A Path To Freedom Rebecca

Chapter 1

The Beginning

Something's wrong, I felt it when I woke up.

Maybe it was a sixth sense. Maybe it was because the ground was shaking all last night, and I kept falling out of the bed. I got up off the hard dirt floor of the tent and dressed in my uniform. Patches of three shades of puke green served as camouflage on my pants, vest and helmet. One lonely medal dangled from above my heart. I struggled to pull my once shiny black boots onto my brown holy socks.

I'm a 17 year old American recruit. Times are bad. Almost all the nations have formed an alliance against us. Last year I was drafted into the military in preparation for the possibility of a third world war. Spent six excruciating months in basic training and was immediately sentenced to this dried up piece of dirt they called the desert. God, I’m homesick! What I wouldn't do to see my father and two sisters, but especially my mom.

When I exited the tent it felt cold and deadly. I shivered and went back inside to wake up my comrades. I walked over to the first bed, but no one was there, just rumpled up blankets. It was the same with all of the other six beds.

I nervously bit my bottom lip as I started to look for clues. When I found none, I grabbed my rifle and headed back outside. My eye immediately caught sight of something falling from the sky. Three seconds later, "Boom!" I was knocked down on the hard rocky floor of the desert. Finally I knew what was happening.

The war had begun…

I started running towards where the explosion hit. Most people would run the other way, but not me! I'm Devin James Redwood – The Fighter!

Ten minutes later, "BOOM!" Once again, I was laying flat on the ground. I grunted when I got up. My legs wobbled as I struggled to stand. Boy, my bottom was getting sore from landing on the hardened desert dirt so much! I rubbed it cautiously. It was still intact.

Once again, I started to run to where the explosion hit, only stopping to see if any unexpected guests would turn up.

After what felt like an hour, I started smelling smoke. I slowed down my pace to catch my breath and listened for any sign of my comrades. Suddenly, I heard a whistling sound from above. It was another bomb. I ran behind a rock and braced myself; that's when I heard screams of "take cover!" The bomb collided with the dried earth. "BOOM!" Sand and rocks flew everywhere.

When I thought it was safe, I slowly crawled out from behind my shelter...

To be continued…

— © Rebecca

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