*******

Kenneth, Scott, and Shep were walking to school on a cold, snowy day in February. When they arrived at school, the bell rang, so they went inside and got their things out of their lockers before the late bell rang. Today, only ten people were at their class: Ken, Scott, Mubeen, Sherry, Richard, Lisa, Jamie, Tim, Dion, and Shep. After the morning announcements, they left for English class.

When everyone was seated, Ms. Smith started babbling on about prepositions, pronouns, and other garbage. Shep stared out the window as something dark green rolled by. Shep made say he was going to get a dictionary when he looked out the window. Three Cuban tanks sat outside the school. They turned their guns toward the window Shep was looking out of. He turned and ran. Ms. Smith was about to belt Shep with the Oakley Beater when the wall exploded. It flung Shep through the plexi-glass window in the door and slammed him into the lockers.

Shep shook his head and stood up. The classroom was a mass of boards, desks, and bodies. Shep ran in and looked at where Ms. Smith's desk had once stood before. Her body lay mangled against the wall. Dion's body lay against what remained of Shep's exit, his life's blood trickling down his fingers onto the floor. Shep cursed under his breath. Richard pulled himself upright and helped Sherry to her feet. Jamie fought his way out of the garbage can while Tim tried to remove a small piece of glass protruding from his forehead. Shep searched through the debris for Lisa. When he found her, he fought to keep himself from vomiting: Lisa's head had been severed from her body and lay covered in blood. He turned as Tim and Richard pulled Mubeen out from under some lights. Mubeen coughed up blood, his eyes wide. Then he died.

Richard laid his body down as the seven of them ran for the lockers. They got their jackets and headed for the rear exit. The entire school was now in chaos. The group was stopped by three Cubans wielding AK-47's. Shep slid to the ground and scissored the legs of the soldier closest to him, falling down. Richard pounded on the other while Tim jumped on the one trying to run. When they finally got out of the school, they broke and ran for the trail leading to Hartlen's Field.

"Where are we going?" Sherry asked Richard as they raced through the snow with Shep at the lead. Shep headed for a brick building on Clovis Street. Richard nodded.

"Canadian Tire," he said to Sherry. She looked at him quizzically.

"What are we going there for?" she asked. Shep raced through the doors and headed for the sporting goods section. He tried to get past the cashier, but he wouldn't let Shep in.

"Rich," Shep said. Richard stepped in front of the cashier and belted him into the display case. Richard turned and bowed slightly to Shep, "Be my guest." Shep took the two guns he liked the best: one pump action and one .303 rifle. He also took a survival knife along with a .44 magnum. Everyone stocked up and headed back to the school. On the way, they hotwired a Dodge Ram truck and Richard was driving.

"Head for Zellers," Shep said. Rich buried the pedal and rammed the truck through the front door, heading for the winter clothing section. They all got white snowsuits and warm clothes. Rich took the truck out in the mall. Sherry stuck her head out over the back of the cab and screamed. Before she could duck back down, an overhead sprinkler dug into her neck.

"Oh my God! Richard! Stop the truck! STOP THE TRUCK!!" Rich screeched the truck to a halt and backed up. Shep and Tim helped Sherry down as she cried and everyone fought to keep back tears. Sherry winked slowly once and then died. They fought off a small Cuban task force when they jumped in the truck and took off out the doors again. Rich stopped the truck, got out, and ran for the task force, guns blazing. He jumped in the crates of explosives and then the place blew sky high. Kenneth got behind the wheel and the truck drove off towards the woods.

TWO MONTHS LATER

The only ones left now were Ken, Scott, and Shep. Tim and Jamie had been killed in a recent fire fight. All of their graves were next to the Eagles' camp. Their new name was all over everything they attacked.

"How did they know?" Shep said. Ken looked at Shep, then at Scott. Shep growled low in his throat as Scott took out his knife and made a three-inch cut into his arm. He took out a microchip from beneath his flesh. Shep's eyes bulged as he brought up an AK-47 and aimed it at Scott's head. He fired. Scott's head disintegrated and his body fell to the ground.

Later that night, Ken and Shep planted crates of explosives around their old school, which the Cubans turned into their headquarters, and fitted them with detonators. Then they turned themselves in, hiding the control. When the Cubans were about to kill them, Shep and Ken detonated all the explosives. The resulting explosion took out 500 square metres.

In place of the old school, a bigger school was built and was dedicated to the seven teenagers who fought for their country. The new school was called Freedom Junior High.