Daily Flash Fiction Challenge

I could see the entire village from my vantage point in the tower; the guard lay dead at my feet. I'd never killed a man before, but I knew he wouldn't be my last. I removed the silencer from the stolen handgun. I had five bullets left; his fully-loaded rifle was slung over my shoulder.

Winter in the internment camp had been harsh; many innocent people (my parents and sister among them) had been killed or died of exposure, their naked bodies dumped into a large gouge in the earth. There were only twenty-one of us left.

What was our crime? We had opposed the views of the ruling party. There were rumors this would happen, but we couldn’t believe that in America, incarceration for political beliefs could be a reality.

My father’s last word? “Freedom!”

The remaining guards would be coming to check on the tower guard, since he hadn’t reported in as scheduled. Frightened, I had no idea what I would do. I noticed something on the ledge of the window and picked it up.

A feather?

I balanced the small white feather on my palm; it reminded me of ‘Forrest Gump’, a movie that spoke of bravery against all odds. I knew what I had to do.

The commandant had left in his motorcade for a meeting in San Francisco, and wouldn’t return until dark. There were only three guards left. With the five bullets in my gun and the fully-loaded rifle, I knew I could do what had to be done to save the other prisoners, and hopefully myself.

I heard the guards’ combat boots stomping up the tower stairs. I tucked the feather in my pocket, and readied my weapon.

As the door opened, I yelled "Freedom!" and fired.