Changes

Changes

"Have you heard the news?" asked Jody when Dani came out of the bathroom.

"No, what happened now?" asked Dani, plopping down on the couch. Bored with the constant daily divisiveness, she preferred curling up with a good book or playing a game with her online friends. However, some of the chatter in the games had begun upsetting her. She had no need to watch the news either; Jody would sum it all up for her.

"I saved it," said Jody punching the rewind button on the remote control. "Here let me back the video up a bit."

"...little is known about the situation in Canlin. Our northern news bureau has reported that a group calling itself the New Militia has taken over the city." Drone video panned out to show an overpass along the interstate. The highway beneath the structure was lined with military-grade vehicles blocking the road. The scene looked like something out of one of the video games she played--full battle rattle, locked and loaded.

Dani's heart dropped to her stomach. She'd been hearing scuttlebutt about insurrection, especially since the new guy had been elected president. Then again, she'd listened to that kind of talk for years. Now, it looked like someone thought the time was right.

"We need to leave, sooner than later," Dani told her partner. "If this is what I think it is, we aren't safe. We don't need to be here when these zealots start the door-to-door searches."

"Good point," replied Jody. "I'll get packed."

At midnight, the pair slipped out the back door of the home they had shared for twenty-eight years and turned their faces south--and presumptive safety.