Burn

I wake up to screaming again. It's the same thing every morning. Gun shots, bombs going off, screams, so many screams. I groan, getting out of my sleeping bag. I'm camped out with the rest of the leading resistance. The worlds gone to shit, and we're smack dab in the middle of it. I almost can't remember when the states were a democracy. It's been so long.

In the year 2020 A man was elected as our president. He gave a few speeches on how he was going to give America back to it's citizens, instead when he was elected he took away all of our freedoms. Everything. It started off small, putting in marshal law, for the protection of the citizens against anyone who might be planning attacks on the states. No one questioned it. Then gun restrictions went up, there was no longer a right to bare arms. Freedom of the press and speech disappeared not to long after. If you said something against our government you went to a camp, if you went against the Christian society, you went to a camp. After so long it seemed like no one was safe. A child who didn't know anything about religion, asked his teacher who God was, she told the principal, the principal told the school marshals, and the little boy and his entire family were hulled off. Word spread and Anarchy started.

Riots appeared in every major city, groups of Christian zealots started to gain control, the government went to shit. Now the man that we elected as president, became our dictator.

In 2035 war started on U.S soil. A war to take back our country. We have a leader. His name is Brad Black. He is the Resistance Army Commander. He's our ray of hope.

My name is Delilah Black. When I became a part of the resistance 7 years ago. I was a nobody, just a soldier who fought for her country in WWIII and came back from the Marines, only to enter a world of chaos. Brad found me. I was being held as a traitor when I wouldn't be a part of our new military, The Red Guillotine, thats what The Dictator named our armed forces. Brad broke me out of my prison, I became his general, and he became my husband.

My name is Delilah Black. I am a fighter in the resistance, I am a soldier, a Marine, a traitor to her country, but I will stop this war.

Ë

When I exited my tent, my bright green eyes scanned the area. The men and women around me were gearing up, getting ready for our assault on the capitol. Today was the day. We win or we lose, today, the tides of war will change.

I started making my way to where I knew he'd be. The resistance soldiers saluting me as I go. We don't make them salute, but out of respect and for a lot of the ex military, habit, they salute the upper commands. I keep walking. Getting farther and farther away from our camp, the sounds of our soldiers mere whispers now.

I see him, standing on a hill, over looking the city. I go up and stand beside him, he grabs my hand. "The city looks so pretty." He murmurs.

I follow his gaze, in an odd way it's a beautiful site. The fires that can't be put out blazing in the distance, buildings crumbling, the washington monument is a crumbling heap of stone. I keep looking. The White House is still standing, a grotesque grey wall hundreds of feet high surrounding it, keeping the Dictator and his Red Guillotine safe.

I look over to Brad, his shaggy black hair being blown slightly with the breeze, his blue eyes bright with hope, slight black stubble covering his chin. He's my ray of hope.

I part my lips and speak. "Do you want to burn it with me?" His gaze shifts to me, his lips curling into a smile.

"You're the only one I want to light the world afire with." He pulls me into his arms, his lips pressing against mine. "I love you, Delilah."

"And I you."

"Are you ready for this?" His voice is laced with concern, I can see the lines of worry etched into his face.

"Getting soft on me, Brad? You can't worry about me. Not now, not today." I don't mean to sound harsh, but his focus can not waver, not with so many depending on him.

"Any other woman would be pissed if I wasn't concerned about their well being." He states, a little bitter from what I said, he never liked how I got mad at him for his concern, but he always understood why, and I know thats one reason why he loves me.

"You know I'm not like any other woman. I've been to war before Brad, i can do it again, and I have been for the past 7 years. You have people depending on you. Your mind can't be preoccupied with me."

He runs his fingers through my short brown hair and presses his lips to my forehead. "Don't die on me Delilah."

"I won't."

Brad grabs my hand, and leads me back to camp. Our soldiers look at us, saluting, they know its time. Everyone heads over to the command post, which is just a bunch of desks outside that the strategists strategize on. His kisses my hand. We stand there waiting for everyone to show up.

He looks at me, I smile at him encouragingly.

He clears his throat and looks out at our soldiers. "We have lived under the oppression of The Dictator for 28 years. We have watched as he's taken and killed the people we love. We have stood by as all of our rights were taken away! This war was started by us and will be finished by us! We will take back our country, we will take back our lives, we will take back our freedom! Not all of us were bred as soldiers, most of us have never been in the military, but we have won battle after battle with, doctors, lawyers, teachers, factory workers, everyone that has been affected by the tyranny, all of the normal folk. We have survived and we have won so much. we will win today!"

I smile at Brad as cheers are heard through our camp. I smile at the man I love, our hope.

Ì

Breathing heavy, I duck behind some of the city rubble. We broke down the gates to the White house, and now it's just been a complete fuck fest. I've lost all but 6 of my squad, and I haven't seen brad or the other 4 units in an hour. I hope they made it inside.

I close my eye's reloading my Ak-47. I check my holsters making sure my other guns are locked an loaded. Taking another breath I look to my right, my lieutenant nods at me, and we both peak out from cover and shoot. I take down three guys and a woman manning a turret.

The two of us move out, three of my other men catching up to us. I hear a shot. A single shot.

"Sniper!" I scream, my men duck for cover two of em were to late though. I look at the bodies, anger growing inside me.

"Martinez! Give me your L96!" The lieutenant nods and hands his weapon to me. I load it, cock it, and quickly peak up from cover my eye glancing trough the scope, I see him, I pull the trigger.

"Nice shot, Black." Martinez says. I nod.

"Move out!"

We move closer to the gates, taking out Red Guillotine as we do, we get inside, noticing most of the Dictators army cleared out. They got through. I feel relief wash through me. He has to be alive.

I hear gun shots and yelling coming from our rendezvous spot. My men and I high tail it in that direction. My heart is beating and my fears are rising. I catch a glimpse of the Red Guillotine . I push myself faster.

The shooting stops.

"Just surrender Black!" A man yells. I see him, He's the Guillotine Commander.

"Surrender for what? Surrender our freedom! I think not." Oh no. Please don't.

Before I can get there, before I can stop it, there's a gunshot. A body drops. I scream.

"No! No!" I drop my weapons and i run to him, skidding to his body, I cradle him in my arms tears streaming down my face, I hear the guns going off, I know our men are fighting.

I look down at the man I love, the man who sad me, the man I married. His black eyes are staring up at me, blood pooling from the wound in his head. "Don't leave me…please…"

"General! We have to retreat!" It's Martinez, but I can't I can't leave him here.

I scream.