Life After

Chapter 15: The Days in the Revolution

That Friday, AJ and I went to the same place as the bonfire had been the previous week, at the running track. Sure enough the same group was there again, this time with a few more people than last time. We started discussing plans for how we were going to take down General Ross.

It was a pretty simple plan. A group would distract the soldiers by starting fires in a handful of empty buildings around the base. That would scatter them and cause enough commotion while another group would corner General Ross and capture him. After that he would be given a choice, either relinquish power or be banished.

"He'll really have no choice," Anna exclaimed with a smile, triumphantly. We were sitting by the fire again, several others around us making typical "party noises" like laughing and talking loudly. It was a cover so no one could hear what we were actually talking about if a soldier or someone were to walk by. Our chatter would blend in with the other "young people partying on a Friday night".

"Okay, but I'm still not sure if I'm okay with banishing him. Isn't that pretty much the same as sentencing him to death," I asked as Doofus came up to me with his ball, wanting me to roll it for him again. He was on a leash attached to the bottom of my chair. We had brought him so he wasn't cooped up in the room for a night, but we still had to abide by the leash rules.

"At least he'll get a fighting chance out there. And it's just giving him a taste of his own medicine," she said.

I bit my lip and turned to AJ. He was next to me, but had been rather quiet the entire conversation. He looked deep in thought, staring at the fire.

"Alright," I finally said. "I can get behind the banishment. But I need to make one thing clear. I am not okay with anyone being killed by our hands in any way though. I have to be sure that this revolution means that things will be better. I will not support one murderous leader being traded out for another."

Anna leaned over and put her hand on top of mine. The fire light danced off her face making it switch back and forth from shadowy to full of life. "I promise Claire, that is the last thing I want to happen. I, sorry, we are nothing like Ross and will do everything in our power to ensure that no one gets hurt during this."

I nodded and AJ piped in. "How are we going to ensure our safety though? General Ross doesn't seem like the kinda guy that would just throw his hands up if we punched him around a bit."

"I'm glad you asked," Anna said. "We'll be getting some guns from the soldiers' armory." My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to protest, but she held up her hand. "I know what that sounds like, but we'll only be using it as a scare tactic. Ross and the soldiers only have to think we'll shoot them. That way no one will get hurt. And it'll give us the advantage since the soldiers inside the base don't have guns, they only use them when they're guarding the gates."

"What if the ones at the gates come in and fight us? And it's not like they'll just let us toss Ross out the main gates without turning their guns at us," I stated.

Anna nodded and said, "Yeah, that's the main part of our plan that we're still trying to work out."

I looked into the fire and said, "What about during shift changes?"

Anna shook her head, "We've already thought of that. The problem is they overlap. So while shift one is finishing up, shift two will already be out there so the gates are never left unguarded."

AJ looked away from the fire finally and at Anna. "What if we had someone on the inside? One of the soldiers who would be willing to help us out?"

"Yeah, great plan except how do we find someone willing to do that," Anna asked with a slight scoff.