End of Crows: End of Crows, #1

By R.A. Lingenfelter

Hello Readers,

R.A. Lingenfelter invites you into a world beyond the imaginable in 'End of Crows.' Graced with the coveted 2022 Readers' Favorite International Gold Medal in Young Adult Adventure, 2023 Cadmus Book Awards, 2024 American Legacy Book Award for Epic Adventure and finalist in Fantasy and Adventure, this gripping tale redefines the traditional battlegrounds of human survival.

 

Picture a dystopian future, devoid of freedom, where our every movement is dictated by an insatiable Dominion. High school joys as simple as proms, dances, and boyfriends are distant fairy tales for our protagonist, Willow. However, where humanity is oppressed, resistance is born. Nestled within the rugged Colorado Mountains lies a faction of rebels, known simply as the Crows.

 

In this thrilling, heart-stopping saga, Willow embarks on a dangerous journey of defiance and determination. She finds herself amidst the Crows, the last beacon of rebellion, striving to safeguard the last vestige of human dignity from the Dominion's iron fist. 'End of Crows' expounds on the indomitable human spirit that refuses to bow down, even in the grimmest of times, encapsulating the battle between freedom and oppression, hope and despair, survival, and surrender.

 

I invite you to join Willow in her fight for freedom, to live and to love. 'End of Crows' is a riveting, inspiring adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat, questioning who holds the real power—the oppressor or the oppressed?

 

Welcome to the future, welcome to the 'End of Crows.

"The comparisons of Willow to Katniss Everdeen of Hunger Games fame are clearly evident as Willow's talent as a fighter and her determination to win come to the surface. Without training of any kind, she displays great skill in the use of a variety of weapons as well as her bare hands. But, Willow possesses more than these physical abilities and as the story unfolds, her supernatural gifts become more evident and specific to the plotlines. Also like Collins, R.A. Lingenfelter writes tight, straight-to-the-point sentences and paragraphs that propel the reader through each event and scene without undue and unnecessary detail.
In particular, Lingenfelter's ability to build characters simultaneously to the ever-increasing tension of the primary plotline is evidenced by her multiple appearances at the top of Amazon's bestseller lists. End of Crows, while standing on its own, is also the perfect lead novel in the four-book series. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy fast-paced action/adventure stories with hints of the supernatural and powerful lead characters like Willow!" ~Reader's Favorite

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stories2Life
• Release date: Jul 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393566342

Book preview

The silk lace slipped off of my shoulder as I twirled, admiring in the mirror how the dress flowed around my body. My figure was a little too short for the cut of the dress but it was still my favorite. Black strands of hair that escaped the confines of my braid lightly caress my exposed collar bone. I gently pulled the shoulder strap back up and straightened the dress.

It had been my mother’s dress when she had gone to prom with my father, but that was a long time ago. They didn’t have dances anymore, not since the Revolutionary War.

I smoothed out the fabric, relishing how the silk and lace felt underneath my hands. The deep purple of the silk made the glitter of the lavender lace sparkle under the light. My eyes practically glowed, matching the lace perfectly. They didn’t make dresses like this anymore. Cotton pants and shirts were standard-issue government clothing. I didn’t want to leave the dress behind but Mom and Dad told me it had to stay. Unnecessary items had to be left at the house, despite my argument that it was a necessary item to me.

I heard my mom call from downstairs and I glanced in the mirror one more time. I hadn’t realized I’d been crying until I saw the sparkle of tears tracking down my cheeks. I was so tired of the loss.

Coming, Mom. I’ll be down in a second.

I quickly let the material slide to the floor and slipped on my jeans and shirt. I take a moment to place the dress back onto its hanger. I didn’t care that it couldn’t go with us; it deserved to be taken care of.

Bounding down the stairs, I turned the corner and ran into my brother, Brice.

Watch where you are going, Willow, he puffs out his chest and pushes me back slightly. Or you might injure yourself running into this brick wall.

I roll my eyes and punch him in the gut, feeling pleased with myself when he lets out a large whooshing noise. A brick wall with no mortar, dumb a…

Will! Stop calling your brother names.

My father’s stern tone held no hint of amusement and I felt my stomach twitch with unease. The closer it came to moving day, the shorter my father’s temper became. Part of me understood the tension and the stress; we all felt it, but Dad was the only one who placed the weight of our crumbling world on his shoulders.

