Together We Rise
Together We Rise. This is my first story I've uploaded, but was working on this and another story at the same time. Don't do that, It's very confusing. As far as I know, these characters belong to me. Don't steal them. I wrote this story in honor of those who have stood up for their rights, god bless their souls.
Oppression, starvation, dehydration, abuse, lack of medical supplies, death. The daily reality of those unfortunate enough to be born here. Sadly, my sister, my brother, and I are some of those unfortunate ones mentioned. Every day I'm seeing my community crumble, my neighbors die, my family, living in fear. Both my brother and I have to work hard and long making sure that we survive and to protect our sister from those, those monsters.
24 years of pain and extreme oppression makes you strong. Every day my brother and I labor hard, excruciating work for 16 hours of the day, seven days a week, for extremely small wages. Scars have formed over our battered body from our working conditions and from the beatings of the governmental officials that overlook our section of the country. Sadly for us, we live closer to the central government, so that means more "security" overlooking us.
Today my brother hadn't returned home from his job. Immediately my thoughts went to the worst. I was worried about this. Maria, my sister, was devastated. She became anxious, not wanting to eat until he was home. I had to look for him, it pained my too much to see Maria so sad. I set out the normal way he went to his worksite and arrived before nightfall, seeing signs of struggle and occasional spots of blood at the now deserted mining yard. Following them I saw less signs of struggle and more blood. I followed it around the corner of the furthest out building.
"Samuel!" I shouted out, sprinting to him and sliding to his side. I lifted his head and looked over his badly beaten body. "Sam, speak to me!"
"Lu... Lucas." He sputtered out, blood dripping from his mouth. Being after sundown I couldn't quite see all that had happened to him.
"Oh thank god. Don't talk anymore; I'll get you home. Drink some of this." I tilted the canteen of water to his mouth, hoping it will keep him alive. Closing the canteen, I began to lift him from the ground with as little pain as possible. Brother in arms, I ran as fast as my rabbit legs would carry me.
I was approaching the town screaming for help. Many people poked their heads out of the doors or windows to see what had happened, but only a few came out to help, one being my longtime friend Bruce, a large draft horse. I entered the house of the local "doctor" of the town and set him on the table, letting Doc go to work, cleaning wounds and bandaging what he could. Now that there was light I could really see the damage. One of his legs looked broken, there were deep cuts all along his legs and up to his chest. Another one of his arms was broken in what seemed to be three different places. One eye was swelled shut and his nose was bleeding as well. One of his tall ears was cut off not but two inches from his skull. Someone else entered the room and gasped deeply, then broke into tears. I turned around and saw it was Maria, hardly able to stand on her own. She saw me and stumbled over and began crying even harder into my shoulder. Quickly I realized her wails of sorrow would only grow if we stayed here, so I lead her out of the room back towards our home.
Her crying began to soften and we sat down on the couch. There was a knocking on the door and Bruce walked in, ducking to avoid bumping his head on the frame.
"It's all right, doc said that he should be able to recover. He got lucky though; if you'd have found him any later he would have lost too much blood. He's got him all bandage up, sitting upright, and mostly conscious if you would like to see him. It would probably really help him if you can."
"Well, Maria. Shall we?" I asked, wanting to make sure she would be able to handle it. A nod was all she could suffice. I rose from the couch and lent a hand to her. The three of us crossed the street and once again entered doc's house. Doc led us to his guest room where Samuel was recuperating.
"Now, he's lost a good chunk of his ear, I don't know how much that will affect his hearing, for I myself am not a rabbit. Regardless, take it slowly and try to keep him relatively calm. If you can, find out how this happened." With that, Doc opened the door and saw the rugged, but alive Sam.
"Hey, it's my two favorite people in this hell of a country. How are you two, I've been waiting for you to show up."
I chuckled lightly at his attitude in light of the situation, and thankfully it seemed to cheer up Maria as well.
"So, how are ya doin you crazy bastard?" I asked.
