The Barracks (Epilogue)
It’s been a year now and things are starting to fall through where they should be, slowly solving like a puzzle. Trent and I moved in with each other in Chicago. He draws while I write. We even did a graphic novel together. Will’s become a police officer. He also helps the rookies in training. We’re still friends, but he lives in Denver. Ty had a demolition job (who would’ve thought?)And lives in Pittsburgh. He has an inner poet in him; I swear he has an inner poet in him. He sends me excellent writings.
As for Abe’s wife’s, she thanked me and said she could tell I cared about him a lot. She sent me a picture. I also got a picture of Jason from the army.
As for the war, we soon won after we attacked the base. We made a deep impact on the world, and they realized that everybody meant something- even the screw-ups in battalion 5.
Oh yeah, about the writing, I’m working on a book about my life in the army. I think I’m going to call it The Barracks.
End
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Departed
Somewhere across the world, somebody would be complaining about their dead end job whining about how things never work out for them, somebody would even try to take their life because it was ‘too much’. Today, I had to bury two of my closest friends and the worst part was, they’d be like all the others- a thirty second memorial on the 8 o’clock news. They deserved much more than that, but I knew in our memories and their families memories, Abe and Twitch would live forever.
We all lined up in our camouflage suits, awaiting the funeral of Abraham Rod Strauss and Jason Michael Dawn. I stood next to will and he seemed as upset as I was. Ty slowly approached the podium; a sad, silent clap followed his presence.
“Ladies and gentlemen, officers and grunts, here lies Abe Strauss and Jason Dawn- both of my closest friends. I don’t think they’d be in caskets if somebody helped us, but I don’t get paid to be unpatriotic.
Dead silence. Ty wiped the sweat away from his eyes.
“Abe and Jason where to of the bravest men I knew. And sometimes I think I didn’t try hard enough, but I can’t beat myself up anymore. Truth be told, those men were both an honor to serve no matter which battalion.”
Everybody cheered at the truth Ty projected. “Wish me luck.” Will said as he inched his way towards the dreaded podium. He seemed like he couldn’t speak. Finally he cleared his throat.
“… I wasn’t exactly best friends with Abe, but I respected him. After a fistfight we had, I apologized for my behavior. We had an understanding of each other after that. As for Tw… I’m sorry, Jason we had our laughter. I tried to comfort him, but he wasn’t cut out for war, he was cut out to be a teacher. I don’t know if anybody knows about this, but Jason was a quiet genius. He knew so much, he should’ve had a degree. And as for everybody else, I’m sorry if I left a bad impression. I didn’t mean to act as I did. Thank you.”
He walked off. It was me and Trent’s turn. We decided we’d share the mic.
“Abe was like a father to us.” I started. “And Jason was like a brother. We were all related not by blood, but by battalion.” Trent chimed in. “They both moved us and they were excellent soldiers. We were all moved deeply” My voice came back. “What we were trying to say is, Abe and Jason; friends, motivation, inspiration, and family of battalion five.
…
Abe and Jason were buried along with my scope, Will’s revolver, Ty’s detonator, Trent’s pen, and a full drawing of Optimus Prime. I haven’t let go yet, but that day made me feel so much better. I grabbed my pen and started writing.
To Mrs. Strauss & Family,
Somewhere across the world, somebody would be complaining about their dead end job whining about how things never work out for them, somebody would even try to take their life because it was ‘too much’. Today, I had to bury two of my closest friends and the worst part was, they’d be like all the others- a thirty second memorial on the 8 o’clock news. They deserved much more than that, but I knew in our memories and their families memories, Abe and Twitch would live forever.
We all lined up in our camouflage suits, awaiting the funeral of Abraham Rod Strauss and Jason Michael Dawn. I stood next to will and he seemed as upset as I was. Ty slowly approached the podium; a sad, silent clap followed his presence.
“Ladies and gentlemen, officers and grunts, here lies Abe Strauss and Jason Dawn- both of my closest friends. I don’t think they’d be in caskets if somebody helped us, but I don’t get paid to be unpatriotic.
Dead silence. Ty wiped the sweat away from his eyes.
“Abe and Jason where to of the bravest men I knew. And sometimes I think I didn’t try hard enough, but I can’t beat myself up anymore. Truth be told, those men were both an honor to serve no matter which battalion.”
Everybody cheered at the truth Ty projected. “Wish me luck.” Will said as he inched his way towards the dreaded podium. He seemed like he couldn’t speak. Finally he cleared his throat.
“… I wasn’t exactly best friends with Abe, but I respected him. After a fistfight we had, I apologized for my behavior. We had an understanding of each other after that. As for Tw… I’m sorry, Jason we had our laughter. I tried to comfort him, but he wasn’t cut out for war, he was cut out to be a teacher. I don’t know if anybody knows about this, but Jason was a quiet genius. He knew so much, he should’ve had a degree. And as for everybody else, I’m sorry if I left a bad impression. I didn’t mean to act as I did. Thank you.”
He walked off. It was me and Trent’s turn. We decided we’d share the mic.
“Abe was like a father to us.” I started. “And Jason was like a brother. We were all related not by blood, but by battalion.” Trent chimed in. “They both moved us and they were excellent soldiers. We were all moved deeply” My voice came back. “What we were trying to say is, Abe and Jason; friends, motivation, inspiration, and family of battalion five.
…
Abe and Jason were buried along with my scope, Will’s revolver, Ty’s detonator, Trent’s pen, and a full drawing of Optimus Prime. I haven’t let go yet, but that day made me feel so much better. I grabbed my pen and started writing.
To Mrs. Strauss & Family,
Bittersweet
I picked myself up and limped down there as fast as I could. “We won!” I yelled. “We won!” But it seemed my other comrades weren’t as happy as I was when I reached the charred ground zero. Trent was praying, Ty was resting his head on his hands, Will was crying.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Abe and Twitch...they…”
“They what?!” Confusion and disbelief drove me to ask, but I already knew.
“They died Andrew.”
I stood there phased. They tried to comfort me, but it didn’t work. I couldn’t breathe. I felt so numb. Me and what was left of my team stared at blood a drenched valley, chewing on our bitter-sweet victory. That’s when we realized the win wasn’t worth it- the Militant’s Warranty was right.
I later found out that Twitch had been stabbed before the explosion and Abe was shot in the head. It was pretty hard to hear. We’re going home in a month so we each decided to do something. Trent finished his mural, Ty wrote farewell letters (which I didn’t have the strength to do), and Will arranged for them to get war hero medals to get buried with. I myself, decided to write the 6th rule for the ‘Mil’. I hesitated for a minute before I wrote on the paper.
6. Win or lose, a piece of your soul will always remain in the barracks
Andrew Compton 2032
“Hey.” Trent walked in and sat next to me.
“Hi.” I said back.
“I can’t believe Twitch died” He said.
“I can.” I stated. First I thought Twitch was just a war hero for being so brave, but now it seems like he just wanted to die, but I don’t want anybody to think badly of him.”
“True.”
“I miss Abe.”
“Me too
A long pause left us both open, the deaths made us feel both exposed.
“You know, when I was out there, I thought I was going to die. So I prayed for us all to make it. But you know what? I think it was their time, and out there was where they belonged.
“True.” I said.
I picked myself up and limped down there as fast as I could. “We won!” I yelled. “We won!” But it seemed my other comrades weren’t as happy as I was when I reached the charred ground zero. Trent was praying, Ty was resting his head on his hands, Will was crying.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Abe and Twitch...they…”
“They what?!” Confusion and disbelief drove me to ask, but I already knew.
