American Awakening

A Short Story By Keith C. Milne


PROLOGUE

JEFFREY STONE

I am not depressed and I’m not crazy. At least I don’t think I am. Let’s see, I still have my appetite, I still sleep well, and I am still interested in everything. I often take stock of my situation in life, and feel genuine gratitude. I pay homage to the universe, thanking the energy that is responsible for all life for my good fortune.

I feel rage towards irresponsible politicians at times. It seems like the older I’ve become, the more I feel like a zombie or walking dead person, because the more I have begun to realize what a croc of shit the whole roller coaster ride of my life really has been, and how life really is generally a croc of shit for all of us, except perhaps for the wealthy.

The wealthy, who are also aging humans, won’t get off the hook in the end. Sure, money buys A LOT of fun activities and you’re never wanting for anything, but all the fucking money in the world cannot keep the grim reaper away or prevent you from witnessing the horror of your own eventual demise.

I used to think my life was so easy, but, who am I kidding, it never really was. I always like to think it was easy though, back in what I call my age of innocence. But, the reality is that nothing has ever been easy for me, really, I’m just lucky enough to have been born with enough brains that have allowed me to understand and do certain things with ease that others seem to find difficult.

Sometimes this used to give me the illusion that I had some kind of edge over and above the people around me, which is bullshit. Well, it does have it’s moments, but I’m no better than anyone else, despite any judgements. That ability is also what I thought made me interesting enough for others to want to hang out with me. Well, not everyone, but I never had trouble making friends until I got older.

Sure, I’ve had it easier than some, but also harder than others. Bottom line: I’m about as average as it comes. Any former feelings I entertained early in life about being “special” in a good way was my own narcissistic wishful thinking. However, some would say that just the fact that I’m white, living in America, born to white parents with a Eurozone heritage, virtually guarantees the fact that I really don’t know what the true meaning of a hard life is. Perhaps. But I’m not competing with anyone either, about anything. Assumptions are always dangerous. You really don’t know that person sitting next to you as much as you might think you do. Could be some really gruesome stuff in their past that you don’t even know about.

We all have our shit: our family dysfunction, our sexual traumas and hangups, our incessant worry about what others really think about us, and minor or even moderate abuse tales, and all the rest of our dirty laundry that we all seem to think is so important and critical to our existence and reputation. Right?!

Personally, I think quite a few people like to lean back on their so-called, poor, hard, fucked up past a little too much and, over time, just fall out of circulation and play the “poor me” sick role for whatever trinkets of energy, and attention, and secondary gains they can get from others by telling them about how ill they are, then waiting for the sympathy. They feed on other people’s sympathy and charity.

People are basically the same as they’ve always been. However, now science and technology have advanced. Nowadays, changing our gender is a choice, or going to the moon and coming back to talk about it is possible. Walking around with powerful computers that remind us to get milk on the way home, or allow us to unlock the front door for the babysitter from another state or country are also possible.

Technology has negatively affected and highjacked our common sense, common decency and respect for one another. Technology has allowed for depersonalization of our living experience, and largely contributes towards humans feeling and actually becoming insignificant. AI is already beginning to displace many of us as we lose our jobs to machines that never want any time off. We no longer seem to care about one another as much. You don’t think so? Road rage is just one example. Mass shootings becoming commonplace is another.

We’ve gone from the denial days of Father Knows Best, black and white televisions, dial telephones, and paper maps, to eating microwaved popcorn while surfing the Internet and streaming The Morning Show on Apple TV+ as ordinary, everyday events.

Nowadays, if it isn’t already pure and utter horror, it has to be made into pure and utter horror, complete with violence and blood and deception and lying and cheating and torturing and hating and jealousy and greed and on and on and on with the negative, and of course, the shocking video, the shocking revelation, the unveiling of a shocking secret, or some strange hybrid involving two or more of those three categories.

Why am I telling all this to you? Why am I bothering to write it all down? Because, I have seen a lot of good early in my life, and now constant increasing chaos, darkness, fighting, division, hatred, and war. I just want to say what I need to say right now, that’s why.

