Ten years. Ten years since Kevin McCormick threw it all away and ran away from home, from South Park. Ten years since he ran from his life of drinking, frozen waffles and neglectful parents. Now, things were better, or so Kevin told himself. Sure, he never really stopped drinking, but things went up. After he was picked up by the Denver police, he refused to give them the name of his parents and eventually they gave up and put him in a foster home. Within a year, he had been fostered and had got a decent education. At 18, he had joined the United States Military and now, when the US had descended into civil war, he had been sent back, back to the place he had almost forgotten.

He had been briefed about the current situation in South Park before they boarded the plane going there. The northern half of the town was controlled by government forces while the south was in rebel hands. The Third Path, as they called themselves. The border between the two was a no-man's-land of ruined buildings with civilians who lived there living a life of running and hiding. It was a cold December night when the hoverplane touched down outside Hells Pass Hospital. As Kevin and the others stepped off the plane, they were greeted by a face that Kevin, despite the years, recognised.

"Ran-Randy Marsh?" he said.

"That's Sergeant Major Marsh to you." Randy said, not recognising him. Kevin hadn't expected him to anyway. He had changed in the past ten years. He had grown taller, obviously, but he had also got cleaner. His hair, which had stuck up messily, was now in clean locks. He had grown stronger too. Kevin sighed as his platoon was guided to the hospital.

"The situation in South Park is grim." Randy said. "A few days ago was the battle for SoDoSoPa. We sent 4 platoons there. 11 people returned."

SoDoSoPa? Wasn't that where...?

"Sir," Kevin said.

"Yes, soldier." Randy replied.

"Do you know what...what happened to the inhabitants in SoDoSoPa?"

"Apart from that they're in the hands of the Third Path, nothing." Randy said.

Kevin cursed inwardly. Looks like his family were prisoners. No, he reminded himself. His family were in Portland. These were the people he had run away from. He refocused on the briefing.

"Sir," one soldier asked.

"Yes, soldier?" Randy said.

"What is the Third Path?"

There was a pause. Everyone looked at the soldier in disbelief, who shrunk back.

"Haven't...haven't you... haven't you seen the news recently?" Randy asked.

"No, uh, I don't watch the news." the soldier said sheepishly.

"Well," Randy said, "the Third Path is a separatist group wanting to change the US. Obviously, you already know that. Anyway, the name comes from the saying 'If there are two paths you don't like, create a third one you do'. Basically, what they're saying is they're taking matters into their own hands. Changing the country."

Randy paused, his hands clenched.

"The forces here are being led by a man named Kenny McCormick. He's very young, only about twenty..."

Kevin didn't hear the rest. He was too shocked. Kenny? Kenny McCormick? Part of him didn't want to believe it, but another said that Randy had said it, it must be true...

Kevin shook his head. Now was not the time.

"The Third Path used to control all the town south of Main street. That changed a week ago when they launched a large assault, breaking through. We tried to hold them off at Bijou Cinema. They broke through within hours. We tried again at Saltcreek Sunbeds and Co. They broke through after only two days. SoDoSoPa was our third attempt. That went just as badly. Tomorrow we'll be sending you off to South Park Morgue. We've held them off there, but I don't know how long that'll last. It's turned into a stalemate. I need all of you to get some rest. We go tomorrow."

Randy turned to walk away and a man with cleanly cut brown hair said, "All new soldiers this way."

Kevin followed the other soldiers through the hospital. Squad by squad, they were assigned to wards to sleep in until finally Kevin was assigned to his area. He dumped his stuff next to his bed. The brown-haired man warned them not to unpack as they'd be leaving the next morning so he took off his outer uniform before laying down.

In the ward, the other soldiers were all talking. Some had already gone to sleep, others reading books. Kevin lay awake, thinking about what Randy had said earlier. Kenny? How could he? He knew they were worse of but really? Betray the government, the country? Commit treason? Something in his brain refused to register that as he turned over and drifted off.

The motorcade of jeeps drove into the town in the early hours of the morning. Kevin had been woken up and been made to eat before they had been briefed and had geared up to go. Now, Kevin got his first good look at the town after his absence.

