text: [Themes: modern, science fiction, drama, serious]
  
  "...act now and spend your life in the comfort of..."
  
  "Oh shut the hell up...I already know the world is going to hell in a hand basket." You hear Donna say while she turns off the TV as you groggily wake up from the couch.
  
  "What time is it?" you ask.
  "It's past noon that's for sure. Still a few hours to go before we have to get ready to leave."
  "Oh. How long you been awake?"
  "Hm, not long. The shower's all yours though, I've already used it."
  
  You sit up still getting used to your new surroundings
  
  "Hm, you were right, it really isn't what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting to hear the sounds of drunken hillbillies arguing and shooting off guns when I woke up. It's actually pretty quiet." You say gathering so clean clothes.
  "Heh, well I can't say that probably won't happen around the holidays, but like I said, I think you'll find that even the trashiest of people aren't acting like stereotypes all the time." Donna replies.
  
  You nod and head off to take a shower. While you wash up, you try to mentally prepare yourself for your trip to the police station today. Part of that involves relaxing yourself and relieving yourself of tension in the usual way that hasn't failed you yet...
  
  A few minutes later...
  
  "SUZY! SUZY! GET DRESSED WE GOT A FUCKING SITUATION OUT HERE!" you suddenly hear Donna say as she beats on the bathroom door.
  
  As startling as that is, what you hear next is even more so due to a loud bullhorn.
  
  So much for putting your mind at ease.
  
  "Alright! Alright! I hear what's going on! I'm getting out!" you shout.
  "Hurry!" Donna says.
  
  You stop your shower, grab your clean clothes and start getting dressed as quickly as possible.
  
  Tina is looking out one of the windows when you exit the bathroom.
  
  "There are a couple of military trucks with a bunch of guardsmen out there. I don't know what's going on, but this is really bad. Shit. This has gotta have something to do with what's been going on in town." Donna says.
  "They want us to go out there too." You say not being enthusiastic about that idea.
  "Yeah, fuck that. It's probably just so they can kill us easier if we're all huddled up in a group or worse, maybe they want to round us up in those trucks for some sinister purpose."
  
  Odd that Donna always thought your older brother was a kook for talking like that on regular basis, but she sounds more like him than ever right now. To be fair though, this is all pretty strange and you're not exactly trusting of the situation yourself.
  
  "Well what are other people doing?"
  "Some are coming out and some are staying in. In fact more are staying in than coming out, but that's hardly surprising. The folks around here aren't exactly fond of the government."
  
  You and Donna look at each other.
  
  "This isn't going to end well. Maybe we should run." Donna suggests and you nearly laugh.
  "Yeah, because the plan to run worked SO well for me last time!" you say.
  "Okay this is different, we really would be running off together. Come on, do you really think those soldiers out there are any better than those cops that pulled us over? In fact they sound worse!"
  "Well you got a point there, (sigh) okay so what's the plan? We just step out the trailer and run? They already said they're going to open fire on anyone who does that." You say.
  "Yeah, but we're lucky since we have a trailer at the end of the park. We could probably make a run for it and hide in the wilderness behind the park."
  "That simple huh? How long are we supposed to hide out there? I don't know how to survive in the wild and unless you been secretly reading up such things, I don't think you do either."
  "Well I don't fucking know! I'm just trying to come up with suggestions here! Fuck Suzy, I'm trying to help YOU out as usual."
  "Thanks. Thanks for that Donna. Real helpful right now."
  
  You look out the window briefly and see the few people that have exited their trailers are being shoved roughly in the center of the park. Some of the guardsmen stand nearby pointing their rifles at them, but nothing more yet.
  
  A few more of the guardsmen are starting to spread out and move about the park. It looks like they're preparing for combat.
  
  And then suddenly you see one of the locals kick their door open and yell something at the top of their lungs while blasting one of the soldiers with a shotgun before getting riddled with bullets.
  
  Then all hell breaks loose.
  
  "Get down!" you shout and you and Donna are both getting as low as you can on the floor. Gunfire, shouting and screaming is all you can hear and you're praying that a stray doesn't go through the wall and hit you.
  
  Donna apparently has the same idea.
  
  "Suzy, we gotta get the fuck outta here!"
  "Donna we go out that front door and we risk an even bigger chance of getting our asses shot off! We need to just stay low and behind as much shit as possible! Maybe your bedroom or the shower in the bathroom would be..."
  
  A couple of bullets go through the windows overhead and small shards of glass sprinkle to the floor.
  
