I awoke lying in a field of deep-green grass, underneath a vast deep-blue sky, dotted with white, fluffy clouds.
"What?" I mutter underneath my breath.
In a daze, I push myself off from lying on the ground and into a sitting position
Taking in everything in front of me, lies what appears to be a large forest. Thick trees, with almost black like bark, and dark green leaves. They almost look like pine trees. Without the beauty of the forest, this area would seem almost dead like.
There is no life here, no animals roaming about, no chirping in the wind. It's silent, and cold. Near the forest, there appears to be the bend of a river bank. Ending near the hills constraining this valley. Other than the relatively mountain-like hills to my left and right, there is nothing else.
Shifting my upper torso as much of a comfortable angle to look behind me, there's just a horizon, with what looks to be another forest in the distance. Nothing else other than the forest and its river is relatively close by.
"What?" I say in a loud tone. I flop back down onto my back, lying on the grass. Laying in silence, I'm just simply confused. My groggy state of mind doesn't truly help.
Then the gears of my brain start slowly churning out of my sleepy daze.
"What the hell!" Came exclaiming unbidden out of my mouth. Adrenaline pumping, forcing me out of my state of being tired and launching me into a sitting position once more.
"Where am I?" I say to myself.
I feel like punching myself for the thought not coming up sooner.
'How did I get here?' Is the question I internally ponder in the forefront of my mind. The telltale signs of my anxiety rising in the background of my thoughts.
Upon trying to remember how, I discovered that I have no memory of arriving here. The last memory I do have is of being inside of a classroom, learning.
Which is entirely confusing. I mean, I was just in a classroom. There is no separation in memory between now and then. So why the hell would I suddenly be outside? This has to be a joke, right?
"Very funny!" I exclaim, "You can come on out now!" I finish as I clamber to my feet, looking around to see if someone comes waltzing out.
Nobody does.
"Really?" I shout in an attempt for any kind of response at all.
No one responds.
Nobody comes on out.
'Come on, think!" I practically shout to myself within my mind. 'There has to be something else. I just know it. I can feel it. What else happened before I got here?'
Trying to remember, I dive further into my memories. Thankfully it didn't take long, however I noticed something... confusing to say the least. A peculiar thing towards the end of my memory of being in class.
That peculiar thing is very abnormal compared to my daily life.
It being a bright flash appearing outside of the classroom window. Outlining an abnormal shape on the horizon. I can feel a rumbling following immediately after that flash. Followed immediately after by feelings of pure panic, hearing screams, and the repeating, frantic thought of…
'Oh God, I don't want to die.'
Immediately followed by a tugging feeling, and of Walking.
"Oh God." I sigh out, whilst crumbling down to a sitting position on the grass, in shock.
Wrapping my around my legs, it's only then that I notice the state of my clothes. Leaning back from my tight curled position, uncurling a little to see my clothes better, I notice one thing: They're burnt, crisp. Yet there are no burn marks are on my skin. Hell, my skin seems practically flawless.
My jeans, the lower parts of them covering my legs are gone. There are burn marks over what remains. The parts of my shirt covering my stomach are completely burnt away, alongside of the sleeves of my arms.
More proof of what happened, other than of my memories.
"Oh God." I say once more, with a cry.
Because that flash, what I should have felt from my memories being unbearable and excruciating heat. What no doubt was the shape of a mushroom cloud outside, and the rumble following it was no doubt the detonation of a nuclear bomb.
A damn fucking nuclear bomb.
I just… can't. Why? Why?
'Why would we ever get a why?'
Why would someone detonate a nuclear bomb in one of the most unimportant cities in our state? What did we ever do? Shouldn't we have had warning beforehand then?
Was it a terrorist act?
'Why should they ever have an excuse?'
Or was it the start of a nuclear war in…
'Why should nations decide the fate of the world?'
Wait-
Everyone I know is dead. Why the hell would I be worried about nuclear armageddon when they're all dead. Dead. As in, end of their existence physically here alongside of me. My family… mom, dad, my brother, my grandparents. My friends... just gone…
'Maybe they're stil-'
I'm dead as well then.
I'm dead.
And that should be considered a relative fact.
'Maybe I'm still al-'
I mean, I have to be dead. No one can truly survive a nuclear bomb. Even if someone did, they wouldn't last that long. Either seriously bad radiation sickness, or cancer popping up later on then proceeding to snuff out their life. I have to be dead though, as the nuke was no doubt within the city. School was only at most eighteen miles away from downtown.
'Maybe I'm still alive.' Was the the trigger for another line of thought.
Maybe, against all odds, I'm not dead.
Even if I were to have survived the nuclear explosion, then it would be impossible to be anywhere else other than a destroyed city.
Yet it's clearly not impossible if I didn't die, since I'm here. I guess the right phrase is "should be impossible." Then that would mean I would've teleported.
I need to get away.
'Why do I get to be alive when they're dead?'
I feel a tugging feeling within me, as if I'm trying to pull myself away.
'Why do I get to be alive when they're dead?'
Promising to take me away. To get me to somewhere safe. Now? I just wanted to be somewhere else. With other people.
'Why do I get to be alive when they're dead?'
So, just like from my memory, I let it.
And then I Walk.
