Here lies hysteria,
A land where chaos reigns
Global Disturbia,
Bows down to twisted ways.


The air was dry and the sky completely blue and near cloudless. Yet there always seemed to be a giant black cloud looming over the small town of Wickenburg, Arizona. This small town, which was located in what was known as Sector Four-comprised of states California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Arizona-had not seen rain in years and it was evident by the dry and cracked dirt that lined each yard. This town had once been a booming city filled with businesses, schools, parks filled with playing children and an annual Fourth of July Fireworks display. Now it sat all but empty-a ghost town filled with houses that people rarely left, unless they were adult males on their way to work.

All was quiet, especially on Maple Street-one of the only neighborhoods that still had residents living in it and not a soul could be found outside of their homes. The men of each family were permitted to leave-to go to work in their small factory jobs, but then they were required to carry a badge and come straight home afterwards. Freedoms that had once shaped a great nation had been ripped away with a new regime and hardly anyone could remember what it felt like to have the sun shining down on their now ghostly faces. The new power forbade them from seeing the outside world-no one was even allowed to look out their windows, which were to be covered with the regulation light blocking grey curtains.

F.E.A.R-For Every And All Religion-had come in to power over fourteen years ago and things had not been the same since the over throwing of the United States Government. F.E.A.R had not just taken over in the states-it had taken over the world and every nation that once held a higher government was under the power of F.E.A.R. After replacing these governments, F.E.A.R ruled with an iron fist-no deed went unpunished and the wretched and wicked were hunted down and sent to work camps or worse…slaughtered like the cattle they were seen as.

Each sector-there were ten in the United States alone-had a F.E.A.R Headquarters that no one knew about, but it was rumored that Sector Four’s HQ was located right outside of Wickenburg in what had been deemed the Desolate Desert. Wickenburg, like most towns on the edge of the desert, had mostly been abandoned-most of the residents had moved on to higher ranked places such as Los Angeles and Washington DC, but there were still small spatterings of people here and there. Maple Street was probably the most populated neighborhood, but one would never know by the looks of it.

Everything held a look of utter desolation-no trees, no grass, no bushes…nothing green dared to grow any longer where F.E.A.R stepped foot. It was obvious, as the desert had begun to overtake the streets once again-the once black pavement was now brown with dirt and sand and the air swirled with the choking mixture-making those who had to stay inside glad that they didn’t have to venture out. The houses, all two stories with pitched black roofs and white siding, looked the same and were not decorated in any way. Some families got around the rules-small gardens in the back yard, bright wallpaper on the inside, but no one was to know.

Each family had been given regulation equipment and they were required to keep their houses taken care of, but they must remain the same. No one was special in the Land of F.E.A.R-there was no difference, nothing that would mark anyone outside of the box from anyone else. There was a reason for that-they weren’t special and they weren’t their own people…they belonged to F.E.A.R and no one else. Rules had been applied and the strictest were curfews.

Factories were to close by five, giving their employees plenty of time to walk home before the sun set behind the mountains. There were no longer cars-they weren’t needed and it caused less problems. Buses were run out to smaller towns like Wickenburg, but those who lived close to work either road bikes or walked. It was now dusk and everyone who had to be inside was inside, their curtains closed as they prepared dinner. Tucked behind closed doors…

Except for one lone girl-Persephone Jones.

The nineteen year old girl, with hair as red as the setting sun and eyes as blue as the cloudless sky above, was currently sitting on the small patch of roof right outside of her bedroom window. It over looked everything-the mountains to the East, the desert, a few houses and the some of the street-which gave her a perfect vantage point to watch out for Guards coming out to prowl the streets at night. Her face, pale and smooth from hardly seeing the sun, was tilted upward with those blue eyes closed and a soft smile graced her light pink lips. She loved being out here-she loved getting as much freedom as possible in between post changes for the Guards.

Teens weren’t permitted to be outside-they were kept inside where they were to help their mothers clean, keep house and take care of their smaller siblings. Each family was permitted to have no more than five children-anymore than that and they were taken away. To where-no one knew, but Persephone was sure they were killed-disposed of like the trash that they were seen as. Teenage boys, once they turned twenty, were required by law to join up with either a factory or become a member of the F.E.A.R Guard-an honor most despised. The good thing is, most people didn’t remember what it had been like before F.E.A.R, but Persephone did and that was her biggest problem.