“They died Andrew.”
I stood there phased. They tried to comfort me, but it didn’t work. I couldn’t breathe. I felt so numb. Me and what was left of my team stared at blood a drenched valley, chewing on our bitter-sweet victory. That’s when we realized the win wasn’t worth it- the Militant’s Warranty was right.
I later found out that Twitch had been stabbed before the explosion and Abe was shot in the head. It was pretty hard to hear. We’re going home in a month so we each decided to do something. Trent finished his mural, Ty wrote farewell letters (which I didn’t have the strength to do), and Will arranged for them to get war hero medals to get buried with. I myself, decided to write the 6th rule for the ‘Mil’. I hesitated for a minute before I wrote on the paper.
6. Win or lose, a piece of your soul will always remain in the barracks
Andrew Compton 2032
“Hey.” Trent walked in and sat next to me.
“Hi.” I said back.
“I can’t believe Twitch died” He said.
“I can.” I stated. First I thought Twitch was just a war hero for being so brave, but now it seems like he just wanted to die, but I don’t want anybody to think badly of him.”
“True.”
“I miss Abe.”
“Me too
A long pause left us both open, the deaths made us feel both exposed.
“You know, when I was out there, I thought I was going to die. So I prayed for us all to make it. But you know what? I think it was their time, and out there was where they belonged.
“True.” I said.
7. Takeover
There it was- the second of ten bases Mexico had (we destroyed one). American soil taken by South American soldiers, It didn’t matter what nationality they were from, where they were from, this was proving ground.
We crept down to the camp and checked our materials. “You ready?” Abe asked. We all nodded and Ty lobbed a grenade on top of a tent. Boom! Whoever came out, we pulped with bullets. We never stopped moving, we never stopped shooting. Eventually I just saw a blur of us firing. I forgot how many lives I stole, how many clips I empty, how many tents we’ve burned. I don’t think I want to remember something so painful. While I shot, I fantasized of being a hero. With a kill count of 56, I’d get a badge and everybody would give me congrats.
But it wasn’t like that. Instead, we’re walking through a maze of tents and I hear a gunshot. Trent shoots behind me and then says “Oh my god.” Trent whispers to Abe and they look at me. “What?” Abe looked down. “You’re bleeding son.” He was right. I looked down and saw a couple small holes in my leg. I must have been in shock because I told them I was fine. I tried walking and looked at my leg. It was bleeding profusely what looked like a shotgun injury. After four steps, I fell. My eyes slowly shut.
I heard voices.
“Wrap his leg!”
“Let’s go! Let’s go!”
I got picked up.
Fifteen minutes later, I got put back on the floor. I sat up. They had put me on a hill a short distance away. I couldn’t move my leg. I took my tripod out and drew the sniper rifle from my back. I rested it in the tripod and looked through the scope.
I could see parts of my squad fighting. I could see Will blowing people away with a revolver and a smg. Somebody popped out in front of him. I picked him off with my rifle which left a look of shock on Will’s face. Then he identified me on the hill and mouthed ‘Thank you.’ We were neutral now.
I saw Trent holding the crucifix in his hand tightly again. I could just tell he didn’t want to be there. I shot nearby enemies. And finally, I saw Ty yelling at everybody and shooting an M-16. I felt movement in my leg. I pulled out my med-kit and started working on it. Thirty seconds later, I saw and explosion. I hurried to the sniper rifle and looked. Ty had set an explosion off. The air was stagnant and I saw most of my crew left. We had won!
There it was- the second of ten bases Mexico had (we destroyed one). American soil taken by South American soldiers, It didn’t matter what nationality they were from, where they were from, this was proving ground.
We crept down to the camp and checked our materials. “You ready?” Abe asked. We all nodded and Ty lobbed a grenade on top of a tent. Boom! Whoever came out, we pulped with bullets. We never stopped moving, we never stopped shooting. Eventually I just saw a blur of us firing. I forgot how many lives I stole, how many clips I empty, how many tents we’ve burned. I don’t think I want to remember something so painful. While I shot, I fantasized of being a hero. With a kill count of 56, I’d get a badge and everybody would give me congrats.
But it wasn’t like that. Instead, we’re walking through a maze of tents and I hear a gunshot. Trent shoots behind me and then says “Oh my god.” Trent whispers to Abe and they look at me. “What?” Abe looked down. “You’re bleeding son.” He was right. I looked down and saw a couple small holes in my leg. I must have been in shock because I told them I was fine. I tried walking and looked at my leg. It was bleeding profusely what looked like a shotgun injury. After four steps, I fell. My eyes slowly shut.
I heard voices.
“Wrap his leg!”
“Let’s go! Let’s go!”
I got picked up.
Fifteen minutes later, I got put back on the floor. I sat up. They had put me on a hill a short distance away. I couldn’t move my leg. I took my tripod out and drew the sniper rifle from my back. I rested it in the tripod and looked through the scope.
I could see parts of my squad fighting. I could see Will blowing people away with a revolver and a smg. Somebody popped out in front of him. I picked him off with my rifle which left a look of shock on Will’s face. Then he identified me on the hill and mouthed ‘Thank you.’ We were neutral now.
I saw Trent holding the crucifix in his hand tightly again. I could just tell he didn’t want to be there. I shot nearby enemies. And finally, I saw Ty yelling at everybody and shooting an M-16. I felt movement in my leg. I pulled out my med-kit and started working on it. Thirty seconds later, I saw and explosion. I hurried to the sniper rifle and looked. Ty had set an explosion off. The air was stagnant and I saw most of my crew left. We had won!
6. Retaliation
We’ve never woken up peacefully, but this day was different for the worst.
As I was sleeping I dreamed. I dreamed my mother wasn’t an alcoholic. I dreamed my sister came home the day she ran away; I dreamed I had a dad. Everything was right. Then I woke up and looked at my cot, my rifle next to me, and the endless sand outside, and my dreams died.
Tink Tink I heard. I got that feeling of your gut tightening when you’re in trouble. Because that noise is a noise a soldier can’t mistake for anything else… it was a hand grenade.
BOOM! I heard an explosion downstairs. I grabbed my weapons and went to the stairwell. A swarm of South American soldiers flooded through a hole through our wall. The one who threw the hand grenade was using the door as cover. I shot him in the shoulder as soon as he leaned over. “Guys!” I screamed, calling for help. They all charged down and I dropped to the floor to avoid their fire. All I could see were legs, so I started shooting at their shins. As one of them had to reload, I rolled down the steps with my shoulder and started picking more off.
The mob showed resiliency, but eventually, it subsided into nothing. After that, we hurried outside, tripping on dead bodies. When we walked outside, we saw a cargo truck we knew had to be filled with soldiers. We didn’t have enough bullets to fight them all off, but then, I remembered something that would help us fight them.
Remote in his hand, two land mines forty feet away.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m waiting,”
“Waiting for them.”
“Ty!” I yelled. “Those mines you planted! Where’s the remote.” It took him a minute, but when he understood. On his belt were numerous remotes. He grabbed a handheld one with a green button. He waited until the truck was forty feet away. “Three…two… one.” He counted down. Click The mines sent the cargo truck spinning until it eventually flipped over. It stopped. Abe put his hand up, signaling for us to wait. He slowly walked towards the truck aiming at the back. I held my breathe, hoping nothing would happen to Abe, or anybody else here. He fired in the back of the truck, with a semi-automatic-sounding combat shotgun. He eventually signaled we could move.
