//------------------------------// // Darkened Skies // Story: Survival of the Fallen Race // by Immortan Joe //------------------------------// Chapter 7: Darkened Skies Images of fire and death flashed before my eyes, like a thousand scenes of human suffering and insanity were all playing on a hundred times normal speed through my mind. Images of war, depression, and death flew at me from all angles. I could hear the sounds of shouting people all around me, the feeling of some type of anger that wasn’t even my own burrowed deep in the back of my mind. Every image that flashed in front of me made me cringe and cower away; pictures of mutilated bodies of children began scarring their way into my mind. I brought my arm up trying to shield my eyes, but some force wouldn’t allow me. “No! Stop! Please just make it stop!” I cried out. My stomach churned and I felt nauseous. You will not speak to him again! Said the same voice, the one I had heard in my previous dreams. Images of my doppelganger self appeared, the way he looked at me with that smug look, it just made me want to hurt someone. “What, what are you talking about? Did I do something wrong!?” More images began to flash before my eyes and before I knew it I was propelled back, I landed on the ground. Opening my eyes I discovered I was somewhere new, I stood up. I saw more images of destruction, yet some were different. Not all of the images were of people, ponies and other animals that just recently been killed flew passed me. Forcing myself to look away from the images I began observing my surroundings. It looked as if I was in some type of void, a dimension made up of darkness save for the flooding images of recent events. In front of me I saw what I assumed to be a corridor outlined by the images of war and destruction. They somewhat reminded me of those rooms you see in movies that are outlined with hundreds of TVs broadcasting events that are happening all around the world. Trying to ignore the floating screens as best I could, I began making my way down the corridor. I was in a world of darkness by the looks of it, I couldn’t tell if I was walking on ground or not. If it wasn’t for the images I wouldn’t even think I was moving at all, I don’t even know if I’m dead or just having another fucked up nightmare. Observing one of the images; I could see visuals of other cities scattered across the globe. Most being major cities, such as Tokyo which seemed to be having the same problem as New York, then the image flashed again and began showing Beijing, all of which seemed to be having the same problem. Next came Rome, then Moscow, London, Paris, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, Cairo, and finally Washington D.C. “It’s everywhere. It’s happening all over the goddamn world...” I muttered to myself. “Yes, it is happening all over my world.” I spun around away from the visuals, trying to find the person who spoke to me. My eyes scanned left and right, turning my head I began searching for whoever spoke to me. “Show yourself!” I shouted into the dark void. “Enough I am tired of this bullshit! Stop the images and memories! I’m tired of your games, now show yourself!” I took a few steps forward, clenching my fists. I gritted my teeth, scanning for the person that had tormented me through my dreams with visions of the bloodied past. I knew it was the person that my doppelganger had warned me about, the one who was waging a war on my people even as I stood here. “I said, ‘Show yourself!’” I roared, taking a few more steps forward I glanced upwards looking around. But as my eyes slowly drifted back down to what I assume was ground level. I was blinded by a massive wall of light. “Do not allow your fears and your anger to conquer your heart and mind, my son.” Bringing my arm up I shielded my eyes from the blinding rays, within the light came the silhouette of a person. As the lights began to dim I brought my arm down away from my face, slowly my vision began to adjust as the world was once again shrouded in darkness. Once my vision fully adjusted and the rest of the light went away I gasped, “No...” In front of me stood a tall, slender woman who seemed to be in her mid-fifties. Her long blond hair cascaded down to her shoulders, she wore a gentle smile and I swam in a gentle sea of her soft blue eyes. She wore a red Indians jersey that was obviously too big for her, a pair of crisp blue jeans that hung loosely on her body, and a set of shining diamond earrings was set into the lobe of each ear. Taking a few steps back I raised an accusing finger. “No... That’s impossible. It couldn’t have been you! You can’t be the one who has been speaking to me this entire time!” I stumbled over my own legs, falling onto the ground I stared into the eyes of the woman. I stared into the eyes of my own mother. The dear sweet mother from my childhood, the one who would wake me up every Sunday morning with the smell of French toast, the woman who would chastise me for leaving my muddy shoes on the carpet, the fan who would scream louder than any man when her team made the winning touchdown. Even the scent of her favorite shampoo gently wafted into my nose. The woman shook her head, approaching me she gently grabbed me by a wrists and pulled me up off the ground and back onto my feet. “No, my son, I am not the Mother you are used to seeing. I am simply an image taken from your memories; an image that I knew would not frighten you.” I took a step back. “You’re not really my Mom. You’re just some kind of... shell.” I said, slowly regaining my composure. I reached out with my hand, cautiously inching closer to the entity that had chosen the form of my dearly beloved mom. To my surprise, she did not flinch as I touched the