She remembered what life had been like before F.E.A.R had taken over…she remembered exactly what it felt like to be free.

Persephone had been five years old when F.E.A.R had taken over her life and her younger sister Marguerite had been one year younger, but Perry remembered the exact day when everything in her life had changed. She had been outside, playing with some of the neighbor kids-one of the boys had been teasing her-when her father had pulled into their driveway quickly. His eyes scanned over the grass for her and as he spotted her, Perry knew something was wrong. He ran to her, picked her up and rushed the small girl inside of the house-slamming the door behind them.

Perry had always remembered her father being a happy person-his green eyes shining brightly, almost sparkling-but there was no sparkle in his eyes that day. He had looked terrified as he scooped her up and Perry could remember crying out, begging him to give her ten more minutes, but it had been useless. As they entered the house, Perry’s father had set her down and she could remember seeing Mags sitting on the floor, quietly playing with some building blocks that had once belonged to the older child. Her mother quickly embraced her father and Perry only remembered how scared she felt.

When the grown ups were scared-you were scared.

Her mother quickly moved to close the shades and her father shut off every light in the house-the only light was coming from the television, which was fuzzy and had no picture. Her father had asked-told-Perry to go upstairs and to take Mags with her and as she looked at her father-saw his face and how scared he looked…Perry did as he asked. She placed Mags in her room, shutting the door quietly as the girl sat in the middle of the floor and played with a one eyed doll that Perry had been a little too rough on. She brushed her teeth, combed her hair and then waited for her parents to settle down.

Perry had always been a curious child and although her father had told her to go upstairs and stay there, she found herself sneaking down the stairs, stopping on the landing that over looked their dark living room. Her parents were speaking in hushed tones, her mother’s blonde hair was messy from her running her hands through it and her father was speaking frantically, his face still worried. The television was still fuzzy, but Perry could hear a slight buzzing noise. Suddenly a picture came to the screen, lighting the whole room up like it was day time and Perry trained her eyes on the screen along with her mother and father.

What she saw flashing across the screen on that television-the same one she watched her morning cartoons on every day-would forever change that five year old girl…it was something that Persephone would never forget.

Men and women, all of them very professional looking in their business suits, were being led out of a huge building that was labeled on the screen as the Capital Building in Washington DC. They were lined up against one wall by men in black robes and masks that hid their faces-Perry didn’t like the look of these men and so she quickly covered her eyes, but peeked through her fingers to still watch. She didn’t recognize any of the people on the screen except for one man-President Martin-and he was facing the camera and trying to speak.

Persephone watched, still through her fingers, as one by one the people on the screen dropped to the ground and shots sounded out, making her mother jump and her father gasp. Her mother was sobbing hysterically, but Persephone noticed that her father had grown quiet and he remained so as the screen went blank. Soon enough the screen changed and a harsh looking man with sunken eyes, crooked teeth and a hood covering most of his black hair came on to the screen.


“People of the United States-I am your new authority. I am The Chancellor and I am here to tell you that there is nothing to worry about. We, the members of F.E.A.R, are taking over because we see a better and brighter future for this country and we would like for you to listen carefully as I explain some changes that will be happening shortly.” The man on the screen spoke, his voice as harsh and serious as his pale face.


Persephone listened, but there was very little that she understood. Men would return to work in two days time, where they would be assigned new positions at factories all around the nation. Some families would be uprooted, but it was all for the good of F.E.A.R. All women and children under the age of twenty were to remain home and inside. They would be receiving packets with instructions, rules and regulations shortly and it was the responsibility of each man to make sure these rules were abided by. There were simple rules-no music, no books and all television programming was being taken over by a special F.E.A.R controlled network.

