Unity Commanded ( #JustWriteIt #Wattys2015 )

Chapter Two

Davey smiled a wide toothy grin and flapped his arms wildly. "Birthday. Birthday. Link turn seventeen. Birthday."

"Oh that's right buddy. It is my birthday!" Link exclaimed, feigning excitement.

Davey jumped and flapped vigorously. A pretty girl with blonde hair, the same height as Davey, placed her hand on his shoulder. Immediately he calmed and gently rocked side to side on the balls of his feet.

"Thanks Annabelle." Link smiled at her.

She crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly.

Laughing he reached into his pocket. "Here," he said tossing her a smooth round stone, "you must have a chest full saved by now."

"It's perfect Link!" She said, as she stood on her tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck.

Just then, a thin woman with greying brown hair stood from the table and approached him. Wiping her slender hands on a towel tucked into the waist of her skirt, she embraced him quickly.

"I was worried Lincoln. You know I like you home before dark." She said sternly.

"Mom, call me Link. Everyone does." He said, brushing her hand away.

Stamping her foot, she replied. "I will not! I named you after the greatest president the United States ever had. You should honor the name you were given."

The United States didn't even exist anymore. He fought the urge to snap at her. Instead, he changed the subject. "Where's dad?"

His mother eyed him nervously for a moment then busied herself with items at the table. "I made you corn cakes dear. They were President Lincoln's fav-"

"Favorite. Yeah I know." He nodded.

Several moments of silence passed between them before he asked her where his father was again.

"The council had an emergency meeting. He left for Sugarloaf this morning." She answered carefully.

"What?! He couldn't have waited for me?" Link asked angrily. His father was the leader of the Watchmen, which were like the law enforcement for the Patriots. They secured villages and kept a look out for any Unity activity. It was bad enough that the Patriots forced him to join them, but now his father left him out of an important meeting. Forced was not entirely accurate. Any children that turned seventeen were able to choose between joining the Watchmen or the Rustlers. The Rustlers found useful supplies from Unity warehouses, stealing them, and smuggling them back to villages in need of them.

Link often wondered how many citizens of Unity went hungry or cold because of the supplies the Patriot's stole. His father tried explaining that they were fighting to free those confined by Unity, but to do so, they had to take enough to survive. Still, the idea of the people who would suffer because of him surfaced, every time he thought of joining the Rustlers. Therefore, Watchmen it was. It was just as well from his father's perspective. There were other jobs among the Patriot Rebels, but the council appointed most. You had to prove yourself if you wanted those positions.

His mother's voice broke his silent thoughts, "He wanted to wait for you. But the matter seemed urgent. Just as well, I'd rather you safe here."

He was about to respond when he heard a soft, rhythmic thumping noise in the distance. Glancing fearfully at his mother as she wrapped an arm around Davey, she put her finger to her lips and motioned to the single candle burning dimly on the table. Link licked his fingers. The wick hissed as his wet fingers smothered the flame. Grabbing Annabelle, he found his mother's hand and they moved quickly to the far end of the room. Feeling the rug under his boot, Link bent and flipped it over. Blindly searching the smooth surface, he tugged hard when he found the small recces in the floorboard.

Allowing his mother and siblings down first, he jumped down after them. Pulling the rug and trap door closed simultaneously. Landing on the soft earth with a quiet thud, he joined his family in the corner of the crawl space. The wop wop of the helicopter blades grew louder and beams from their searchlights broke the darkness briefly. Davey rocked back and forth uncomfortably, flicking his hands every few seconds. Annabelle did her best to comfort him, but the longer they waited, the more unnerved he became. After several more passes overhead, the lights vanished and the sound of the chopped air faded away.

Davey moaned and stood, "Want out. Want out."

"I know Davey. Just a little longer buddy." Link whispered.

Just when it felt safe to exit the crawl space, he heard the door to the cabin creak open and the heavy thud of boots above them. Listening carefully, he followed the man throughout the small cabin. Light from a flashlight swept back and forth, piercing the small crevices of the wooden floor. After rummaging through several chests and drawers, the footsteps softened and then stopped on the rug directly above them. Link held his breath in fear. Annabelle griped his arm so tightly her nails broke the surface of his skin. He prayed silently to himself that Davey stayed calm.

It seemed the man was satisfied and started to head to the door. Relief washed over him, but disappeared in a matter of seconds when the trap door swung open violently. The flashlight blinded him, but he lunged toward it, hoping to catch the person wielding it off guard. The man knocked him back with the butt of his rifle and Link's world spun. Several more guards wearing the blue uniform of Unity entered and dragged them from their hiding space. Davey wailed as they separated him from their mother. Link tried to stand, but was knocked back down by the same guard who had hit him before. Screams from other cabins echoed around him.

                                                                            They had found the village. Deep down he knew what that meant. There were rarely any survivors from a Unity raid. Link fought hard as one of the men shoved a gag in his mouth, tying it roughly behind his head. He shouted muffled curses as them as they bound his hands and feet as well. His eyes widened as the first guard he encountered, raised a pistol, and placed it to his forehead. Closing his eyes tightly, he waited.

Author's Notes

Thank you for reading! I will update this story weekly. If you like what you have read so far, feel free to vote, comment or share with a friend!

#justwriteit #Wattys2015