fabric of her jersey, but I leapt back when it rippled outwards like water. It was as if the perfect vision of my mom was being projected onto a liquid screen in front of me. “What the fuck are you!” I shouted. “What is all this!” My hand waved back towards the ethereal plane of screens filled with images of wars both past and present, only to find that it had vanished. I wanted to cry out, to fall to my knees and just scream. “Am I going mad? Is any of this shit real or not?” The entity did not change her expression in any way as she explained, “What I am would be too difficult to explain. And there are many words to describe me that simply do not exist within any human languages. But I say this to you in absolute assurance: you are not losing your mind. What is happening is all very real, but only in a way that your body and mind cannot sense without the aid of something that your race has lacked since their birth.” I glanced at the woman in front of me confused. “If this is real,” I said, “How am I here, and not back in the Metro tunnels in New York?” I asked. The entity nodded; taking a few steps passed me she raised her right hand gently guiding it through the air. In front of her one of the images appeared, showing an image of a group of five soldiers sprinting through the tunnels. Occasionally glancing back only to fire a few rounds into the dark abyss; constantly screaming orders at each other while they ran, the one in front was screaming into a handheld radio. I couldn’t make out what he was saying but it didn’t seem too good. On the back of one of the soldiers, I saw him carrying something, a body to be exact my body which hung limply on the back of one of the soldiers. “What the fuck?” I stared at the image stunned by what I was seeing. “Am I dead!?” I snapped back towards the woman who was looking over at me. And for the first time, the stranger in the guise of my mother chuckled to herself. "Hardly,” she said, “But my son, now is not your time.” She turned and began heading towards something within the dark, ethereal void. But what happened next amazed me, the pitch black void began to change. Somehow, in some magical way, the ground underneath me was no longer an infinite depth or expanse of emptiness, firm and solid soil seemed to materialize from the ether. Grass began to sprout out of the rich, dark soil wherever she stepped, stretching up to brush against her fingers, as if the plants themselves craved her approving touch. But the creation before me was not finished, the world began to ripple and bulge, landscapes and horizons forming from the once featureless plain. A large hill bulged out from the ground in front of us, and the dark sky began to change from black to a sea of twilight purples and blues, the barest hints of a star-filled night sky holding on through the daybreak. Behind the large hill came the orange tint of a rising sun, I sat there stunned by the changing environment. “You see, Isaac,” she said while bending over to pick a small daisy which just sprouted out of the ground, “Dark times are coming. Something evil is lurking within the shadows of the night. Hiding within the dark places of your own heart; searching, hunting, trying to find the right host; a suitable being that it can manipulate and use to accomplish its own foul goals.” Looking over at me she gestured for me to come over to her. I wanted to say no, but I felt myself walking in her footsteps with hardly any rebellious thought up the hill. As I began making my way up the hill I noticed a small sapling sprout out of the ground. The farther we went up the hill, the more it began to grow into a large luscious oak tree. With each step, the tree would stretch closer to the sky, sprout a new branch, and curtain the hill with a canopy of leaves, the same oak tree from my past nightmares. Once we reached the top of the hill, I was amazed by the view of the valley. It was a lush place, lined with flowers, cloaked in grass, and other beautiful creatures and plants. “Wh-what is this place?” “This is the Garden of Life.” She smiled upon her creation. “The crucible of all living things; where the cycle of life is set in motion. Without this garden, there can be no life, and if there is no life there is only darkness.” I looked at the woman with confusion. Once again I looked out over the valley, a place that burgeoned with all living things. “Eden,” I whispered to myself. The strange woman chuckled to herself once again. “This is not the Garden,” She said while looking at me with a comfortable smile, “This is your personal Eden. We dwell not within the confines of my own creation, but within a place that is your creation. Each blade of grass, every waft of the breeze, and each little ray of light is a fragment of your mind and a reflection of your memories.” I considered her words, and I looked up to the oak tree, proud and strong, standing tall. What was that meant to symbolize in me? I was no strong soldier or proud man, all my life I’d bent to other people’s wills, slaving for my paycheck and never making a single wave. “Why are you telling me all this,” I asked her. “Because Isaac, the Earth needs you. Your people, the human race, they need you.” Snapping my gaze back to her I stood back, stunned. “What? Why me! What are you even talking about?” I took a step back, “Isaac, you are one of the few amongst humanity that can truly bring peace to this world and end this wretched war before it’s too late. A war that has been forced upon your people, but is not truly meant for your people, but rather for the one who speaks lies into your mind,” she explained. “Me, bring peace? Lady, if there’s one thing people know about me, it’s that I’m not Mahatma freaking Gandhi. Back in the first