Chapter ten
The Little War
"Danger,'" said the Maze car "This car must stop. " Logan and Jessica got out and Logan sent the car back down the Maze tunnel.
"We'll have to walk from here," he said They could see why the car had to stop. The top of the tunnel was down and the tunnel was in a complete mess. It was almost impossible to get through. After some time they found a narrow walkway that was quite clear. They followed that until they found a way out. They came out onto on an empty station platform.
STANTON SQUARE
Logan and Jessica couldn't believe what they saw. This was Washington D.C. It was completely wild. Strange plants grew everywhere. There were no people but they could hear the sounds of animals and birds. It was very hot.
Washington D.C. was the place where the Little War began. At that time, young people were angry. A new law stated the number of children that they could have. College students filled the streets. Their angry shouting often turned to violence. Cars and buildings were burned. The police were attacked when they tried to stop them.
The President went on television to speak to the young. The world's population was almost six billion and there wasn't enough food. The problems were getting worse every day. He asked young people to stay calm in this difficult time. But his speech didn't work. The President was the father of nine children. Why could other people only have two?
The fighting couldn't be stopped. Politicians were taken from their offices by the crowds and killed. Washington was burning. Terrified people were running in the streets. The roads out of the city were full of cars as people tried to escape. The police could do nothing. Soldiers were called to the city but they were young, too. They joined the young people and fought with them in the streets.
The violence swept through the United States. Government workers escaped to save their lives. Offices were left empty. In two weeks young people were the United States government. Washington D.C. was completely destroyed in the Little War and nobody ever lived there again.
Then discussions about the world's population problems began. Chaney Moon had an answer. He was only sixteen but he was a great speaker. He spoke in London, Paris, Berlin. Soon his name was known all over the world. People believed that he could solve the problems. In six months, he had millions of followers. Most of them were under fifteen years old. Five years later, the Moon Plan became law. At twenty-one, Chaney Moon became the first person to accept Sleep.
Young Americans accepted this new law. Over the next two years, all people over twenty-one were killed. The Thinker was programmed to organize people's lives. The time of government by computer began. The first full-time Sleepshop was opened in Chicago and there was soon one in every city. Programs for Sandmen began. By 2072 the population of the world was young. Old people could never make the decisions again.