  "That's it, I'm not fucking staying here!" Donna yells and starts to crawl to the door of the trailer.
  
  > stay in the trailer
  Running or rather planning to run didn't work before so you're not even going to entertain the idea now.
  
  "Donna, get the fuck back here! You might be about to outrun cops, but you can't outrun a bullet!" you shout crawling backwards towards the bathroom.
  "Suzy, you need to stop being so scared all the damn time! NOT running before is why you had to suffer through what you did last time! If you're smart, you'll come with me!"
  "Donna, I'm telling you, it's going to be bad if you go out there!"
  "It's gonna be bad if we stay...AAAH!"
  
  You're already inside the bathroom when you hear Donna scream, at first you think she got shot, but it's something equally as bad.
  
  The moment she was opening the front door, so was a soldier, trying to look for respite from the shooting. You peak around the corner and see him barge in and pick Donna up by the hair.
  
  "Get up! Get up you fucking trailer bitch!" you hear the soldier shout.
  
  Donna whimpers and begs to be let go. You think you hear a slap followed by another. You slink back into bathroom as panic wells up inside you.
  
  "Fucking trash, you got a weapon on ya? Where the fuck is your boyfriend? He in the back waiting to ambush me? Well fuck that! Come on out you goddamn redneck! Got your bitch here or is it also your sister? Fuckin' inbreds!"
  
  You hear Donna continue to plead and exclaim she lives alone and that she has no weapons of any kind. The guardsmen doesn't sound completely convinced and you hear him pushing Donna and exclaiming for her to head towards the bedroom swearing the whole time about his shitty assignment, you know its only a matter of time before he discovers that you're here.
  
  You hastily look around the bathroom, but there isn't much here in the way of weapons except a can of your sister's hairspray. Maybe you can blind him, though you'd need to time it just right.
  
  Taking a deep breath, you get near the entryway of the door prepare the can...
  
  Your sister passes by and sees you out the corner of her eye, but makes no indication that she's seen you.
  
  "Just keep going. If there really is nobody in the bedroom, then we're just going to hide out in the back for a while and then...ARGH! SHIT!" the soldier exclaims as you unload the hairspray in his eyes as he starts to pass the bathroom entrance.
  
  Fortunately he drops his rifle in the process of his sudden blindness, which you quickly snatch up. Donna is still scrambling to get up and get out of the way, meanwhile the blind soldier is backing up trying to fish his pistol out of his holster.
  
  "Fucking...shit...I'm gonna kill all of you inbred trash! I'm..."
  
  You don't wait around for him to possibly carry out his threats; you don't think about it, you just shoot. The rifle kicks a bit and you hurt yourself in the process, but your assailant with several new holes in him is in even worse condition. He drops his pistol and slumps backwards in a bloody heap.
  
  For a moment you just stand there in disbelief on what you've done. You just killed a man. Even if it was life and death, you still killed someone.
  
  "Suzy! Get down, they're still shooting out there!" Donna shouts from the bedroom entrance.
  
  You get down on the floor still clutching on to your killing tool and crawl to the bedroom. You feel a bit weird, but not sick.
  
  You and your sister hide behind her bed, huddled close to each other as the shooting and general mayhem out there continues for what seems like a very long time, but in reality it's only about fifteen-twenty minutes.
  
  As the gunshots die down, you can hear the victory hooting and hollering outside which is then followed by more gunshots probably fired in victory.
  
  For a moment you and your sister stay down for a little while longer, but eventually the pair of you get up. You just sit on the edge of the bed trying to wrap your head around everything that just happened.
  
  Donna on the other hand peeks out one of the windows.
  
  "Well, I guess our side won." Donna says.
  "Not sure if that's going to be a good thing in the long run." You say.
  
  Donna doesn't pay much attention to your statement, but instead heads to the main room of the trailer. After a few moments, you gather your strength and follow her.
  
  She looks at the dead soldier on the floor and you do as well.
  
  "Well, I guess it's true what they say, you never know if you can kill someone or not until you have to." Donna remarks.
  "Or want to." You add.
  "Well anyway I'm glad you did. Shit, that was fucking intense. The weird thing is how well worked together in the situation I mean I lured him to the back and you ambushed him."
  "Yeah, well I suppose we already had several run-throughs of dealing with hostile assholes this week. We were bound to get it right eventually." You remark.
  "Heh, I suppose so...well no point in letting this asshole stink up the place, let's drag him outside."
  
