My blood boiled as hot as lava…I felt as if something else were
taking over at that moment. I watched Timothy as he twitched on the ground,
what little life was going out of him at that moment was now gone forever.
I knew that I would never spar with him again, laugh with him again, talk
with him again, just to be around him ever again. In a split moment, my
world had changed for the worst.
Bullet holes riddled his body as blood stained the grass he lay on. His eyes wide open as if he were in a never ending experience of pain and shock. The image of his body would slowly disappear after many years, but I knew it was a sight that would visit me in my darkest nightmare until the day I would die.
I myself had fallen to my knees as my legs trembled underneath me. I couldn't breathe as I looked into the face of my deceased friend who was more of a brother to me. How was Alice going to deal with this? She was in LOVE with this man. Timothy and Alice were supposed to live together until they were old and gray. I thought of my feelings for Alice and her feelings for me. I would rather have Timothy here then live my life with Alice. I felt the stab of guilt for being so damned selfish.
The whirring of machinery…
A beast of machinery landed before me. It's glaring eyes held all the hatred of a demon and its black sheet metal appeared dark red as the fire reflected off it. Its gun, smoking as the gattling barrel slowly came to a halt, seemed to speak to me. It's rhythmic click-clacking matching the beat of my heart.
A sinister chuckle…
My eyes found the cockpit of the gear. Inside was a young boy, and despite the pain and anguish, he was smiling brightly as if he loved the bloodshed. A beautiful silver cross necklace, encrusted with jewels, began to sway back and forth like a pendulum from his neck. His eyes were hidden from me, but his evil grin beckoned me. It called to me with a unheard voice that was as dark as anything I had ever known. It frightened me.
My eyes searched for the real pilot, but his being wasn't anywhere near the sinister device. I searched the ground, and there he was. His helmet was shattered by a stray bullet that had pierced the cockpit. His eyes were swollen and shut and his mouth was agape as if he screamed before he died. It was almost as horrible as Timothy.
My head ached…
I heard screams from the other villagers. Some of pain, some of fear, some of sorrow. The screams found their way into me, and they would be with me also until I died. At that moment, the screams only fueled my anger as I stared at the steely abomination. It gleamed in the moonlight like a lost treasure, but its eyes glared ahead with the conviction of the reaper, sentencing souls to their doom.
I looked at the cockpit, and the boy was gone. Still, his soulless chuckle remained with me. I felt my hands tremble as I stepped towards the device. Why was I so afraid of it? This could very well be the town's salvation, yet its very appearance stirred random fears in me.
1 "It's now or never…"
I felt my legs tense and I prepared to jump for the cockpit. Wind rustled through my black hair as I leapt aboard. My feet landed with feline grace on the sleek metal of the interior. The inside was still alive with blinking, flashing lights and clicks and whirls of gears. There was a thick leather chair with a five-point harness. I sat and strapped myself in. The cockpit doors slowly came to a close.
I was left in dim light, but for some strange reason I knew where my hands should be. I felt my fingers move as if they had a life of their own. Slowly, my heartbeats grew further apart and I became calm. The cockpit came alive with video as the machine came to life. The village was crushed into pieces, and some buildings were still burning to ashes.
My heartbeat started up again…
"Fei!" A voice bellowed from outside. I searched for the familiar voice, and it was right before me. It was a very scholarly man who wore spectacles, a green robe, white slacks, and his long hair in a ponytail. It was my good friend, Citan. "You cease this Fei! You must not fight here! Retreat to the hills!"
"Move out of the way, Citan!" I commanded, "I'll act as a distraction! You save as many lives as you can!"
"Fei! You don't understand! Get out now!"
I wasn't listening to him anymore. My mind was made up now and I intended to carry out its will. With the speed of lightning, the gear moved forward to the enemy target. It was too busy with fending off its other attacker that it didn't notice me until it was too late. My gear struck the other in the cockpit. Shining shards of glass flew from the gears metallic knuckles. Like that pilots life, the glass shined brilliantly in the night sky. The fire and moon made it sparkle as if it were an explosion of stars. The display quickly disappeared and all that was left was a bunch of a metal and a body twisted beyond recognition.
The radio crackled as the enemy talked to each other, "Everyone focus your attacks on that gear! Surround him!" They immediately responded and three more gears were facing me, and all had mounted machine guns. They fired at me, but the hull only shuddered as the bullets hit, not broke. I dashed forward, delivering a powerful punch to the head of the gear. It stumbled backwards clumsily, and I finished it with a kick to the cockpit. The gear fell over and burst into flames.
"Please! Leave our village alone!" I shouted into the intercom.
