Last Light Falling Read Online Free Page B

diminished, and yet they glean it to be well preserved. Our precious government has weakened our country, empowering other nations to take strong measures in changing the very foundation it was built on. The freedom that we as a people who have shed our blood for, struggled to maintain, and even waged war in an effort to keep its existence no longer stands strong.
    The deep roots holding this country together have been poisoned by greed, power, and the governing evil that prevents us from making civil choices. We have become a nation that heavily depends on othersto stay afloat in this economical downfall. Ever since the great quakes shook the Earth four years ago, killing hundreds of millions across the world, including our very own nation, it has destroyed any selfless desire to recoup. With the San Andreas Fault collapse leaving most of California completely under water, killing nearly seventeen million people, and the New Madrid fault line scarring the central part of the country, killing more than eleven million, America has experienced a catastrophic economic collapse.
    Cash no longer exists and has been replaced by credits, a government-designed monetary system that allows us to earn points based on the contributions we provide to the federal government. The CCD, Central Credits Distribution, which is networked throughout the entire nation, automatically deposits funds to your identification card based on salary or hourly pay from your job. Much in that aspect works the same as it had before— you work and you get paid, except with credit points. When these points are added to our identification cards, the government evaluates each individual, knowing what each person is worth to them.
    They keep close tabs on anyone they feel is suspicious for what they are buying, or, more importantly, where they buy it. The freedom we thought we had has vanished. Unfortunately, many people are still convinced, naïve, delusional, or just plain brainwashed that the government is looking out for our every need. I guess the only freedom we have left is whether or not we blindly accept it.
    Social security no longer exists. The money that was invested was needed for the loss of bank funds during the economic collapse. High-debt credit cards were pardoned by the government in an attempt to help save the economy. After the economy dipped too low for the country to maintain its value, other nations surprisingly aided us, but for a heavy price. That was when our country turned from its own principles we worked so hard for, changing our ideology forever.
    Other nations strongly suggested that we were better off working in unity than divided if we were to preserve the world’s economy. We were one of the few nations left to commit to the credit-point system.
    The middle class is all but gone, and America has dwindled down to class wars. The social order has labeled our worth into four categories: politically rich, wealthy, poor, or a Watcher.
    The politically rich are those who either contribute to or work for the federal government. They are treated very well for their compensations. Wealthy exists as it always has—those who inherited riches. And then there’s us—the poor, a term I should be used to, but despite the negative connotations it has had in the past, it’s not even on the samelevel as the poverty-stricken towns that exist today. These are filled with “Watchers,” a derogatory term for someone who takes up space, contributing nothing for the better of the nation, only to sit and watch as onlookers pass by.
    “Watchers” is an expression we have unfortunately infused in the vernacular today. Some people still refer to them as “homeless,” as was the term in the past. Those are the people I have more compassion for. Most are unable to work or can’t even function among the public because of mental, physical, or emotional illness and depression. The government holds no loyalty or concern for those who don’t