  Donna gets his legs and you get his upper body and drag the soldier out of the trailer. As you do so, you notice his rank is that of a high-ranking NCO. You wonder if he was the one in charge of this detachment.
  
  When you get him outside, Tina is just walking up with a scruffy looking man wearing a cap and clothing that doesn't look like its been washed in days. He carries a shotgun over his shoulder.
  
  "Well fuck Donna. Did you actually kill one of those fuckers?" Tina asks.
  "Not me, my sister did. This asshole barged into our trailer and Suzy shot his ass."
  
  Tina looks a little impressed.
  
  "Is that so? Well maybe I misjudged you blondie. Maybe you're not the innocent wallflower I thought you were."
  "I didn't take any pleasure in it, if that's what you're implying." You say defensively.
  
  "Of course you didn't. You saw a threat to your family and home and you took care of business. It's what any right thinking American SHOULD do when the fucking government tries to impose its will on folks. They tried to do it here, well they didn't fucking succeed. We showed them that, but I reckon there's gonna be a lot more trouble comin'. Believe it." The man suddenly says.
  "Who are you?" you ask almost in an accusing tone.
  
  Mel doesn't really look offended, but Tina speaks up before he can.
  
  "This is Mel, my...significant other." Tina says.
  "Significant other? What the fuck are we fucking faggots? Life partners and all that shit? Just say I'm your goddamn boyfriend. Shit, I'm practically your husband with as long as we've been together."
  "I hesitated to call you my boyfriend because I don't know where we exactly stand right now and until you buy me a fucking ring and propose, you're definitely NOT my husband!"
  "Pftt, I told ya, I see no reason for a piece of paper handed out by some bean counter to tell me how I feel about ya, let alone some piece of jewelry. Besides, we fight all the fucking time and always get back together, so stop bein' a fuckin' drama queen."
  
  At this point Tina and Mel start to argue and not wishing to get in the middle of it, you and Donna start to walk back to your trailer. When you get inside Donna starts finding bags and begins putting away clothes.
  
  "What are you doing?" you ask.
  "What's it look like? I'm packing up my shit and getting ready to get the hell outta here. It's apparent that you were right again, about this place. It's not safe here." Donna says.
  "At this point, I don't think its too safe anywhere. At least the immediate threat here has been eliminated." You say.
  
  Donna stops packing.
  
  "Wait a minute. Are you serious? This can't be happening. I mean YOU of all people. Are you seriously considering staying here?"
  "I don't know. I mean would I like there to be a better option? Yes! But what options do we really have Donna? We don't even have a fucking car to leave in and I doubt very seriously anyone is going to let us borrow a vehicle now. We're going to be on foot, heading to god knows where. I mean WHERE are we going to go? Back to town? With all the bullshit going on there? Into that wilderness where we can slowly starve to death due to our lack of survival knowledge? Further down the road where we'll run into who knows what? I mean everything seems so chaotic right now and I want at least a stable chance of survival. Your plan has always been to run and so far it hasn't worked out very well either for me or you. Maybe we need to dig our heels in and tough it out if only for a bit."
  
  Donna sits down on the couch processing your words. She probably can't believe you're even thinking this way, and to be honest you can't either. Maybe killing another human changed something within you and you're not willing to just sit around and be a victim anymore. You're going to DO something to improve your situation. Anything.
  
  "Okay, I get what you're saying. And yeah you're right that it's going to suck walking to wherever our unknown destination is going to be and we don't know where we would go, but I'm just saying it HAS to be safer than staying here. I mean if we do stick around, what if the government sends another group of soldiers here? It's going to look mighty suspicious that the last group they sent isn't here and will probably be really bad for us. If we leave, we can at least distance ourselves from this mess. I dunno, I mean at this point I'll stick with you no matter what you decide, I just think we oughta get the fuck outta here." Donna advises.
  
  > leave the trailer park
  It isn't going to be pleasant to leave, but Donna does make a good point about the foolishness of sticking around here after the massacre of military personnel.
  
  "Okay Donna, I guess maybe you're right. I'll pack and we'll head out."
  "Well maybe it won't be completely hopeless. Maybe some of the others here will be leaving too, we might be able to go with them or catch a ride for awhile at least."
  "Hm, I don't hold out too much hope, but I'll let you take care of that, just let me know when you're ready to go, because I'm going to have to figure out what I need and can take with me without collapsing from exhaustion."
  
  While you struggle with what clothing you can do without and what items you're going to need, Donna finishes packing and leaves the trailer to presumably go charm a ride from someone.
  
