So, I like to write stories. I’ve yet to finish one in adulthood. I had plenty of spiral notebooks filled with stories when I was in junior high/high school. I would write when I was supposed to be taking notes for class. Shhhh, don’t tell my daughter or students. They should pay attention. I just always felt like my mind was full, and I had to get it all down. I haven’t written much since getting married and having kids, but I started to last summer. I don’t have much, but I figured I should start sharing and maybe it would encourage me to keep it up. All that said, enjoy the first page.
The silent soldier continued his patrol around the city center. Snow was falling, but it was still too warm to stick to the roads. The grass and the tree branches were beginning to accumulate the white powder. It was a stark contrast to the dark night. Few street lights remained in the area, but it didn’t matter to the soldier, equipped with his standard night vision glasses. The commanders’ glasses had extra features, most still a mystery to the general public.
He turned the corner at Main, looked left and right and continued north. It had been nearly a year since protesters tried to enter the Capitol. Nearly a year since 8000 unarmed, peaceful protesters were slaughtered on the steps of the Capitol. Of course, the news reports stated a different story. Capitol Thwarts Ambush by Thousands of Armed Terrorists. This sparked the gun-ban that was quickly passed and made into law. Soldiers slowly started replacing the police force who refused to confiscate the citizens’ guns. Within six months of the new law, the Capitol announced that they had acquired over 95% of the citizens’ gun and declared anyone found with a firearm would be considered a terrorist and shot on sight. After that declaration “Safe Drop Zones” were added throughout the major cities for people to turn in their weapons without penalty. That’s how it was portrayed to the general public; however, each person who dropped at a safe zone was questioned in great detail and then released to return home. Within a week, a garrison would arrive in that person’s neighborhood and begin constant patrols.
Another turn down North Street. Sometimes the quiet was welcoming, but tonight, something felt off. Maybe it was the first snow of winter, but the soldier couldn’t shake that it was something more.
A strong gust made the snow whirl around, looking much grander than it actually was. A single sheet of paper swirled up in the snow. At first the soldier ignored it, but as he neared where the sheet had landed, he noticed the bright red symbol of the Capitol, but something seemed off.
He bent slowly, never really looking down, the way he was trained, and grabbed the paper. As he rose, his suspicions about the evening were confirmed. He collapsed, his face landing in the grass. A bright red stained the snow and the soldier took his last breath, the single sheet of paper slipped from his lifeless hand just as another gust of wind blew and directed the paper to the stairs of the Capitol.
Michelle Reads & Writes 
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