This story was written in inspiration of the movie, Grave of the
Fireflies, and asking my self some questions when playing the MMX series.
What about the humans? How do they suffer when a Maverick attacks? Who are
really suffering the most: The reploids or the humans? This is my view, in
a group of children's eyes...
"It's quiet here... too quiet... I enjoy it very much... The silence, no screams... no pain... no hatred... My tummy hurts, mommy... I'm so hungry, so thirsty... so lonely..."
"I remember..."
Chapter 1
"Sweetie, hurry up before your food gets cold!"
"I'll be there in a minute, Mom! I want to finish watching the news!" Emily shouted from the couch. She lied on the couch, her green eyes glued to the television. She had long red hair, braided neatly, like any little girl had their hair. She wore a long
sleeved t-shirt with her favorite heroes, X and Zero, on it while a hand held a Zero plushy tightly.
A hand reached down and fixed her black shorts, straightening them out. Her attention turned back to the television when she heard the news come back on. "In recent reports," The reporter spoke on the television, "The town that was annihilated was none
other then Sigma himself. The death toll is still being counted, and any contact from our operatives in the city has been cut off. We will have more on the incident later at 6:00 PM."
Emily had a look of fear on her face. She sat up from the couch, and turned her head to the kitchen door. "Mom!" She shouted, "Sigma's back! He's destroyed the
city not too far from here!" There was a pause, before she heard her mother's voice cry out to her. "Emily, you're only ten years old! You shouldn't watch the news and have your self worked up like this... You have nothing to worry about, now come in here and
eat your dinner before it gets cold!" The little girl sighed, before standing to her feet and heading into the kitchen.
Without a word, she sat at the table in front of her mother. Her arms wrapped tightly on that plush toy of hers, staring at her food. The mother looked up from her dish and sighed. "Emily, I thought I told you, No dolls at the table..." The mother paused as she looked
to her daughter's face; the face of fear.
A little smile formed on the mother's face. "Oh, Emily..." She began in a kind tone, "...You have nothing to be afraid of. He didn't attack here... and I'm sure the Hunters will take care of him. They've always had." Emily didn't stir a muscle; only to clutch on her doll tighter. "You have to eat, sweetie... Our guardians haven't let us down yet. Daddy will always protect us in spirit as well... He has in the past. So, please eat something and let your fears be cast aside..." Emily slowly rose up to her mother and stared for only a moment, before a smile came to her face.
"Your right, mommy...! Daddy will protect us, and the Hunters will too!" Her little hand grasped the fork on the table and forked at the chicken nuggets her mother
prepared. She stuffed as much food as she could in her mouth, trying to eat as fast as she could. She swallowed what she could, and glanced up to her mother.
"Mommy, I'm full! May I go outside and play?" The mother smiled and gave a small nod. "Alright, but make sure to be back before the sun sets." Emily smiled happily and gotten up from her chair. She ran around the table, and gave her mother the biggest hug her arms could do while holding her toy. "I love you, Mommy...!" She whispered in her mother's ear, before letting go and rushing out of the house.
Outside, she ran down the sidewalk while ignoring her mother's cries to come back and put on some shoes. Her feet carried her to the local park in her town and
stopped when she found her mark; an x formation on the ground that she made. She sat down on her knees and placed her Zero plushy aside. Her hands dug at the X,
trying to dig up what she had buried.
Her lips turned into a smile as she made it to what she dug for; a small, cardboard box. She grabbed the box and opened it up to reveal four buttons, a lucky rabbit's food, her locket and three pennies. "My treasure..." She spoke to herself, clutching the box
tightly in the palm of her hands.
Just as she was readying to re-bury it, she noticed something odd out of the corner of her eye. Her head turned, looking up to the sky. She saw... purple... in the sky. She couldn't make out what it was, but it looked pretty. The purple colors moved lower, and lower... and soon looked like they seeped into the town.
Emily stared, not knowing what it was. She slowly stood and walked forward a bit until her feet touched the little path in the park. She stared at the town, before she heard a scream. Quickly, her body turned to the source of the shout. There was a crowd of people, staring at one of the local reploids running. The purple color was chasing
him, but she couldn't see why, until that color slammed into him, entering his body. The reploid stopped in his tracks, as if lifeless.
When he did start moving again, he slowly turned to the crowd. The reploid's eyes stared at a human, before he rushed at him and grabbed his neck tightly. Emily heard a snap, and saw the man go lifeless. Someone from the crowd screamed, and Emily soon heard, "It's a Maverick! He's been infected by the Sigma Virus! Run for your lives!"