Ken, they are just playing. Let them be.

My mother’s voice was soft yet firm. She worked right alongside Dad getting us ready for the move but she still had her sense of humor and brought lightness to a dark situation. It had been a very long seventeen years preparing and packing for our move. It definitely took its toll on everyone in the family, although Mom tried to make it less stressful.

Agatta, they need to stop messing around like that. What if one of them gets hurt? We can’t postpone the move.

I sat down at the table to grab breakfast but I kept my eyes on my parents. Fighting today would not help the tension. I watched Mom round the table and kiss my father on the forehead. Kennet, they are still kids. Brothers and sisters do this. It’s called playing. Let them play and if one happens to get hurt, we will just bury them in the backyard.

I saw Mom wink at me when she said this and I couldn’t help the smile on my face. She used Dad’s full name in response to him using her proper name. Dad normally called her by the nickname he gave her back when they were in high school. Gat, like cat, was what he normally called her. Gattie when he was feeling playful. It had been a long time since he had called her Gattie.

He reached up and grabbed her hand, holding it in both of his. We need to be ready, Gat. Moving day is less than three days away.

I know, Babe. We are ready. Let them be.

He kissed her hand before taking a deep breath and blowing it out. Okay troops, sit down and eat. It’s going to be a busy day so let’s go over everything that’s got to be done.

Brice filled his plate and sat down. I’m ready, Dad. Let’s get this party started.

I tried to swallow the fork full of egg I had been chewing but it stuck in my throat. Brice was confident and anxious for the move to happen. I wished I had his confidence but I didn’t. We had started preparing for the move when I was a year old; it was all I knew. Now that we were approaching the day we had prepared for; I was filled with dread. I wondered if this was how my parents felt all those years ago, when the End of Crows happened.

We loaded up into the government-issue SUV and made our way into town. It was our monthly check in and we didn’t want to be late. Anyone late to their scheduled check in would be subject to steep penalties. I didn’t know of anyone who wasn’t on time.

Sitting in the back seat next to Brice, my body was churning with emotions. Fear, excitement, nervousness and sadness. The odd combination made my breakfast roil in my stomach, threatening a revolt. This form of government was the only one I knew. I wasn’t alive when the revolution of 2026 happened. I knew the punishment for violating the rules could be harsh.

The pain in my arm brought me back from my mental wanderings and I turned to glare at Brice. What was that for?

To get you out of your own head. There’s smoke coming out of your ears and I can tell you are brooding about something, he offered a crooked smile. Everything is good, Will. Just breathe.

But what if…

My mom cleared her throat and turned to look at me. "It’s probably something you ate, Will. I’ll get you some acid reducer when we get home."

I saw my father staring at me through the rearview mirror and knew what he was thinking. He was worried that I was going to say something that would reveal our secret and expose us to the regime. I offered a smile to reassure him I wasn’t going to blurt out anything that could hurt our family. He nodded his head slightly and focused back on the drive.

Maybe we can go out for some iced cream after this, Mom looked at Brice and I, her huge smile looking slightly maniacal. We could get rocky road, or strawberry swirl. What do you think?

Before we had a chance to answer, the VR screen on the dash of the SUV came to life. Looking for your next treat? Go to Dairy Delight for your next refreshing snack. Tell them you heard this on DRB Radio and receive five dollars off your forty-dollar purchase.

I sighed and glanced out of the window again. There were no private conversations. Not anymore. There were eyes and ears everywhere, watching and listening to your every move.

My parents told me about a time when they had freedom. The freedom to choose where they wanted to go, what to eat, how to dress. They said there was even a time when people owned land. Nobody really owned land anymore. It was all owned by the Federal Government, but if you wanted to lease it from them, you could, for a hefty price, of course.

There were several free-zone locations throughout the Mericas where people owned their land. This is where the Crows were able to stand their ground and retain what little freedom was left. They were scattered and individually organized, but they did exist. I know because I had met some on my grandparent’s land. It’s located high up in the Rocky Mountains and was secretly given to us when my grandfather died. The original house still stands on the property but the current residence is deep inside a cave on the side of the mountain. Care has been taken to vent and disperse any smoke or steam the residence produces. Special technology has allowed the homes along the mountainside to stay hidden from flying planes, helicopters, thermal navigators and satellites.

