Making America Great

Ricardo had watched the acceptance speech of the new President-elect with growing trepidation. Promises of swift retaliation for anyone who criticized his administration signaled the end of the First Amendment. Ricardo was certain more civil liberties would fall at the hands of this madman.

On the day of the President’s inauguration, the protests had turned to riots and violent unrest broke out in various cities in the country. Those who had supported the new President grew emboldened and found that their actions received virtually no consequence from law enforcement. Those with darker shades of skin or the wrong religious beliefs were dragged into the streets and beaten.

Months passed and the rest of the Bill of Rights crumbled. In Austin, where Ricardo lived, a resistance formed. Those who sought to remove the new dictator from power plotted in secret. But a traitor hid among them and the newly formed death squads that had replaced law enforcement burst into the warehouse. Bullets flew and bodies fell. The only survivor of the massacre, Ricardo barely managed to escape.

Warm blood flowed from the gash above his eye, obstructing his vision, but Ricardo was able to make it to the freeway. He carried all he owned in the bugout bag he’d strapped to his back. His only chance was to find a way to the Mexican border. The construction on the wall on the north side of the Rio Grande was nearly complete and though it’s original purpose was to keep Mexicans out of the US, it now served to keep throngs of Americans from fleeing south. Ricardo knew his chances of survival were slim, but he had to try.

A roar pierced the night air and Ricardo turned his gaze to the sky. A long streak of light slashed the darkness high above him and when he realized what was approaching, Ricardo’s hopes vanished.

The ballistic missile struck the city and a blinding flash was the last thing Ricardo or anyone in the greater Austin area saw before the nuke detonated.

The President sat in the Oval office, watching the destruction from a closed circuit military monitor. Making America Great Again was more fun that he had imagined.

~V