Debris sent the other two tumbling over. My gear jumped into the air, high above the one on the ground. With the force of a meteor, I stamped the legs of the gear into oblivion, the gear was crippled, and there was no need to finish it and the pilot. The other rushed towards me, in a frantic attack. A powerful energy emitted from the hands of my gear and it flew to the left side of the gear. Its gun was disabled. I had beat them.
"Now surrender! I will spare your lives if you leave now!"
The warmth of my victory enshrouded me like a blanket, but suddenly the feeling of warmth had disappeared. There was only despair now. Three others landed before me, and they were different. They were black and dark, their guns were more powerful then the others, and they gleamed like devils in the night's sky.
A forth gear landed, but as it did the world seemed silent. Not a sound was heard as this abomination touched the ground that had been stained by blood. He walked towards me as the other gears opened fire, hitting my mobility systems.
Sparks flew from the controls as my gear refused to respond. I banged the controls with my fist, but it only made matters worse. The gears drew in closer, guns blazing, and their hateful eyes glaring at me.
Suddenly, the worst had happened…
My friend, my love even, was in clear view. Her black hair flowed gently behind her as she ran through what was left of the village. A look of fear was on her face as she searched for her lost brother. There was the sound of loud footsteps and Alice simply froze. Her face grew pale as the forth gear turned to face her.
"No!" I shouted in the intercom, "She's just a civilian! She didn't do anything! She isn't armed!"
At that moment the gears were finally responding. I dashed towards the fourth gear. There was a loud clank and I was thrown forward, the five- point harness biting into me, stopping me from flying out of the cockpit. A large metallic claw had ceased me from going any further. I could see the pilot holding me back, and he was grinning like this was all funny.
I could see that boy in my mind…grinning…the pendent swinging like a pendulum…
The forth gear was cold and silent like a judge as he decided what would be done. His forearm pointed towards the sky as he signaled the decision. That grinning idiot laughed, he turned his head towards Alice. I could hear the gattling gun warming up. The clacking rhythm matched my heartbeats. A loud boom echoed throughout all of what used to be Lahan. My heart stopped.
The first bullet didn't even hit, but it flew by her. Her hair was pulled back by the bullet's wake. Her beautiful hair lilted like a feather. I remembered all the times she would rest her head on my shoulder if something was wrong, I remember how her lovely hair would fly behind her as we ran through flower covered fields with Timothy…Now, there was a sickening thud followed by hundreds more. Her beautiful hair was stained by blood now…
That damned pendent, like a pendulum…It was going lower…Like there was no other way out…
Suddenly the world went dark and that little grinning child took over me…
THE END
Bullet holes riddled his body as blood stained the grass he lay on. His eyes wide open as if he were in a never ending experience of pain and shock. The image of his body would slowly disappear after many years, but I knew it was a sight that would visit me in my darkest nightmare until the day I would die.
I myself had fallen to my knees as my legs trembled underneath me. I couldn't breathe as I looked into the face of my deceased friend who was more of a brother to me. How was Alice going to deal with this? She was in LOVE with this man. Timothy and Alice were supposed to live together until they were old and gray. I thought of my feelings for Alice and her feelings for me. I would rather have Timothy here then live my life with Alice. I felt the stab of guilt for being so damned selfish.
The whirring of machinery…
A beast of machinery landed before me. It's glaring eyes held all the hatred of a demon and its black sheet metal appeared dark red as the fire reflected off it. Its gun, smoking as the gattling barrel slowly came to a halt, seemed to speak to me. It's rhythmic click-clacking matching the beat of my heart.
A sinister chuckle…
My eyes found the cockpit of the gear. Inside was a young boy, and despite the pain and anguish, he was smiling brightly as if he loved the bloodshed. A beautiful silver cross necklace, encrusted with jewels, began to sway back and forth like a pendulum from his neck. His eyes were hidden from me, but his evil grin beckoned me. It called to me with a unheard voice that was as dark as anything I had ever known. It frightened me.
My eyes searched for the real pilot, but his being wasn't anywhere near the sinister device. I searched the ground, and there he was. His helmet was shattered by a stray bullet that had pierced the cockpit. His eyes were swollen and shut and his mouth was agape as if he screamed before he died. It was almost as horrible as Timothy.
My head ached…
I heard screams from the other villagers. Some of pain, some of fear, some of sorrow. The screams found their way into me, and they would be with me also until I died. At that moment, the screams only fueled my anger as I stared at the steely abomination. It gleamed in the moonlight like a lost treasure, but its eyes glared ahead with the conviction of the reaper, sentencing souls to their doom.
I looked at the cockpit, and the boy was gone. Still, his soulless chuckle remained with me. I felt my hands tremble as I stepped towards the device. Why was I so afraid of it? This could very well be the town's salvation, yet its very appearance stirred random fears in me.