That’s not to say that the government doesn’t know there are Crows there. I think they know they are there but their numbers were so diminished in the war that they don’t consider them a threat anymore. The government just monitors the areas and tries to keep the Crows under their thumbs, which they think they have been doing successfully for many years. If the authorities knew the truth, the rest of the Crows would be swiftly wiped out.

I still can’t believe they don’t know that we are Crows. My parents have kept a low profile, played along with the games and haven’t tampered with their PIMs. So, as far as the authorities are concerned, we are Conformists. A part of me worries that they know exactly who we are and are waiting like a spider, watching for its prey to slip up and get tangled in its intricate web. Would today be the day that they would pounce?

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my thoughts. They weren’t that crafty. After their win with the War, they became complacent with their power. They knew there were a few Crows scattered throughout what used to be called the United States but they weren’t concerned about them. The powers that be, now called the Dominion, believed they could swat down another uprising. If you believed what was being portrayed in the media, they wouldn’t have a problem wiping out any opposition.

Dad pulled up in front of the social services building and parked. There was already a line coming out of the door, souls waiting to walk through the scanner. We lined up at the end and waited patiently to go through. We were standing in order as we had been instructed. Dad being first as the head of the household. Brice was next being the oldest male in the family. Next came Mom because she was the oldest female in the house and then me. There was no pretense with the Dominion. Men were weighed more valuable than women and they held more rights than women did.

We moved quickly and silently through the line, getting closer to the scanner when we heard screaming and crying inside the building. I craned my head to see what was going on when two constables appear, dragging a sobbing woman outside, her arms reaching towards the building. A tall, disheveled man slowly followed, his arms hanging limply at his sides, tears streaming down his face. The constables released the woman, who immediately tried to race back inside the building but the tall man stopped her, wrapping her up in his embrace. She beat his back, tears and snot flying as she shakes her head violently.

They can’t take our babies. This is wrong. I want my babies back.

I jump slightly when Mom puts her arm around my shoulder and guided me forward in the line, which has kept moving. Nobody says anything. The power of the Dominion is physically oppressive.

I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath until Dad stepped through the scanner, waiting for the results of his PIM. When the scanner lights up green, I blew my breath out and waited for Brice and Mom to go through. Since Dad was head of the household, it was his responsibility to keep up on payment to the Dominion for his family. If he fell behind in payments, the Dominion had the right to take the children out of the home. They put the children in labor camps where they would help work off the debt that the father owed. The Dominion said that once the debt was caught up, that the children were placed back with the family but I had never heard of any of them coming home.

I was lost in my thoughts of how old the children were that were being taken from the sobbing woman that I didn’t understand at first, why Mom’s expression on her face was of horror. I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong when I realized that my scanner was orange.

Willow Danner. You have violated Federal Code eight-seven-six of the travel authorization. A constable will escort you to the Travel Authority Office. If you try to escape, your PIM will detonate immediately. Please wait for your escort.

Mom? I felt my heart beating and the blood rushing through my ears cut out all of the sound. I was frozen to my spot, terrified that if I moved, my Personal Identification Microchip would explode and either decapitate me from my jaw up or blow out the left side of my head, causing excruciating pain and disfiguration.

My dad was pushing forward, yelling that there had been a mistake, that the Dominion was wrong. Tears were flowing down my mother’s face as she grabbed my hand. I gripped onto her, knowing that my life probably depended on it.

The room I was taken to was as cold and colorless as a morgue. The concrete block walls had been painted so many times with stark white that they almost looked like rubber. There were no windows in the room but one wall had a large one-way mirror and I knew others were watching closely. My father and Brice were detained out at the front of the building, only my mother was allowed to go with me and I was thankful for that. Dad was the strong one, hardly ever showed true emotion but Mom was the smart one. I don’t think there was anyone on the earth who could outfox her. Her logical debates could make the most die-hard opposition turn.

Willow Danner, your PIM indicates that you exited the left quadrant zone, Tuesday, October sixth at nine twenty-eight a.m. and entered the Free Zone at approximately ten-fifteen a.m.

I felt my face flush and my heartbeat speed up. That was the day we had gone to my grandparent’s place up in the mountains. They knew, but how? Crows had been working on devices to alter one’s PIM data so that the Dominion would see Crows where they were supposed to be, when they were actually in Free Zones. I stared up into the face