The city burned, lighting up the night sky. People outside were screaming, running, crying. But no sirens. No fire trucks. Firemen didn't exist anymore.
David crouched in the back corner of the empty room, his eyes reflecting the bright red light shining in through the broken window. He flinched as he heard the monstrous roar of a house collapsing. Soon, this house would fall too.
Serves them right, thought David. Stupid MAPR's. Unorganized, unplanned. Insane. What did they think they were doing?
David thought back to when the Midwestern American Proletarian Revolutionaries first started preaching their anti-government rants. No one took them seriously back then. In fact, their ideas scared most people. But their passionate speeches struck a chord in some, and those passed on the message to others, and before long it became a movement, and then a full-out uprising. The MAPR's took over all of Chicago, and then began recruiting and building up their army. David scoffed at the word "recruiting." He, like every other kid over the age of ten, had been forced to join the MAPR's. They were trained in preparation for the MAPR's next big move. Take over all of Illinois, and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Indiana. They were being trained to kill anyone who tried to defend themselves or their family. To murder other Americans.
At first, David supported the MAPR's. They promised adolescents a new place in society and government. Abolish legal drinking and smoking ages. School encouraged, but not necessary. Legal adult age lowered to fourteen. These shallow promises, David had realized, were only there in order to control and manipulate them.
The U.S. Government had tried to help. The S.W.A.T. teams came in, only to then realize that they had greatly underestimated the rebels. The MAPR's retaliated by sacrificing government officials in cruel, disturbing ways. They took over news studios and televised it nationally, also adding in that they were prepared to blow the city up if spies were found, or if anyone chose to fight back, etc.
David knew all the details. He was there. In fact, it had been David who had gouged out a senator's eye, slowly, as he writhed on the ground, bound and screaming for mercy. David did it.
David murdered him.
David was the MAPR Adolescent Representative.
David was the one who had later detonated the bombs.
David was the one who had destroyed the city.
David was now an enemy to both sides of this sick, civil war.
David sat in the corner of the room, hugging his knees. Smoke was seeping under the door, but he didn't try to escape. No place was safe anymore.
He sat quietly, tears leaving trails down his dirty face. The room filled with unbearable heat. Dark, heavy smoke engulfed him.
Something had to be done, he told himself. It would have happened eventually. He tried to convince himself that he'd done the right thing. And then he passed out.