grade I cracked Andrew Wilkins over the head with a rock because he was teasing me on the playground. And in fourth grade I beat the snot out of-” “Michael Watson,” she said calmly, looking off towards the rising sun, “because he was trying to steal your lunch money. And I remember your mother grounding you for two months with no television because of it.” I sat there stunned; I didn’t know what to say. What could I even say? How could she possibly know that? There was no way she could’ve known that. “And how did you resolve those incidents after you did such foul acts,” She asked taking her gaze off the sun and looking back at me, “you became friends with Andrew Wilkins after you apologized, you and Michael Watson became good friends during your High School years. You learned to set aside your differences and accept peace, not many people can do that Isaac; at least not for a long time.” I sat down onto the ground, not knowing what to think. Cradling my head I let out a shaky breath. “How, How can I bring peace to a dark world,” I asked, the entity made her way over to me, crouching down she took my hand and said. “The path has been laid before you, and you must walk that path, no matter the cost. Many trials and obstacles will be laid before you, and you must overcome them. Your whole race must overcome these trials in order to earn that which has been deprived from you for too long.” I shook my head, looking out over the rising sun and the slowly waking world of my mind. What did it all mean? I thought back, back to what seemed like years ago, but had only been moments in the true line of time. The words of the dark one, the cruel and sinister man who had hidden behind a mask of my own mirror image, rang clearly through my mind. Had he been lying? But, he knew about her, this woman who held my hand so comfortingly in her own. He knew that she was speaking to me, and he told me to be wary of her words. “Why?” I asked. “I know it’s you. I know that everything that’s happening out there is because of you. Somehow, in some way, you’re the one in control. Why are you doing this to us?” The woman sighed, and the sorrow in her eyes made my soul want to weep with some kind of foolish sympathy. She looked up and into my eyes, her own eyes seeming to flash gold for a moment before reverting back to my mother’s natural blue. “To you, the actions of man are commonplace. War, poverty, famine, sickness, and even death; they are all just meaningless words that are spoken on the evening news, events that are far away and can never touch you. You believe yourselves masters over the world that created you, and yet you act as uncaring stewards. Your morals cannot keep up with your knowledge and your power. But, there is good in the hearts of humanity. Charity and kindness are among your loftiest virtues, art and music flow freely through your ever-dreaming minds. Yours is a race who does not believe in impossibility, Isaac.” “Then why? Why did you do this?” Again she sighed. “There are a million reasons why I should have stayed my hand and let mankind choose their own course, even if it imminently led to their own destruction. But, there were a million and one reasons why I should have stepped in centuries ago. It is the apathy that your race shows to one another that has broken my heart, and forced my hand. Man does not care about his fellow enough for my brethren and I to allow you to follow the course that you had laid out for yourselves.” I didn’t know what to think. I had seen those images, the ones within the endless hallway, each one blasting me with the sorrow and pain of my own people’s history. The man within me wanted to stand up for humanity, to launch myself at this creature masquerading as my mom and lock my fingers around her throat until she stopped squirming. That part of me wanted vengeance, to end this whole damned war and humiliate the arrogant bitch that had dared to think she could make humankind change. But a small, almost inconceivable part of my subconscious told me otherwise. Some part of me, something that touched on the back of my mind, agreed with her. The stranger stood from her seat, looking one more time at the sunrise before turning back to me. “Follow your heart, and you will find the way.” I looked at the woman who has taken the form of my mother. In the distance I noticed something, something evil. A large dark cloud began to cascade over the land like a thick blanket. Shrouding the garden in darkness, animals scurried away in fear. Trees and plants began to die, all around me the world began to fade turning my attention back to the woman I shouted, “Wait! Don’t go!” climbing back to my feet I felt something grab hold of me. My vision shot to my right, dark disembodied arms lurched out of the darkness and latched onto my body. Turning back towards the entity I shouted, “What do you mean follow my heart?” I had so many questions, but none of them were being answered. I heard the sound of a laughing man, as more of those demonic hands lurched out and grabbed me pulling me back to the dark realm of reality... :[-]: “Keep moving!” shouted a voice, the sounds of screeching creatures caused my ears to bleed. “They’re right behind us,” said a distinctly familiar voice. “They’re on the goddamn ceiling!” My ears screamed at the sound of machine gun fire. “Don’t stop! Whatever you do; don’t stop!” I heard the sound of door opening, “Go! Go! Go!” Moments later I felt my body jerk forward as I was slammed onto a metal object, “Dammit, Jenkins, be gentle with the poor man!” Somebody hissed. I let off a groan, shifting my body I winced at the pain in my right shoulder. “Shit, I think he’s waking up!” said someone else. “Move over Jenkins let me take a look at