Ivan's Story: 1-5

Chapter 1: Novistrana

The year is 1977. The location is a small town just outside the capital of Novistrana, a Soviet Nation. While many in the town live about there daily lives not to not a bother about the goings on of there communist government, more of for the ability to put food on their tables, and clothing on their backs, some move to change their country, to make it free for all of the citizens, equal opportunity for every one and for the people to elect a leader that represented them, not to accept leaders that sit around and bask in the glory of their wealth while poverty was sweeping the nation. The time had come for a revolution.

Chapter 2: The price of being a rebel

"Ivan? Ivan wake up!" The boy suddenly awoke, sleep in his eyes.

"What is it mother?" Ivan asked her. "Breakfast is ready." Said his mother. "I'll be there in a minute," replied Ivan. "No, Ivan, you must come now or you will be late for your first day of school."

Ivan entered the kitchen hastily dressed in torn jeans and a long turtleneck shirt. He ate his breakfast and his mother hastened him out of the house with a kiss and a hug and wished him well on his school, day. Ivan hopped on his bike and started pedaling very fast in the direction of his school. He was riding along and noticed a man spray painting graffiti on a park wall clearly visible to the many that would soon populate the streets on their way to work. He decided to stop and hide in the bushes to watch the man's progress. He began to read what it said, "Democracy now!! Down with the soviets!!!!!" it included a picture of the Soviet flag with a giant x drawn across it. After the man did this he turned and started to leave, walking at first trying to look like an everyday person out for an early walk. Ivan just noticed that he and the man were the only ones on the street, but that soon changed. Gunfire erupted in the air and a police patrol had appeared at the end of the street. About 8 secret policemen armed with machine guns were standing there aiming at the man. "You there HALT!" demanded the captain that led the patrol. Obviously they had noticed the graffiti on the wall and since Ivan was hidden from view they rightfully assumed that the man was responsible for it. The man looked back at the patrol and then began sprinting as fast as he could down the street. "Shoot him!" yelled the captain. The men started firing upon the man and in a mere few seconds it was all over. There he lay on the ground face down with at least 47 bullets in his back, and blood all over the sidewalk. Ivan just stared horrified at what he saw. "Get this cleaned up and have the body burned I want that graffiti covered up as best as possible!" barked the captain. "Yorachev!" "Yes, sir?" "Contact comrade Vasily Kasarov and notify him of this! Also we need knew public notifications that all that wish to stain the walls of our town with false messages and propaganda will be shot! Include the details of this mornings encounter as an example for the people. Maybe now the rebels will begin to take us seriously." Ivan waited for what felt like an hour while the patrol cleaned up the mess and he continued on his way to school unable to believe what he had just seen, and hoping that his parents, also members of the rebels would not meet the same fate.

Chapter 3: The Military Rally

Ivan awoke early the next day to the sound of voices he did not recognize. "Who would be visiting his house at 4 in the morning?" he thought to himself, then he understood who it might be. He opened his door very slowly and just as he had expected, there his mother and father sat in the living room with 3 other people, talking in low tones and observing a piece of paper on the table in between the two couches that faced towards each other. Ivan had expected this because these 3 exact men had been in his living room early in the morning twice before, they and his parents expecting him to be sleeping. Although he knew very little of these three, he assumed they had something to do with the revolution efforts. But then, 5 more entered the living room after being welcomed into the house by his mother. With a gathering this large of rebel operatives Ivan had a sure feeling that something big was going to happen that day. The image of the man being killed sprang into Ivan's mind. "No," he told himself "it couldn't happen it won't happen. My parents have been going on missions for over a year now without ever being killed or caught by the police. Why should today be any different?" He closed the door slowly and waited for the meeting to end. About 2 hours later his mother entered his room to wake him, Ivan had expected this so he was lying in his bed pretending to be asleep. "Ivan wake up dear! Breakfast is ready!" "Ok mother." replied Ivan. He got dressed and then headed to the table and ate his breakfast. He didn't dare bring up the topic of the visitors earlier that morning, for he feared his parents knowing that he had been spying on their secret affairs with an illegal faction. It was Saturday, which meant no school. He decided to go on a bike ride through the park after he read the newspaper.

The cover story read:

Attention! Military Rally to be Held Today!

It would be the 20th rally of the year. And he would be sure that many would be there and the idea of supporting a military that shot innocent protesters was not on his schedule for fun on a day off from school but decided to go with his friend Boris because he could see nothing else to do that day that would be very interesting. Boris and Ivan made there way for the middle of town a large group of people were on either side of the main road going through town. Hundreds of tanks were rolling through the town the machine gunners saluting to a large Novistrana flag and the sound of the Novistranian national anthem was playing over several loudspeakers. Following shortly after the tanks came an even larger amount of soldiers baring AK47s and wool hats and over coats saluting to the flag also. After the music stopped and the parade was over, the president, Niko Brauntchev, began his speech about the grand army of Novistrana. Halfway through his speech, the sound of a large explosion drowned out the sound of his voice. The crowds began to panic and members of the secret police got into their cars and sped off to investigate the problem. Ivan and Boris decided to sneak out of the crowd and see for themselves.

