Had a short story idea running through my head. No real plans for it but just needed it to get it down on paper I guess. Again I'm using my squad mates from Airsoft as the charcters.
Edited: 19/02/2014 Move story added
His feet were cold and sore and he was pretty sure they were bleeding as well. Anthony and his squad had been marching back to Durham for three days now. From their advantage point they could see the settlements approximant location some 10 miles east of them. He looked off at its direction and watched the small balls of light pulling insane manoeuvres in the sky above it. Tracer fire from the settlement rained into the black clouds above in the sky, back lit by the dipping sun set.
“All for f*cking nothing” Muttered Michael who had silently moved onto his commander’s flank. Anthony gave him a look and noticed the rest of the squad had moved up to the ridge alongside him. They all were looking at the fighting off in the distance with despair in their eyes.
Anth looked back in time to see the lights pull away from the area.
“Here we go” said Paul further down the line. His voice almost breaking as the words fell from his mouth.
They all knew what was happening next, and sure enough they didn’t have to wait long to find they were right. The dark clouds above where the base would have been lit up and then seconds later they clouds violently parted as an energy beam passed through them and decimated what had been their home for the last three years. The huge blue orb rose up into the air and kept its shape for thirty or so seconds before it dissipated. Even at this distance the lads could feel the heat on their faces gently warm them. The alien ‘Piledriver’ as it was nicknamed was shot from one of the many orbital bases. It had a similar destruction effect as a human nuke but with none of the radiation.
Anth felt as if he should cry, the families lost, his friends, they idea of a new start.
But he didn’t.
He like the rest of the world had lost so much he had become numb to it all.
He felt Michael nudge him and when he looked he was shot a glance to check out the line. Along it he saw all the squad handle it in their usual sombre manner, all except Jacob. He was crouched over and sobbing uncontrollably. Jacob was falling apart quick.
Broken more then most because he still had family in this war, or at least he had family to be more exact. The last of them had burned up just now in front of his eyes. The squad leader watched, still numb as David and Glenn tried to control Jacob and get him, his sh*t back together.
Anth turned back to where the settlement used to be. Now it was nothing but a tower of black smoke.
“Come on” he said coldly to his squad “we need to get a move on”.
“Excuse me gaffa, but a ‘move on’ to where exactly”? snapped Michael as he spun Anth to face him angrily.
All the young leader wanted to do was punch his second in command in the throat. Instead he shot him a look to indicate that if the older sergeant steps out of line again then Michael would be getting a pulse rifle butt to the head.
Michael knew he was out of line. Tensions were high, and he’s just watched his home obliterated by the enemy. It wasn’t even like it was his first or even fourth home destroyed. They were into the third wave of invasions at this point. He had seen enough loss, they all had.
All except Jacob had seen their loved ones killed in the first or second wave of invasions. The war had started back in the year 2000 with the first wave of attacks that lasted eight long years. Millions killed but it could have been worse, the aliens had concentrated their attacks on military and government locations. The general populous was left alone to a certain extent but not country was left un-targeted. After the eight years passed and with what looked like victory in their grasp they left as suddenly as they arrived. What followed was ten years of world peace, a first for humanity it felt. Instead of bickering and war mongering for once as a people we came together to rebuild and secure our planet in case they came back.
After a ten year break they returned.
In all the time until now not once have the aliens transmitted their intentions, their reasons for conflict. The second wave started in 2018 and unlike the first wave there were two great differences. Firstly we were better prepared. Technology stolen from the invaders was back engineered and put into production be it weapons, vehicles and new alloys. Even tech that was long repressed by corporations over the decades was freed up for general research and development. The second biggest difference was the alien’s tactics. No longer did they ignore the populous centres anymore. The loss of life was unprecedented, the enemy set up camp in high orbit and just pummelled us from there. And only then would they send their raiding parties to the surface.
Again for eight years the war raged.
There was no rhyme or reason to the war, no one could work out why they attacked or what their end goal was. In 2026 they left just as they had in 2008.
We knew we had only ten years to build.
The pattern was certain now. We were worse off then ever and were not going to be as prepared as we were the time between the first and second waves.
In 2036 they returned.
This would be the last wave for us.
“F*ck is he taking us now then”? Asked Andy at the back on the column. Adam just shrugged and turned back to the front.