It seems like the whole world has changed in ways that work hard to prevent anyone from knowing real, deep, happiness, or of knowing a truly decent world. Even our news now has become a dumbed down version of what ‘they’ think ‘we’ need to know about, with lots of emphasis on the irrelevant. Over six decades of seeing endless variations of murders, kidnappings, rapes, and robberies, and I’m exhausted with all of it.

Nothing seems sacred anymore. Nothing good is off limits, and nothing bad has boundaries. Liars and cheaters are winning, which is just the opposite of what I grew up being taught. I was taught that truth always prevailed and that liars could only surf the wave for so long before crashing down on the razor sharp coral below. Nowadays, stupid people are able to dictate to smart-as-hell people, and people who have never served in the military are now being put in charge of it!

We’ve now reached a point in our precious America, land of everyone-taking-everything-for-granted, where we have actually, formally, elected a world class liar for a President. Now his threat of retribution on seemingly the entire U.S. Government if he is re-elected, is being realized because he was! Yes! Our worst nightmare has come to fruition, despite being twice impeached, four-times indicted with 91 counts of alleged criminal wrongdoing, Andrew Richard Patterson was re-elected and is now President of the United States once again. I never thought I’d see a day where this could happen in our great country. NEVER!

This new low in American history, is almost more that I can bare. When I think about how many young boys and girls are witnessing the horrible behavior of our Liar in Chief, I’m mortified. He has become an icon that represents the worst that America has to offer. A super rich spoiled brat who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and has never had to struggle for anything in his life, making sure that he and his buddies will end up even richer at our expense, while working overtime convincing America’s poor, hate-filled, uneducated followers that all that is wrong with America is the fault of the other side, you know, those slimy fucking liberals!

I grew up being taught the basic philosophical tenet that truth prevails over lies, good guys always prevail over the bad guys, and that goodness itself will always prevail over evil. I understood. It didn’t take me long to adopt the belief that anyone who works hard reaps a handsome reward, and that winners deserved their winnings because they earned them from working hard and being honest. They did the hard work, paid their dues, and are now reaping the rewards for that effort. Made perfect sense to me then, and still does today.

I used to see The Lone Ranger take on and win his battles with the bad guys, and I watched Superman protecting all the honest, everyday people who were helpless against the evil villain, both of which informed and created in me an evolving, fairly hardened belief in good over evil, and a deep belief that truth and justice were, in fact, the American way. Eventually, my belief went even farther: I came to believe that truth and justice were so omnipotent that all good people in the world would somehow ALWAYS be protected and come out on top over the dark, sinister shit heads of the world. Man, was I wrong!

Now that I’m “a senior,” I’ve seen enough to know that nothing is really as it appears to be, and that happiness and boredom, love and hate, peace or violence are all choices. So are honesty and dishonesty. It’s all a choice.

It’s unfortunate that so many people nowadays choose to act as if they are the only ones on the planet with an agenda that matters, and treat everyone around them like they are subhuman. Indeed, the world has changed and, sadly, I’ve lost almost all hope that our country, the United States of America, will ever be able to recover and become a wholesome place to grow up and live in again. A place of acceptance, tolerance, and inclusion. A place where love and understanding are allowed to flourish unashamed.

It was all so simple, at least I used to think it was. All anyone had to do was be truthful and honest, and life would be happy, and bright, and healthy, and stay that way permanently. At least that’s what I believed. And, technically, I was correct. Shoot, if everyone was that honest all the time, virtually everything would be improved. Therefore, I, Jeffrey Stone, have decided that, despite my more advanced age, I will now utilize my greater level of experience and do what I can to prevent the new authoritarian from knowing true success of any measure, despite my longterm opposition to violence, particularly gun violence. I am still holding onto the ideal of Truth, Justice, and The American Way as tightly as I can, and by doing so, I intend to join with others and do what is necessary to restore our country to a place that anyone with good in their heart would want to live and raise a family. I am a good person and I only want to love and know other good people in good ways. Because of my patriotism and nothing else, I live in Washington D.C. , and I will defend this heart of our nation with all that I have. Our Democracy is everything, at least to me it is, and, if needed, I will die defending our democratic way of life and the Constitution of the United States of America. This is how I think. This is who I am.