"Pretty fine, considering I should probably be dead right about now. Them government officials, their bite sure is as nasty as their bark." He said, adding a chuckle.
Maria then stepped right next to the bed and began screaming at him. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? FUCKING AROUND WITH THE OFFICIALS? YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN YOURSELF KILLED!" By now tears were again streaming down her face. She lifted a fist, then dropped it, turned around, and plopped down in a chair with tears raining down her face. We all became silent and the pain in Samuel's face was evident. Not from his bruises or cuts, but from knowing he had hurt Maria.
"I, I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was thinking. They just got to me." He managed to get out before once again going silent.
"Well, I believe that Samuel should get some rest before he gets too exhausted."
Said Doc, motioning for us to leave. We started out of the room, then Samuel spoke again.
"Maria?" She turned to look at him. "I'm really sorry. That was stupid of me. Can, can you forgive me?"
Maria nodded her head and strode over to him and hugged him, failing to realize a few of his ribs were cracked. However, the small jolt of pain was worth the relief that washed over Sam.
"We'll be back tomorrow sometime ok?" I said, standing in the doorway.
"I'll be waiting." He responded.
As Maria and I entered our home, we saw a few of the people from around the small community, some we knew, but many we didn't.
"Umm, hello?" I ask, unsure of what was happening.
"We heard about your brother, and we wanted to help, so we brought over some food and such. If you need anything else, just ask any of us alright hun?" Jean, a middle aged beaver, said.
Maria spoke up first. "Thank you very much for the help. We are very grateful Jean."
"Well, unless you two need anything else, we'll be leaving. There some soup in the kitchen for you that Marcy and Ryan made, it is just absolutely heavenly."
Jean said before heading towards the door, the six or seven others following.
After they left, I finally smelled the delicious aroma of the soup and realized how hungry I was, and then I looked at Maria. "Well, let's see about that soup." heading into the kitchen and grabbing two bowls.
The next morning I woke up to find Maria still asleep in her bed. I decided to go check on Sam. He should probably be awake, for it was around ten in the morning. Throwing on a shirt, I walked to Doc's house and knocked.
"Come on in" I heard Doc say through the door. Opening it I saw Sam was awake and moved to the living room couch, and there were two deer in the room talking with Sam.
"Ahh, you must be Lucas. We were just talking about you." Said the male, extending a hand.
I took it in a firm handshake. "Sorry, but who are you?" I asked.
"Ohh, where are my manners. I'm Ryan and this is my wife Marcy."
"So, you two are the two who made that amazing soup. Thank you very much. It was great."
Marcy blushed slightly "Why thank you." She responded.
Doc then came out with a plate of grits and bread. "Come on Samuel, time to eat. I found some spices in the back of the pantry so it shouldn't be as bland this time. Oh, good afternoon Lucas. After Sam eats and I change his bandages one last time, he should be able to stay back at your house. Still needs a few weeks to recover, I suggest staying home with him and Maria, we have already decided to take on some of the responsibilities that you can't do while watching him."
"Ok then, I can do that." I said, grateful that the community would help us out like that. "I'm going to check back on Maria, then I'll be back."
"Ok, don't be in a rush, it's not like I'm going anywhere soon."
"All right then Sam, I'll be back."
Even though Doc and my houses were only across the road and down a few, I still had multiple people asking how Sam was doing and if I had needed any help with anything. I was completely shocked at how much they were sacrificing for me, even if I didn't really know them at all, and I would pay them back one way or another.
"Hey, Maria, are you awake?" I asked, walking into the house.
"Yep, I just got up. Where did you go?"
"I went to go check on Sam, Doc said he can come back over here later today."
"Really, that's amazing. Let me finish breakfast then we can go see him again."
I waited for her to finish eating. Generally I would skip breakfast, partially because I could handle skipping, but mainly because the cost of food was too much on our small income. We always, however, made absolutely sure Maria got enough food every day. I laid down on the floor near the door until she was finished.
