[ WP ] Parts of America are annexed by another nation . The protagonist , until recently living on American soil , suddenly finds himself with new citizenship .

“ You can ’ t, ” she cried, while struggling to force up words through her sobbing. “ Please don ’ t. You won ’ t make it back! ” 
 “ We made it here didn ’ t we? ” I said, trying to sound as sure of myself as I could, even though I wasn ’ t. 
 “ We almost didn ’ t though, and they ’ ll catch you! They ’ ll catch you just like they caught Lucas and I ’ ll be all alone. ” She started to convulse then. I could tell she was about to have another episode. Lucas could have calmed her down, but Lucas was probably dead and I was just as lost without my big brother as Daisy was; I couldn ’ t let that show. 
 I sat down next to her on the pile of cardboard boxes that had served as our bed and separated us from the cement floor of the factory that was our refuge from the war outside. Then I wrapped her small starving figure in my arms and said, “ Daisy, listen to me. I know you ’ re scared. I won ’ t lie, I ’ m scared too. But we haven ’ t eaten in four days. If we just stay here we ’ ll die just the same as we would if we didn ’ t have a place to hide. I have to go get food and I promise you… I will come back. ” 
 “ Let me come with you then! I can help. I promise I ’ ll do what you tell… ” 
 “ No, Daisy, ” I cut her off. Part of me was actually considering taking her with me, but that ’ s not what Luke would ’ ve done; it ’ s not what he did. It had been two and a half weeks since we ’ d lost him. We were staying in an abandoned 7/11 and he ’ d gone out to find gas for the car. Daisy didn ’ t know it, but I ’ d found him a block away with the back of his head blown off. Since then I ’ d had to make all the decisions, and all I could do was roll the dice and hope this was the right one. 
 I grabbed her gently by the chin and turned her teary eyes that were swimming with more grief than any nine year old should ever know towards mine and said, “ I love you, ” before I got up and went the door. 
 I cracked open the door that opened up to an alley between the factory and the building next store and peeked my head outside. A thought came to me that god had simply hit the pause button on the world. The streets were packed with cars that would have at one time zipped by this shitty warehouse, but now stood stagnant outside its doors forevermore. It was eerie how similar this new world appeared to the old one sometimes, but it wasn ’ t. In the old world this slum of Detroit was one of the most dangerous places in the whole state. In the new world, it was the safest place we ’ d found since we ’ d escaped from the camp. 
 I crept up slowly towards the street and sat for a moment behind an overturned dumpster, waiting for any sign of life. Besides the ever-present thrum of explosions on the horizon, I neither heard nor saw anything of alarm. I knew that if I could make it up the street about a quarter mile to the parking garage, I ’ d be able to cut through alleys to the supermarket we ’ d seen the night we found the factory. To get there, though, my only option would be to run up the middle of the street exposed. I started at a brisk walk. I made it ten feet, then twenty, then thirty, and just then I heard the roar of an engine up above me approaching. 
 I ’ ll never regret anything more than not turning back then. Instead I broke out into a sprint towards the garage. When I was halfway I could tell by the growing sound of the plane that it was going to pass right over me. I was so close then, just another twenty feet! I dived into the safety of the garage just as the shadow of the plane past over the street, and the rumble of its engine died away. I sat for just a second in the ecstasy of relief, but only for a second. Then I heard the plane coming back. 
 “ BOOM!... BOOM!... BOOM! ” 
 “ No, no, no, no, no… ” was all my brain could formulate as the blasts grew louder up the street ahead of me and billows of dust rose up from the ground. 
 “ BOOM!... BOOM!... BOOM! ” 
 “ NOOOOOOO! ” I screamed, while covering my face from the debris as the bombing passed by in front of me, deafening my scream and everything else except the resounding sound of doom. 
 “ BOOM!... BOOM!... BOOM! ” 
 And then it was over. I inhaled a cloud of dust and forced myself to my feet from behind the pillar that sheltered me from the bombs. My ears were ringing and my thoughts became slow and strange. I stumbled into the street before falling to my knees. The bombs had leveled the entire block across the street. I scanned my gaze from right to left at one pile of rubble after another, before becoming fixated on the pile at the end of the street. Daisy was a part of that pile. 

