Well, a new chapter, a new universe. Please rate and comment.

April 19th, 2023

Caitlin dashed from her backyard and into the hills. She couldn't see them yet, but the motors and whirring of rotor blades was audible in the noonday haze. She at least had the insurance and ownership documents to the house in her pack with some food, just like Mom and Dad had practiced. She stumbled on a rock, picked herself back up, and kept running.

The idea of the Yukes finally coming to land troops in St. Hewlett wasn't especially shocking, after all, she'd only been four when the war started and the harbor was bombed, and the fighting had always been a constant. She hoped Dad would stay just a little safer than her, working logistics at a forward base in Dresdene in Yuktobania. Mom was elsewhere, and they were to meet at Grandma's in rural Eaglin if separated.

She finally burst from the scrub and onto the actual public hiking trails. Caitlin stopped to catch her breath, and looked behind her.

Her town of Playa Palms was a tony stretch of nice houses and low rise office buildings at the terminus of the elevated highway into Hewlett. The first Yuktobanian hovercrafts were already stopped at the beach, and Caitlin could see military vehicles and infantry troops almost four blocks inland. Definitely too close for her.

She took off running again, ignoring her already aching legs. Ignore it. Make it last. You're almost there. There's definitely a way out of here.

She bolted out of the forest and into the State Park parking lot, picking up more speed now that she was on flat asphalt. She spotted something beautiful, an abandoned Belkan sedan sitting pretty, doors open and everything. She sprinted just a bit faster, and then…

Caitlin went sprawling on the ground, her pack shooting off her arm an ten feet forward towards the car. She curled into a ball and groaned, trying to wipe off some of the road rash from her forearms. Nothing seemed broken, but damn, that hurt. Just as she began to totter back on to feet, a form appeared from behind a locked pickup. Caitlin saw the boots. She knew that uniform, everyone knew that uniform. Caitlin got the pleasure of dealing with her first Yuke.

"The hell do you want?" she asked, spitting slightly on the ground in an attempt to look defiant.

The Yuke soldier paused for a moment, looking for the right words. It was then that Caitlin realized that there was no way he could be more than two years older than her. Hell, he still had freckles. A lock of blonde hair dangled from his helmet-the Yukes must be getting sloppy with regulation haircuts-and his thin lips were pursed in nervousness.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his accent surprisingly light.

"Far away from you," Caitlin replied, trying to growl a little. She regretted her lack of firearms. If only she had taken the time to get to the safe in the office, it wouldn't have taken too much time; she still could have gotten out…

"No, where were you going. To the city?"

"No, I was going where no one was going to find me," Caitlin said, the nervousness slipping into her voice as fear came to the front of her mind. She was going through all the potential scenarios here, and she didn't like her odds one bit…

"Would there be room for two in this undisclosed location?" he asked.

Okay, way too creepy for her. She backed off and started to run towards the car in slalom, hoping that he wasn't that good a shot. He ran after her, catching up quickly by running in a straight line. He was fast; Caitlin had to give him that.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" she asked desperately as the Yuke grabbed her arm.

"Stop it. I'm trying to defect here!" the Yuke shouted.

"WAIT, WHAT?"

"Take me with you!"

Caitlin stopped. This was definitely not what she was expecting.

"Wait…how old are you?" she softly.

"Seventeen."

"Damn, are they drafting that young in Yuktobania? I mean, I'm seventeen too, but I wasn't planning on enlisting and shipping out for another six months…"

"Yes, they are. I know really good Osean, and I don't want to fight. You look like you know where you're going."

Caitlin paused. This still was odd. He didn't feel dangerous at this point, but he still had weaponry, and he was still a Yuke.

"No, I don't know," she lied, feigning dramatic desperation, "Dad's overseas and Mom's back in town. Your people've probably already gotten to her!"

"The hell if I know! I was part of a scout squad that arrived three hours ago. I heard the crafts come in, aren't there Osean forces to deal with?"

The sound of an explosion behind the Yuke confirmed his question.

"Yes, yes there are," Caitlin replied, letting a bit of a smirk come to her face.

"Look, I just want to leave here as much as you do and we both need that car. You know the terrain, and I'm not useless. Here, take this."

The Yuke let go of Caitlin's arm and handed her his pistol. Caitlin held it. 9 millimeter, full magazine, she could tell from the weight. This guy was beginning to grow on her.

"Fine, I know where I'm going. Normally it's a ten hour drive, but considering the present circumstances, I have no goddamn idea exactly how to get there or how long it'll take."

"And if we run into others?" he asked.

"You are now officially an Estovakian exchange student. They don't have a lot of those anymore, but no one will doubt you too much."

"I guess I can pull off Estovakian," the Yuke said, his accent shifting slightly, to what Caitlin guessed an actual Estovakian accent sounded like.

"Good, I guess we'll get moving."

The pair, now somehow united, finally ran towards the car. It was about a decade old and scuffed up, but pretty much all cars were like that due to the war and the UN economic sanctions. Caitlin took the driver's seat. Three quarters of a tank of gas, an automatic-Hallelujah, she found the only automatic Belkan car in all existence!-she could definitely deal with this situation. She put her newly obtained 9 mil on the dash, closed the door, buckled up, make sure the Yuke was as well, and started the engine.

Caitlin pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. The explosions behind her were getting closer, and she was passing a few other people on foot. She saw two familiar figures, and quickly hit the brakes. Caitlin rolled down her window.

"Tristan, Jenny, how the hell'd you get out of town?" she asked to her friends, who had somehow appeared. They sported heavy military grade packs loaded with supplies, and she could see their belt holsters. Thank God.

"Cait, how'd you get out here? And who's you're new friend?" Jenny asked.

The Yuke replied in his new accent, " I'm from Estovakia."

"Um…cool then," Tristan mumbled. He nervously stepped towards the car.

The Yuke and Caitlin shared a glance. Caitlin unlocked the doors and let her friends in.

"Okay you two, I'm headed for Grandma's in Eaglin. We'll probably have to ditch this car, so don't get too comfy."

"Good, we're the only ones who made it out from the neighborhood," Jenny explained, "Fuckin' Yukes."

Caitlin watched as the Yuke cringed slightly. Defector or not, she didn't know him. She was way over her head at this point, and din't know whether this was going to backfire horrendously. Cailin shifted the car back into drive, and quickly accelerated as the first of the Yuktobanian forces began to head past town.