"Ok, can we go now?" She asked.
"Absolutely, let's go."
We headed back over to Doc's and found that Marcy and Ryan had left, but Jean was there instead.
"Hello Jean." I said, entering the room.
"Well hello there. I was just coming here to check on him again. Quite a strong one here, very few people could survive the beating he got Doc said. However, I've got things to do, so I will be leaving now. Have a good day now." She said, and then headed for the door. Our attention was back to Sam, who was having his bandages replaced by Doc. Sam occasionally winced at the small spikes of pain, but Doc was quickly finished with his work and returned to the washroom to clean the old wrappings.
"No offense to you Doc, I like your house, but there is only one home for me.
"Lucas, can you help me up?"
"Yea no problem Sam." I say, moving to his side and helping his rugged body rise from the couch with a little help from him.
"Remember Sam, don't overdo it, you still need quite some time to recover." Doc called out from the hallway.
"Yep, got it Doc, thanks a million for your help." Sam called back as we headed for the door. We got across the street and into the house and Sam seemed slightly out of breath.
"Damn, they sure got me good. Bastards." He wheezed on his way down to the couch.
"Maria, could you get some water for Sam?" I ask.
"Of course, I'll be right back." She said, heading back to the water pump.
"Sure you all right Sam?"
"Well, I've been better but shit happens. I could use an hour or two of rest though. Yep, that'd be great."
"Ok, I'll go grab a pillow from the bed and a blanket."
"That would be amazing Lucas." Maria came back with the water and handed it to him. After setting the glass down he shifted to a lying down position and closed his eyes.
Some two weeks after the incident, Sam was healing up well. His cuts now only scars, bruises fading away, and his bones almost healed. However, he was still too damaged to do any strenuous work yet. Still, his mood was elevating and he got stronger every day. I awoke to see that Maria must have already woken up. Sam was still sleeping on his bed, so I decided to go check around where Maria was. "Maria?" I gently called out. "Maria?" She must have gone outside or something. Opening the door I realized it was down-pouring. I saw Jean in the middle of the road frightened and kneeling on the ground. "Jean? Jean are you ok?" I call out, rushing to her side. I saw a trickle of blood running down the side of her face. "Jean, what happened?"
"They, they..." She stuttered, trying to collect her thoughts. "They had Maria, and took her in a jeep. That head official Rafael. They took her that way." She managed out, pointing down the road I normally take to the job site. "Then when I tried to stop them, they hit me."
"Go to Doc and get that patched up. It doesn't look too horrible. I've gotta go find them." I turned and charged down the road as fast as I could.
Rain stinging through my fur, I ran onward. Adrenaline coursing through my body only propelled me to go faster. In the distance I saw a truck on the side of the road. This makes me max out on speed. I got close enough to see Maria tied up and Rafael and a few other officials surrounding her with their pants on the ground.
"BASTARDS!!!!!!" I shouted, ramming my entire body into Rafael, slamming him into the truck and both of us on the ground. "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!! YOU DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HER!!!!!" Pure rage was clouding my vision, but I stood in a fighting stance with seven others facing me. "BRING IT ON, BITCHES!" I screamed, lashing out to the closest one as hard as I could. His head snapped to the side, body going limp and crashing against the truck. Another guy grabbed me from behind and I clawed his face up. I whipped around and kicked him square in the chest. I saw Rafael charging at me. Quickly I sidestepped it and jump on his back, yanking at his bullhorns. Tugging to the right he crashed into the truck, leaving a huge dent and cracking one of his horns near the base. Two others grabbed me from his back and held me tight, securing my arms and legs.
"You asshole!" Rafael shouted, picking up his horn from the ground. "Now you'll pay!" swinging the horn it cut diagonally down my chest, causing blood to begin seeping out.
"Is that the best you got?" I shouted back, pain almost irrelevant to me at this time.