1

MADNESS

I was so glad that my wife was out west visiting with some of my relatives. For now, the west has been spared. I have a feeling that this madness is going to spread like cancer, and she will eventually need to find her way to a safer place again, but for now, she is safe and that is one worry that I don’t need to entertain right now.

I could hear more explosions and some gunfire not too far away. They were getting closer. I was getting more worried. I have always refused to own or use guns against people on moral principles that I hold dear, but have decided that, indeed, I will kill, but only if my life or the life of my spouse are threatened, if need be. Now that chaos has ensued, I have been forced to rethink the entire issue.

Shooting someone from far away is cowardly in my book. I have used many different types of firearms in the past between weapons owned by relatives, and during my military training, but I never bought or kept any firearms. Seems like guns just have a way of being used against people more often than not, and having them close by makes it too easy to grab one and then just blast away, instantly solving one problem, while likely creating many more.

Eight years has passed since the last rational days of America’s existence were known to most. Since then, madness has slowly infiltrated our country’s psyche initiated by an evil megalomaniac, the former President of the United States, Andrew Richard Patterson. He came onto the political scene in 2015 in a very unusually loud, arrogant way. His loud and whiny voice, his constant put downs towards others, his constant lies, his bragging about stuff that didn’t happen or that are just flat lies. He normalized hate. He normalized lying. He normalized hating America. He weaponized the ignorant, uneducated, and violent people, promising them everything they wanted if they elected him, and then kept him in office no matter what it takes. Finally, he even figured out a way to weaponize the religious right, and now they are weaponizing Jesus, God, the Bible, the whole religious package.

He’s back. He stole the election. He always said and did everything he accused ‘the other side’ of doing. The GOP gerrymandered the hell out of the districts for the 2024 election. They were going to make sure that they won this time, and they didn’t care if they stole it. They are never going to leave now, even if President Patterson dies.

Those of us that are still barely rational continue to be in total shock. How could this have possibly happened?! Almost everyone hated Patterson, most were just too afraid to say it out loud. See how quickly authoritarianism erodes free speech and other rights? This guy is now completely unhinged and more insane than most people can believe.

The so-called election was last November. Once the numbers came in, it was neck and neck for the longest time. Unbelievably, the former President appeared to have beaten Democratic incumbent President Samuel Thomas Nelson. Once the dust settled, indeed, President Patterson won the election by a narrow twenty thousand votes from the popular vote, and grabbed enough of the key battleground states to get the electoral college in his favor.

The first thing self-elected President Patterson did was start posting on social media some of the things he was going to do once he took the oath in January 2024. It was like he wanted to make sure everyone was scared about what he might do. Would he really execute all the military generals? Would he fire most in government jobs and then either shutdown that part of the government completely, or replace those he fires with people loyal to him and that would swear an oath of allegiance to protect President Patterson at all cost?

What would shutting down any of it and firing all those people do to our nation? What about all the people who depend on Social Security for their only income? Would President Patterson let them suffer, and then die? He seems capable of anything. What about all the people losing jobs from the ripple effect of mass firings of government employees who now cannot pay their mortgages? How will millions of people suddenly homeless be cared for and treated?

2

INSANITY

The swearing in ceremony was 5 days ago. The entire peaceful NATO alliance watched in horror as the cameras showed several of the world’s dictators in attendance. Russian President Nikolai Dvoryanstvo attended, along with North Korean dictator Kun Jingn, and Hungarian Prime Minister Bikor Zorba. The ceremony came complete with military brigades marching alongside tanks, and trucks towing trailers with short range missiles on board. Once the ceremony was over, President Patterson turned and gave the speech heard round the world.

President Patterson did not mince words. He almost hissed as he put the entire world on notice. He told anyone in the world tuned in that he would no longer tolerate idle threats or isolated attacks on American soldiers anywhere in the world. He stated that if anyone attacked even one American soldier, ship, or plane, anywhere, they, and the country they come from will then know the full weight of our military power as it rains down upon their heads for their foolish transgressions.

There was a long pause, and growing, uncomfortable, intense silence. Dvoryanstvo, Jingn, and Zorba were squirming in their seats, but still managed to maintain diplomatic smiles while President Patterson scanned the room the entire time looking for a head to bite off. Suddenly, without warning, he burst out with a final, loud, booming warning, “DO NOT THREATEN OR ATTACK AMERICA OR YOU WILL KNOW UNSPEAKABLE HORROR!”

