Journal 146

The Black Cobras threw a glitch at my plans. I hate it when that happens.

When I was in the fourth grade, I tried to cheat on a test. I didn’t need to cheat I was just trying to guarantee that the plaque I worked for all year long ended up as mine. The desks in my school were all old, they had been written on probably by three or four generations of students. I decided I would scratch the answers to Friday’s test on my desk. The person with the highest score on this test would win the plaque my teacher had displayed on the wall all year long. All week I carefully placed the answers on my desk so that they didn’t look too suspicious. The day of the test my teacher in all of her wisdom decided to have all of us switch seats. She had never done that before. All of my hard work and preparations to cheat were ruined in a moment. I ended up on the far side of the room.

I had no idea who she was. I didn’t recognize any of her gang markings. Sheriff Pete and a couple of his deputies stepped out into the street to retrieve the message written on the bright yellow flag. Yates’s soldiers kept cover and made sure no one else snuck up on Bear Country. I didn’t realize the seriousness of the situation until Pete and his deputies suddenly stepped backwards. This girl had explosives attached to her waist. She dropped to her knees and started to plead for our help. We had an hour to release the Black Cobras and turn Hess over or the explosives would detonate. The Black Cobras were holding a dozen prisoners in a local warehouse. If Bear Country didn’t submit to Cobra Rule and turn over all assets within 24 hours all the prisoners would die.