"I know how to get to you." He said, chuckling to himself. He signals to one of his furs, then to Maria. The dog grabbed her and brought her close to Rafael.
"What a shame, such beauty, wasted." He grinned back at me.
"DON'T TOUCH HER I SWEAR TO GODI'LLKILLYOU!!!" I shouted.
"Oops." He says. With that he swung his horn and stabbed Maria in her chest, going all the way through her.
"NOOO!! YOU BASTARD YOURSOFUCKINGDEAD!!" Pain now flooded my body as rage once again pooled over and tears flooded my eyes, adding to my lack of vision. I dropped to my knees as the two furs holding me let go. "Don't worry" Rafael shouts from the truck. "Well be sure to give Samuel an explosion of sympathy." He chuckled as the truck turned onto the road and sped back towards the village. Soon I realized what he meant through my clouded mind and I jumped to my feet.
"Sam!" I shouted, whipping around and sprinting back towards the village. Fueled once again by rage, anger, fear, and adrenaline I threw myself into overdrive and pushed my body to the limit. The rain cleared a little bit as I neared the houses. I turned around the last corner to see the truck on the other side of the street and I saw Rafael heading out of my house and jumping into the truck. It peeled out and went right past me. Looking into it I saw Rafael standing and grinning wickedly. He clicks a detonator and lets out a sinister laugh. My attention turns back to the house; there is a flash of light and a massive sound wave. There were obstructions blocking some of the light, and then it hit me. A chuck of concrete sent me flying backwards. My vision swirled then closed off into darkness. Absolute darkness.
"Lucas? Lucas?" light passed by my eyes; first one, then the other. "Lucas, if you can here me, make it known." Pain suddenly seared from my chest and down my left arm. My eyes bolted open and I sat up quickly. I leap off of wherever I was and tried to land, but pain shot through one of my legs, so I fell to the ground.
"Ahhhhhhh! Damn it!" I screamed, my vision slowly becoming clearer. I felt my fur become damp in a few scattered places.
"Gosh dang it Lucas, you reopened your wounds." A voice called out. I focused on where it came from and saw it was Doc. I looked around where I was and realized it was Doc's living room, with him and a few others around.
"I found you in the streets after the explosion. Seem that you were hit a few times. One cut across your arm, one to your head, and one on your leg. It's amazing nothing broke. Besides the concussion and a few deep wounds, your ok. I still don't understand how you are alive, it's shocking. It's like you have something looking out for you."
"How you feeling, hun?" I looked for the mouth of which the voice came from and saw it was Jean with a bandage on her head.
"Now now, he only just came around, now isn't the time for questions. First I am going to clean and bandage his wounds, then if he is up to it he will talk about what happened.
Doc motioned me to the washroom where he prepared a small amount of cleaning solution and rinsed my wounds with it. It hurt like a bitch, but I was determined not to let out even a peep of noise.
"Ah, strong. Just like your brother."
"I will not let him die in vain. We've had this injustice for too long. It's time to act." I respond, gritting my teeth.
"If that's how you feel, then I guess I can't attempt reasoning you. Just try to be careful. It's tough having to patch up a different person every other week ok?"
"Yep, ok Doc." I said as he finished wrapping my leg.
Stepping out of the room I saw everyone had gone outside and someone was speaking. Stepping out I saw the rain has stopped and there was a drab overcast of clouds. On a makeshift stage I saw Rafael speaking.
"We are all wondering what happened to the house of Samuel and Lucas..."
Every other sound came to a halt as I waded through the crowd towards him.
"Well, we have discovered that the explosion was caused by a gas leak carelessly left on then ignited by the dumbasses who live there..." Slowly I almost made my way to the front of the crowd, heart thumping in my head, yet staying completely calm.
"The explosion killed Samuel, Maria, and" With a snide grin "Lucas as well. That is all I have to say." He began to retreat, but I got to the stage before he could leave.
"So, it killed Lucas, did it? As far as I can tell I'm still kicking." I shouted to both him and the crowd.