Fear had taken control over her body and she ran the other direction from the crowd. Now she knew what was going on but Emily didn't know why it was happening...
and why she had to witness someone die. "I've got to find mommy...!" Emily spoke to herself, before she ran out of the park.
She stopped in her tracks as she gasped at the condition of the town. Everything looked destroyed. Not just reploids or machines, but humans, too, were being infected by the virus! Even taxi cabs, for some reason, were being infected and running people down
that it saw.
Emily was frightened, but she rushed quickly down the sidewalk to try to get back to her house. She wouldn't dare look at the destruction around her. What she did
not see, were Mavericks striking down people everywhere, everything going haywire, buildings being damaged by it all...
Finally, Emily had made it to her home and opened the door. "Mommy, I'm home! I'm---" She stopped right in her tracks to the horror. Inside, everything was
destroyed and all over the house. Her mother was nowhere to be seen. She shouted out for her mother as she walked through the house.
"Mom, answer me! Mom, where are you?" She shouted as she stopped in her mother's room. She stopped as she saw, in the room, the very thing she hoped was not
there. It was her mother, but it was hard to tell. Her body was torn up everywhere... Blood was all over the room. Her head was missing; it was on the floor with the same look of horror implanted on the mother's face.
She couldn't help but scream loudly at the gruesome sight. She backed away and slammed the door shut. She knelt against the door and her form collapsed, sobbing
hysterically. She could not mourn for long, however, as she heard a window shatter and the smell of smoke filled the air.
She stood onto her feet and ran to her own room. She grabbed her backpack from the floor, and dug for anything important; Two flashlights, a pack of batteries, a tiny hairbrush, pillow and a blanket. She kept it opened as she slid on sandles on her little
feet and ran into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and stuffed whatever food she could inside.
The smell of smoke grew stronger, as she zippered her backpack and she ran out of her home. A moment later, her house was consumed by flames along with many other
buildings in the city. She ran back to that park, staring at the bodies all around as she ran. She tried to ignore it while her stomach churned. She collapsed on the ground but crawled until she made it behind a tree. She panted as she sat there, clutching her backpack tightly to her chest. Her eyes traveled, until she noticed two items on the ground; her box and the plushy she left here. Her eyes began to fill with tears.
She began to cry, as she reached and clutched the doll and box tightly to her. She rolled up in a ball and lied there, sobbing... mourning. She had no idea what she could do now... How to survive, who would take care of her. As she worried, she slowly fell asleep on the ground.
To Be Continued...
In Chapter 2...
"It's quiet here... too quiet... I enjoy it very much... The silence, no screams... no pain... no hatred... My tummy hurts, mommy... I'm so hungry, so thirsty... so lonely..."
"I remember..."
Chapter 1
"Sweetie, hurry up before your food gets cold!"
"I'll be there in a minute, Mom! I want to finish watching the news!" Emily shouted from the couch. She lied on the couch, her green eyes glued to the television. She had long red hair, braided neatly, like any little girl had their hair. She wore a long
sleeved t-shirt with her favorite heroes, X and Zero, on it while a hand held a Zero plushy tightly.
A hand reached down and fixed her black shorts, straightening them out. Her attention turned back to the television when she heard the news come back on. "In recent reports," The reporter spoke on the television, "The town that was annihilated was none
other then Sigma himself. The death toll is still being counted, and any contact from our operatives in the city has been cut off. We will have more on the incident later at 6:00 PM."
Emily had a look of fear on her face. She sat up from the couch, and turned her head to the kitchen door. "Mom!" She shouted, "Sigma's back! He's destroyed the
city not too far from here!" There was a pause, before she heard her mother's voice cry out to her. "Emily, you're only ten years old! You shouldn't watch the news and have your self worked up like this... You have nothing to worry about, now come in here and
eat your dinner before it gets cold!" The little girl sighed, before standing to her feet and heading into the kitchen.
Without a word, she sat at the table in front of her mother. Her arms wrapped tightly on that plush toy of hers, staring at her food. The mother looked up from her dish and sighed. "Emily, I thought I told you, No dolls at the table..." The mother paused as she looked
to her daughter's face; the face of fear.
A little smile formed on the mother's face. "Oh, Emily..." She began in a kind tone, "...You have nothing to be afraid of. He didn't attack here... and I'm sure the Hunters will take care of him. They've always had." Emily didn't stir a muscle; only to clutch on her doll tighter. "You have to eat, sweetie... Our guardians haven't let us down yet. Daddy will always protect us in spirit as well... He has in the past. So, please eat something and let your fears be cast aside..." Emily slowly rose up to her mother and stared for only a moment, before a smile came to her face.