“No idea why I’m asking you” he added in a joking manner. Back when they were younger and all friends at a sport called Airsoft Adam was a bubbly always talking character. But the war changed him like it changed so everyone else. With him he had made him mute for ten years now, his voice worked just fine but he just won’t use it. A doctor they once met said it was probably shell shock of some sort.
The column stopped suddenly.
They lads moved their heads to see what Anth was playing at. The commander still had his back to them but they could tell from his body language he was breaking down. Glenn moved up to him and gently put his arms over the lad’s shoulder.
“Howay mate, lets find shelter yes?” said Glenn softly.
Michael took out his well worn and battered AA Map and located what used to be a farm back in the day.
Sixty minutes later they found shelter in an old abandoned outbuilding near the ruins of the farm. Each man set up a basic look out and rested up. Anth had pulled himself together and apologised to his lads. Everyone told him to save it, there was no need to say sorry. They all felt as he did.
All except Jacob that is.
He had been asleep as soon as they arrived. The shock of losing the last of his family had taking its toil on him and he had passed out. Nick sat holding his Magshot rifle in the door way sat looking at him on the floor. He felt angry that Jacob was still half sobbing in his sleep, still angry that his friend had up until now had family when he himself had lost everyone back in the first wave. But mostly he was angry at himself for feeling that way.
Anth had sat back down opposite his number two, Michael.
The guy was in his mid fifties now and looked ready for the knackers yard. His gaze moved down to Michaels bare, dirty arms. There cut into his skin was the names of his two daughters lost in the earlier conflicts. This is what kept Michael fighting, his anger. The names were basically scar tissue now, it had been that long. A blood oath to avenge his daughters and kill every last alien he could get his hands on.
They all had their stories.
They all had their loss.
Mostly they all just wanted a way out, to end the pain.
It was dark a few hours later. Everyone was asleep and now one was on watch. Jacob was now stood in the middle of the room looking down in the dark at his friends. He has stripped to his basic clothes and piled his kit and pulse rifle in a neat pile. The only thing on him was his old SIG 226 pistol. There wasn’t much call for brass ammunition weapons these days but he had kept it as a good look charm. He smiled at his friends as he left the building.
No one woke up when the single gun shot went off.
Each man was so deeply in their dream world they didn’t find out their youngest friend killed himself until they woke the next morning.
Edited: 19/02/2014 Move story added
His feet were cold and sore and he was pretty sure they were bleeding as well. Anthony and his squad had been marching back to Durham for three days now. From their advantage point they could see the settlements approximant location some 10 miles east of them. He looked off at its direction and watched the small balls of light pulling insane manoeuvres in the sky above it. Tracer fire from the settlement rained into the black clouds above in the sky, back lit by the dipping sun set.
“All for f*cking nothing” Muttered Michael who had silently moved onto his commander’s flank. Anthony gave him a look and noticed the rest of the squad had moved up to the ridge alongside him. They all were looking at the fighting off in the distance with despair in their eyes.
Anth looked back in time to see the lights pull away from the area.
“Here we go” said Paul further down the line. His voice almost breaking as the words fell from his mouth.
They all knew what was happening next, and sure enough they didn’t have to wait long to find they were right. The dark clouds above where the base would have been lit up and then seconds later they clouds violently parted as an energy beam passed through them and decimated what had been their home for the last three years. The huge blue orb rose up into the air and kept its shape for thirty or so seconds before it dissipated. Even at this distance the lads could feel the heat on their faces gently warm them. The alien ‘Piledriver’ as it was nicknamed was shot from one of the many orbital bases. It had a similar destruction effect as a human nuke but with none of the radiation.
Anth felt as if he should cry, the families lost, his friends, they idea of a new start.
But he didn’t.
He like the rest of the world had lost so much he had become numb to it all.
He felt Michael nudge him and when he looked he was shot a glance to check out the line. Along it he saw all the squad handle it in their usual sombre manner, all except Jacob. He was crouched over and sobbing uncontrollably. Jacob was falling apart quick.
Broken more then most because he still had family in this war, or at least he had family to be more exact. The last of them had burned up just now in front of his eyes. The squad leader watched, still numb as David and Glenn tried to control Jacob and get him, his sh*t back together.
Anth turned back to where the settlement used to be. Now it was nothing but a tower of black smoke.
“Come on” he said coldly to his squad “we need to get a move on”.
“Excuse me gaffa, but a ‘move on’ to where exactly”? snapped Michael as he spun Anth to face him angrily.
