Midnight at a Military camp in a grass field...

In one of the green tents, Colonel Martinson is writing a letter addressed to the U.M.F.U. with a quill pen. He let out a deep sigh. My job... He thought. I'm doing my job, Aris. So, you might as well turn yourself in and we'll both call it eve... RING! His telephone rang. He picked up the phone and said, "Hello?" The caller began speaking. "Please, sir. I'm doing the best I can. Aris isn't leaving this country. I promise. .....Yes, sir. I apologize for my behavior. Goodbye, sir." He hung up and continued writing his letter. "Sir?" A soldier said, walking in. Colonel Martinson looked up. "What is your report?" Colonel Martinson asked. "No report, sir." The soldier replied. "I came here to tell you that we're ready to move out." "Okay. I'll be out in a minute." Colonel Martinson said. "Carry on." "Yes, sir." The soldier said, as he walked off. Colonel Martinson slowly got up, the palms of his hands on the desk. I'll find you, Aris. And, I'll have you executed. He thought.

Meanwhile...

Ricky laid on the bed across from Aris' bed. All he's doing is staring at the ceiling, wide awake. How does Aris know about my Grandparents? He thought. And, how can she be so cheerful in a totalitarian state?! She believes in God.... I.....I wish he would give me my grandparents back. He slowly closed his eyes and dozed off. Until Aris lightly shook his shoulder. He immediately opened his eyes. "Aris?" He said in shock. "What are you doing here? I'm trying to sleep!" "I wanted to check on you, Ricky." Aris said softly, as she sat down on the bed next to Ricky. "And, we need to leave. The Army may be getting closer to the bunker." Ricky shook, his fear intensified. "No! They can't be pursuing us still!!" He shouted fearfully, sitting up. "The ARMY is pursuing us!! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!!" "What do you mean?" Aris asked, still soft. "I mean YOU dragged me into this and I hardly KNOW you!" Ricky cried. "I have no happiness in life and NOW I'm running from the Army!" "Ricky... God wants you to be happy." Aris whispered, getting up. "He wants you to live a happy and healthy life. You Grandparents would've wanted this too..." "God took my parents from me, Aris." Ricky sighed sadly. "No. It was the U.M.F.U.'s Army that took the lives of your Grandparents." Aris said gently. "Our lord would never wish for your sadness. He didn't take your Grandparents to make you upset." "I don't believe that..." Ricky sighed sadly. "I just don't. God let me down..." Before Aris could say anything, she heard voices. "Everyone, search every inch of the bunker!" A familiar voice ordered. "That's an order!" Colonel Martinson. Aris thought fearfully. Oh, no. "Who's voice is that?!" Ricky whispered fearfully. "Is it the Military?!" "......We have to get out of here." Aris whispered, lightly taking Ricky's wrist. She opened a door to the left of Ricky's bed, took Ricky inside with her, and closed the door softly and locked it. They are in the bathroom. The sink is white and shiny and the faucet is silver, the mirror has a small crack on the top left corner, the door that leads to the toilet is against the left wall, the walls have plaid-colored walls, and the floor has dark white, pentagon-shaped tiles. "Stay quiet." Aris pleaded quietly. "Colonel Martinson is here. We have to stay quiet or they'll find us." Ricky heard marching down the stairs as well as radio chatter from walkie-talkies. "No one is here." A voice said sternly. Yep. Ricky thought. It's the Military. We're dead. As Ricky shook in complete anxiety, Aris grabbed his shoulders and lightly squeezed them. "Relax. It's okay. They won't find us." She said softly. "Just trust that God will protect you. He would never want you to be scared." Ricky took several deep breaths slowly and the shaking stopped. He sees orange and red lights flashing from under the door. Flamethrowers. "Burn everything in this room!" Ricky and Aris heard Colonel Martinson order. "And, search for any traces of fur at once!" Ricky is trying to control his fear. I can do this. I can do this. He repeated those words in his head. I can do this. "Should we search this bathroom, sir?" A soldier asked, his voice close to the bathroom door. "It may have some traces of fur in it." I CAN'T DO THIS!!! Ricky thought, his fear completely intensified. Aris turned Ricky around and said, "Stay. Calm. I'll get us out of here." Aris walked towards the door to the left and quietly opened it, and pulled the shower curtains. As Ricky walked into the room and stood behind Aris, he heard someone banging on the door. "Are they using a battering ram?!!?" Ricky asked, completely scared. "What are we even doing here?!! It's a dead end!" "Come." Aris said. She opened a door on the ground in the bathtub. The door resembles a cellar door. "What...?!" Ricky said, shocked. "Climb in." Aris said kindly, as she climbed into the cellar. Astonished, Ricky climbed into the bathtub, closed the shower curtains, went down the cellar and closed the door behind him. POW!! Soldiers poured into the bathroom, pointing their bayonets around the bathroom. Colonel Martinson walked inside looking around. He knelt down and rubbed the floor, searching for white fur. "Nothing..." He said quietly. He got up, turned around, and sternly ordered, "Move out!" "Yes, sir!" The soldiers said.

