The mud was making it increasingly hard for Austin and Brodie to walk. They were tired, but were trying not to show it. Hell, I was tired and I was not so intent on hiding it.
“I can’t keep walking like this. I am so tired and we have got to let the kids eat.” I was sure my husband was tired of hearing me whine.
He repeated what he had said a million times in the last hour, “We have to make it to the border before we can slow down. Let them split a granola bar, but only ONE!”
I reached around my back, doing my best not to wake Evan who was slung on my side. I finally was able to grab a granola bar. My older boys attacked the small piece of food as if they were wild dogs that had not eaten in weeks. The pangs of parental guilt over our decision to leave began to get to me. I knew that we had no choice. Jason had come home from work early that day. I knew that things were getting bad, but his face was completely pale and he just said, “We have to leave in one hour, pack light we will be hiking.”
“Where are we going? Why do we have to leave NOW? What has happened?” It took me a few minutes to process what he had just said.
It was clear that Jason was in total auto pilot throwing flashlights, batteries, his GPS and most noticeably a gun in his pack. Our guns…that had become part of the problem. I followed his lead and grabbed the small pistol that Jason had bought me last year. I put it in my pack and made sure the safety was on about a million times.
So here we were trudging through the mud somewhere near the Canadian border. The rain had begun to fall again. I made sure that Chase was covered as he slept strapped to his Dad’s back. Evan and Chase had the best part of this deal. They could just sleep. I wish I could sleep. I wish I was peacefully unaware of the danger we were in. Austin broke the silence.
“How much farther do we have to walk tonight? My legs hurt.”
Jason stopped momentarily and knelt down to Brodie and Austin’s level. “I wish we could stop guys. You guys are old enough to handle the truth. We have to make it to the border before they know we are gone.” I could hear the hint of worry in his voice. If we were caught Jason and I would be thrown in jail and our kids would be taken. That thought alone gave my legs a new energy.
How our world had come to this I wasn’t entirely sure. Just two years ago Jason and I joked about the fact that our country was going to hell. We had watched as the last two years proved that our “joke” wasn’t so funny. Our worst nightmares were coming true. It started slowly. The government was smart about it. They did it so slyly that by the time anyone knew what happened we were so far down the road there was no turning back. Churches were now illegal. Due to their “intolerance” of those that didn’t believe in God. Never mind the fact that intolerance was what closed them down. Six months ago was when Jason and I started to plan our escape.
Our faith was being attacked and so were our freedoms. Suddenly our taxes had jumped to 50% and were no longer allowed to have any say in our children’s schooling or our own health care. The government was now playing parent to the nation. Then it was announced that everyone was to turn over their guns. ALL their guns. The moment I heard that news I knew it would be a matter of time before we would have to get out of the country. Jason and I had talked about this years ago.
“What would happen if the government tried to take your guns?” I knew the answer but I wanted to hear him say it.
“Well, I would have two options. The first is I could deny them and probably go to jail. Or I could leave the country.” There was a strong confidence in his voice as continued to explain to me how he already had it planned on how we would leave. Through Canada at first because that border was the easiest to slip through. Then from there we would flee farther.
Farther. Farther from our families. Farther from our world.
It was almost dawn when Jason finally started to slow down. I knew then we must be near the border. But how close? And were we being followed? As if my question had been asked out loud, Jason’s body suddenly stiffened. He motioned me silently to stop. I crouched down and grabbed Austin and Brodie’s hands. Putting my finger to my lips I would see that Brodie was on the verge of tears. My poor child was scared. The truth is, so was I.
We knew that by now our house would have been raided and they would know we had fled. Jason had been being questioned and harassed for weeks. They had threatened to take the kids that day we fled. Jason would not allow them to take his guns, but he would die before allowing our kids to be put into a government school. They were springing up everywhere. Kids being forced to leave their families to go to these schools for “the good of the kids”. We knew the government would not allow us to willingly leave.
A dog. I heard a dog bark. Then we saw the lights.
We ran.
And then I woke up…..