1 "It's now or never…"
I felt my legs tense and I prepared to jump for the cockpit. Wind rustled through my black hair as I leapt aboard. My feet landed with feline grace on the sleek metal of the interior. The inside was still alive with blinking, flashing lights and clicks and whirls of gears. There was a thick leather chair with a five-point harness. I sat and strapped myself in. The cockpit doors slowly came to a close.
I was left in dim light, but for some strange reason I knew where my hands should be. I felt my fingers move as if they had a life of their own. Slowly, my heartbeats grew further apart and I became calm. The cockpit came alive with video as the machine came to life. The village was crushed into pieces, and some buildings were still burning to ashes.
My heartbeat started up again…
"Fei!" A voice bellowed from outside. I searched for the familiar voice, and it was right before me. It was a very scholarly man who wore spectacles, a green robe, white slacks, and his long hair in a ponytail. It was my good friend, Citan. "You cease this Fei! You must not fight here! Retreat to the hills!"
"Move out of the way, Citan!" I commanded, "I'll act as a distraction! You save as many lives as you can!"
"Fei! You don't understand! Get out now!"
I wasn't listening to him anymore. My mind was made up now and I intended to carry out its will. With the speed of lightning, the gear moved forward to the enemy target. It was too busy with fending off its other attacker that it didn't notice me until it was too late. My gear struck the other in the cockpit. Shining shards of glass flew from the gears metallic knuckles. Like that pilots life, the glass shined brilliantly in the night sky. The fire and moon made it sparkle as if it were an explosion of stars. The display quickly disappeared and all that was left was a bunch of a metal and a body twisted beyond recognition.
The radio crackled as the enemy talked to each other, "Everyone focus your attacks on that gear! Surround him!" They immediately responded and three more gears were facing me, and all had mounted machine guns. They fired at me, but the hull only shuddered as the bullets hit, not broke. I dashed forward, delivering a powerful punch to the head of the gear. It stumbled backwards clumsily, and I finished it with a kick to the cockpit. The gear fell over and burst into flames.
"Please! Leave our village alone!" I shouted into the intercom.
Debris sent the other two tumbling over. My gear jumped into the air, high above the one on the ground. With the force of a meteor, I stamped the legs of the gear into oblivion, the gear was crippled, and there was no need to finish it and the pilot. The other rushed towards me, in a frantic attack. A powerful energy emitted from the hands of my gear and it flew to the left side of the gear. Its gun was disabled. I had beat them.
"Now surrender! I will spare your lives if you leave now!"
The warmth of my victory enshrouded me like a blanket, but suddenly the feeling of warmth had disappeared. There was only despair now. Three others landed before me, and they were different. They were black and dark, their guns were more powerful then the others, and they gleamed like devils in the night's sky.
A forth gear landed, but as it did the world seemed silent. Not a sound was heard as this abomination touched the ground that had been stained by blood. He walked towards me as the other gears opened fire, hitting my mobility systems.
Sparks flew from the controls as my gear refused to respond. I banged the controls with my fist, but it only made matters worse. The gears drew in closer, guns blazing, and their hateful eyes glaring at me.
Suddenly, the worst had happened…
My friend, my love even, was in clear view. Her black hair flowed gently behind her as she ran through what was left of the village. A look of fear was on her face as she searched for her lost brother. There was the sound of loud footsteps and Alice simply froze. Her face grew pale as the forth gear turned to face her.
"No!" I shouted in the intercom, "She's just a civilian! She didn't do anything! She isn't armed!"
At that moment the gears were finally responding. I dashed towards the fourth gear. There was a loud clank and I was thrown forward, the five- point harness biting into me, stopping me from flying out of the cockpit. A large metallic claw had ceased me from going any further. I could see the pilot holding me back, and he was grinning like this was all funny.
I could see that boy in my mind…grinning…the pendent swinging like a pendulum…
The forth gear was cold and silent like a judge as he decided what would be done. His forearm pointed towards the sky as he signaled the decision. That grinning idiot laughed, he turned his head towards Alice. I could hear the gattling gun warming up. The clacking rhythm matched my heartbeats. A loud boom echoed throughout all of what used to be Lahan. My heart stopped.
The first bullet didn't even hit, but it flew by her. Her hair was pulled back by the bullet's wake. Her beautiful hair lilted like a feather. I remembered all the times she would rest her head on my shoulder if something was wrong, I remember how her lovely hair would fly behind her as we ran through flower covered fields with Timothy…Now, there was a sickening thud followed by hundreds more. Her beautiful hair was stained by blood now…
That damned pendent, like a pendulum…It was going lower…Like there was no other way out…
Suddenly the world went dark and that little grinning child took over me…
THE END