In the cellar...

Ricky and Aris walked through a hall with dim lights. The walls and floor are wooden. "They didn't see us, did they?" Ricky asked, concerned. "Please tell me they didn't see us!" "Don't worry. They didn't see us." Aris said. "I promise. Now, we must be..." "Hold on!" Ricky cried, as he suddenly jumped in front of Aris, stopping her in her tracks. "How did they find us?! They've been following us all the way here!" "I don't know..." Aris said, confused. "I can't figure out why they're trailing us." Ricky stared at her concerned. "It has to be your fur." He said fearfully. "How else would they find us?! Your fur is luring the Military towards us!" Aris cupped her paws over her mouth in embarrassment. "I'm terribly sorry! I didn't realize that my fur is leading them towards us!" She exclaimed, embarrassed. "How embarrassing! I'm sorry!" "Will you stop it?!" Ricky asked, irritated. "I just wanna get out of here...!" Aris nodded and she and Ricky continued walking. "Look." Ricky said. "Light. We're already here." He and Aris found and walked up a set of wooden stairs and found themselves on the surface. The cellar exit is next to the street and is in between two streetlights. The midnight moon shined on Ricky and Aris' faces. "Beautiful." Aris said, soft and astonished. "So.....beautiful. Just like God intended it to be." She climbed out of the cellar and is followed by Ricky, who closed the door. "The sky is so beautiful." Ricky said, not entirely astonished, but still impressed. "Even in a dictatorship... Wow..." He started walking next to Aris, still looking at the beautiful moon. "Hey...Aris." Ricky said. "You never answered my question, no matter how many times I ask. How do you know about my Grandparents and their.....execution?" Aris didn't speak. "ARIS!! YOU'RE NOT ANSWERING ME!!" Ricky shouted. "How do you know about my loss?!!" "I'm not ready to tell you yet." Aris said, facing Ricky with a tearful expression. "Please.... Just give me more time." More time for what?! Ricky thought. What is she talking about?! Ricky let out a deep sigh. "Okay. Don't say anything. Fine with me." He sighed. "Where are we going?" "Room #3." Aris replied. "We're going to the 3rd room in the bunker, Ricky." "Oh....... Okay." Ricky sighed, his anger turning back into severe depression. "Are....you okay?" Aris asked gently, noticing Ricky's tearful expression. "N-No...!" Ricky sobbed. "I have no idea where I'm gonna live without my parents OR my Grandparents! I'm nothing without anyone to love! My parents died when I was a baby, so my Grandparents took me in and raised me like I was their own son! But, when the U.M.F.U. had them executed for treason, I lost EVERYTHING!! And, now......I'm alone." Ricky stopped dead in his tracks and continued crying. Aris immediately knelt down and placed her paws on Ricky's shoulders. "Ricky! You're not alone!" She said, sounding like a life coach to Ricky. "God never left you. He will always love you and that will never change. I can sincerely promise you that." Ricky, still tearful, didn't say anything. "Our next room is a chapel." Aris continued. "My family and I used to invite humans to worship in our chapel. We all love God and that will never ever change." "....I'm surprised animals are able to have their own chapel..." Ricky admitted. "But, I'm more surprised that animals believe in certain religions! It's....un......real." Aris wiped a tear off Ricky's eye with her paw. "You're a magnificent human being. God believes that. Your Grandparents believe that. ....I believe that." Aris said kindly. "Your Grandparents wanted you to honor their memories by doing good for others. Not to feel joyless and negative mournful. Now.....we must be off." Aris and Ricky continued walking. Ricky's mind is filled with questions: Who is Aris? How does she know about his deceased Grandparents? Why is she being so nice to him of all people? Ricky and Aris stopped in front of a sidewalk that leads away from the street. They began walking along the street until they arrived at a small abandoned ranch house. "Come in." Aris said, opening the door. Ricky felt uncomfortable about going inside. "Who's house was this?!" Ricky asked, nervous. "It belongs to nobody." Aris replied kindly. "This will take us to the next room. The chapel." "Okay..." Ricky sighed sadly. "I.....guess I'll come." He reluctantly followed Aris into the old ranch house and found himself in an old living room with trash on the ground and springs sticking out of the couch across from him and Aris. The dark red wallpaper is torn up and the door to the kitchen, which has a slightly bigger hole on where the doorknob used to be, is on the right. "If nobody owns this house now, can you tell me if somebody owned it in the past at least?" Ricky asked. Aris looked at him and said, "Colonel Martinson owned this ranch house.......before the U.M.F.U. came to power." Ricky became speechless. Aris lightly pushed on his right shoulder, signaling him to sit down. He sat on the clean and undamaged couch against the left wall. Aris sat next to him, her paws on her lap. "Colonel Martinson had a tragic past before he started working with the U.M.F.U.." She said softly. "And, before he before he was a colonel, he served in the United States Air Force." Ricky crossed his arms as he continued listening. "Martinson was a really loving Father who was very, VERY close to his only son." Aris continued. "After his wife died from cancer, his son, Jim Martinson, was all he had left. He always made Martinson feel happiness, especially during his years as an Air Force pilot. He always sent him messages of support 9 times a day. But one day, he never sent any messages. Martinson, however, DID get a message from one of his colleagues. He found his son dead on his bed. He died from cancer. It broke Martinson's heart deeply. And, he wanted to see his son after the war because he was scared. Scared that he would die in the War of the Unions." Ricky's expression became more tearful. "During the creation of the United Mothers and Fathers of Unionism, Martinson was asked to become the new Colonel of the newly established and international Military." Aris said. "His response was that he'll do it. He even swore an oath to prevent war and to execute traitors and rebels." "For a man with a tragic past, he's pretty serious about his job!" Ricky exclaimed. "But, why would he wanna hurt millions of people for his superiors?! He once SERVED a free nation!" "A tragedy can really hurt someone." Aris said. "Martinson had faith in God once. But, he lost everything he ever loved. Now.....he's executing people." "Is Colonel Martinson in charge of execution too?" Ricky asked, wiping a tear off his eye. "Yes." Aris replied. "A man once a great Dad who served in the Air Force has turned into a ruthless Military colonel. It's really heartbreaking." Ricky didn't know what to say. He was really shocked. ".....Hey, Aris?" He said. "........Do you hate the United Mothers and Fathers of Unionism?" "Definitely not." Aris admitted. "They have executed millions of people, but that's something they need to talk to God about. Satan wanted them to hurt people and animals. He wanted them to accept evil into their hearts, and that's what they've chosen: Evil. They only wanted to choose evil." "That's.........terrible." Ricky cried, heartbroken by Aris' words. "Why would they WANNA choose evil?!" "That's their choice." Aris said, placing her paw on Ricky's shoulder. "They decided against what is truly good and decided to choose absolute power, ruthlessly killing anyone disloyal to them. My goal in life is to spread the word of God and bring hope to all the U.M.F.U. controlled countries. But, Colonel Martinson and the U.M.F.U. don't want that because they don't want any hope in any of their countries..." Ricky got up. "Okay. This is too much!" He cried. "Too heartbreaking. Too devastating. And, weren't you gonna take me to the 3rd bunker room?" "Yes, of course." Aris said, getting up as well. "I'm sorry. Let's move onward. To room #3."