He turns around quickly. "Ahh, Lucas, you're still alive, how... Delightful."
"Yea, sadly the explosives you planted didn't kill me. They got Sam though. And last I checked, stabbing someone with the horn I tore off of your head isn't an accidental gas leak."
"Don't listen to him, he is delirious from his injuries!"
"Believe what you want, this murderous official, or the flesh and blood who has seen both brother and sister murdered. Either way, your actions shall not go unpunished, I swear to you that."
With that he turned around and jumped in the jeep, which drove away. All eyes were on me, waiting for what was to come next.
"I shall not allow this to happen again." I told to the crowd. "Innocent blood and bones, shed and broken. We are not dead meat for higher ups, we are furs just like them. It is time we make that relevant! Today marks a new era, the era of justice!" The crowd now hung to every word. "It is time for us to stand up for our rights as you all have stood up for me when I was in need. Do not let those who have fallen fall in a realm where they do not matter! We shall avenge those dead and together make a new land, where furs are not either officials or things for beating on. We shall stand up for ourselves, and create a new way for all others to be able to have the opportunity to live in peace and prosperity, not oppression and fear! I am heading to the city east of here, Harperstown. There is an arsenal there and it is close to Rellioston, the central city where Dictator Kufar sleeps. All who can come I hope you do. Those who cannot fight reach out to our other bothers and sisters of this nation and spread the news that the times are changing!!! Now who's with me?" I screamed. At first, silence, nothing. I search the crowd when I saw a fist rise.
"I shall join you!" yelled a voice. Rising to his full height I saw Bruce make his way to the stage.
"Good to see ya still kickin Lucas."
"Same to you." I respond. My eyes set back to the crowd as fur after fur rose to the stage. There was an endless cry of I shall and I will join you as most of the male furs join the stage.
"What the hell is going on?" Boomed a voice from behind. "Did I not make your place clear with the 'accidents' that happened today? Scatter, now!" It was Rafael, and he was livid.
"Divided we fall, together we stand strong. We are done with your oppression. Today marks a new day, and tomorrow anew. No longer shall we suffer under your thumb!" While I speak, the crowd surrounded the group of officials, causing all but Rafael to become nervous. Two of the seven dropped their weapons and surrender to the might of unity, which causes Rafael to snort at them.
"Cowards, dishonor shall follow you to death! One more, and I'll kill you personally!" He shouted back, glaring at the crowd. Three more laid down arms and fell into the crowd. Rafael shifted his weight and looked back at the last fur standing with him. The fox glanced at him, and then looked at me. He took a deep breath before walking towards me, stopping not but a foot from me. As he unholstered his pistol, everyone became uneasy, and Bruce began to move from behind me to move between the fox and I. I held a hand against Bruce, motioning him to stand back. "If it is death you wish on me, then get on with it, for I am no longer shackled by the fear of death."
"Tis not death I wish upon you, brother, but gratitude." He held the pistol by the barrel and held out the grip to me. I took it, but did not aim at Rafael.
"We have witnessed your acts. Not just those of today, but from all you have done. I shall not kill you; it wouldn't be what Maria would have wanted. However, I cannot control what anyone else will do." I turned my back and I stepped off stage and walked towards the rubbled remains of my house. Each step I took away was another step the circle took closer to Rafael. I could hear him yelling about how what he had done was righteous and how he would be rewarded. His ranting turned to screaming then silence as the crowd enveloped him and obliterated him. No longer could he cause pain in this life. I could almost imagine the devil himself greeting him saying 'revenge is a bitch, ain't it?' Serves him right. Even though what I would call my home was blown the fuck up, there was still one room that was mostly standing. A cracked ceiling and almost three quarter of the door were the only structural damages to it. There was a knock on the wall before Bruce walked in.
"Lucas, what are we planning on doing now?" Bruce asked, trying to hide the blood on his hand.
"First, I want a funeral for Sam and Maria, then we head towards Harperstown."
