him thinking he was an intruder.
She held the gun pointed down, unlocked the door, and let them in.
Becca hugged Sandy. “Mrs. Dunn, thank you so much for letting us in. The cops are everywhere. We can’t get gas.”
Lance spoke, “Sandy, I hate to ask this of you, but can you help us get out of town?”
She hesitated.
Lance realized that she could be putting herself in danger for helping them. He could tell. He noticed that she still held the gun which made him nervous. Why doesn’t she put down the gun? he wondered.
Sandy finally spoke, “Sure, but didn’t you get that text message that they’re giving a five-thousand-dollar reward for any Mater who turns in an infidel. I don’t think you’re going to get too far with that reward hanging out there.”
Lance gasped. “No, my phone is not working,” he said. “Your phone is working?”
“Yeah.”
“Can I see it?”
She hesitated again. “No, I rather you didn’t. I’m glad to help you, but it’s my phone.”
“I would like to call my wife with your phone.”
Sandy winced. “Um … I’m sorry. If you call from my phone, there’s a record.”
Lance had to convince her. He needed to call his wife. He said, “I mean, come on, what are they going to do. This has gone crazy. They can’t do this. It’s against the law.”
“Lance, I’m sorry. I just don’t want to take any chances.” She paused. “Listen, I’m willing to help, but I need to call Jeff. Why don’t y’all sit down on the couch and make yourself comfortable.”
Lance shrugged and sat down on the couch with Becca. Lance knew Jeff a little better than Sandy because he had played poker with him a couple of times with a big group of neighborhood guys. But Lance worried whether they would let them use their car to leave town. That was asking a lot of them.
Sandy called Jeff and walked upstairs to speak with him. She was still holding the gun. Why couldn’t she just speak to him in front of us? He asked himself.
“Dad, do you think they will help us?”
“I hope so.”
After a few minutes, Sandy returned. “Jeff’s right around the corner and will be here shortly. We will definitely help you. Jeff wants to strategize with you.”
“Oh, thank you, Mrs. Dunn,” Becca said. “We’re so scared. We saw police arresting people.”
“Let me get you some water,” Sandy said. “Do you want something to eat?”
“No, we’re good for now,” said Lance. “Honey, are you okay?”
“Yes.”
She brought them two bottled waters, which she held with one hand. Again, she still held the gun in the other hand.
Becca asked, “Is Carolyn home or is she at school?”
“She’s at school.”
It seemed like forever before Jeff finally came home. But Lance looked at his watch, and it had only been fifteen minutes.
Lance stood up and shook Jeff’s hand. “Jeff, thank you so much for helping us.”
“No problem, Governor.”
Lance hated when people referred to him as Governor. He just wanted to blend in with everyone else and always told people to please not refer to him as Governor. Nonetheless, Jeff always referred to him as “Governor.”
Lance said, “They seem to be arresting a lot of people on the streets, and there are cops at every gas station. We think we need to head for the border, but we can’t use our car. Can we trade cars?”
Jeff chuckled. “Are you kidding. I can’t let you use my car. You don’t have a Freedom Chip, do you?”
“No.”
“Okay, you would only get as far as the gas in my tank which isn’t much. Then, I would be in trouble.”
Lance put his head down. He couldn’t get to the border without a car. Hey, he thought what about a bicycle? Nah, he couldn’t get to the border with it, but he might be able to hide in the woods.
Jeff said, “How about this. How about you hide in our house. No one would think to look for an infidel here.”
Jeez, he even refers to me as an infidel, thought Lance. But Lance thought that this was a very generous and dangerous proposal for Jeff to make.
“That is awfully nice of you, Jeff. How long do you think we could stay here?”
“As long as it takes, but we have to be careful. We must make sure that no neighbors see you. Did anyone see you come to our house?”
“No, we came in the back.”
“Okay, why don’t you give me your car keys?”
Lance thought that was odd that he would ask for his car keys considering that he just said he wouldn’t trade cars with him.
“I hid the keys on the way.”
“Where?”
“Nearby.”
Jeff briefly gritted his teeth, but then smiled. “No problem. Let’s get you upstairs in to our guest room.” Jeff gestured to his wife. “Honey, take them upstairs and show them their room.”
“Hey Jeff, I can’t thank you enough,” said Lance.
“Don’t think of it.”
Sandy led them upstairs and showed them the bedroom and bathroom. “I’ll get you some clothes to wear. Becca, I’m sure you’ll fit into Carolyn’s clothes. She is going to be so excited to have a friend live with us.”
Becca smiled.
Sandy closed the bedroom door and left Lance and Becca alone.
“This is good, Dad, huh?”
�
�Yeah,” he said hesitantly. “I’m a little worried that she wouldn’t put the gun down, though.”
“Yeah, that was a little weird, but she’s not going to shoot us.”
“I know.” Lance felt trapped in the room. The Dunns were taking a huge risk and seemed happy to do it, but he didn’t really know them all too well. They didn’t seem genuine. He needed to do some snooping.
“Honey,” he said, “I’m going to see how things are going. Stay here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
Lance opened the door quietly and tiptoed down the hall. He listened. He could her mumbling downstairs but couldn’t decipher what they were saying. He crept down the staircase as far as he could without them seeing him. He worried that if they caught him eavesdropping, they might kick him out, so he decided to head back upstairs.
He stopped, though, and listened again.
He heard Jeff speaking, “Yeah, they’re upstairs right now. Yeah, I’ll keep them up there. Hurry up.”
Lance gaped and darted back upstairs. He pushed opened the guest bedroom door, and huffed, “Becca, they called the cops. We have to go.”
“Oh, no,” she said.
He grabbed her hand and they scurried down the stairs and headed towards the back door.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Jeff asked.
“We have to get something from our car. We’ll be right back.” Lance and Becca continued towards the door.
Jeff barked, “No, you’re not going anywhere.”
Lance turned to his right and saw Jeff holding a gun. He turned to his left and Sandy was standing there but did not have a gun. Lance figured that Jeff took her gun.
Sandy blurted, “Jeff, stop it. You can’t shoot them.”
“Y’all need to stop right now,” Jeff said.
Lance stopped and stood in front of Becca to block her if Jeff did shoot at them. Lance wasn’t sure how to react. The cops were certainly on their way, and he was wasting precious time. Jeff wouldn’t shoot him in front of his daughter’s friend. Lance decided to take a risk. He didn’t think Jeff would shoot him.
