Chapter Thirteen:

It's a scary place, looking into the mind of your own worst enemy. There is no rationalizing with their thirst for domination. There is no love but pure hate, and there is no humanity to survive their tide of war. There is only darkness, devastation, and death. There are only the nightmares that we fear to dream and fear to live, and those dreams live here, deep into the darkest corners of the minds of our enemies, a scary place, a world rising along the edge. But will we fall over without a fight, or will we fight for what good, what love we still carry into our own hearts?

The structures were monstrous, tormented skyscrapers spiraling toward space. Scrap metal and other salvaged parts gave it life, strength, but its heart hummed to the beat of those in control. What ships they had docked inside, and skitters swarmed around the base. The watch towers were near completion, and it would soon be time to call home. And then, the world would end with all hope gone, snuffed out without a trace.

A small group of men hunkered down nearby, surveying the scene. Guns were at the ready, and binoculars were exchanged. Tension was swift like a cold chill of death, and no words could penetrate the growing doom that surrounded them. Fear touched the back of their minds as they looked deep into their enemies, trying to find reason, trying to find weakness, but who were these white giants? Why did they come here, and how could they be killed?

"You ever see a dog fight," Pope asked Anthony. "Those skitters remind me of rottweilers, nastiest dogs, and they have no emotion, no thought but to kill. Kill anything that you put in front of them."

"And you know this how, Pope?"

"I've seen a few dog fights."

"Seen or ran?"

"Tell me something, Anthony. If you didn't want to be with me, then why did you switch with Maggie?"

"It's like I said, Pope." He returned to surveying the aliens below. "I owe you my life, and until that debt is repaid, I'm not leaving your side."

"Well, don't worry about it." He too returned his focus on the task at hand, gaining intel into their enemies plot on taking over the world for good. "I'll probably save your ass one or two more times anyway."

"We'll see." Anthony smiled. "The fight hasn't come to us yet."

"Oh, it will, my friend. It will." Pope looked sad for a moment. "We might be the only ones to determine the fate of this world."

"Didn't take you for a deep thinker."

"Well, you didn't let me finish. We might also be royally screwed."

"There's the Pope I know." Anthony laughed.

"Pope." One of the men nearby gestured toward something, and Pope followed his gaze. "Look at that."

"Those aren't," but Anthony fell silent.

"Harnessed kids, or what's left of them." Pope watched through his binoculars as the harnessed kids formed a link around the tower. "Apparently, they have a lot of them." He noted how their faces were green, distorted, and their eyes were empty with nobody home. "Crap."

"What are they doing," another man whispered loudly.

"Human shields." Pope slumped down onto the ground. "Those bastards are using them as human shields, so when we attack, we have to go through them first."

"Jesus," Anthony breathed. "They're just kids."

"Not anymore." Pope handed him the binoculars. "They're half skitters now, and the skitters aren't too far behind. Those white giants are sitting pretty, letting them do their dirty work for them. Heartless bastards."

"You don't think Ben will look like them, do you?" Anthony stared at one boy, whose face was twisted and scarred. "Tom couldn't handle that."

"He can't handle a lot of things right now."

"Pope, go easy on him. We need him."

"Yeah, Anthony, we need him, and they broke him. He can't even go near that place like he can't hold his son. He can't help us or save us. He's just in the way now." Pope looked at those now watching him. "He's a good man. I'll admit that, but he was better off dead."

"Pope," Anthony said, but Pope's glare silenced him.

"Come on. We have to head back and report this."

"What about Sky?" Pope glanced at Anthony. "She could help us."

"Or she could kill us. Which one do you think she will do? She pulled that spike out of her back really fast, and that second one was like a glow stick. What does the first one do?"

"I don't know."

"You see, Anthony, that's the problem. Now, let's go."

The men crawled slowly away from their hiding spot. They laid low not to attract any attention. They hoped that under the fall of night, they could gain more cover, but if they had to, they were ready to fight, ready to lay down their lives to give the others a fighting chance. The tide of war was growing, and they could feel it. It would either consume them, or it would turn in their favor. Either way, time would tell, and it would tell soon.