“Where are we going?” Twitch asked. Abe turned around. “Honestly, I don’t know. Trent held a crucifix in his hand, praying, and thanking god for keeping us all alive. Abe pulled out a walkie-talkie “Come in all battalions.” He called in. “Rodger” repeated by the other four battalions. “We’ve taken fire, need assistance.” He begged. “What battalion?” One asked. “Battalion five.” Abe responded regretfully. Silence. “Hello? Hello?” Abe checked. No response- they didn’t want to deal with failures. Abe cursed and threw the walkie-talkie, he didn’t need it anymore.
We were stuck, alone, and we all knew it, but we couldn’t give up. Abe stood on the top of the cargo truck, his height making him tower over us even more. “Alright men, we may be the worst of the bunch, but I don’t give a damn. I think we should make a name for ourselves. We should address the fighting fearlessly, because to them, we’re already dead! Whoever wants to help give battalion five a good name and seek vengeance on these South American soldiers, follow me!
We all cheered, marching toward South American territory. I felt infinite.
We’ve never woken up peacefully, but this day was different for the worst.
As I was sleeping I dreamed. I dreamed my mother wasn’t an alcoholic. I dreamed my sister came home the day she ran away; I dreamed I had a dad. Everything was right. Then I woke up and looked at my cot, my rifle next to me, and the endless sand outside, and my dreams died.
Tink Tink I heard. I got that feeling of your gut tightening when you’re in trouble. Because that noise is a noise a soldier can’t mistake for anything else… it was a hand grenade.
BOOM! I heard an explosion downstairs. I grabbed my weapons and went to the stairwell. A swarm of South American soldiers flooded through a hole through our wall. The one who threw the hand grenade was using the door as cover. I shot him in the shoulder as soon as he leaned over. “Guys!” I screamed, calling for help. They all charged down and I dropped to the floor to avoid their fire. All I could see were legs, so I started shooting at their shins. As one of them had to reload, I rolled down the steps with my shoulder and started picking more off.
The mob showed resiliency, but eventually, it subsided into nothing. After that, we hurried outside, tripping on dead bodies. When we walked outside, we saw a cargo truck we knew had to be filled with soldiers. We didn’t have enough bullets to fight them all off, but then, I remembered something that would help us fight them.
Remote in his hand, two land mines forty feet away.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m waiting,”
“Waiting for them.”
“Ty!” I yelled. “Those mines you planted! Where’s the remote.” It took him a minute, but when he understood. On his belt were numerous remotes. He grabbed a handheld one with a green button. He waited until the truck was forty feet away. “Three…two… one.” He counted down. Click The mines sent the cargo truck spinning until it eventually flipped over. It stopped. Abe put his hand up, signaling for us to wait. He slowly walked towards the truck aiming at the back. I held my breathe, hoping nothing would happen to Abe, or anybody else here. He fired in the back of the truck, with a semi-automatic-sounding combat shotgun. He eventually signaled we could move.
“Where are we going?” Twitch asked. Abe turned around. “Honestly, I don’t know. Trent held a crucifix in his hand, praying, and thanking god for keeping us all alive. Abe pulled out a walkie-talkie “Come in all battalions.” He called in. “Rodger” repeated by the other four battalions. “We’ve taken fire, need assistance.” He begged. “What battalion?” One asked. “Battalion five.” Abe responded regretfully. Silence. “Hello? Hello?” Abe checked. No response- they didn’t want to deal with failures. Abe cursed and threw the walkie-talkie, he didn’t need it anymore.
We were stuck, alone, and we all knew it, but we couldn’t give up. Abe stood on the top of the cargo truck, his height making him tower over us even more. “Alright men, we may be the worst of the bunch, but I don’t give a damn. I think we should make a name for ourselves. We should address the fighting fearlessly, because to them, we’re already dead! Whoever wants to help give battalion five a good name and seek vengeance on these South American soldiers, follow me!
We all cheered, marching toward South American territory. I felt infinite.
5. Dominance
The next day Twitch was fine. “Just a flesh wound.” Ty told us. We sat outside and talked. I had a question on my mind. “Twitch, why do you shake so much when you feel or hear rockets?” I paused. It had evoked something in him. “When I was twelve…My father stepped on a landmine. I had a bit off a seizure.” He looked at me through his thick-rimmed glasses. “Whenever I feel the ground shake, I think of the old war site we lived on, I think of the day I witnessed my dad’s death.” He put a lot of effort in refusing to tear up. “I’m sorry” was all I could say.
Then we felt our pins vibrate. I looked at it and it was glowing. Everybody came outside as we looked at each other’s ranks.
Twitch: The Brave {Two stars}
Trent: Reinforcement {Two stars}
Will: General {Five stars}
Ty: Ballistics expert {Two Stars}
Our ranks changed. I stared at mine.
Valiant {Three Stars}
I was surprised. With all the panics, the skirmishes, I was a soldier that belonged here.
As everybody saw my badge, I felt like I got everybody’s approval. But as they continued to examine each other’s merits, I saw something moving in the distance. I felt under my shirt for the string that was attached to it and pulled out my sniper rifle scope. I peered through the scope to see a tall man whose head touched the roof of the van.
I rose and started sprinting towards the van (which was now was veering in a controlled-type-manner), yelling his old squad leaders name. “Abe! Abe!” When people heard the name, they started following me. “Stop!” Twitch yelled at those pursuing me. “This is going to be their Kodak® moment” They stopped to let me greet the man I saved.
As soon as Abe got out, my emotions took over me and I hugged him as tight as I could. He patted my back to reassure me he was there for me. “How ya doin kid?” I snapped back to reality and let go of him. “Whoa! I yelled. “You have mechanical legs!” I felt stupid for pointing out the apparent. He ignored the rudeness of the question and said: “Come on kid, let’s take a walk.”
“So I was in the hospital, and bright lights were being shined on me daily, so then I signed something and woke up with robotic legs. But hey, it’s the 230’s right?” He plugged the generation’s nickname.
“They’re cool.” He addressed the legs.
“Yeah, if you press a button, it bends back, like the mech legs on old Japanese anime’s. Speaking of which, does Twitch still talk about Star Wars and Gundam’s and stuff like that?”
“Yeah”
“Oh man, he’s gonna be so jealous of me.”
We laughed for a minute, but then the atmosphere became humorless.
“Did you write you write the letter?” Abe asked.
“To who?” I asked.
“My family.”
“Oh…no.” I said feeling at fault.
“Why not?”
“For some reason… I though you’d be back.”
“Well, you sholda’ done it anyway. Just in case.”
We kept walking until we reached the base. Everybody seemed to give warm welcomes except one. After he complimented Trent’s picture, he addressed us all. “Alright team, fir…”
“Stand down soldier!” A voice emerged- Will’s voice.
“Excuse me?” Abe approached him.
“I’m the leader now.” He pointed to his pin with a smug look of confidence. That’s when Abe pointed to his. “I’m a general. So I believe you’re the one who should be standing down.” He turned around to discuss matters with us again. Will snapped back. “Bullshit, you haven’t done anything since you lost your legs. They probably just felt bad for the crippled.” We were all hushed in tension as a strange look of desolation, rage, and pain crossed Abe’s face all at once. Then he erupted. Turning around, he swiftly struck Will in the face. Will retaliated with a headlock and returned blows to Abe. We all broke into an uncontrolled screaming as they continued to fight. Eventually, Abe broke free and kicked Will down, taking the fight to the floor. As the fight continued, blood started coming down Will’s face. “I’m not a crippled! I’m not a crippled! Abe yelled, perhaps, disturbed with the cruel truth.