Reality bleeds away, becoming nothing as I'm…
Pulled...
Dragged...
Taken from where I just was. And hopefully to somewhere better.
An infinite amount of lights bombarding on my eyes, as I'm being pulled elsewhere.
One overly bright light seems to shine ever more, becoming brighter, and brighter, and brighter…
Before it completely fills my vision.
"We've detected a sudden, high pulse of energy from…"
"You'll be landing, here. 5 klicks away from the…"
"Get to your pods, we're dropping in five."
"Pop your chutes. We're…"
"We have encountered resistance…"
"They must be looking for the same thing we are…"
"We think we found the source…"
"Impossible, it must be something else..."
"Command, there isn't."
"Get the package to the LZ. Quickly."
"Incoming enemy Fliers!"
"We're hit! Mayday! Mayday! This is..."
"Our bird went down. The pilot is dead."
"Command, we're gonna need another way out of here. Over."
"Copy that, we're sending in your new ride."
"Air is Red, I repeat Air is Red. Too many hostile Fliers."
"Send in the cavalry."
The 333rd Mechanized Infantry Company has been relatively in the green. Entirely better off than the 402nd and the 264th Mechanized Companies on the second line. Then again, those two were pulled back there due to serious losses of their rides. Most of the un-mechanized infantry has been pulled back twenty or so klicks from the front. In order to set up the trenches for a final holdout while the rest of the civies are evacuated off planet. The only forces are still up in the front are the armored companies and the 333rd.
The 333rd has been holding on to the left flank of the front lines. Holding back the alien bastards with ease. They've been holding them off as best as they can, for months even. They're just lucky that those bastards didn't glass the planet outright. Then again, the aliens don't do that if they're looking for something.
In their temporary FOB, Captain Renards of the 333rd, a relatively lean caucasian man with a well kept, but still greying set of hair. His eyes are piercing blue, with a keen intelligence hidden in his tired facade. He's wearing a formal yet form fitting gray and dark olive officer uniform, epaulet on his right shoulder. Surrounding his neck and padding his left shoulder, is an armored piece. He forgoes the traditional dress shoes in favor of the normal footwear of the Marine's. His leggings are armored compared to how the regulations are for Officers.
In Renard's hands is the standard issue Officer cap. It's a gray and dark olive piece, with a silver Eagle towards the front of the cap. Attached and below to the Eagle is a circular object, in reference to the circular sphere of influence Humanity has. The forefront of the symbol of the military, is a banner holding within the words "UNSC."
He's sitting in a dark olive deployable field chair, combing through his hair, looking over the reports for their soon withdrawal from the front lines. Humanity has been holding out on the world Everest as best as they can. But as soon as all of the civilians are evacuated, they're getting off of this world. The Covenant navy hasn't seem to discover the UNSC's. The UNSC can't find the Covenant off this world anymore. And once they do discover whatever they're looking for, they'll simply glass the planet because of 'Human Filth.'
Looking up from the reports, Renards took note of around the command tent. A dark olive colored field tent that's designated as the 333rd's Forward Operating Base-Command Center. Shortened to FOB-CC.
"Captain Renards!" Lieutenant Stevens, the Communications Officer for the FOB, shouts from a corner of the tent, "We're getting a High Priority Mission from CENCOM! They're telling us that we need to send four armored 'Hogs and their riders to pick up a group of VIPs! As well as a transport 'Hog!"
Lieutenant Stevens comes from a more established family. He appears to have a more Germanic descent. Atop his head he's wearing his headset, connecting to the transceiver. Underneath the headset is a lively bunch of brown hair. His face is clean per regulation for officers. He's wearing his fatigues, a concoction of forest green, dirt brown, and cloud white.
"VIPs? I thought the civilians are either dead, evacuated, or soon to be evacuated?" Renards asks, getting up from his chair and putting on his cap, he walks towards Lt. Stevens. Most of the other officers in the FOB-CC looking towards Renards. Then between themselves. They know one of their groups will be sent out soon.
Reaching the Lieutenant, Renards asks his communications officer, "Who're supposed to pick up?"
"We're supposed to pick up a fire team and their High-Valued Asset. They're saying the request is pushing through from HIGHCOM in orbit, sir." Lt. Stevens responds, turning to face his Captain in response.
"Fire team from where? All of our forces should be pulled back to our lines." The Captain asks in curiosity.
"They didn't say, sir." Was the response from Lt. Stevens.
Renards sighs in response to the Lieutenant, "Tell them to send us the coordinates. They're probably SPECOM."
"Yes, sir." Comes the response. The other officers returning back to before, setting up for the eventual route back to the final lines.
Renards turns towards the FOB-CC runner. The front lines have had to resort to runners due to the need of being able to pack up if the Covenant does a serious push. "Corporal Manés!"
"Yes, sir!" The runner salutes.
"Tell Charlie Platoon to round up, and for them to get their gear ready." I return his salute.
"Yes, sir!" Cpl. Manés exits his salute, running out of the tent. The officer for Charlie platoon merely sighs, before walking out of the tent, following the runner.
"Sir, here are the coordinates!" Lt. Stevens shouts, before listing the location. The coordinates are a few klicks in front of the Covenant ground force for this continent.
"May God help them all." Renards mutters underneath his breath.