How Bad It Gets
Blood poured from newly opened wounds. Humans clung to life. Bodies littered the gruesome seen. Souls were lost in grim deaths. Too many deaths. Too many.
Jake sat there, huddling under a rotting log. His face filled with blood. Some his own. Mostly those he had tried to help or had killed. Tears stung his bleeding cheeks. What was happening? How could it have all come to this?
His army had lost. He was to die here. And if he would live, his own side would hang him. Was it the right side? He couldn't tell anymore.
The world had gone through some hard times, to say the least. After the secrets of the Yeerks were told to the world, everyone fought. The world ended in away. Battles were life. The Animorphs were regarded as high officers. They separated. Jake didn't remember the last time he saw his old comrades. A year? Five? Ten? They all seemed to melt together into an endless fight. He forgot what they were fighting for after awhile. The Yeerks had left this damned world to destroy itself. The world was ruled in an odd manner. Too many people were killed for doing nothing at all. Punishment for anything was death.
Jake knelt, his crude gun at hand. Mankind had gone back centuries in technology. Simple things forgotten. The old ways were becoming the new.
A body fell to the left of Jake's hiding place. Yet another to add to the pile of already decaying heap.
He suddenly became aware of a trembling girl, gun at hand, a few feet beside him. She had only recently joined his ranks. Her name was Amber. Amber Reeves. He had protested that she and a band she had arrived with had been to young, but the fighting age was now down to twelve. He couldn't do anything but hand the poor children a gun and pray for their lives.
Now he saw her face, as bloody as his own. He crawled the short distance towards her. She bowed when he came forward but he instantly dismissed her. This was not the time for properness.
"Hello, Amber," he whispered.
"Good fight, sir," she said, shaking.
"We will fail. We have already. I will die. As might you," Jake said.
"That might be true, sir," she whispered. There was nothing else that came to her mind to say.
"But you will not die. No, Amber. You will escape," Jake said. Not really understanding what he was saying at first, but then it came to him.
"But I thought it wasn't noble to run from battle. It's forbidden," she insisted.
Jake laughed, "That's what they say so they kill more of us off. They want us all gone."
"But, sir. Honestly, I can't leave. I have to fight for what's right."
"And what is right?" After a strong moment of silence, save for the screams coming from around them, Jake spoke, "Do you have family?"
"A mother and father. And an unborn brother or sister."
"And who fights?"
"My mother was able to escape duty to care for me, and now she is able to skip her obligation again for her child. My father fights in the south. I wanted to join his army but was unable to."
"And where does your mother live?"
"In a small house on the border. The neighborhood is filled with kind souls that believe in peace. I was raised there until I was called on. Now I will fight and die with your army, sir," she explained to him.
"You must make it to them. This is a lost cause. We will parish. But you still have life to give this dishonest world. Make your life and every moment in it count. Now, when I tell you to go, run as fast as you can towards that cluster of trees. From there, you shall hopefully escape to this lovely neighborhood you speak of," Jake said, ignoring Amber's insistence on dying here.
"I will not break the law or leave your side," she uttered.
"You must."
"No!"
"Then it is an order. You will not disobey your captain. That would convict you with treason," Jake said, closing his eyes as a cannon ball hit the soft soil a few feet away from him. Amber seemed to consider this until she nodded.
"When I say go, you run," Jake repeated.
The opposing team had already taken the area. Jake could still hear faint cries from his falling army. He looked down at the gun he carried and let out a small laugh. So this was how his life would end. If they had good aim, they could get one of those small silver balls in his heart. Though it would probably take them a few shots, hitting his arm, his leg. But this was the end. The conclusion.
"Don't we all think we're going to be the victor? But someone always has to lose," Jake mumbled.
"Always," Amber said, starring at a person, a body now, that she has just talked to. All innocence gone.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Go."
"Hi Jake! Long time, no see!" Rachel said, coming up to shake Jake's hand.
"Hello. The others?" Jake asked.
"No, the haven't come yet. We'll just have to wait. I had to wait years for you! I was hung, I'm afraid to say. For not following direct orders. I saw a shot so I took it. Ha! The general's up here with me. But I 'wasn't suppose to do anything until told.' Stupid laws."
"Completely. You weren't a commander of anything? I thought they granted us that much."
"I was, but I soon got demoted to normal ranks. They couldn't deal with my ruthless behavior as you guys could," she smiled. "How'd you go?"
"Fighting. My side had lost, if I had gone back alive I would have been killed anyway. So I took as many of them down with me," I explained. She laughed her insane laugh.
"I sure missed those old battles. Just the six of us. Fighting in our morphs. Killing evil Yeerks. Did you every think we would be considering those the 'good old days?'"
"We didn't know how bad it could get."