Bam!
Trent shot in the air, demanding everybody’s attention. “Do you see what’s happening?! Do you see what this war’s doing?! It’s turned us against each other! Over a rank?!” His voice starting breaking as he started tearing up. He walked away from us- seemingly ashamed. “This is supposed to be a reunion.” He said, slamming the door behind him. As Abe went to comfort him, his metal leg kicked against Will’s ribs.
The next day Twitch was fine. “Just a flesh wound.” Ty told us. We sat outside and talked. I had a question on my mind. “Twitch, why do you shake so much when you feel or hear rockets?” I paused. It had evoked something in him. “When I was twelve…My father stepped on a landmine. I had a bit off a seizure.” He looked at me through his thick-rimmed glasses. “Whenever I feel the ground shake, I think of the old war site we lived on, I think of the day I witnessed my dad’s death.” He put a lot of effort in refusing to tear up. “I’m sorry” was all I could say.
Then we felt our pins vibrate. I looked at it and it was glowing. Everybody came outside as we looked at each other’s ranks.
Twitch: The Brave {Two stars}
Trent: Reinforcement {Two stars}
Will: General {Five stars}
Ty: Ballistics expert {Two Stars}
Our ranks changed. I stared at mine.
Valiant {Three Stars}
I was surprised. With all the panics, the skirmishes, I was a soldier that belonged here.
As everybody saw my badge, I felt like I got everybody’s approval. But as they continued to examine each other’s merits, I saw something moving in the distance. I felt under my shirt for the string that was attached to it and pulled out my sniper rifle scope. I peered through the scope to see a tall man whose head touched the roof of the van.
I rose and started sprinting towards the van (which was now was veering in a controlled-type-manner), yelling his old squad leaders name. “Abe! Abe!” When people heard the name, they started following me. “Stop!” Twitch yelled at those pursuing me. “This is going to be their Kodak® moment” They stopped to let me greet the man I saved.
As soon as Abe got out, my emotions took over me and I hugged him as tight as I could. He patted my back to reassure me he was there for me. “How ya doin kid?” I snapped back to reality and let go of him. “Whoa! I yelled. “You have mechanical legs!” I felt stupid for pointing out the apparent. He ignored the rudeness of the question and said: “Come on kid, let’s take a walk.”
“So I was in the hospital, and bright lights were being shined on me daily, so then I signed something and woke up with robotic legs. But hey, it’s the 230’s right?” He plugged the generation’s nickname.
“They’re cool.” He addressed the legs.
“Yeah, if you press a button, it bends back, like the mech legs on old Japanese anime’s. Speaking of which, does Twitch still talk about Star Wars and Gundam’s and stuff like that?”
“Yeah”
“Oh man, he’s gonna be so jealous of me.”
We laughed for a minute, but then the atmosphere became humorless.
“Did you write you write the letter?” Abe asked.
“To who?” I asked.
“My family.”
“Oh…no.” I said feeling at fault.
“Why not?”
“For some reason… I though you’d be back.”
“Well, you sholda’ done it anyway. Just in case.”
We kept walking until we reached the base. Everybody seemed to give warm welcomes except one. After he complimented Trent’s picture, he addressed us all. “Alright team, fir…”
“Stand down soldier!” A voice emerged- Will’s voice.
“Excuse me?” Abe approached him.
“I’m the leader now.” He pointed to his pin with a smug look of confidence. That’s when Abe pointed to his. “I’m a general. So I believe you’re the one who should be standing down.” He turned around to discuss matters with us again. Will snapped back. “Bullshit, you haven’t done anything since you lost your legs. They probably just felt bad for the crippled.” We were all hushed in tension as a strange look of desolation, rage, and pain crossed Abe’s face all at once. Then he erupted. Turning around, he swiftly struck Will in the face. Will retaliated with a headlock and returned blows to Abe. We all broke into an uncontrolled screaming as they continued to fight. Eventually, Abe broke free and kicked Will down, taking the fight to the floor. As the fight continued, blood started coming down Will’s face. “I’m not a crippled! I’m not a crippled! Abe yelled, perhaps, disturbed with the cruel truth.
Bam!
Trent shot in the air, demanding everybody’s attention. “Do you see what’s happening?! Do you see what this war’s doing?! It’s turned us against each other! Over a rank?!” His voice starting breaking as he started tearing up. He walked away from us- seemingly ashamed. “This is supposed to be a reunion.” He said, slamming the door behind him. As Abe went to comfort him, his metal leg kicked against Will’s ribs.
4. New
The next day I walked outside and saw Ty. He sat there with a remote in his hand, two land mines forty feet away. He was seemed zoned out. I sat next to him. “What are you doing?” I asked. He sat still. “I’m waiting,” He said. “Waiting for them.” I paused. “They’re not coming, we’re going to them.” It seemed to encourage him to fight. He got up and we both went back inside.
A lot of stuff has changed since Abe left. Me and Trent have become best friends. He draws pictures and stuff, and I write stories based on what I see. I’m okay I guess. Twitch acts more paranoid. I try to comfort him, but it usually doesn’t work. Still he has a reputation to be the best solider out of all of us. And Will has become the leader. We don’t know what happened, he just adopted it. I don’t like him. No one can replace Abe.
As soon as me and Ty walk in, Will gets up. “Alright, today we’re doing what we Adid a week ago: observing, taking pictures.” Now Trent, Andrew, Twitch, your team 1, Me and Ty are team two.
“What are you guys doing?” Twitch asked Will.
“You’ll see what we’re gonna be doing. Come on Ty.”
They headed out. We all looked at each other for a second. I shrugged and we left. We gad the camera, we took the pictures. It wasn’t hard, but the stealth would be a challenge.
“How far are we?” Trent asked tiredly. I looked at the watch. “About ten minutes away.” He seemed relieved. “You know the children of 2032 are supposed to be he ‘Generation of Regression’. Twitch randomly added, half- mocking the quote. We all knew it was true though. I still felt insulted though, all the fighting we do that could potentially change the world if we lose and they just spit in our faces.
I stared in the distance for a minute. “Is that…” I started. We hid from two enemy troopers. “What are we gonna do?” Twitch asked. Trent pulled his glock from his holster and dived sideways.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
I looked to where he dove. Trent wasn’t there. Did he die? I poked my head out to see Trent standing over two enemies. “Generation of Regression huh?”
We were quick to leave, knowing somebody would find those two. Trent and Twitch held their weapons up while I kept my pistol to the side. “Trent, I didn’t think you would do something like that. I said while we ran. He turned around, looking deep into my eyes. “War changes people.” I understood.
We finally stopped. We had an overview of a tiny village, constructed by dozens of green tents and small fires with pots and pans next to it. We could hear Trent zoom and snap the pictures as he lay down to get a better view. Twitch started to shake.
“Twitch, are you okay?” I asked.
“I can’t take this anymore.” He twitched.
“What?”
“I gotta do it for Abe.” He looked at me with guilt before he said…
“I’m sorry Andrew.” I was puzzled.
Within seconds, Twitch jumped onto the hill in front of us, and started scaling down to the enemy base. “Twitch!” I yelled. “Twitch!” The nervousness made me feel dizzy. “Damn!” I paused. I reached for my radio and called in. “Yes, I need an air strike in fifteen minutes at these coordinates…” Trent stared at me like I was crazy. I was. “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.” I started climbing down. “Andrew!” Trent called. I turned around. He threw his glock 18 at me. I tossed my sniper rifle. A fair trade (and something he could bury me with if I die).