Guards were now making their rounds to homes around the country, dropping off packages filled with new things for the home-regulation curtains, bedsheets and clothing. Booklets would be attached, explaining why regulations were being put in to place-everyone was equal in the eyes of F.E.A.R and citizens needed to see themselves that way as well. As Persephone sat there on those stairs, tears began to run down her cheeks. To a five year old not a lot of this made sense and she didn’t know what was happening, but by the silence of her parents and of the neighborhood outside, Perry did know one thing. Things were changing…and it might not be such a good thing.


“This is your Chancellor signing off for the night and remember-Trust in F.E.A.R…you must.” With that the screen went blank and then was filled with fuzz once again. Suddenly the television clicked off by itself and the lights flickered back on, something that made her mother jump and her father had stood up, looking around for an invisible intruder.


Dogs howled outside of their door and Perry jumped as the howling got louder and louder until finally it died out and everything was silent. She could hear her mother breathing and she watched as her father slowly made his way towards the door, but stopped short before turning the knob. A dark silhouette was shadowed on their house-tall horns and a robed figure stood before them and the little family just stayed put as the world around the changed forever.



“Perry! What are you doing?! Get inside before someone sees you!” Persephone found her thoughts being broken as someone called out to her and as she whipped her head around she saw who had interrupted her thoughts. Her sister was hanging out of Perry’s bedroom window, her light green eyes worried as she took in the red head bathing herself in the setting sun.

“I needed some air-is that a crime?” She laughed as the red head crawled over the hot roof tiles, her bare feet giving her some stability but one wrong move and Perry was done for. She finally made it to the window and as Perry climbed through, pushing her regulation grey curtains aside, she smirked as she jumped down from the ledge.

“Yeah-actually-it is. Come on, they’ll be sending the Guards around soon.” Perry looked to her younger sister, who was sitting on her small bed, and smiled gently.


Marguerite Jones was a tiny girl with stick straight hair that their mother cut and it was as blonde as the pale flowers that grew in the desert. Her light green eyes were always holding a look of worry or panic and Perry only wished that her little sister would lighten up. She was completely opposite from her older sister in every way-both in looks and demeanor. Mags was quiet and always followed the rules-Perry was loud, abrasive and broke those very rules on a daily basis. Maggie was blonde and skinny-perfect. Perry was not perfect-with her unruly red hair and she was very curvy like their mother. They were like night and day, but they were best friends…they had to be because they had no one else.


“Come on Maggie-come sit with me on the roof and lets watch the Monsters roam around…” Perry begged, half joking and she smirked as her sister visibly shivered. Mags said nothing and Perry only smiled as she grabbed for the girl’s hand and dragged her towards the still open window.

“Are you crazy?! Mother would have a fit!” Mags said as she yanked her tiny hand away and walked towards the door leading out into the dimly lit hallway. She looked at her older sister, shaking her head and then she was gone, leaving Perry alone in the room once again.


Perry only sighed as she turned to the window and pressed down on the sill to shut it. She let her eyes linger on the outside world as the sun began to set-she missed being free so much it almost made her heart ache. A shiver ran down her spine as Perry continued to look out the window and saw that something was coming down her road from the desert.

Tall, black figures were walking towards the houses-their great horns piercing the sky as they got closer and closer. Perry couldn’t take her eyes off of them-they were terrifying to look at with those horns and sunken eyed masks, but they were fascinating all the same.

Suddenly one of them looked right up in to her window and Perry had to hold in her scream as she flopped down to the floor, vanishing from site. She had made eye contact-something that was absolutely forbidden and yet it had happened. Perry then realized that not only had she made eye contact-her curtains were still open and that was also a big no-no. They weren’t supposed to be looking out on the world-they were safe in their homes and F.E.A.R would let them know what was going on. Perry could feel her heart beating out of her chest as she sat there with her back up against the wall and she knew that she needed to get down stairs.

Without thinking twice, Perry reached up, yanked her curtains closed and sprinted for her door. She ran down the hall, clomped down the stairs and rushed in to the dining room just as her mother began to place their food on the table. Perry sat there, her chest going up and down quickly and she only hoped that they wouldn’t get a knock on their front door…only time would tell.

Notes

Welcome to a new story! This is the story of Persephone Jones and how she overcame not only her own fears, but F.E.A.R itself.

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