Meanwhile...

While the Army burned the last few beds and the bathroom in room #2, Colonel Martinson is making a phone call next to the entrance of the room. "Hello, sir." He said. "No. No sign of Aris yet, sir. ........Yes, sir. We've burned every morsel of the first two rooms in the bunker. Don't worry. We'll accomplish our mission as soon as possible. Thanks for the encouragement, sir. We'll find Aris and have her executed. Bye, sir." He hung up and placed his phone in his pocket. Then, he pulled out a picture from his other pocket. He looked at the picture of him smiling and kneeling next to a young boy. He also had his thumbs up. A tear rolled down Colonel Martinson's eye. "My son..." He said, his voice trembling a tiny bit. "You were the only human being in this stupid, stupid world that ever brought me happiness, love, and joy." "Sir." A voice called out from the stairs. Colonel Martinson immediately put his picture back in his pocket and wiped the tear off his eye. The sergeant appeared in front of him. "Did you find anything, sergeant?" Colonel Martinson asked. "Yes, sir. We found another cellar door." The soldier said, saluting. "When we burned the shower curtains in the bathroom, we found a cellar door. I think Aris escaped through their, sir." Colonel started thinking for a second. Then, he ordered, "Tell the troops to search the cellar and find any traces of fur immediately. I will meet you there in a minute. If you find anything suspicious, report to me at once." "Yes, sir!" The sergeant said, as he ran back down the stairs. Colonel Martinson let out a deep sigh as he slowly walked down the stairs.