As soon as I got there, I could hear the burst of Twitch’s SMG. I stealthily weaved through the tents, trying to find him. Eventually, I did. He was surrounded by five soldiers in a line, playing with him as cats do with mice.
“Any last requests?”
One asked. I crept behind them and in front of Twitch. He saw me, but played cool. “Duck!” He did and I stood up. I gunned down the five soldiers. They all fell down and Twitch started spitting on them. “Twitch, we gotta go!” I said. “Why?” he asked. “Because I ordered an air strike!” His eyes grew wide open and we started running.
“Come on Twitch, we’re almost there!”
He started to moan. “Andrew I’m…”
Bang!
He was interrupted by a shot that pierced through his shoulder. He looks at it, but keeps running. “Twitch!” I tried stopping him. “I’m fine! Just keep run…keep” He fainted, but I grabbed him into a fireman’s carry before he even touched the floor. Rat Tat Tat! I blind fired behind me as I try to run with Twitch on my shoulders. “Where are you guys?” Ty asked on the radio. I responded, holding my walkie-talkie in one hand, just barely holding Twitch. “At the enemy base”
“WHAT!” I heard on the receiving end.
“It’s a long story.” I tried not to put the blame on my fallen comrade. Behind me I heard a group of enemies grouping. “Incoming.” Ty warned. Whoosh! I heard it was one of Ty’s rockets. I .The ground shook as the impact of an explosion and shrapnel hit our enemies. Twitch almost went into a seizure. I kept going. “Thanks.” I wish I knew where he was. Rat tat tattatattta tat! Twitch’s body stiffened as he fired his smg then went limp. I turned real quick and saw he picked off the rest of the surviving enemies. I admired his perseverance. I escaped the base twenty seconds later and witnessed the most incredible thing I ever saw- what Will and Ty set up.
“Turn around.” Ty instructed. I did to see an explosion make the ground shoot up look a geyser. Several more of them exploded, eventually causing the whole base to implode.
“Beautiful.” Ty did a fake cry through the radio. “Beautiful.”
“Damn straight.” I said. “Meet me at the base.”
When I got back, my shoulders were so sore that I couldn’t tend to Twitch’s wounds, but at least I could say I had taken out the bullet and stopped the bleeding.
Trent went into the base and got some spray paint cans to do a mural on the wall of the Barrack. An hour he had Battalion 5: The Base written and an outline of a gas mask. He also had a tall outline. We all knew who it was.
“You don’t belong here; you belong in an art gallery or something.” I told him. “I know.” He said depressed.
The next day I walked outside and saw Ty. He sat there with a remote in his hand, two land mines forty feet away. He was seemed zoned out. I sat next to him. “What are you doing?” I asked. He sat still. “I’m waiting,” He said. “Waiting for them.” I paused. “They’re not coming, we’re going to them.” It seemed to encourage him to fight. He got up and we both went back inside.
A lot of stuff has changed since Abe left. Me and Trent have become best friends. He draws pictures and stuff, and I write stories based on what I see. I’m okay I guess. Twitch acts more paranoid. I try to comfort him, but it usually doesn’t work. Still he has a reputation to be the best solider out of all of us. And Will has become the leader. We don’t know what happened, he just adopted it. I don’t like him. No one can replace Abe.
As soon as me and Ty walk in, Will gets up. “Alright, today we’re doing what we Adid a week ago: observing, taking pictures.” Now Trent, Andrew, Twitch, your team 1, Me and Ty are team two.
“What are you guys doing?” Twitch asked Will.
“You’ll see what we’re gonna be doing. Come on Ty.”
They headed out. We all looked at each other for a second. I shrugged and we left. We gad the camera, we took the pictures. It wasn’t hard, but the stealth would be a challenge.
“How far are we?” Trent asked tiredly. I looked at the watch. “About ten minutes away.” He seemed relieved. “You know the children of 2032 are supposed to be he ‘Generation of Regression’. Twitch randomly added, half- mocking the quote. We all knew it was true though. I still felt insulted though, all the fighting we do that could potentially change the world if we lose and they just spit in our faces.
I stared in the distance for a minute. “Is that…” I started. We hid from two enemy troopers. “What are we gonna do?” Twitch asked. Trent pulled his glock from his holster and dived sideways.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
I looked to where he dove. Trent wasn’t there. Did he die? I poked my head out to see Trent standing over two enemies. “Generation of Regression huh?”
We were quick to leave, knowing somebody would find those two. Trent and Twitch held their weapons up while I kept my pistol to the side. “Trent, I didn’t think you would do something like that. I said while we ran. He turned around, looking deep into my eyes. “War changes people.” I understood.
We finally stopped. We had an overview of a tiny village, constructed by dozens of green tents and small fires with pots and pans next to it. We could hear Trent zoom and snap the pictures as he lay down to get a better view. Twitch started to shake.
“Twitch, are you okay?” I asked.
“I can’t take this anymore.” He twitched.
“What?”
“I gotta do it for Abe.” He looked at me with guilt before he said…
“I’m sorry Andrew.” I was puzzled.
Within seconds, Twitch jumped onto the hill in front of us, and started scaling down to the enemy base. “Twitch!” I yelled. “Twitch!” The nervousness made me feel dizzy. “Damn!” I paused. I reached for my radio and called in. “Yes, I need an air strike in fifteen minutes at these coordinates…” Trent stared at me like I was crazy. I was. “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.” I started climbing down. “Andrew!” Trent called. I turned around. He threw his glock 18 at me. I tossed my sniper rifle. A fair trade (and something he could bury me with if I die).
As soon as I got there, I could hear the burst of Twitch’s SMG. I stealthily weaved through the tents, trying to find him. Eventually, I did. He was surrounded by five soldiers in a line, playing with him as cats do with mice.
“Any last requests?”
One asked. I crept behind them and in front of Twitch. He saw me, but played cool. “Duck!” He did and I stood up. I gunned down the five soldiers. They all fell down and Twitch started spitting on them. “Twitch, we gotta go!” I said. “Why?” he asked. “Because I ordered an air strike!” His eyes grew wide open and we started running.
“Come on Twitch, we’re almost there!”
He started to moan. “Andrew I’m…”
Bang!
He was interrupted by a shot that pierced through his shoulder. He looks at it, but keeps running. “Twitch!” I tried stopping him. “I’m fine! Just keep run…keep” He fainted, but I grabbed him into a fireman’s carry before he even touched the floor. Rat Tat Tat! I blind fired behind me as I try to run with Twitch on my shoulders. “Where are you guys?” Ty asked on the radio. I responded, holding my walkie-talkie in one hand, just barely holding Twitch. “At the enemy base”
“WHAT!” I heard on the receiving end.
“It’s a long story.” I tried not to put the blame on my fallen comrade. Behind me I heard a group of enemies grouping. “Incoming.” Ty warned. Whoosh! I heard it was one of Ty’s rockets. I .The ground shook as the impact of an explosion and shrapnel hit our enemies. Twitch almost went into a seizure. I kept going. “Thanks.” I wish I knew where he was. Rat tat tattatattta tat! Twitch’s body stiffened as he fired his smg then went limp. I turned real quick and saw he picked off the rest of the surviving enemies. I admired his perseverance. I escaped the base twenty seconds later and witnessed the most incredible thing I ever saw- what Will and Ty set up.