What happened next seemed like something right out of a futuristic science fiction movie: The air force did a fly over on a massive scale, followed by the largest amassment of military helicopters ever witnessed in the history of mankind. Once they finished flying over—literally, for almost 15 full minutes, the sky was full as far as the eye could see as they flew in reverence slowly over the Capital—then veered off in all directions at near warp speed.

Within minutes, loud explosions and plumes of smoke could be seen coming from various points on the horizon with no real definite pattern. Sirens could be heard going off everywhere. As police and military vehicles began moving through the streets they began using bullhorns.

“Go home and stay there. Turn on your televisions, and wait for further instructions. Go home and stay there. Turn on your televisions and wait for further instructions.”

I was only blocks from my apartment on my way home from my daily walk when all of this happened. When I saw the mass of helicopters fly over I got goosebumps. Not from the feeling of pride in our military or from feeling safe knowing that I lived in such a powerful country, but from fear. Looking at those choppers filling the sky, I felt sinister, laughing, taunting evil. I hustled home as fast as I could and turned on the television.

Every single channel on my television was the same thing. All channels had already either been pre-empted or replaced by the one channel showing the same content. YouTube TV still had all the different channels they normally carried, but every single one of them were showing America’s first bachelor President Patterson standing at a podium, still unwilling to end the festivities, waving endlessly at a crowded room full of people. Text kept scrolling across the bottom of the screen saying that, ‘for now,’ President Patterson has preempted all programming to bring you his inauguration, and will be authorizing content and the channels that will be allowed to carry that content at a later date.

I left the television on but turned down the volume, then ran down to the basement to inventory canned goods and alternative lighting and batteries. Everything seemed to be stocked normally except batteries! How could I be so absent minded and stupid! I started back up the stairs and then spotted the four rechargeable LED lanterns I had purchase a year before and felt some relief seep in.

I went to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator and freezer and saw that I needed some more fresh food, but only a handful of canned goods. I needed bottled water, and some lighter fluid for the grill. I quickly pulled on my riding jacket, jumped on my bike and headed as fast as I could to the bank to get a chunk of cash while I still could.

It was treacherous riding at dusk with people running all over the place and driving the same way, as if constant moving was a complete remedy. In what universe would anyone think that all would be okay as long as everyone kept themselves in constant motion?

I kept hearing sirens at various distances away, but never saw any emergency vehicles. Everything was getting stranger by the minute. I turned left at the next block and saw a huge group of people in front of my bank. I dismounted quickly, and slowly walked closer. People were shouting and arguing. I finally asked a man standing close to me, “What’s all the fuss about?” He looked at me like I was crazy.

“The bank shut down the ATM and closed their doors, and now we can’t get any money out, that’s what’s going on! I called my brother to tell him about it, and he saw on his local news that President Patterson ‘temporarily shutdown’ the banking system until his administration has a chance to review the whole banking system and the Federal Reserve, and they’ve frozen all assets until a thorough review can begin. Can you believe that crap?!”

“What do they think we’re supposed to do without money? How the hell are we supposed to get what we need? Did he answer that?”

“No, he didn’t. When he gave the ‘executive order’ he added that he was confident that the American people were ‘resilient and strong and would be able to figure out how to get by’ while he and his new administration got their ‘house in order.’

“Damn! Thanks for the info. Good luck!”

“Yeah, same to you.”

On the way home, I had a growing knot in my stomach. For the first time in my life, I actually contemplated doing a little looting while there was still merchandise to loot, but I knew better, and I also knew that I would never follow through with anything illegal . . . not yet anyway. I was determined to stay whole, and in the light, and not succumb to the growing darkness permeating America.

When I got home and walked in, I looked over at the television which I had left on. Some talking head was telling everyone the minute by minute actions and activities of the President. I flipped the channels again, and I once again got the same result, nothing but President Patterson ad-nauseam.

I went into the kitchen still stinging with disbelief about the events of the day, and I couldn’t stop wondering about all of those explosions from the jets off in the distance. There was no news, no one talking about any of that!