"Also, Richard would like to talk to you, he is the fox that came up to you."
"Sure, send him in." With that Bruce walked out and Richard walked in.
"Umm, I don't really know how to put this, but thanks. I'm sure all of you had it worse than the officials, but serving under Rafael was still bad. He was a horrible commanding officer, but we didn't have a choice. Also, I'm sorry for, well, you know." The guilt in his eyes was undeniable.
"I would rather not dwindle in the past, and instead look towards the future. I will not let them die in vain. It is time for change, and our sacrifices today will be repaid by the generations to follow, finally allowed to live in freedom. Is there anything else you would like to talk about?"
"Yes, I overheard your plan to take Harperstown's arsenal. We can help with that, and would be honored to do anything we can. The two panthers out there are twins, and damn good at stealth and infiltration. I would assume by the time we arrive there the word will have spread about a revolution, so night security will be ramped up. I suggest we strike during the day and overwhelm them before they can reinforce. Then we march to Rellioaton with anyone else who joins us and put an end to the tyranny."
With a smile, I said "I couldn't agree more."
The night was cold and harsh. Three days ago was as much of a funeral we could scrape together, and five days since we sent runners out to other towns. Despite the frigid night weather it was truly the only way to mask the thousands of furs joining together on the road to Harperstown. They came one by one or by groups of people from the same village, some armed with small weapons, some with sticks or rocks or tools from their homes. There was a certain energy floating around. Not of mass excitement, but more of the dire and seriousness of what was about to be done. The sun had just begun to rise as we came a few miles out from Harperstown.
Even though I wasn't the tallest person in the front of the mass of furs, when I stopped, everyone else did too. We all took a moment to truly realize what was at work here and what we had started. And damned it I swear I'll finish it till the blood has flowed from my body and my soul leaves my flesh. Like hell I'm going to let Maria or Samuel or anyone else who was hurt by the wicked hand of tyranny die in vain. Go big or go home, and I wasn't going to walk back through the rubble that once was my, our, home, until this bullshit was done with. This was it, balls to the walls and nose to the grindstone.
"Lucas, the dawn is approaching. Shall I?" Asked Richard. I gave him a nod and he turned around. "Pollux, Castor. You know what to do."
The two panthers darted forth from the crowd and into the city just as the first precious cracks of sunshine could be seen above the concrete jungle of Harperstown.
"Bruce, Richard. Split up our numbers so we can have three different ways to go in and surround them."
"All right." They both turned and signaled to a large chunk of the insurgency.
"Give us three minutes then move, by then Bruce and I will be moving in as well."
"Richard, catch." Reaching to my hip, I retrieved his pistol and tossed it to him. He grabbed it out of the air and flawlessly put it back in his hip hostler.
"Come back out alive will ya?"
"Well I'll do my best. Besides, I'm the one with the gun!"
"Then let's hope that'll be enough!" Bruce shouted, leading his section to the east, and Richard to the west.
"Lucas, it's been three minutes, shall we?" Said a voice in the crowd. I nodded and we started moving forward. In the distance I could see our target, the armory, with what I could only assume to be Pollux and Castor on the roof.
"Gods I hope they took out the guard tower." I said.
"Well, they did. I saw them!" said a voice in the crowd, holding up a pair of binoculars.
"Awesome, that makes this a lot easier." We picked up the pace through the streets. We were closing in on the block with the armory and saw a ring of guards forming up to try and fend us off. To my right I saw Bruce and to my left I saw Richard. We all stopped a little before the guard's ring, every single one of them shaking like mad.
"Good men, I ask you to put down your weapons. There is no was you can hold us off and you know it." I shouted, trying to sound friendly. They stayed completely still, or at least as still as a man shaking in fear could be. I opened my mouth to say one more thing, but anything that I would have said would've been canceled out by the one bullet the guards shot towards me and the battle cry of thousands that followed soon after. Everyone was charging forward around me, with knives, clubs, sticks, brooms, anything they brought to serve as weapons. Almost as soon as the gunfire started it had stopped and everyone eventually quieted his or her yells of war.