“Turn around.” Ty instructed. I did to see an explosion make the ground shoot up look a geyser. Several more of them exploded, eventually causing the whole base to implode.
“Beautiful.” Ty did a fake cry through the radio. “Beautiful.”
“Damn straight.” I said. “Meet me at the base.”
When I got back, my shoulders were so sore that I couldn’t tend to Twitch’s wounds, but at least I could say I had taken out the bullet and stopped the bleeding.
Trent went into the base and got some spray paint cans to do a mural on the wall of the Barrack. An hour he had Battalion 5: The Base written and an outline of a gas mask. He also had a tall outline. We all knew who it was.
“You don’t belong here; you belong in an art gallery or something.” I told him. “I know.” He said depressed.
3. Loss
Today was another day we’d go out. Because we cleared land mines yesterday, we could walk clearly now through the valley without as much hesitance. Our mission: observe enemies from a distance and take pictures. We weren’t too far away from the enemy, about an hour away.
While thinking about it, I looked over. Twitch had a gas mask on. We had no idea why.
“Twitch” Abe said with a sigh.
“Yeah?” He answered.
“Why the gas mask?”
His head dropped, you could tell the embarrassment mask or not.
“I’ve always wanted to wear one.”
We all laughed. It was at least 120 degrees or more.
In the middle of talking, Will interrupted. “Abe” he called. “What?” Will pointed up. There we saw another goldish sphere with smoke following it. But this time, it was real.
I dropped to the floor and loaded my gun as the rocket got closer. “Come on man, you gotta get this, Ihavealifeathomewithfriendsandfamily.” Will’s words slurred in fear. “Shut up!” Ty told him that that was just making me nervous. Will continued rambling and panicking, words going a mile a minute. “Shut up! SHUT UP!” Ty tackled him, covering his mouth. I looked through the scope. There’s a moment for me when time freezes for me. Everything slow, my heart stopped. I fired.
It went through the rocket.
I got up and we started to scatter. We saw the rocket curve. “It’s a heat seeker!” Will yelled. Everybody ran for the selfishness of keeping their own life- but we’re only human. The rocket swerved and it hit somebody, making the ground shake. I turned around.
Abe was screaming. He was seven feet away, but we couldn’t find his legs. He continued screaming. “Oh my god!” I ran over and pulled out a med-kit. “Alright, this is gonna hurt a bit” I pulled out the alcohol. I poured a bit on each severed part of his legs. He howled, followed by some cursing. I pulled out a can of spray that freezes wounds. I sprayed his legs. “This is gonna stop the blood flowing, okay?” “Okay” he whimpered. I took the bandages out and started wrapping his legs. I looked up and noticed Abe was crying. The Mil rung in my head. Will looked at me. “Enemies!” A looked. He was right; there was a pack of them.
“Alright everybody, take you positions!” I yelled. They all started firing. I lay down and took my rifle out. “Keep talking Abe, keep talking.” I phoned into the army headquarters. “Need medical assistance at these coordinates.” Abe was trying to wipe his eyes, but it was no use, he continued tearing up. “Abe.” I called. “You still hanging in there?” Bang! I dropped somebody. “I’m okay.” He said sniffling. A helicopter hovered over our heads. “We’re gonna get you some help. The chopper slowly lowered.
The pack of enemies still fired, so I took out my pistol firing back. “Frag them Ty!” I hollered. He threw a grenade. Boom! The rest were dead. Two men approached us from the helicopter. They brought out a stretcher and put Abe into it (I helped) He looked at me. “Andrew.” I leaned forward to listen to him. “I joined the army… to support my family. If I die, tell my family I love them… info’s in my room” I nodded.
When I watched them fly away, I noticed two things. One: He was the closest to a father I’ve ever had, and two: This was no simulation, no robots, I killed somebody today. This is all real. Real sweat, real blood, and real tears.
Today was another day we’d go out. Because we cleared land mines yesterday, we could walk clearly now through the valley without as much hesitance. Our mission: observe enemies from a distance and take pictures. We weren’t too far away from the enemy, about an hour away.
While thinking about it, I looked over. Twitch had a gas mask on. We had no idea why.
“Twitch” Abe said with a sigh.
“Yeah?” He answered.
“Why the gas mask?”
His head dropped, you could tell the embarrassment mask or not.
“I’ve always wanted to wear one.”
We all laughed. It was at least 120 degrees or more.
In the middle of talking, Will interrupted. “Abe” he called. “What?” Will pointed up. There we saw another goldish sphere with smoke following it. But this time, it was real.
I dropped to the floor and loaded my gun as the rocket got closer. “Come on man, you gotta get this, Ihavealifeathomewithfriendsandfamily.” Will’s words slurred in fear. “Shut up!” Ty told him that that was just making me nervous. Will continued rambling and panicking, words going a mile a minute. “Shut up! SHUT UP!” Ty tackled him, covering his mouth. I looked through the scope. There’s a moment for me when time freezes for me. Everything slow, my heart stopped. I fired.
It went through the rocket.
I got up and we started to scatter. We saw the rocket curve. “It’s a heat seeker!” Will yelled. Everybody ran for the selfishness of keeping their own life- but we’re only human. The rocket swerved and it hit somebody, making the ground shake. I turned around.
Abe was screaming. He was seven feet away, but we couldn’t find his legs. He continued screaming. “Oh my god!” I ran over and pulled out a med-kit. “Alright, this is gonna hurt a bit” I pulled out the alcohol. I poured a bit on each severed part of his legs. He howled, followed by some cursing. I pulled out a can of spray that freezes wounds. I sprayed his legs. “This is gonna stop the blood flowing, okay?” “Okay” he whimpered. I took the bandages out and started wrapping his legs. I looked up and noticed Abe was crying. The Mil rung in my head. Will looked at me. “Enemies!” A looked. He was right; there was a pack of them.
“Alright everybody, take you positions!” I yelled. They all started firing. I lay down and took my rifle out. “Keep talking Abe, keep talking.” I phoned into the army headquarters. “Need medical assistance at these coordinates.” Abe was trying to wipe his eyes, but it was no use, he continued tearing up. “Abe.” I called. “You still hanging in there?” Bang! I dropped somebody. “I’m okay.” He said sniffling. A helicopter hovered over our heads. “We’re gonna get you some help. The chopper slowly lowered.
The pack of enemies still fired, so I took out my pistol firing back. “Frag them Ty!” I hollered. He threw a grenade. Boom! The rest were dead. Two men approached us from the helicopter. They brought out a stretcher and put Abe into it (I helped) He looked at me. “Andrew.” I leaned forward to listen to him. “I joined the army… to support my family. If I die, tell my family I love them… info’s in my room” I nodded.
When I watched them fly away, I noticed two things. One: He was the closest to a father I’ve ever had, and two: This was no simulation, no robots, I killed somebody today. This is all real. Real sweat, real blood, and real tears.
2. Base
We rode a Hummer to the base we’d be staying at. Our job-to overtake Death Valley, captured by Spanish soldiers. Two miles from camp, they dropped us off and we had to walk.
“Anybody have any interesting to tell?” Will asked bored. Twitch turned. “I have Optimus Prime tattooed on my arm.” We all felt nostalgic of that show that seemed for the Transformers show that seems to last till’ the end of time. We all gawked at his tattoo until he said: “You know I can draw him?” Twitch dropped to the floor, about to draw him in the sand. “Give me one minute.” I timed it. A minute later, he had a basic outline of Optimus Prime. We all laughed and rose up to go to the base. I looked at Trent. Behind me, he had drawn a full, detailed version of Optimus Prime off hand. He kicked the sand, destroying the picture as he got up. He put his finger over his lips, telling me to keep quiet about it. I would.