I didn’t feel like cooking anything, but I was starving, so I made a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich and went back to the television hoping that something had changed and that I would finally be able to get some more information, but there still was nothing but the talking head. Then I spotted it at the top of my screen in the right hand corner, a little white rectangular box with ’White House Television’ inside it.

3

CIVIL WAR

I now live in the dark. My row house looks abandoned on purpose. My only outside communication is by HAM radio. My father gave me his old one and I found it in the basement and, luckily, so did a few other people who still have theirs and we are able to briefly update one another. I’ve been able to pick up semi-regular bits of information about the activities outside using it. Civil war has broken out. Not between the north and the south, or even necessarily between the right wing nuts and the left wing nuts. No, this is the government of the United States waging direct warfare on it’s own citizenry! I’m mortified. I’m almost petrified into inaction, but I’m getting really low on supplies again, and I know that I must leave and try to find a way to restock.

Chatter on the HAM is horrific. Already huge amounts of people have been slaughtered by the air strikes. No one is capable of withstanding them. President Patterson’s government has completely turned on more than fifty percent of America’s population, and is now rounding up any liberals or anyone they don’t like that have survived, and imprisoning them in internment camps in the middle of the country in northern Texas in a massive slaughter house converted into a makeshift internment camp.

No one can believe that the military would go along with such madness and insanity and kill their own American brothers and sisters. Chatter on the HAM indicates that it took a few Generals who refused to follow Patterson’s orders getting shot to death to get the military to finally launch all the attacks. The order came down from Patterson himself, any further non-compliance would result in execution on the spot!

I went to the kitchen and made another list. I had a sick, sinking feeling inside my stomach. Somehow, I knew that, despite my strong intention to return safe and sound, that once I left, that I would likely never see my home again. I shook those thoughts out of my head, put on my black jacket, knit cap, and gloves, and headed out to buy, forage, or barter for the supplies I needed to stay alive for another couple of weeks.

The sun had set an hour ago and the only noises coming from explosions and gunfire far off in the distance looking south. I jumped on my bike and headed towards the bank again just to see what was going on or if anything had changed for the better. Rounding the final corner, this time I was surprised to see the area in front of my bank completely abandoned.

I slowed down as I approached the front of the bank closer and couldn’t believe my eyes. The whole front of the bank had been destroyed. What remained of all the glass windows were huge aquamarine piles of broken glass laying underneath their former vertical homes. The ATM machine was completely in pieces in-between the various piles. The window openings had been secured by 1/4” steel plating welded to the side of the building. I had never seen anyone secure a building like that before. No one was getting inside of that place easily.

I kept riding looking for signs of an open store or restaurant and headed towards the outskirts of D.C., away from all the office and administration buildings, museums, and government buildings, closer to where those workers lived. Bizarre to have no vehicular traffic to deal with. There were no buses, cars, trucks, or even military vehicles in sight.

I had actually lost track of how long I had stayed holed up in my house. I tracked it for awhile, then got mixed up about it when my devices died from not being recharged enough. I let them die. There was no one to call. The towers were out of commission, the banks were shut, everyone still alive was so busy trying to figure out how to survive. No one was trying to call anyone now. That sudden lack of communication capability was a painful reality slap for everyone. Where is everyone!? Even when I saw a light or two, there was never any sign of anyone inside.

I turned left and could see lots of lights about a half mile ahead. When I got near, I could see lots of people in cars, standing around, and sitting anywhere they could. I dismounted and got closer to a group of people nearby.

“Well I heard that right after he took office he ordered the air force to bomb targets all over our country, hitting all the poorest neighborhoods, known black enclaves, hispanic barrios, and drug lord havens. Can you believe this shit?!”

“Hey, what’s going on? Why is everyone gathered here right now?” I asked.

A big dude with a full beard, wearing a black t-shirt and sporting tattoos on both arms turned and looked at me,

“President Patterson is expected at some point soon to stop here and get something to eat at the McDoogles over there before finishing his journey back to the White House on his way back from his trip to South Carolina to meet with Vice President Bambi Baily.”

