The day was long and hard, as we plowed the ground with hoes. The guards watched us and made us replow ground if it didn’t look right to them. We were in the largest dome on mars -second only to the royal dome that used to be the medical one when we weren’t in a dictatorship. King Furgus saw the opportunity to kill our leaders and took it -and he knew no one from earth would be able to travel in space well enough to come here. They also wouldn’t want to bomb the domes on mars and kill thousands of people.
Furgus knew he had the upper hand and used it against us.
We had taken to whistling which most guards didn’t seem to mind. Little did they know, it was code. My brother, number F467, made the code. Others called him ‘the space man,’ because he was the only farmer that got in and out of space without being caught by the King. Then the whistling became more of a pattern and soon there was one long high pitched whistle and that’s when we turned on the guards. Hoe in hand, one of the guards told me to stop with his fingertips touching his gun as I walked towards him. I hit him in the head and he went down. A few shots went off, but only one man was hit in the shoulder -we had the element of surprise on our hands.
We made our way out of the farming sector, it connected only to our quarters and to the market place. As we went to the market place, the artificial lights of the farming dome were gone and now we could see the dark sky with stars and planets. Tess, was waiting for us, as were several other merchants. She opened the door with her wristband and all of us went through. The lights starting flashing red and an ominous robotic voice repeated: Farmers not allowed past market place, farmers not allowed past market place, go back to your quarters to receive trail.
Guards came up to us as we walked through, I hit the one requesting back up through his wristband with my hoe. I missed the first one, but I hit on the side of the head the second time. I squatted behind a large fountain as another group of guards on the west side of the dome opened fire on us. I grabbed the gun off the guard I had knocked out and started shooting them. I hit two, and grazed one on the cheek. Other farmers began to squat next to the fountain too, with stolen guns in hand. I made a mad dash to get to the castle door. Farmers and merchants unlike used the hoes to try and pry open the golden doors. Thats when the lumbar workers finally came with the biggest piece of wood they could carry. Then two at the end where shot in the shoulder and leg. I ran to them them -in the line of fire once more- I picked up the end and walked to the gates as fast as I could as the large log strained my arm muscles.
We carried it up ten steps of stairs and to the gate. Now more people had joined, but none of that mattered if we didn’t have rhythm. “Swing!” I shouted and we rocked back and moved with as much momentum as we could when we went forward. It didn’t open, but it made a dent. “Swing!” I shouted again as the shots fired loudly behind us, more people were getting the flow of it. “Swing!” The gate opened and the log collapsed in front us. Five guards were stationed above us, over an iron gate. Everyone else shot them before I got the chance and were once I again picking up the log. The iron gate went down in one swing.
So much for security.
We made it to the front doors that lead to the throne room. The knobs were designed without a lock before the dictatorship and it seemed Furgus had forgotten all about it. We burst through the door and my eyes were wide with shock.
My brother, knelt bloodily before Furgus, his dagger still in hand.
Prompt: Write about a rebellion.
Inspired by The Lunar Chronicles