Patriots & Tyrants

by Brian Cotton

  ***

  Kaspar grabbed the Balaclava from atop the desk and then, after folding it, stuck it in the pockets of his black pants. He zipped up his flak jacket until it was snug around his chest and midsection. The yellow fabric from Mother’s blanket seemed to wither away more and more with each passing battle. He wondered when it would be completely gone as he attached it to the Kevlar.

  The sounds of feet hitting the tile floors outside of the room were swift. Everyone seemed to be anxious for this battle. As he often did, he wondered if this battle would be the last to fight. He knew that the USR would not be defeated today. They would merely be given a black eye, as that was the best possible outcome. Kaspar stopped asking himself if it was worth it or not, but he soon realized that it didn’t really matter. As long as the USR was in power, the most they could hope for was a sucker punch, like this one.

  The Kriss was now firmly in his hands. He clutched it tight and held it close to his chest. When he closed his eyes, he saw Krys’s face. The look in her eyes had already started to fade, just a little bit, and she was only taken from him a short while ago. It would only be a matter of time before he would struggle to remember her exactly as she was. She would then just become a figure in his memory. He swore when she died that he would keep her alive inside, somehow, but even Mother was starting to fade away in some respects. Mostly from being distracted by his relationship with Krys. The thought of her beauty fading away in his memory scared the hell out of him, but it wasn’t like they had taken a bunch of photos together.

  A tap at the door brought him back to the present. A quick turn revealed that it was Harvey vying for his attention. Kaspar nodded his head at his leader and gave him a salute. The leftover saluted back and gave a wink.

  “You ready for this thing?” Harvey wondered.

  “I guess we’ll see,” Kaspar replied. “What’s up?”

  “I’m going to make Clarke your responsibility in there, okay?”

  “Sure, but why me?”

  “I know you’ll take care of him. He’s green, so you’ll have to have him on your hip at all times. He won’t make it without it.”

  “You can count on me, sir.”

  “Good man.”

  “Sir?” Kaspar asked just as Harvey prepared to walk out.

  “Yeah?” Harvey asked as he turned back around.

  “Do you think he’ll find anything in there? Robert, I mean.”

  “We’ll see. We might not have time.”

  “I just hope he does.”

  “Why’s that?” Harvey asked, confused.

  “I just want to know that this is for something more than just raising a flag.”

  Harvey put his head down then approached Kaspar. Once he got close enough, he placed his hand on Kaspar’s shoulder. “Trust me…just raising that flag is enough.”

  “How so?”

  “To everyone out there, looking for something, anything, to believe in. It will spark the other resistance factions into action. Even if we all die trying…it won’t be for nothing. You get me?”

  “Yeah,” Kaspar replied with a sigh. “I think so.”

  “Good. We’re meeting outside in ten minutes.”