"Your right, mommy...! Daddy will protect us, and the Hunters will too!" Her little hand grasped the fork on the table and forked at the chicken nuggets her mother
prepared. She stuffed as much food as she could in her mouth, trying to eat as fast as she could. She swallowed what she could, and glanced up to her mother.
"Mommy, I'm full! May I go outside and play?" The mother smiled and gave a small nod. "Alright, but make sure to be back before the sun sets." Emily smiled happily and gotten up from her chair. She ran around the table, and gave her mother the biggest hug her arms could do while holding her toy. "I love you, Mommy...!" She whispered in her mother's ear, before letting go and rushing out of the house.
Outside, she ran down the sidewalk while ignoring her mother's cries to come back and put on some shoes. Her feet carried her to the local park in her town and
stopped when she found her mark; an x formation on the ground that she made. She sat down on her knees and placed her Zero plushy aside. Her hands dug at the X,
trying to dig up what she had buried.
Her lips turned into a smile as she made it to what she dug for; a small, cardboard box. She grabbed the box and opened it up to reveal four buttons, a lucky rabbit's food, her locket and three pennies. "My treasure..." She spoke to herself, clutching the box
tightly in the palm of her hands.
Just as she was readying to re-bury it, she noticed something odd out of the corner of her eye. Her head turned, looking up to the sky. She saw... purple... in the sky. She couldn't make out what it was, but it looked pretty. The purple colors moved lower, and lower... and soon looked like they seeped into the town.
Emily stared, not knowing what it was. She slowly stood and walked forward a bit until her feet touched the little path in the park. She stared at the town, before she heard a scream. Quickly, her body turned to the source of the shout. There was a crowd of people, staring at one of the local reploids running. The purple color was chasing
him, but she couldn't see why, until that color slammed into him, entering his body. The reploid stopped in his tracks, as if lifeless.
When he did start moving again, he slowly turned to the crowd. The reploid's eyes stared at a human, before he rushed at him and grabbed his neck tightly. Emily heard a snap, and saw the man go lifeless. Someone from the crowd screamed, and Emily soon heard, "It's a Maverick! He's been infected by the Sigma Virus! Run for your lives!"
Fear had taken control over her body and she ran the other direction from the crowd. Now she knew what was going on but Emily didn't know why it was happening...
and why she had to witness someone die. "I've got to find mommy...!" Emily spoke to herself, before she ran out of the park.
She stopped in her tracks as she gasped at the condition of the town. Everything looked destroyed. Not just reploids or machines, but humans, too, were being infected by the virus! Even taxi cabs, for some reason, were being infected and running people down
that it saw.
Emily was frightened, but she rushed quickly down the sidewalk to try to get back to her house. She wouldn't dare look at the destruction around her. What she did
not see, were Mavericks striking down people everywhere, everything going haywire, buildings being damaged by it all...
Finally, Emily had made it to her home and opened the door. "Mommy, I'm home! I'm---" She stopped right in her tracks to the horror. Inside, everything was
destroyed and all over the house. Her mother was nowhere to be seen. She shouted out for her mother as she walked through the house.
"Mom, answer me! Mom, where are you?" She shouted as she stopped in her mother's room. She stopped as she saw, in the room, the very thing she hoped was not
there. It was her mother, but it was hard to tell. Her body was torn up everywhere... Blood was all over the room. Her head was missing; it was on the floor with the same look of horror implanted on the mother's face.
She couldn't help but scream loudly at the gruesome sight. She backed away and slammed the door shut. She knelt against the door and her form collapsed, sobbing
hysterically. She could not mourn for long, however, as she heard a window shatter and the smell of smoke filled the air.
She stood onto her feet and ran to her own room. She grabbed her backpack from the floor, and dug for anything important; Two flashlights, a pack of batteries, a tiny hairbrush, pillow and a blanket. She kept it opened as she slid on sandles on her little
feet and ran into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and stuffed whatever food she could inside.
The smell of smoke grew stronger, as she zippered her backpack and she ran out of her home. A moment later, her house was consumed by flames along with many other
buildings in the city. She ran back to that park, staring at the bodies all around as she ran. She tried to ignore it while her stomach churned. She collapsed on the ground but crawled until she made it behind a tree. She panted as she sat there, clutching her backpack tightly to her chest. Her eyes traveled, until she noticed two items on the ground; her box and the plushy she left here. Her eyes began to fill with tears.
She began to cry, as she reached and clutched the doll and box tightly to her. She rolled up in a ball and lied there, sobbing... mourning. She had no idea what she could do now... How to survive, who would take care of her. As she worried, she slowly fell asleep on the ground.
To Be Continued...
In Chapter 2...