Things We Didn't Ask For Preview

An Anthology by Shannon Massey coming 10/31/17 available exclusively at the Amazon Kindle Store.

PREVIEW: Things We Didn't Ask For - Welcome To The Resistance: Under

I’m querying a novel called Welcome To The Resistance. It started as a way to work through all the feelings I had surrounding the 2016 election and turned into a novel. I set this piece in that world. I had a dream about someone stuck in an underground railroad type situation but murderous white supremacists overtook the safe house.

CW: Implied violence.

To Whoever Finds This, hi. I’m writing this because I want someone to know I lived. It’s only a matter of time before they find me and kill me. The paper and pen was left by the last occupant. Might as well put it to good use.

W.F.T (Whoever Finds This)- You probably know this but our problems started with the 2016 election. We had Lily VonHelm; a genius with decades of experience running against a businessman with no experience, Daniel Thomas. Thomas won. Which was a death sentence to everyone that’s not a white dude. We protested, we fought, but most people didn’t see the bad. Just a necessary evil, their government trying to protect them. In 2016 we had just over nine million LGBTQ+ individuals living in the US. That number is down five million in a year. Lost about as many POC and Muslims too. I was at work when they came for me ‘cause lesbo. My coworkers hid me in a box in the walk-in freezer. I lost my pinkie toe to frost bite. My name's Asha Frain, I'm 27, my mom's Mona, my dad's Egar. I'm an only child, used to be a barista for Starbucks. I ended up in a camp. But a guard thought he’d killed me during a test and dumped me in the body pit. A member of the resistance found me, got me as far as I am now.  No one's coming, we’re alone and dying by the truckload. The camps have gotten worse. Everything's worse. I have about six feet of room I can scoot around in, got enough room to turn from stomach to back but I can’t sit up. A pipe brings water in but the food ran out, so if I don’t die by hanging or firing squad the hunger could get me. -Asha

W.F.T- I’m not alone anymore! The footsteps are jarring, and the voices. I’ve been listening to my voice in my head for long enough, it's strange to hear anyone else. If they find me I hope they are resistance, or they kill me quick, instead of sending me to the camps. They have a large duffle bag they throw down on the floor. The man puts his foot on the duffle bag and the bag leaks on me. Shit, I think someone just peed on me. Oh fuck, a person's in the bag! -Asha

W.F.T- I watched them build a torture chamber above me. Duffle Bag kept trying to get free, as I watched the room fill I tried to get the floorboards up, I cannot be under here, this cannot be where my story ends. The last thing to come into the room is a mini fridge. I watch them stock it with cheap beer. At least I’ll have a beer waiting for me when I get out from here. Even shitty beer is something. Duffle Bag's still moving, just not as frantic when the Boots are in the room. The duffle bag lifts and lets out a startled yelp. I can see a little better.  Oh man, WFT I don’t want to see better. This place is awful. As bad as the interrogation room at the camp. I need out of here. -Asha

End Preview