Samuel Hernandez

In the near future, when America has become a police state, 100 boys are selected to enter an annual contest where the winner will be awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life. Among them is 16-year-old Ray Garraty, and he knows the rules - keep a steady walking pace of four miles per hour without stopping. Three warnings and you're out - permanently.

For three days in the fall of 1846, US and Mexican soldiers fought fiercely in the picturesque city of Monterrey, turning the Northern Mexican town, known for its towering mountains and luxurious gardens, into one of the 19th century's most gruesome battlefields. Led by Brigadier General Zachary Taylor, graduates of the US Military Academy encountered a city almost perfectly protected by mountains, a river, and a vast plain.