"Raid the armory, get whatever you can! Then prepare to head straight for Rillioston!" I shouted to the insurgents. An ermine came up to me and tapped my shoulder.
"Yes, what is it?" I asked him.
"Sir, Richard was shot." He said quietly.
"What? Take me to him." I said, following the ermine through the massive crowd to a small ring of people standing around a fallen fox who was bleeding through his upper left chest.
"Lucas, you've come to see me off. That's nice." He said, chuckling slightly. I reached out my hand and he took it, giving it a weak shake.
"Lucas, I'm happy to die for you, so you march right into Rellioston and you make sure that son of a bitch Kufar is dead ok?" He said, grabbing for his hip. He retrieved his pistol and held it towards me. "This is yours now, take it." He said.
"Don't worry, we'll be sure to end his reign of tyranny. You'll be able to rest peacefully on that." I said, looking into the eyes of a dying man.
"Thank you." He said weakly. Then his head rolled back and his arms dropped, showing the unenviable had come.
I stood up and looked around. Everyone seemed excited to have successfully raided the armory and eager to head right for the capital. I saw Bruce walking towards me in the crowd and walked over to meet him.
"Well Lucas, the armory has been cleaned out and we can head out just as soon as we find Richard." He said proudly.
"Well, Richard was shot and killed." I said.
"Hmm, I don't really know what to say about that but gods rest his soul. But times wasting, we have to go pretty soon or the capital could boost their defense's, making it a whole hell of a lot harder to break it."
"Don't worry, I understand. Try to get everyone moving within the next ten minutes." I said, preparing myself as well.
We were quickly on the road to the capital, the final stretch of dark before the dawn. We quietly marched forward, the ominously tall building becoming clearer and clearer.
"We are here today!" I began as we entered the streets, "Because we are tired of living under this oppression! We are tired of seeing our mothers and brothers, sisters and children being abused and neglected by the government! We ourselves are tired from working day in and day out for hardly enough money to scrape by! We are here today to make change!" A roar came from the crowd. "Change so that our families no longer must suffer!" More yells and cheers came from the crowd. "Change so that your children, our children, can have a better life than we ever did!" We entered the courtyard with dictator Kufar's mansion not but a hundred yards away, obviously prepared for a fight. I knew that Kufar was too arrogant to leave, so he'd be there. We started marching forward, screams and cries and yells of battle flooding from everywhere. When we got about twenty feet forward, everything was quiet, in fact, everything stopped, including myself. There was a flash that came from atop the mansion, soon accompanied by the crack of a sniper rifle round. I saw the bullet slowly speeding towards me. My mind raced, knowing what was to come next. The bullet was ten feet, seven, five, three, and then it made contact with my skull. The screaming and yelling returned, along with the movement of the mass. My body flew back, completely out of my control. Though I was dead, my soul was trapped in my body for now, allowing me to still see, hear, and feel, but not control my body. I heard Bruce scream my name, and then he grabbed my shoulders and dragged me back through the crowd, who was screaming and shouting and sprinting forwards towards the building of which the fate of our country would depend upon the outcome. Bruce had finally dragged me behind a building and propped my limp body against the wall, my head just happened to be positioned to see Bruce, fists clenched and eyes slightly tearing. I could feel my soul leaving my body, and ascending over my corpse. I was now looking down on what was going on, and as soon as my soul cleared the top of the building, I saw the insurgency had broken their lines and burst into the mansion. The gunfire had stopped and I saw them bring out Kufar before clouds began blocking my view of what was happening on the ground but as soon as I heard a single gunshot, I knew what had happened. We had done it, finally freed ourselves from oppression. I was slowly ascending to heaven, where I would be reunited with my family, when I heard several more shots fired. Seven guns, three times. Twenty-one guns.