him.” Again, there’s that familiar voice. I felt something, or somebody place their hand to my forehead. “Thank God, it feels like the fever is beginning to subside.” The voice said, “He has dislocated shoulder though, that may prove to be a problem in the long run though. But don’t worry this may be a quick fix.” I winced when the man placed his hands on my shoulder. Within seconds I felt an intense amount of pain which caused me to groan, but as quick as the pain came, it vanished. Only to be replaced by a wave of relief that washed over me. I heard the man chuckle, “Don’t worry Isaac we’ll get you out of here.” A few minutes passed and I slowly began to open my eyes, which didn’t really help. Everything around me (or us in this case) was dark. To my left came a dim light, looking over. I saw five men gathered around each other it looked as if they were discussing something. “Wh-where are we?” I mumbled. The hushed whispers ceased instantly and the five men turned to face me, I could hardly make out the details of any of them. One of them began to approach me, “Isaac you’re awake.” The soldier whispered, leaning over he took off his bag. Reaching in he began to rifle through his possessions, “Who are you?” I asked my mind was foggy, and my body ached all over. All I wanted to do was lie down and fall asleep, but something deep in the back of my mind kept telling me I couldn’t do that. That I needed to move now before it was too late, “Isaac it’s me, Nigel.” Letting out a dry chuckle, I said, “What a small world.” Nigel snickered, finally finding what he was searching for. Nigel pulled out a small canteen, “Yeah I know, right?” He said handing me the canteen, “Here sip from this slowly.” He said. Taking it I gave him thankful nod, after taking a few quiet sips. I sighed with relief as the slightly cool water made it’s way down my throat, silence fell over the room. Seconds later I decided to break it, “What happened after I was captured?” I asked Nigel, looking over at him, I couldn’t see his face due to the almost pitch black room. But telling by his sigh I could tell it wasn’t good, “It happened so fast,” He said. “Somehow they were able to slip past the omega detectors. They began by taking out the patrols one by one they picked off our men, after most of the patrols were taken down. A large Surgeling force attacked the main gates; General Leiter was the first to act. Disobeying orders he was able to wake most of the men in the camp, and I’m not talking about the soldiers I mean every man. When the Surgelings broke through the gates, most of them consisted of those ugly fucking rat things. But Leiter figured out a way to counter attack those fuckers, it turns out they're sensitive to light. So he orders the town's Militia to make Molotov Cocktails, after that he ordered us to make a stand at the Metropolitan Museum. In the end we were able to fend them off... Barely,” He snorted at the end. “They got us when we weren’t looking.” He sighed. “Hey, Rooker, can the civie walk yet or not?” One of the soldiers asked, Nigel looked over at the other soldier. “I dunno Captain,” Looking back at me he asked, “Can you walk?” I took a deep breath, pushing myself up onto my elbows I winced at the pain in my shoulder from where I was scratched. It seems Nigel was able to patch me up, but it still hurt like a mother fucker, “I’ll try,” I said through clenched teeth, flinging my legs over the side of the table. I slowly placed each foot on the ground. Lifting myself up off of it, my vision began to blur and I stumbled a bit. Grabbing me by the shoulders Nigel said, “Whoa take it easy, there’s no need to push yourself. Here, place your arm around my neck.” Taking my left arm Nigel wrapped it around the back of his neck. Up above I heard the rumble from a distant explosion, the vibrations caused specs of dust to sprinkle down from the concrete ceiling. “We need to hurry.” I mumble. Glancing over at me Nigel raised an eyebrow, “What was that?” He asked. “We need to hurry it’s only a matter of time before the second wave comes.” I said, “Isaac, what do you mean there’s a second wave com-” Nigel was cut off by the sound of Marine chambering a round into his gun. Looking up I could see the other four soldiers loading their weapons and getting ready. “Alright boys,” Said the Captain in the middle. Right away I recognized his voice from the radio. It was Captain Steward, “We don’t know what the surface is going to be like. Behind that door right there,” He said pointing towards a door to his left, “Leads to the nearest plaza that will take us back up to the streets of New York. So I need all of you to be on your toes, we can’t risk losing anyone else.” “Yes Sir!” Nigel and the other Marines saluted. “Alright then, let’s move out!” :[-]: Despite the sounds of war above us, the dark corridors that we maneuvered through; were plagued with this eerie silence. Looking up front I saw Captain Steward messing with the radio I found before I was attacked in the metro tunnels. Every now and again he would mutter a curse word and smack the side of it. “Is something wrong, Cap?” The marine to my left asked, “I dunno,” Steward said, “It was working fine back in the tunnels. Now it just seemed to have-” The radio began to static uncontrollably occasionally a voice would seep through, holding his right hand up into the air. Steward halted us, “Wait a second marines, I think I got something.” Captain Steward began pushing a few buttons cycling through the frequencies, “We... Losing... Communications... Omega... Haywire...” The deep voice of the man faded in and out due to the static. The marines began sharing confused looks, “I think that’s General Leiter speaking,” Nigel said, “But it sounds like he’s on