“No kidding! I think I’ll stick around to catch a glimpse of him myself. It’s always better to see someone up close and personal. By any chance do you know if the McDoogle’s is still open to customers before he gets here? I’m starving.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it is” he said looking back towards the restaurant. He hesitated for a second then looked back at me adding, “but you’d better hurry if you’re going to get something because I overheard someone say that the secret service is going to kick everyone out so they can do a final security scan about 15 minutes before the President arrives.”

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

“Sure, no problem.”

I wound my way through more groups of people, excusing myself over, and over again. When I got to the entrance sidewalk, I locked my bike to the iron fence bordering the garden in front and went in to get something to eat. I’m not sure why, but I was suddenly craving a fish sandwich, large fries, and a large cola. I finished ordering, got my drink, my food and found my way to an empty table for two. The fish was hot and delicious, my fries tasted exquisite, and the cola was ice cold, and gave me that perfect sweet sting that I’ve grown to love so much over the course of my life.

I wasn’t sure what my next move was going to be. I had just used the only cash I had left to get the meal I was just about to finish eating, and I wasn’t sure where I could get the supplies I needed. I threw my trash away and walked back up to the counter.

“Do you know where there is an open food store where I can get some supplies?”

Derek, the guy behind the counter without looking up said, “two blocks north, then one block east there’s a Food Monster, but I don’t know if they’re still open, cause last time I went in they were low on almost everything. Who can I help next?”

“Thanks.”

I had just opened the door to leave when I saw half a dozen black SUVs pull up fast in front of McDoogle’s and a bunch of obvious government agents in black suits got out and began rushing towards me. I quickly got out of the way and back over to the side to get my bike. The agents filled the restaurant and the last few remaining patrons were asked to leave. I could see them talking on walkie-talkie’s and smart phones. I could see a few of them scanning all the booths for something with some type of metal detector-like apparatus.

I walked around from the side and back over to the front where all the vehicles had converged, and stood there for a minute, mesmerized by all the red, blue, and icy white strobe lights flashing. Four more vehicles quickly pulled up in the corridor created by the agents vehicles on both sides. The second limo back from the front pulled up aligned with the walkway leading right up to the front entry door of McDoogle’s.

All of a sudden a dozen D.C. police lined the sidewalk, one looked right at me and asked me to step back a little, then turned around right in front of me and assumed an informal “at ease” stance while keeping his eyes glued on the limo. And then I saw him, self elected President Andrew Richard Patterson stepped out into the early evening, straightening his suit jacket after getting out, and quickly surrounded by secret service agents.

Instantly, I felt my heart rate increase exponentially and flutter a little under the stress of my sudden, massive blood pressure increase. President Patterson stood there looking around for a minute, waiting to get the okay from the secret service to proceed into the McDoogle’s, his personal favorite place to eat.

Feeling like I was in a trance, I saw myself as from the outside looking in, moving in slow motion as my left hand reached out, unsnapped the gun holster on the D.C. policeman in front of me, grabbed the 9mm Glock, slowly raised it up until self elected President Patterson’s right temple was perfectly in my gun sight, and . . . I pulled the trigger.

EPILOGUE

I woke up in a panic. My heart felt like it was going to come out of my chest, I was covered in sweat from head to toe, and I was breathing like I had just run a marathon. I realized I had been having a dream. Thank goodness! Wow!

I got up and used the bathroom and cleaned up. I went into the kitchen to get a glass of milk. While pouring the milk, I noticed the cover story on Eternity magazine laying on the counter, so I sat down to check it out. I flipped on the little kitchen television, opened the magazine, and began sipping my milk. The All Night Every Night news was on.

“And now, today’s headlines. Twice Impeached, four time indicted, former one term President Donald J. Trump blasted the Biden administration for America’s high inflation today, and swore that once he takes the office of President again, that he will execute generals, fire thousands of government employees as he shutters much of what he considers unnecessary, top heavy government bureaucrats, and then fills only the jobs that he deems necessary with loyalists to him. He also stated that he plans to at least temporarily suspend the U.S. Constitution, close the border with Mexico, and opt America out of the NATO alliance. He also stated that he would consider use of the military to accomplish his goals if necessary.”

I passed out, slumping down to the floor, my glass shattering in a million pieces sending milk in all directions.

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Keith C. Milne
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