It was the perfect crime. There was a huge hole blown out of the side of the Presidential palace, and with everyone including the president and his bodyguards at the rally all the bombers had to do was avoid basic security to pull of the explosion. Firefighters and police were running around trying to fix the problem, to make the situation worse they found out that another bomb had gone off simultaneously at the secret police headquarters, causing severe damage. "This has to have involved my parents." Thought Ivan. As he was returning home he passed the wall at the park the graffiti no longer visible, he prayed that the sudden chain of events would soon lead to the liberation of Novistrana.

Chapter 4: Betrayal

The next day Ivan opened the paper to the article:

Bombs go off at the Presidential Palace and the NSP Headquarters

Yesterday during the military rally at the capital, the NSP headquarters and the presidential palace were attacked by unidentified terrorists. The head of the NSP, Vasily Kasarov, has reason to believe that an extremist organization of rebels to be responsible for the attacks. No further comment was made.

(Knock! Knock! Knock!..........................Knock! Knock!)

Somebody from the rebel faction arrived thought Ivan guessing by the pattern of the knocking on the door. Ivan's mother opened the door. "Sophia! I have urgent knows! It's about yesterday, somebody ratted us ou…" "Shh!" Ivan's mother interrupted him "Get inside!" She led him into the living room followed also by Ivan's father. The door was closed but Ivan was able to listen in at the slit of space between the door and the floor.

"They know! There coming right now! You need to leave!" said the man in a panicky tone. "Wait who's coming?" asked Ivan's father. "The secret police! They were tipped off by Grobachev. That pig! You need to leave immediately! They will be here any second to arrest you or worse! They found out that we were responsible for the bombings." Silence ensued Ivan heard someone get up and before he could move the door opened and Ivan's dad was standing there. "You heard everything?" he asked. "Yes, father." Ivan replied. Listen want you to go upstairs and pack your clothes. Take this with you also." Ivan's father pulled out a pistol. he took it and went upstairs to pack. When he came back His mother was handling an assault rifle and his father had a shotgun his hands. "Listen to me Ivan, I want you to go with Michael here he will take good care of you until we can return…"

(Knock! Knock! Knock! Open the door! This is the Police! We have a warrant for the arrest of…)

"Promise me Ivan that you will not try to contact us, and avoid the police! Stay in hiding and you will remain safe. There is a trapdoor in the living room beneath the rug under the piano hide in there with Michael until the police leave. I Love you!" And with that she gave him a kiss. "Mother No!!!!!!" screamed Ivan. "Come with me hurry!" said Michael. They ran into the living room and managed to find the trapdoor. (Without his mother telling him how to get to it, he would never have known it was there.) As Michael closed the door after him Ivan could here the police shouting, "Open the door or we will force our way in!!!" Fear was spreading throughout all of Ivan's body. "This can't be happening!" he thought to himself. "They won't die! Please don't let them die!" Ivan could still here the action going on. The door opened. "We have a warrant for the arrest of…" Ivan's father shot the officer in the head with his shotgun and his mother began opening a clip of her AK upon the police convoy. It was 15 officers against 2 rebels, the odds were against them. Ivan's dad dived behind a parallel parked car unleashing shell upon shell at the police, his wife managed to end up unhurt next to him. She opened fire on 5 policeman who were reloading and killed 3 of them the others ducking behind their car doors early enough not to die but not soon enough to avoid being hit in 15 places. As Ivan's father busted open the window of the car Ivan's mom was unleashing a barrage of bullets upon the police to keep them from peeking out and firing at her husband as he tried to start the car. "Come on!" he said using the keys he found in the glove box. He turned it several times and the engine was on the brink of starting when several bullets flew by him barely missing his head. He finally got the car started. "Get in!!" His wife stood up and emptied her last clip firing at the police and she got into the car. They took off down the street going at top speed. "Don't let them get away!" said one of the officers and they all hopped into their cars and sped off. Ivan and Michael waited for ten minutes then left Ivan's home, birthplace, and life behind.

Chapter 5: Ruined hopes and revengeful thoughts

It was 2 weeks after his parent's runaway, and Ivan was living with Michael. The Rebel HQ was no longer a safe haven and the rebel leader's had been assassinated by the NSP. The rebellion was over. One by one the operatives were captured and killed for treason. Ivan's fear had finally become a reality. On a early spring day as Ivan and Michael were eating breakfast, Michael announced the ugly truth to Ivan. " Ivan I have something to tell you." said Michael. "What is it?" asked Ivan "Your parents…..Ivan, your parents are, dead." This information, like a blow to the head left Ivan stunned in horror. "No! No!!!!!!!!!!!!" "It was by the order of Vasily Kasarov, the new head of secret police." Ivan began crying uncontrollably. " I'm so sorry" said Michael. Ivan looked at him a sense of deep sadness in his eyes. " IM going to have my revenge," thought Ivan. "One day, I will have my revenge!"

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