the battlefield-” “What would General Leiter be doing on the battlefield, he’s not in charge of the cleanup operation.” said a young Marine upfront right next to Captain Steward. Nigel shrugged and looked at him, “I don’t know, maybe he was called out into the field or something.” “Why,” Said the large African Marine standing right beside me, “why would HQ send him out-” “Quiet! All of you!” Captain Steward snapped, “I’m starting to get a little more reception.” Pushing a few more buttons, General Leiter’s words slightly became clearer. “We... The horses... Were victorious... Communications are... Disabled,” Captain Steward growled in frustration. “I can hardly make out a damn thing he’s saying!” Steward smacked the side of the radio, shaking my head I knew hitting the damn thing wasn’t going to make it work. Sticking out my free hand I said, “Here let me see it I might be able to make it work.” Steward looked at me and furrowed his brow, “What makes you think you can fix this, civi?” He snarled, “I don’t think I can fix it.” I said in all honesty, “But by the looks of what you’re doing I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere,” I said gesturing for him to hand it to me, “Now can I please see it.” Steward glanced at my hand then back at the radio. Letting out an aggravated sigh he handed it to me, taking the radio in hand. I squinted my eyes and got to work, pushing the buttons I began scrolling through frequencies. “This... Gen-... Requesting... Air...” I gritted my teeth; I seemed to have only made it worse than it was before. “ Goddammit, civi, now we aren’t getting any reception,” said the young Marine. Letting out a sigh I handed it over to him. “Here you try.” I said the Marine shrugged slinging his gun over his shoulders he took it. “Animals... Overwhelm...” The Marine bit the bottom of his lip, “Come on almost got it,” He said after a short minute the static instantly cleared away. Allowing the sounds of voices and gunshots to flood in, Steward laughed and patted the Marine on the back. “This is General Kopf Leiter calling in from Regiment Twenty Three, we’re located just outside Freedom Tower! I repeat we’re just outside Freedom Tower!” Steward looked to the young Marine, “Jenkins, get your map out!” He ordered in a hushed voice, handing the radio over to the large Marine standing next to me I continued to listen, “We’re requesting back up! I repeat we’re requesting back up! We are having trouble establishing the uplink and we need ariel support. We are under attack by a large Surgeling ground force that is coming from the north and we need air support... Goddammit why is nobody responding?” The large Marine next to me looked to Captain Steward with a questioning look. “Captain should we answer?” He asked, Captain Steward nodded, “I’ll answer it.” Steward said while taking the radio. “This General Kopf Leiter calling for-” Captain Steward pushed the talk button. “This is Captain Steward of Giant Squadron, do you copy?” We heard a sigh of relief come from the other side of the radio. “Thank God I thought we were stranded out here.” Steward chuckled, “Don’t worry, sir, we thought we were too.” There was a moments of silence before the General responded, “You’re telling me you can't reach HQ either?” Steward took a deep breath, “No, you’re the first regiment we’ve been able to contact since at least four to five hours ago. It appears something is interfering with our communications.” Kopf Leiter let out an annoyed sigh. After a few more moments he finally replied, “Well alright, marine, we can play catch up later. Where are you and your men located?” Steward looked to Jenkins who was reading a map for an answer. Releasing the talk button he asked, “You heard the man, Jenkins, where are we located?” Jenkins looked up from the map, looking up at Captain Steward he said, “We’re right below them, sir.” :[-]: The sounds of gunshots and distant explosions began to gradually grow louder while we ran up the steps leading out of the plaza and back into the streets. “Alright, Marines,” The radio bleeped, “It appears that you guys will be arriving on Chambers Street am I correct?” General Leiter asked climbing up the last step I was hit by a wave of fresh air. I was blinded by the bright rays of the sun, despite our desperate time I was relieved that we were back on the surface. The thought that I might be able to return to Kyle again made me smile. Alright men, we move in five!” Steward said, raising the radio back up Captain Steward pressed the talk button and responded, “Yes sir, just outside of Bogardus Plaza.” “Perfect now I need...” My attention was taken away from the radio due to something poking me in the back. Turning around I saw the large African American Marine poking me in the back with a pure black U.S. Military assault rifle. Once he noticed he had my attention he twirled the gun in the air and dropped it, only to grab it by the barrel and hand it to me. “Here you go, little dude.” He said in a deep whisper. “Jesus Christ, Deshaun, you can’t just go around giving civilians weapons!” Jenkins hissed, Deshaun rolled his eyes and glared at Jenkins. “Like Hell I can, we need all the manpower we can get if we want to survive this.” Jenkins shook his head and sighed, “Well it’s your fault if he ends up shooting himself in the foot.” Reaching out I took the gun, once Deshaun let go of it I almost dropped it once I felt the full weight of the weapon. Deshaun chuckled, “Easy now don’t wanna drop it.” Raising the gun up I rested it on my right shoulder, looking at Nigel I said, “I think I’m able to walk on my own now.” Nigel raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure?” He asked I nodded my head, “Alright just take it easy will ya.” Taking