Chapter Four

"If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth."

-Ronald Reagan

"What? That's not true." said Henry, breaking down on the floor. "She can't be gone!"

" What'd I tell you." Grandpa Z said, trying not to break into tears. "And we never got to say goodbye. One of the worst things is that they say she died of the DianVirus."

"But didn't she die of an allergic reaction? Why would they lie?" Henry asked.

Grandpa looked at Henry. "What are you learning about in history?" Grandpa asked.

Henry told him about how World War 2 was a disagreement between nations.

"Did they tell you about the Nazis?" asked Grandpa Z.

"Who?" Henry said, confused. Grandpa sat Henry down and explained everything there was to know about the Nazis and Adolf Hitler.

"Oh, so they rounded them up and killed them?" Henry asked, horrified. Grandpa suddenly became even more serious.

"The problem with history is that no one lives long enough to see the patterns. It's happening again. My grandpa served. He told me all the things he saw, the horrors. It's starting over." Grandpa said grimly.

"Well, what do we do Grandpa?" Asked Henry.

"We need a plan." said Grandpa.

The next morning, the two of them met in the broom closet.

"Why do we have to be in here? I'm getting a cramp." said Henry.

"This is the only place they don't have cameras." Grandpa explained. "So, I think you need to escape and I will stay here and guide you."

"How am I gonna escape though?" Asked Henry. "They have flying Security-bots out there."

"They were built to stop people on foot." Said Grandpa. "What we need is a vehicle."

"But Grandpa." Henry exclaimed. "Cars haven't existed for decades."

Grandpa Z smirked and said: "Follow me."

Grandpa pushed on the back wall of the closet and it opened up to reveal a tunnel going downwards. "I've been digging this since 2023." said Grandpa.

They both climbed down the ladder, crawled through the tunnel, and up the ladder on the other side. Henry and Grandpa Z were now in a small garage looking at a large object hidden under a tarp. Grandpa pulled the tarp off to reveal an automobile.

"Woah!" Shouted Henry.

"Shh, not too loud." Grandpa whispered. "This is a 2010 Toyota Avalon. My parents bought it for my when I turned 16. I'd probably still be paying it off if money hadn't been made illegal."

"What's money?" asked Henry.

"Never mind." Said Grandpa Z. "The point is you can drive this."

"No I can't. I'm 15." argued Henry.

"Eh, it's not as hard to do as it looks." Grandpa Z said. (Note: Please do not give your children a car. It is absolutely as hard as it looks.)

Over the next two hours, Grandpa Z taught Henry as much as he could about driving as well as helping him come up with a plan.

"The sun's going down now." Grandpa explained. "Better get going."

Henry got in the car. "Goodbye Grandpa." Henry said.

"This isn't goodbye." Grandpa Z said. "We will see each other again. Good luck, Grandson."

The garage door opened and the car door closed. The engine started and Henry drove off.