At first, he thought nothing had changed. Then, he noticed the posters scattered around as they drove through the streets. All of them said the same thing: 'Choose the Third Path' in white on a black background, with a picture of a line on the centre of the paste branching off into three directions with the one on the right in red. He frowned. Suddenly, he was disturbed from his thoughts by the guy next to him.

"Hey," the man said. "You alright?"

"Hm? What, oh, yeah." Kevin said back.

The man nodded. He had a brown stubbly beard and wore an old-looking red jacket which poked out from under his green uniform. He looked very young, around 19.

"My name's Billy." he said. "Billy Turner."

"Kevin," Kevin said, being careful to leave out his surname. If anyone knew he was related to Kenny, who knows how they'd react.

The two sat in silence for a bit.

"I actually used to live here," Billy said. "I actually knew Kenny McCormick! It sounds crazy, but it's true. He was just a normal guy."

If only you knew, Kevin thought.

"Anyway, I guess by doing this we're one step closer to a reunited America." Billy said.

"Yeah, I guess." Kevin said. Suddenly, he perked his head up. Somewhere, he could hear shouting. Suddenly, there was a boom which shook the truck they were in. Kevin stood up to get a look up ahead. His jaw dropped.

Up ahead, the truck in front had been destroyed. The remains sat burning in the middle of the road, quite effectively blocking it. Soldiers were running to the wreckage, trying to salvage anything or anyone from the wreck.

"Out, everyone out." the driver said.

Kevin and Billy stood up and joined the other soldiers getting out the bus. Behind them, the other cars in the motorcade had stopped and their occupants had got out too. Their was a general hubbub of noise in the air. Kevin picked up snippets of conversation as he walked through the crowd towards the wreck of the first truck.

"-new rebel weapons-"

"-how many were in that thing?-"

"-must be from the Central Union-"

Kevin frowned. The Central Union was the USA's southern neighbour. It had been formed after Mexico and its small neighbours had united. They had then invaded Panama, gaining access to the Panama Canal and had began waging a war with Colombia which continued up to the present. Now, it was supporting the Third Path in their civil war with America.

Someone had got hold of a hose and had connected it to a hydrant. The wreck was now being hosed down by the soldiers and a few had already started clambering among the wreck, looking for anyone who might of, by some miracle, survived.

"This way!" someone was shouting now. "The morgue isn't too far now."

Kevin followed the soldiers now walking down the road, glancing back at the wreckage of the truck, where the searchers had gotten back out, sooty-faced and teary-eyed.

A bit later, Kevin and the other soldiers reached the Morgue. By now, Kevin had definitely seen changes. A few of the buildings here were half-destroyed and rubble littered the streets. The few civilians Kevin had seen were being ushered away by soldiers. They all wore tattered clothes and had scared, fearful looks in their eyes.

Once or twice, Kevin thought he saw someone he vaguely recognised. At one point, a jittery twenty-year old with a tuft of blonde hair had come running past them, screaming "I don't wanna get grounded!" being pursued by a fifty-year-old man with a whip. A few of the soldiers had laughed, others murmured curiously. Every so often, Billy would see something and gasp. Kevin felt bad. How much had he missed happen hear? No, he thought, more forcibly this time. Him running had been for the better.

The morgue was pretty run down. Craters marked the ground and many graves had been obliterated or smashed. Kevin, Billy and the soldiers were led into one of the neighbouring buildings, where they were shown to rooms. A soldier came and told them there was a briefing in ten minutes. Kevin unpacked his things, then went to the window and looked out as the other soldiers in the room talked or unpacked.

The skyline of South Park was a ruined one. Smoke drifted into the sky in several places. From somewhere was the sound of gunfire, but more uniform and not as sporadic as a gunfight. Probably target practice. From here, Kevin could see the Main Street where he could make out the red-cladded figures if the Third Path.

Kevin went back to his bunk as a soldier came into the room and told them to come to the Morgue.

Greetings. This is my first story which isn't just a Oneshot, apart from that one other story...*cough* Simpsons zombies *cough*. Probably won't have regular updates. But I'll try. Comments and criticism are appreciated.