When we reached our barrack (or ‘The base’) it didn’t seem big. It was just a small building with five rooms. We all picked our rooms and went to sleep.
We woke up today, no general, no leader, not yet. For now, we lead ourselves. I cooked breakfast. I made eggs and bacon. We didn’t have much food in the small refrigerator, but we could always call for more and they’d drop us off. After all, we were fighting this world in Death Valley, not the opposite side of the world.
I started passing the food around, six eggs, and twenty- four pieces of bacon. We all started eating. The food seemed good to me, but after the second bite, Will commented. “This food sucks.” Abe rose up, towering over Will. The anger in his eyes seemed to burn a hole through Will, because he stared at the floor. Abe grabbed Will’s plate, sat back down and started eating again. “Screw you Will.” Everybody knew I was the quiet one, so everybody stuck up for me.
We walked outside after breakfast. Our mission was today was to remove landmines from around the base. We tightened the goggles that detected them onto our heads.
After a while, the heat was unbearable, our water became warm, and our feet blistered. On the brighter side, we found eleven land mines, saving our lives for now. We were happy to see our beat up fortress after that. We went in relieved and ready to sleep. But first, we got something to eat and drink. While we ate, Abe spoke up.
“Well, what are we all in the army for?”
The room was quiet for a minute. I was the first one to speak up.
“Tuition money.”
“Me too.” Trent agreed.
“Drafted” Ty said
“To serve my country” Will added.
(We all waited for Twitch to answer.)
“Because I have nowhere else to go.”
We all felt bad. “It’s okay Twitch.” Abe comforted him. “You belong here.” We all agreed.
We rode a Hummer to the base we’d be staying at. Our job-to overtake Death Valley, captured by Spanish soldiers. Two miles from camp, they dropped us off and we had to walk.
“Anybody have any interesting to tell?” Will asked bored. Twitch turned. “I have Optimus Prime tattooed on my arm.” We all felt nostalgic of that show that seemed for the Transformers show that seems to last till’ the end of time. We all gawked at his tattoo until he said: “You know I can draw him?” Twitch dropped to the floor, about to draw him in the sand. “Give me one minute.” I timed it. A minute later, he had a basic outline of Optimus Prime. We all laughed and rose up to go to the base. I looked at Trent. Behind me, he had drawn a full, detailed version of Optimus Prime off hand. He kicked the sand, destroying the picture as he got up. He put his finger over his lips, telling me to keep quiet about it. I would.
When we reached our barrack (or ‘The base’) it didn’t seem big. It was just a small building with five rooms. We all picked our rooms and went to sleep.
We woke up today, no general, no leader, not yet. For now, we lead ourselves. I cooked breakfast. I made eggs and bacon. We didn’t have much food in the small refrigerator, but we could always call for more and they’d drop us off. After all, we were fighting this world in Death Valley, not the opposite side of the world.
I started passing the food around, six eggs, and twenty- four pieces of bacon. We all started eating. The food seemed good to me, but after the second bite, Will commented. “This food sucks.” Abe rose up, towering over Will. The anger in his eyes seemed to burn a hole through Will, because he stared at the floor. Abe grabbed Will’s plate, sat back down and started eating again. “Screw you Will.” Everybody knew I was the quiet one, so everybody stuck up for me.
We walked outside after breakfast. Our mission was today was to remove landmines from around the base. We tightened the goggles that detected them onto our heads.
After a while, the heat was unbearable, our water became warm, and our feet blistered. On the brighter side, we found eleven land mines, saving our lives for now. We were happy to see our beat up fortress after that. We went in relieved and ready to sleep. But first, we got something to eat and drink. While we ate, Abe spoke up.
“Well, what are we all in the army for?”
The room was quiet for a minute. I was the first one to speak up.
“Tuition money.”
“Me too.” Trent agreed.
“Drafted” Ty said
“To serve my country” Will added.
(We all waited for Twitch to answer.)
“Because I have nowhere else to go.”
We all felt bad. “It’s okay Twitch.” Abe comforted him. “You belong here.” We all agreed.
1. Training
I never belonged here, ever. I was a gentle person with tan skin and green eyes. I didn’t… “Andrew Compton!” I heard the captain yell.
I love my last name.
I walked up to the captain as he flipped through his clipboard. “Andrew, you’re in the fifth battalion. My heart sank. The fifth battalion was for screw-ups to the society to get killed. But I was no screw-up. I slowly paced to the fifth section holding my sniper scope- turned -necklace. They all stood, armor on, pistols holstered.
“Troops of 2032, welcome to your battalion.” Nobody seemed welcoming though. There was a tall guy, a twitchy guy, a guy with red hair, a religious guy, and a muscular guy.
“Give Em’ Hell soldiers!” The captain yelled.
“Hoo-Rah!”
We marched into a simulation booth to determine which rank we’d have. We walked into the booth and it was devastating. I could see everything, feel everything, and even taste the air. I bent over and picked a couple blades of grass. I let them go, watching them blow away. Looking up, I realized everybody had a name over their heads.
Twitchy guy-Jason Dawn
Tall guy-Abe Strauss
Religious guy-Trent Dusk
Red haired guy-Will Baron
Built Guy-Ty Walker
So now I knew my team. We stepped through beautiful fields until suddenly darkness overcame the sky. The cloud became spiraling shades of grey and the world became dark. Clashing thunder lit up around us and it started raining.
“Alright let’s go!” Abe called. Distances away, we saw soldiers. Now we went to the weapon selection. This whole thing was virtual, but the guns were the realest things I’ve ever felt. I picked up the sniper rifle and it started to get heavy as we ran. “Hold your positions!” Abe ordered. We all stopped. Other positions advanced while I started picking people off. Jason was right next to me shooting an MP5, meanwhile, Trent proficient with a pistol. I also noticed something else about him. He almost closed his eyes when he shot like he was afraid to. He seemed my age, about 18.
“Advance!” Will started to yell. “We need to advance!” Will didn’t back down. “No we don’t, we need to let them come to us.” As the screaming bout went on, Jason got a funny look in his eye. “Jason, you okay?” I asked, but he didn’t answer. Eight seconds later, he charged towards the enemies firing. Abe started calling him, but the shots were too loud.
While looking at Jason, we noticed that in the sky was a goldish sphere with smoke following it. “Is that…” He started his question then finished it. “RPG!” (Rocket Propelled Grenade) I opened the chamber to my gun. “I got this, keep the enemies off!” Abe continued with a shotgun and Will shot his revolver, Ty used grenades. Trent was watching me. “It’s heading for Jason.” I fumbled through my box of bullets. Here it was, the only bullet able to stop rockets with such power, developed a year ago. I loaded my gun, pointed at the rocket and fired.
Two hundred yards away.
With a rocket going over 30 miles per hour,
And I hit it.
The bullet pierced the rocket and it curved upwards, exploded. Jason was on the floor in fear. “Advance! Advance!” Everybody seemed to listen. I dropped my rifle and fired my pistol. I shot a couple of guys, but my main concern was Jason. In the line of fire, I dropped down and called his name. “Jason, Jason!” I called. A noise buzzed as if the generator went out. I looked around to see we were in a huge hangar. Training was over. ‘Enemies destroyed.’ Everybody cheered. Training was over, but Jason still twitched.
