Freedom's Wings

Whether for better or for worse, everything had changed. Blood-caked streets and empty stomachs…but now we were truly free. Once the anarchy had ensued, the great country that had once been America ripped itself apart from the inside and turned to ash. It still existed…just across the war-bound border, reduced to a pathetic, hollow shell of the powerful empire it had once been. With so much power lying in the hands of so few…America had been bound for failure from the start. How could they have expected to truly sustain their values of freedom, when the repression of our liberties had begun almost immediately?
“Rikki!” That was me…the rebel ‘leader.’ In honesty, I was nothing more than an empty authority figure. No power…I had none. I made no decisions for those that chose to secede and become free. Being nothing more than a martyr, I was the personification of our dreams to end this war and have every man govern themselves…ready to die to allow everyone else to be free, though those across the border were against us, choosing to let their thoughts and dreams be pushed down by a government that couldn’t care less about them. Affectionately, those still loyal to the oppressive government chose to call us Rebellia.
“What is it?”
“They’re at the border again!”
“Got it!” Nodding quickly, I grabbed my revolver from my belt and rushed after the young soldier to where the hostile Americans stood unarmed. Did they still want to try to talk peace with us after slaughtering every rebel child to be found? Could they still be stupid enough to believe that a free people would rejoin the oppression? After so many years of carrying their debt upon our shoulders and silently accepting the overbearing cruelties, this liberty that we should have had back then was finally within reach and would not be taken away. They called it chaos, but it was anarchy. Nothing more and nothing less. A lack of leadership, where we could defend and support ourselves, rather than placing our personal safety into the hands of a sadist like a police officer. “We will never submit to you!”
“This war cannot continue!”
“We will fight for our liberties until our dying breath. There is not one rebel that will tell you otherwise!” Though my finger was on the trigger, I wouldn’t shoot unless it became necessary. With the battles occurring nearly every day, every bullet counted. Nothing could be wasted, especially since the Americans had cut off our supplies and any contact with our allies. “And if there is, then they can run right across this border and surrender themselves to the likes of you.”
“We can resolve this peacefully!”
“We can’t. You lost that chance a long time ago! Do you think we will forgive what you’ve done to us?” Rage boiled in my veins as I pointed the barrel of my gun straight at his head. Though fear showed in the eyes of the American general, he made no move to retaliate.
“Rikki, neither of us can succeed alone.” He took to a calmer tone, trying to calm the anger that had provoked me into being ready to shoot him.
“That’s where you’re wrong. You may fail without us, but we don’t need you.” And they backed off. Of course, they’d eventually be back, trying again and again to win their losing battle of sucking us back into their twisted, sadistic frame of mind in which they could justify whatever cruelties they threw into our faces. Though it would be in everyone’s best interest in terms of safety to end the fighting…the rebels knew that they couldn’t just give in and throw away everything we’d worked for. Who would be stupid enough to do something like that? To throw away everything of importance for something so petty? Even if we weren’t as safe this way, we were happier having received the freedom we’d wanted for so long.
Still…I had to wonder…was it worth it? Or were we just making everything harder for ourselves? Despite that we were free, the threat of dying was hard to carry every day…but it was still lighter than lugging misery and pain at our heels. Even if I were given the chance to do it again…to never even start this war for what we deserved…I wouldn’t change a single thing about the new world I had created for those who strived to be free.