Nightmare Chapter Thirteen: Tragedy

How can this be happening? It was going so well, Sarah thought and was sure she was not the only one thinking. Almost the entire school was huddled around some television or another, all in mourning.

This travesty of freedom all started so pure. There was no revolution. There could not be. The system had learned the best way to quell rebellion was to embrace it. So everyone was given a little safe dose of revolution on their i-pods and sent on their way to live normal lives. When that was not enough they brought about change in a simple, intelligent, peaceful way. They voted, and Joseph Caballero won. It was beautiful really. People wanted change and they made it happen. It was one of American democracy's finest moments, and possibly its last.

As soon as President Caballero mentioned nationalizing certain aspects of American industry he found himself with his guts on the outside, dead along with Vice President Cassidy and Speaker of the House O'Brian. The president was in the street one day and suddenly there was a hole in his belly. He fell quietly, and lay on his back with his arms spread out strait like he was being crucified. Kennedy was in office for three whole years and he was not mourned as much as the man who would be people's president. No assassins were found. All investigations stated that this must have been the best-planned and most expensive assassination in history.

Rising from obscurity to comfort the people was the new president. He was a no body before this and only a select few are entirely certain how he came to power. His name was Nathan Wilson Whites. In office, his first act was to give himself emergency executive powers. Then the corporate interests in America were secured.

Soon the president ceased to mourn the nation's loss and both him and the media agreed that he was the savior of America. What seemed to be popular opinion was that the country was fortunate to lose Caballero as to save them from communism. But that was a lie. People were angry. The establishment fucked up, it had no idea that it would create a martyr. As a last ditch effort to distract the masses like in the good old days, President Whites declared war on dangerous mutants.

"We live in a changing world. Mutant attacks are no longer single isolated incidents. They are organizing. It's become war now. We have intelligence regarding at least one mutant training facility in the United States. We cannot disclose further information about them, lest they are watching." They were watching. An entire school of them was. Sarah had finally found comradeship, and those she cared about were just sentenced to death on television.

That night while the girls in her room were readying for sleep, Sarah saw Kitty and Rouge. They were conversing, idle talk to take theirs minds off of the threat they heard that afternoon. Sarah ran over to them and butted in, "They're going to kill us you know. They're going to kill each and every one of us."

"They can't do that and you know it," Rouge reassured.

But Sarah didn't agree. All she saw were men blowing everyone's fingers off like they had her own. "You heard him. It's a war and we're the bad guys, and people love to see the bad guys die."

"The worst they can do is shut the school down," Rouge said still trying to stay calm.

"Yeah, how can the government allow the president to send troops to a school with the intent to kill the students? Think about it," Kitty added.

"I-I don't know. But I don't feel safe." Sarah's argument seemed to wane there. Idle conversation continued. Sarah watched them talk for a little while. And suddenly felt compelled to say, "What if they didn't kill us right away. What if they beat, tortured, and raped us first?"

They both looked to Sarah with disgust. "Why would you even say that," was Rouge's reaction.

"Yeah, That's a horrible thing to say," Kitty concurred. She then sighed and put her hand on Sarah's shoulder. "Get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Okay, you're probably right," Said Sarah, slightly alarmed by her own comment. She went to bed that night and woke up that morning. Nothing had happened. All was right, but she still felt like hardship was coming.