Dystopia Read online

By now, dear reader, you are probably wondering about the world in which Dana lives.

  Some say it all began the day the people elected their president for the last time. Caught up in the historicalness of the moment, they used it as proof that the country had progressed forward. Anyone who questioned the qualifications of the man to be president was immediately scorned. Not wanting to be singled out, people voted for him, or remained silent.

  But no one looked into his character. What did the man himself believe? Did he believe what he said, or did he just say what he knew people wanted to hear so as to win the election? No one knew anything about the man or his past, nor did they care. All they saw was an opportunity to elect a man people said would bring the world together. A man who was hip, with it, who understood them and their pain. A man who cared.

  And so they did.

  Parties reigned throughout the nation as people celebrated. Four years later, they reelected him. He had promised to make the wealthy pay for earning their money on the backs of the poor. He promised that no one would want for anything. Health care would be free, and everyone would have a job and own a home. There would be no poverty or suffering. People would live in paradise.

  It was years later that the people realized who their “messiah” was. Taxes rose. Regulations increased to ensure that everything was fair and that everyone had a “fair shot”. Businesses found themselves unable to meet the costs of doing business under this new leadership, so they closed. Unemployment rose as a result.

  But the president was not discouraged. He said that the problem was the system. That if he had the authority, he could fix everything. So Congress relinquished its authority and so did the courts. Soon, all future elections were disbanded as unnecessary and too divisive, even though the president himself fueled the division. Despite his new authority and edicts, the president could not fix the problem. Not that he cared.

  People soon found themselves in a world they did not understand. They had traded their freedom for security and received nothing. Riots broke out as the economy crumbled. Those who had nothing felt that they deserved the wealth of the rich. They staged protests, marching on the property of the wealthy. Eventually, the government came in and confiscated all wealth, saying that it belonged to the people and should be evenly distributed.

  Despite all attempts, the economy suffered even more. As money became worthless and many were forced into poverty, riots broke out again across the nation. In an effort to contain it, the president dispatched the military. Once the gunfire ceased, all that remained were bodies.

  Time passed, and like all men, the president eventually died. Soon after, disease broke out, decimating the population. Desperate, people turned to the government for help and answers.

  In an effort to salvage what it could, the government did away entirely with the old system and set up a new one. A president was selected who would govern with a council. Bureaucratic bodies were set up to administer the slew of regulations that came forth. As the population dwindled from the epidemic, centers of progress were set up on the two coasts.

  Desperate for relief, people flocked to them. As the interior of the country became vacated, the government decided it was not needed at all. A series of dust storms raged across that region, reinforcing their decision. It had become a barren wasteland due to a severe drought. They decided only the east and west coasts mattered because that was where people lived. A rail system was built to connect the two coasts and trains carried goods and supplies.

  No one ventured to the interior of the country. It had become the territory of bandits and thieves. People who cared nothing for law and order. No man’s land.

  More time passed and people became comfortable with their new world order. Everything was regulated, but as long as they had a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs; they didn’t care. The two coasts became the only civilized parts of the country. Everything was controlled. Everything was structured. People did as they were told. According to the government, this brought equality. This brought freedom, freedom from liberty.

  Chapter Three