  A half hour passes and Donna returns just as you're finishing up packing and she doesn't look in the best of spirits.
  
  "I take it, it didn't go well?" you ask.
  "I can't believe at least ONE of these rednecks isn't so damn stupid to want to stay here! But no, everyone of these dumb fuckers are insisting on sticking around trying to make this place into a fortress or some shit."
  "Not one fell for your charms?" you ask.
  "What are you getting at?"
  "Well I figured you were offering something in return..."
  "Offer?...Oh yuck! Suzy! Seriously? Do you think I'm just that much of a whore?!" Donna asks.
  "Well I mean I know you're free spirited enough not to give a shit about that sort of thing. I mean that IS how you got this trailer up front isn't it?"
  "Okay, first that was different. Second that was REALLY unpleasant! Anyway, looks like we're walking. Even Tina wasn't willing to help out."
  "Hardly surprising. So which direction are we walking?" you ask.
  "What do you mean? There's only one way to go. I mean you aren't suggesting we head back to town do you?"
  "Well the other direction will eventually lead to Security City and I can't imagine it'll be any better there." You say.
  "That's still a very long way off Suzy, I mean maybe we can find refuge somewhere else first, like a truck stop or something."
  "I just hope we aren't rounded up by passing military on the road. Oh well I guess we'll find out. At least we got a couple weapons from that asshole who tried to kill us earlier." You say.
  
  And with those words, you and Donna leave the trailer, which was once to be your new home and make your way out of the park. Seems like ever since you left home, you're doomed to not stay anywhere for very long. You hope this isn't a sign of things to come.
  
  As you leave, you see that Donna was right in that the park residents are indeed trying to barricade this place up by putting vehicles in strategic locations. You don't see how such a plan can possibly stand up against a real attack by the military, but they're determined not to be run off.
  
  "So you're leaving Donna?" Tina asks on your way out.
  "Yeah, I don't think this place is for me and my sister. You sure that you want to still stay here?"
  "No point in doing so yet. Besides, Mel is actually getting everyone's ass in gear to prepare this place for more potential trouble. It's the most motivated I've seen him in...well since he first sweet talked me into spreading my legs for him and that was ages ago. Really I dunno why y'all are leaving. It's only going to be worse out there, but suit yerselves. Good luck I guess." Tina says and leaves the pair of you.
  
  Leaving the trailer park behind, night has already begun to fall as you walk along side the road.
  
  Ten minutes in and Donna breaks up the silence.
  
  "The road is pretty deserted. There hasn't been any traffic in either direction since we started walking." Donna says.
  "Hopefully it stays like that, seems like every time more people show up more problems crop up." You answer.
  "Yeah, I guess it does seem that way. Bet you're wishing you were in the basement right now."
  "Got that right. No use wishing it was so though. Those carefree days are long gone now."
  "Heh, as are my own carefree days of partying everyday. A few days ago I was just starting to think that maybe I had been wasting my life and needed it to get back on track to do something productive. Now? Looks like I didn't waste anything seeing as the world appears to be going to shit." Donna adds.
  
  You agree and the pair of you continue walking. The stars are a lot brighter without the streetlights of the town around. You look up at them on several occasions never really admiring the "heavens" before. You get the impression even Donna is starting to admire them. Really until this walk, you've never really realized just how rural of an area you lived in before.
  
  Hours pass and both of you are tired, not just from the walking though, it was an "action packed" day earlier for the pair of you after all. In the far distance though you see the shape of what looks to be several structures.
  
  "Hey Donna, looks like something is up ahead. It's really dark, but I think those are tents or something." You say.
  "Yeah, wonder what that is." Donna says.
  "Maybe we should hang back until morning." You say.
  "Why?"
  "Because who knows who the hell is over there. I mean maybe that's a military encampment. We go walking in, and soldiers could suddenly surround us. Or worse, they see us stumbling in the darkness and shoot us on sight believing we're intruders. Both of us are pretty tired anyway, I think it would be best if we approached this with clear eyes and in the daytime." You say.
  "Hm, okay you might be right about that. Where are we sleeping though?"
  "Looks like the great outdoors. Come on let's get off the side of the road. We don't need someone running us over in our sleep.
  
  You and Donna head off the road and deeper into wilderness, though not too much. You try to find a spot that seems "good" and then you realize you're in the damn wilderness without even a sleeping bag, there is no where to sleep that's going to be "good."
  