“Jason.” I called again, “Jason.”
“TWITCH!” Ty yelled.
He got up. “What happened?”
That’s how he got his nickname: Twitch.
We went outside and got our real guns. We also got our pins saying how we acted in there:
Abe: The Leader- Spas combat shotgun
Ty: The demolitionist-explosives
Will: The Backup-Revolvers, M-16
Trent-Sidearm expert-glocks, pistols
Jason-The Brave/Twitch- Smg
Me: The Valiant/deadeye-sniper rifle
Deadeye? I was puzzled. Everybody passed me. “You sopped that rocket with one bullet. Abe patted my shoulder. “You’re a deadeye.
For once here, I felt proud.
I never belonged here, ever. I was a gentle person with tan skin and green eyes. I didn’t… “Andrew Compton!” I heard the captain yell.
I love my last name.
I walked up to the captain as he flipped through his clipboard. “Andrew, you’re in the fifth battalion. My heart sank. The fifth battalion was for screw-ups to the society to get killed. But I was no screw-up. I slowly paced to the fifth section holding my sniper scope- turned -necklace. They all stood, armor on, pistols holstered.
“Troops of 2032, welcome to your battalion.” Nobody seemed welcoming though. There was a tall guy, a twitchy guy, a guy with red hair, a religious guy, and a muscular guy.
“Give Em’ Hell soldiers!” The captain yelled.
“Hoo-Rah!”
We marched into a simulation booth to determine which rank we’d have. We walked into the booth and it was devastating. I could see everything, feel everything, and even taste the air. I bent over and picked a couple blades of grass. I let them go, watching them blow away. Looking up, I realized everybody had a name over their heads.
Twitchy guy-Jason Dawn
Tall guy-Abe Strauss
Religious guy-Trent Dusk
Red haired guy-Will Baron
Built Guy-Ty Walker
So now I knew my team. We stepped through beautiful fields until suddenly darkness overcame the sky. The cloud became spiraling shades of grey and the world became dark. Clashing thunder lit up around us and it started raining.
“Alright let’s go!” Abe called. Distances away, we saw soldiers. Now we went to the weapon selection. This whole thing was virtual, but the guns were the realest things I’ve ever felt. I picked up the sniper rifle and it started to get heavy as we ran. “Hold your positions!” Abe ordered. We all stopped. Other positions advanced while I started picking people off. Jason was right next to me shooting an MP5, meanwhile, Trent proficient with a pistol. I also noticed something else about him. He almost closed his eyes when he shot like he was afraid to. He seemed my age, about 18.
“Advance!” Will started to yell. “We need to advance!” Will didn’t back down. “No we don’t, we need to let them come to us.” As the screaming bout went on, Jason got a funny look in his eye. “Jason, you okay?” I asked, but he didn’t answer. Eight seconds later, he charged towards the enemies firing. Abe started calling him, but the shots were too loud.
While looking at Jason, we noticed that in the sky was a goldish sphere with smoke following it. “Is that…” He started his question then finished it. “RPG!” (Rocket Propelled Grenade) I opened the chamber to my gun. “I got this, keep the enemies off!” Abe continued with a shotgun and Will shot his revolver, Ty used grenades. Trent was watching me. “It’s heading for Jason.” I fumbled through my box of bullets. Here it was, the only bullet able to stop rockets with such power, developed a year ago. I loaded my gun, pointed at the rocket and fired.
Two hundred yards away.
With a rocket going over 30 miles per hour,
And I hit it.
The bullet pierced the rocket and it curved upwards, exploded. Jason was on the floor in fear. “Advance! Advance!” Everybody seemed to listen. I dropped my rifle and fired my pistol. I shot a couple of guys, but my main concern was Jason. In the line of fire, I dropped down and called his name. “Jason, Jason!” I called. A noise buzzed as if the generator went out. I looked around to see we were in a huge hangar. Training was over. ‘Enemies destroyed.’ Everybody cheered. Training was over, but Jason still twitched.
“Jason.” I called again, “Jason.”
“TWITCH!” Ty yelled.
He got up. “What happened?”
That’s how he got his nickname: Twitch.
We went outside and got our real guns. We also got our pins saying how we acted in there:
Abe: The Leader- Spas combat shotgun
Ty: The demolitionist-explosives
Will: The Backup-Revolvers, M-16
Trent-Sidearm expert-glocks, pistols
Jason-The Brave/Twitch- Smg
Me: The Valiant/deadeye-sniper rifle
Deadeye? I was puzzled. Everybody passed me. “You sopped that rocket with one bullet. Abe patted my shoulder. “You’re a deadeye.
For once here, I felt proud.
Prologue
gue
The Barracks (Prologue)
| ||||
| barracks [bárrəks] (plural bar·racks) noun (takes a singular or plural verb)
[Late 17th century. Via French baraque <>baracca or Spanish barraca "soldier's tent, barracks"] |
Microsoft® Encarta® 2008. © 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Me and what was left of my team stared at blood a drenched valley, chewing on our bitter-sweet victory. That’s when we realized the win wasn’t worth it- the Militant’s Warranty was right.
The Militants Warranty or “The Mil” was created by five ghostwriters during the Vietnam War. The five men figured they’d tell the soldiers what they were in for:
Men,
Whatever reason you’re here, you’re in for more than you can handle. None the less, it is guaranteed that these simple steps will happen no matter what battalion your in ,what rank you hold, or what war your in, these will all happen to you.
1. You’ll never forget what has happened.
2. Other than violence and other men, you will see nothing.
3. Blood will run like tap water.
4. The food will be horrible.
5. I don’t care how tough your team is, one of you will cry.
Here’s to the Past
The first thing I ever wrote was this four part series called Quake.
It filled out two composition notebooks and the first one I had received after watching the film Shark boy and Lava Girl
It sounds corny, but I made my mom drive me to Walmart so I could buy a notebook because well, the movie inspired me
It was all about dreams and I always wanted to get my dreams out
So what better way to do it then put it on paper
And what did I write about
Superheroes of course!
And that is the point I realized I wanted to be an author when I grew up
So in ninth grade I found a short story I wrote the previous year called The Barracks
I typed it up and gave it to people in my class
It was the first thing I actually really typed and tried to make look like a book and looking at it now I realize I put some hard work into that
So I gave it to my teacher, Mr. Ringold and he read it and said it was awesome and it reminded him of a video game
But it was a bit stereotypical
And I agree, it is a bit one-dimensional
Jake also said if it was in the future, it could've had futuristic weapons
And I hit myself in the head for forgetting about that
But nonetheless I'm going to post this because well I believe that you cannot hold a true identity without looking at your past
So I present: The Barracks
First Few Pages(and the overview)
The Barracks
Derrick McCain
Overview
Prologue
- Training
- Base
- Loss
- New
- Dominance
- Retaliation
- Takeover
- Bitter Sweet
- Departed
Epilogue
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Americas at War (an overview)
The year is 2032. While trying to stop a tyrant in South America two years ago, the crowd rioted, killing 20 United States officers. In retaliation, the President secretly launched Operation Authority. Seven officers (US) were sent into Brazil to destroy as much as they can and torture the citizens. The operation was successful. Now South America has taken Death Valley in California, where they plan to slowly move into the US, killing citizens. In these hazy politics, this eye for an eye battle, this is known as the Brotherhood War.
Sorry Guys, there was a couple pieces of clip and word art, but they don't show up on blogger, but if you want to see it, I can always e-mail it to you
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