Blood poured from newly opened wounds. Humans clung to life. Bodies littered the gruesome seen. Souls were lost in grim deaths. Too many deaths. Too many.
Jake sat there, huddling under a rotting log. His face filled with blood. Some his own. Mostly those he had tried to help or had killed. Tears stung his bleeding cheeks. What was happening? How could it have all come to this?
His army had lost. He was to die here. And if he would live, his own side would hang him. Was it the right side? He couldn't tell anymore.
The world had gone through some hard times, to say the least. After the secrets of the Yeerks were told to the world, everyone fought. The world ended in away. Battles were life. The Animorphs were regarded as high officers. They separated. Jake didn't remember the last time he saw his old comrades. A year? Five? Ten? They all seemed to melt together into an endless fight. He forgot what they were fighting for after awhile. The Yeerks had left this damned world to destroy itself. The world was ruled in an odd manner. Too many people were killed for doing nothing at all. Punishment for anything was death.
Jake knelt, his crude gun at hand. Mankind had gone back centuries in technology. Simple things forgotten. The old ways were becoming the new.
A body fell to the left of Jake's hiding place. Yet another to add to the pile of already decaying heap.
He suddenly became aware of a trembling girl, gun at hand, a few feet beside him. She had only recently joined his ranks. Her name was Amber. Amber Reeves. He had protested that she and a band she had arrived with had been to young, but the fighting age was now down to twelve. He couldn't do anything but hand the poor children a gun and pray for their lives.
Now he saw her face, as bloody as his own. He crawled the short distance towards her. She bowed when he came forward but he instantly dismissed her. This was not the time for properness.
"Hello, Amber," he whispered.
"Good fight, sir," she said, shaking.
"We will fail. We have already. I will die. As might you," Jake said.
"That might be true, sir," she whispered. There was nothing else that came to her mind to say.
"But you will not die. No, Amber. You will escape," Jake said. Not really understanding what he was saying at first, but then it came to him.
"But I thought it wasn't noble to run from battle. It's forbidden," she insisted.
Jake laughed, "That's what they say so they kill more of us off. They want us all gone."
"But, sir. Honestly, I can't leave. I have to fight for what's right."
"And what is right?" After a strong moment of silence, save for the screams coming from around them, Jake spoke, "Do you have family?"
"A mother and father. And an unborn brother or sister."
"And who fights?"
"My mother was able to escape duty to care for me, and now she is able to skip her obligation again for her child. My father fights in the south. I wanted to join his army but was unable to."
"And where does your mother live?"
"In a small house on the border. The neighborhood is filled with kind souls that believe in peace. I was raised there until I was called on. Now I will fight and die with your army, sir," she explained to him.
"You must make it to them. This is a lost cause. We will parish. But you still have life to give this dishonest world. Make your life and every moment in it count. Now, when I tell you to go, run as fast as you can towards that cluster of trees. From there, you shall hopefully escape to this lovely neighborhood you speak of," Jake said, ignoring Amber's insistence on dying here.
"I will not break the law or leave your side," she uttered.
"You must."
"No!"
"Then it is an order. You will not disobey your captain. That would convict you with treason," Jake said, closing his eyes as a cannon ball hit the soft soil a few feet away from him. Amber seemed to consider this until she nodded.
"When I say go, you run," Jake repeated.
The opposing team had already taken the area. Jake could still hear faint cries from his falling army. He looked down at the gun he carried and let out a small laugh. So this was how his life would end. If they had good aim, they could get one of those small silver balls in his heart. Though it would probably take them a few shots, hitting his arm, his leg. But this was the end. The conclusion.
"Don't we all think we're going to be the victor? But someone always has to lose," Jake mumbled.
"Always," Amber said, starring at a person, a body now, that she has just talked to. All innocence gone.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Go."
"Hi Jake! Long time, no see!" Rachel said, coming up to shake Jake's hand.
"Hello. The others?" Jake asked.
"No, the haven't come yet. We'll just have to wait. I had to wait years for you! I was hung, I'm afraid to say. For not following direct orders. I saw a shot so I took it. Ha! The general's up here with me. But I 'wasn't suppose to do anything until told.' Stupid laws."
"Completely. You weren't a commander of anything? I thought they granted us that much."
"I was, but I soon got demoted to normal ranks. They couldn't deal with my ruthless behavior as you guys could," she smiled. "How'd you go?"
"Fighting. My side had lost, if I had gone back alive I would have been killed anyway. So I took as many of them down with me," I explained. She laughed her insane laugh.
"I sure missed those old battles. Just the six of us. Fighting in our morphs. Killing evil Yeerks. Did you every think we would be considering those the 'good old days?'"
"We didn't know how bad it could get."