my arm off the back of his neck I took a step back. Regaining my balance I brought the gun down and rested the barrel on my left palm. “What type of assault rifle is this?” I asked, “It’s a Colt M16A4,” Said Deshaun who was using his glove to wipe down his Light Machinegun. “It’s the standard U.S. Military weapon.” I stood there examining my new weapon slightly confused on how to use it. “Do you need help on using it?” Nigel asked resting his gun on his shoulder, which seemed to be the same gun but slightly smaller. “Well I know how to point and shoot it.” I said, “I shot one earlier and killed one of them rat things.” Nigel shrugged, “Sounds good enough for me... Hey do you still have that Beretta I gave you?” I sighed, “Well its back at Hooverville sitting on my desk.” Nigel smirked, “Well at least we didn’t lose it. Say did you ever find your brother?” He asked, “Well you’re just full of questions aren’t ya?” I chuckled; Nigel laughed and scratched the back of his head just under his helmet. “But yeah, I did find him thanks for asking.” Nigel made his way over to me. Looking back I noticed the fifth Marine, the one who’s been silent this whole time. Tapping Nigel on the shoulder I gestured towards the solemn looking soldier who had a large sniper rifle on his back and was holding a handgun in his right hand, “Who’s that?” I asked. “Him, oh that’s Pvt. Charlie Reaver. Poor lad just recently lost his brother down in the Metro Tunnels.” I glanced over at Nigel; the thought of me losing Kyle scared the living shit out of me. “Jesus that must have been hard for him,” Nigel nodded, “Charlie went fucking berserk down there. He started shooting at every single Surgeling he saw, he had to at least drop like ten of those mother fuckers with one handgun magazine.” “Alright, ladies,” shouted Captain Steward who was now placing the radio in his jacket. “I just got done talking to General Leiter.” “What did he say?” Asked Jenkins, “He said get your shit ready, we’re going into battle.” I stood there stunned, battle? We’re going to fucking battle!? I can’t go to war! I’m not a soldier I’m a fucking car insurance agent! What about Kyle, I can’t just leave him back at Hooverville what if I get killed in action. Jesus I don’t want to die on the battlefield, I’d rather die with my family then go out and die by the hands of the brutish ape or by the hooves of a pastel colored horse! Nigel poked me with the butt of his gun, “Whoa man are you okay?” He asked, “You look a little pale.” Shaking my head I glanced over at Nigel, the thing though that got me was that Nigel didn’t even look scared or terrified. It’s as if the thought of marching into battle didn’t even faze the man. Yet here I am practically pissing myself, I never even knew how to fire a gun until what, a week ago? And here I am now getting ready to get thrown into the midst of battle alongside other men. Fuck man I didn’t volunteer for this! “Alright, men, General Leiter has just informed me that us right now are behind enemy lines right as we speak. The thing is though all of the Surgeling resistance forces are over there at the One World Trade Center.” Captain Steward said pointing to the freakishly tall skyscraper that could easily be seen perfectly from where we stood. “Now right as we speak there is another large Surgeling force coming from the north down West Street,” Captain Steward brushed past us and made his way up Chambers street. The rest of us shared a glance with each other and shrugged, following Captain Steward he continued, “Further up this road we’re going to be taking a left,” We reached the end of the road glancing to the left Captain Steward pointed towards a large black building which I assume is at least forty to forty-five stories. “We are then going to Chase Bank.” “Why are we going to Chase Bank?” Deshaun asked Captain Steward smirked. “That’s where we’re going to establish an ambush, Pvt. Glass.” :[-]: My legs burned and my right shoulder flared with pain from the slash wound; we were sprinting down Greewhich St. towards the large chase bank. Every now and again Captain Steward would stop us and take cover behind a vehicle. After a few seconds he would motion for us to move on ahead, the weapon I was carrying didn’t help much with running at all either. The damn thing felt like it weighed a freaking ton after my arms grew sore. That’s probably what I get for quitting the gym a few years back. The sounds of urban warfare began to grow unbelievably loud, the sounds of machineguns and the pounding of cannons made my ears bleed. Nigel pointed out to me that the battle was literally happening just over those buildings to my left. While we sprinted down the middle of the road, I heard the sound of helicopter rotors. Memories of the helicopter crashing into the hotel brought back my inner fears; just above our heads came three black military transport helicopters. Despite seeing a crashing helicopter coming right at me, this was the lowest I ever seen a helicopter fly. It looked as if I could just reach out with my hand and touch it. I wasn’t going to try because I’d look like a fucking fool in front of the other soldiers. While gazing at the helicopters I didn’t notice the body of the dead Surgeling on the ground and I tripped. I cursed out loud and landed on the ground with thud, fuck how many times can I trip in one day? The soldiers in front of me stopped for a brief second, “Goddammit, civi,” Jenkins hissed, “We can’t have you fucking us up!” I glared at Jenkins; I could tell already I wasn’t going to like this man. Right as we speak this marine reminds me of my stuck up boss Mr. Preston, except for the fact he wasn’t English but still. Nigel ran towards me and took me by the wrist pulling me