  "Well I guess here will do. Use your back pack as a pillow and try to get comfy." You say laying down.
  "Ugh, I can only imagine the things that are going to be crawling on me in the night." Donna says.
  "Yeah, things suck all over. Hey why are you getting so close?"
  "You got both weapons! I'm not sleeping too far from you. Besides, it's fucking cold out here. We'll stay warmer if we sleep near each other. Did that with Julie once when her heating system was broken for a week."
  "Yeah, well you better not start cuddling or worse grinding on me."
  "Geez Suzy, that's sick! You're my sister for fuck's sake."
  "Good, glad we understand each other."
  
  As you attempt to get as comfortable as possible Donna keeps moving so she's partially touching you, despite the fact you're trying to keep apart. Eventually you give up and just try to focus on sleeping.
  
  "Suzy?" Donna says.
  "What?" You answer.
  "I'm glad we left and are seeing this through together." Donna says in such a way that you haven't heard her speak before. Almost like a little kid.
  
  "Yeah, I'm glad we're seeing this through together too." You say.
  
  And with those words, you drift off.
  
  > Next day...
  "SUZY! WAKE UP! GET UP NOW!" you hear Donna scream followed by her pulling and shaking you.
  "Wha...the fuck?!" you utter completely confused. You're even more confused when Donna grabs the rifle near you and fires it, succeeding in smashing her shoulder due to being unprepared by the kick back and not holding it right in the first place. She cries out an obscenity and drops the rifle.
  
  While you still aren't completely sure of what's going on, you do look in the direction that Donna was firing and see what she was firing at.
  
  Several people are loping in your direction snarling and generally making unpleasant sounds. You don't know who they are or what's wrong with them, but you follow Donna's lead and pull your pistol to fire at them.
  
  You aren't exactly the best shot in the world, but after a couple shots you clearly hit the closest one in the chest, who stops temporarily, but then recovers until you hit him again, at which point he falls. It doesn't deter any of the others though and they just continue to run at you.
  
  Meanwhile Donna gets off another shot, but misses wildly. Seeing their numbers and knowing you don't have the skill or the ammo to deal with these obviously insane people, you tell Donna you and her need to run and you don't need to do it twice.
  
  You and Donna run towards the group of tents still in the distance. You still don't know if it's a military encampment or what, but the key thing is it's in the opposite direction of those things chasing you.
  
  You're about half way towards your destination and your sister becomes a horror movie cliché by falling behind and then tripping and falling on her face.
  
  "Suzy!" you hear her scream and you turn around to see several of those things almost on her.
  
  You run back and shoot a couple of them, but by the time you grab her hand to help her up, one of them manages to grab her and bite her shoulder.
  
  Donna screams pierce your ears and you blast the thing in the head splattering its blood on you and Donna. The two that you shot (but failed to obviously kill) at this point have recovered and are already attacking you and Donna.
  
  You're tackled to the ground and you just barely manage to keep the thing from biting you by putting your forearm against its throat as it desperately tries to bite your face off. You get a good look at the thing at this range, while its dirty, crazed and making the animalistic growling noises, it looks completely human. Rabies perhaps?
  
  In any case you manage to get your pistol arm free of the thing's grip and bring your weapon to its temple and blow its brains out. It slumps on top of you and you're quick to get out from under it.
  
  Meanwhile, Donna is on the ground again screaming for you to help her and her assailant chewing on her leg. You wonder helping Donna's even an option at this point. Donna's badly wounded and there are still several of those things coming at you, not counting the one currently munching on Donna's leg.
  
  You don't know what these things are except they look like dirty rabid humans. And maybe that's all they are, but if there's anything you've learned from situations like this is those same clichéd horror movies is when someone is bitten...
  
  Donna's eyes widen as soon as she realizes that you're aiming at her. You don't give her time to do anything else before you pull the trigger.
  
  Having done the grim task of putting your sister out of her misery, you run back towards the tents though you're in a bit of a daze at this point.
  
  The noise you and those things have caused, start bringing out the occupants of the tents, or at least whoever is using them. You see a few figures with rifles, possibly in uniforms. It's apparent that they've caught sight of you and your pursuers and are yelling something at you, but again your brain has partially "shut down" after killing your sister so you're stilling running towards them, ignoring the fact that they're ready to open fire. It wouldn't matter anyway, since it isn't like you can run backwards with those things chasing you.
  
  Bullets whiz in your direction missing you; at first maybe they AREN'T actually aiming at you and are aiming at the creatures chasing you. Maybe your luck is changing.
  
  But then you catch one in the head. You don't even feel it. You just drop like a sack. The military wasn't taking any chances.