The lead up

Communist China takes its time and much pleasure in courting many of America’s loudest critics and opponents to join Team China. Their efforts are widely successful, becoming allies with the likes of Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Venezuela, to name a few. They’re also mending relations with other communist regimes like Cuba and the Russian bear, who’ll devour Ukraine within the year, experts say. All the while openly threatening violence on their close neighbors Australia, Japan, and Taiwan when they point out any of China’s imperialist actions. They have been and still are a growing threat to free people worldwide.
We all heard these news snippets on the radio or seen them on TV, but the American masses ignored them in favor of Monday night football. The media outlets did a poor job of bringing these stories into the spotlight. Too often, they were skimmed over or placed on the back page.
Plenty of us had insight and read the writing on the wall, though. We prepared, taught loved ones, built relationships, and grew a community. We also trained our minds, body, and spirit for the coming change of season. We watched the blossoming border fiasco and heard the secessionist rhetoric from those states naive enough to fall for the socialist sweet talk, candy-coating their lies. Then scattered reports of single seemingly unrelated tragedies occurred. Train derailments, chemical spills, planes crashing into food plants, unidentified gunmen successfully stopped as they were approaching a Southern power plant, and more. All in the south, all designed to stretch our emergency services thin.
Then, there was a call for an east and west-coast secession from the Union. A call for civil unrest is made by the anti-American socialists. Flyers littered the streets. Then rioting in the larger cities breaks out, engulfing the buildings and communities like a California wildfire. Due to these states’ anti-police budget policies put in place without a single citizen’s vote, the police forces are overrun, decimated, literally in hiding, and hunted as the flames grow and spread.
The rumblings favoring a civil war have been heard and picked up momentum, spreading and feeding off the cities’ orchestrated chaos. Shots are fired. Dead police officers and national guardsmen are dragged through the dystopian city streets. The federal military is activated and deployed in American streets against American citizens.
The world as we knew it crumpled in late May, leading into June that year, when the second American Civil War officially broke out. The coasts split away, forming their own utopian socialist societies as the “accidents” in the south increased in scale and tempo, targeting police stations, power plants, food processing plants, and military institutions. Becoming more successful, better prepared, and equipped. While America was burning, the red tide from Asia crashed onto our west and east coasts, seemingly by invitation. Red China had boots on American soil. China from our east, west, and south borders. Russians reported coming from the north. Jihadis and cartels were reported in the southern chaos. The UN and W.H.O. were seen setting up checkpoints and detaining American citizens for reasons unknown and uncommunicated. Rolling blackouts.
The only hope is “Free America” and the five standing militias found before the chaos, wanting and needing to be organized. They were made ready by one man connecting them and making them see their commonalities, that their strengths come from solidarity, community, and heart. Not their weapons. This unknown individual is dubbed Leonidas by the militia’s leaders because he and his forces are the only ones brave enough to stand in the gap facing the much larger forces of today’s Persian Armies, who’re pressing down upon the necks of free Americans. Against overwhelming odds, they are taking the fight to America’s enemies.
Amongst this turmoil and chaos, a Tennessean wife of Bret Gordon is stuck in Chinese-controlled California. Bret, one of the prepared, vows to fight his way to her, utilizing a prepared plan they have in place. Will his love for his wife sustain him on his journey? Can he survive the mayhem that has become synonymous with America? Find out in The Reason: book one – Tribe and family. Coming soon!

I feel this is better written and gives you the right feel of the times.

Thoughts?