All the young leader wanted to do was punch his second in command in the throat. Instead he shot him a look to indicate that if the older sergeant steps out of line again then Michael would be getting a pulse rifle butt to the head.
Michael knew he was out of line. Tensions were high, and he’s just watched his home obliterated by the enemy. It wasn’t even like it was his first or even fourth home destroyed. They were into the third wave of invasions at this point. He had seen enough loss, they all had.
All except Jacob had seen their loved ones killed in the first or second wave of invasions. The war had started back in the year 2000 with the first wave of attacks that lasted eight long years. Millions killed but it could have been worse, the aliens had concentrated their attacks on military and government locations. The general populous was left alone to a certain extent but not country was left un-targeted. After the eight years passed and with what looked like victory in their grasp they left as suddenly as they arrived. What followed was ten years of world peace, a first for humanity it felt. Instead of bickering and war mongering for once as a people we came together to rebuild and secure our planet in case they came back.
After a ten year break they returned.
In all the time until now not once have the aliens transmitted their intentions, their reasons for conflict. The second wave started in 2018 and unlike the first wave there were two great differences. Firstly we were better prepared. Technology stolen from the invaders was back engineered and put into production be it weapons, vehicles and new alloys. Even tech that was long repressed by corporations over the decades was freed up for general research and development. The second biggest difference was the alien’s tactics. No longer did they ignore the populous centres anymore. The loss of life was unprecedented, the enemy set up camp in high orbit and just pummelled us from there. And only then would they send their raiding parties to the surface.
Again for eight years the war raged.
There was no rhyme or reason to the war, no one could work out why they attacked or what their end goal was. In 2026 they left just as they had in 2008.
We knew we had only ten years to build.
The pattern was certain now. We were worse off then ever and were not going to be as prepared as we were the time between the first and second waves.
In 2036 they returned.
This would be the last wave for us.
“F*ck is he taking us now then”? Asked Andy at the back on the column. Adam just shrugged and turned back to the front.
“No idea why I’m asking you” he added in a joking manner. Back when they were younger and all friends at a sport called Airsoft Adam was a bubbly always talking character. But the war changed him like it changed so everyone else. With him he had made him mute for ten years now, his voice worked just fine but he just won’t use it. A doctor they once met said it was probably shell shock of some sort.
The column stopped suddenly.
They lads moved their heads to see what Anth was playing at. The commander still had his back to them but they could tell from his body language he was breaking down. Glenn moved up to him and gently put his arms over the lad’s shoulder.
“Howay mate, lets find shelter yes?” said Glenn softly.
Michael took out his well worn and battered AA Map and located what used to be a farm back in the day.
Sixty minutes later they found shelter in an old abandoned outbuilding near the ruins of the farm. Each man set up a basic look out and rested up. Anth had pulled himself together and apologised to his lads. Everyone told him to save it, there was no need to say sorry. They all felt as he did.
All except Jacob that is.
He had been asleep as soon as they arrived. The shock of losing the last of his family had taking its toil on him and he had passed out. Nick sat holding his Magshot rifle in the door way sat looking at him on the floor. He felt angry that Jacob was still half sobbing in his sleep, still angry that his friend had up until now had family when he himself had lost everyone back in the first wave. But mostly he was angry at himself for feeling that way.
Anth had sat back down opposite his number two, Michael.
The guy was in his mid fifties now and looked ready for the knackers yard. His gaze moved down to Michaels bare, dirty arms. There cut into his skin was the names of his two daughters lost in the earlier conflicts. This is what kept Michael fighting, his anger. The names were basically scar tissue now, it had been that long. A blood oath to avenge his daughters and kill every last alien he could get his hands on.
They all had their stories.
They all had their loss.
Mostly they all just wanted a way out, to end the pain.
It was dark a few hours later. Everyone was asleep and now one was on watch. Jacob was now stood in the middle of the room looking down in the dark at his friends. He has stripped to his basic clothes and piled his kit and pulse rifle in a neat pile. The only thing on him was his old SIG 226 pistol. There wasn’t much call for brass ammunition weapons these days but he had kept it as a good look charm. He smiled at his friends as he left the building.
No one woke up when the single gun shot went off.
Each man was so deeply in their dream world they didn’t find out their youngest friend killed himself until they woke the next morning.
I'll write more as it comes to me.
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