up; I decided to take a glance back at what I tripped on. As I turned to look I instantly regretted it, a small female pony laid on her side. She was fitted with what looked like parts of trash cans and some other items; on the side of her head was a large bullet hole. All the gore made me wanted to vomit; the look on her face was the worst of it. Shock...? Fear...? Could it even be both? For some odd reason it made me sick, sick to the core. This was the enemy for God’s sake! Yet why do I feel sympathy for this poor creature, was it because this creature probably had dreams and a life of her own? If none of this ever happened and I were to find this same pony on a farm or ranch dead. I probably wouldn’t feel anything for it, yet now... These things can talk and think, they’re not some dumb animal as we Humans made them out to be but- Nigel tugged on my shoulder, “Come on, rookie, we have a mission we need to carry out.” Looking into Nigel’s eyes I saw that he too felt sympathy for the pony. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath, “Yeah, I know come on.” We continued down the road, the sounds of warfare began to grow even more hectic. For once ever since the starting of this animal rebellion I was actually hoping that the eerie silence would return. Inside me I could feel my anxiety growing, the sounds of gunfire and screams of soldiers or even the Surgelings reached my ears. I felt as if I was back in that dark ethereal void and all those images of death and destruction were flying at me. Yet this time I was there, I was in one of those images, seeing all this death and destruction first hand. This wasn’t something that I could close my eyes and look away from, but instead this is something I could actually reach out and touch. I could feel everything I could hear everything; every shot that is fired, every command that is given, the pain from every bullet that hits flesh. This was Hell, this was no longer my home, instead this was a battlefield. I now realize that I’m no longer a car insurance agent, instead I’m a man who was plucked from his everyday life of filling out papers and placed behind enemy lines with his fellow comrades. Living out the rest of his life in fear that everyday could be his last; I’ll no longer be returning home and sitting down to watch T.V. Instead I’ll be returning back to my tent and eating M.R.Es and possibly talking about how I killed my first Surgeling. I was ripped out of my thoughts due to an explosion, “Incoming!” Shouted Deshaun who dove behind a car; above me came helicopter which was spiraling out of control. I felt somebody grab me by the shoulders and yank me back behind a wall of an alleyway. “Goddammit, Civi, this is no time to stand around!” Jenkins growled into my ear, across the street I could see Captain Steward yelling into the radio. Jenkins stuck his head around the corner to get a better look. I felt the ground shutter and loud explosion rocked my ears. “Jesus Christ!” Jenkins shouted, bringing his head back from around the corner he looked to me. “Fuck!” My heart raced and I felt my hairs stand on all ends. “What’s going on out there?” Jenkins chambered around in his gun and he took it off safety, “Fucking Surgelings that’s what’s going on! We must’ve been spotted or something,” Glancing back around the corner he quickly spun back around, “Shit!” Looking back at me he looked at the gun I was holding in my hand, “Have you ever fired one of those before?” He asked. Looking down at the gun in my hands, I looked back at Jenkins and shrugged, “I killed a Surgeling in the metro with a Carbine.” Rolling his eyes Jenkins shook his head, “As long as you know how to fucking use it we’re fine.” After taking another peek around the corner Jenkins turned to face me, “Alright, civi-” “I have a name you know-” Grabbing me by the shirt Jenkins pulled me in, “Does it really fucking matter right now, now what I need you to do is you see Captain Steward over there?” He said pointing his finger at large white truck across the street over there was Captain Steward and Nigel. I nodded my head, “Well I need you to run over there and help them lay down suppressing fire.” I looked at Jenkins as if he was mad man, “What if I get attacked?” I asked. “Don’t worry about I’ll cover you now when I count to three, I want you to run as fast as you fucking can.” Down the street I could hear the sounds of the Surgelings advancing in on us. “Hey,” Jenkins smacked me on the side of the head I flinched, “do you understand?” Placing a hand on the side of my head I nodded, “Y-yes.” “Alright, before we start I need to tell you this.” Jenkins looked me dead in the eyes, leaning in close he cracked a grin, “Don’t fuck up,” I smiled nervously not knowing what to expect. Right now even if Jenkins did cover me and I were to get caught, I would either end up back underground. Or be killed, it was still a likely chance I would live yet there is always that chance that I could fuck up and get myself killed. Jenkins raised an eyebrow, “You okay, man? You look a little pale.” I shook my head. “I’m fine,” I lied. “Alright,” Jenkins said, “I’m going to take one more peek, and when I count to three go,” I nodded my head, “Okay then, see you in Hell then.” Jenkins made his way back towards the corner of the wall. Raising his weapon slowly, he tilted his body around the corner. Looking down the sights he stood silent for a few moments, soon those moments turned to a minute. With my anxiety growing rapidly I couldn’t help myself but ask, “Is everything alright, Jenkins?” “I don’t know. They’re just kind of... standing there, like they’re waitin’ for something to happen.” He looked back towards me. “Come here. You gotta check this out,” he said. I took a deep breath and slowly made my way up to him, peeking around the corner I saw a large group of animals scattered about down the street. All of them just standing there, some looked up at the sky others just sat down and did nothing. As if they were waiting for something. Curious I took a glance at the sky to see what they’re looking at. But there was nothing just a blank, empty sky, not a single cloud to be seen. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it, but I knew something wasn’t right, the sounds of war on the other side of the buildings began to die down. The only thing that could be heard now was the quiet breaths coming from myself and Pvt. Jenkins. On the tenth day, on the first day of spring, they shall take to the skies. My eyes widened in fear as the realization has finally dawned on me, looking over at Captain Steward I saw that he was still talking into the radio. Looking back over at the ponies I got an idea, pushing off the wall I began sprinting across the road. “Jesus, Civi, you’re going to expose us!” Jenkins hissed, “Captain Steward!” I shouted. “I’m telling you, Sir, we’re cut off by a large group of them we can’t m-” Snatching the radio out of his hand I turned it off, “What the fuck are you doing, Civi.” “First off stop calling me civi I have a fucking name, secondly something big is about to fucking happen in... What time is it?” I looked over at Nigel who was staring at me with a confused expression, shaking his head he pulled back his sleeves so he could check his watch. “Eleven fifty-five,” he said. I shook my head. “Fuck! That means we have less than five minutes.” Captain Steward tore the radio out of my hand, “Civi-” “My name is Isaac,” I said getting frustrated, “we need to get off the streets right now. Call that General guy up and tell him to get his men inside right now!” I said running towards the nearest building. “Isaac, what the fuck are you talking about,” asked Nigel. “On the tenth day, on the first day of spring when the sun is at its highest, they will take to the skies!” I recited while I ran into an apartment complex. Nigel glanced around confused; getting up he followed me into the buildings, “Pvt. Rooker, get your ass back here right now that’s an order!” “With all due respect, Sir, I think we should listen to him!” :[-]: I honestly didn’t believe they would follow me in here, and honestly I could care less. As long as I live through this I’m okay with that, I know it sounds heartless but I need to find my brother and get the Hell out of here. After about a minute I found the stairwell leading up to the roof which was about twenty stories up. Pushing open the door I began making my way up the flight of seemingly endless stairs. Behind me I heard someone push open the door and follow me up, “Isaac! What the fuck were you doing back there you almost exposed us!” Shouted Pvt. Rooker. “Hey what time is it?” I shouted back down to him while I hopped up the steps by twos, I need to get a clear view on what the fuck is going to happen. “What?” Nigel asked. “I said, ‘what time is it?’” “Eleven fifty-eight? Why do you need to know?” I cursed under my breath and ignored Nigel’s question; I quickened my pace. I was fifteen stories when a large explosion caught my ears. The entire building shook when a pure green wave energy surged throughout the entire city. I stumbled over my footing and tripped up the stairs, I lunged out and grasped onto the railing preventing myself from falling. “What the fuck was that!?” Nigel gasped. “It’s starting, that’s what that was!” I said regaining my balance and began running up the steps. “Don’t you remember?! That’s the same light that came the first night!” I busted through the door that led to the roof, cool air brushing past me causing my hair and jacket to sway. I could hear the cries of not men but ponies, I ran to the edge of the building, looking down into the streets I saw some ponies on the ground crying out in agony. Nigel ran up behind me and peered over the edge to see what I was looking at, “What in God’s name is happening to them?” “They’re changing,” I muttered. I could see appendages began to sprout out of the backs of the poor creatures; feathers began to form along their newly developed limb. I stood there stunned by what I was looking at; I didn’t know what to say, “They’re getting stronger.” Right before me I was seeing evolution take its course, I don’t know if it was beautiful or downright disturbing. I couldn’t help myself but I actually cracked a smile, but as quickly as the smile came it left and was replaced by a frown. In the distance I heard a bestial roar, turning I could see the Hudson River. In the afternoon sun it was a beautiful sight, the way the river glistened in the light of the afternoon sun. Everything seemed to be at peace besides the black sky above it, massive beasts that were assumed to be of myth flew down onto the city. Large looming reptiles that could breathe fire torched the skyscrapers, gryphons, and I mean actual gryphons, flew down into the streets and began attacking soldiers. Machine gun fire erupted all around us, I could see tracer rounds and rockets fire up into the air only to explode. The once peaceful silence was once again replaced with the sounds of war, soldiers ran aimlessly in the streets below. Firing at anything that didn’t walk on two legs, others aimed upwards and fired without an official target. Behind Nigel and I we heard the door open and the rest of the marines came to join us, “Is it just me or are those fucking dinosaurs flying around out there!?” Shaun said. “Those aren’t dinosaurs,” I said, “Those are their reinforcements.” Steward came up next to me, looking out over the ruined city he muttered, “God help us all.”