"Come on, dude, let's go!"
I turned back: James, bright eyed and bushy tailed was ready for the hunt today. He could barely stand still. With a face full of excitement he waved me to come back into the woods to catch up with our siblings.
I glanced at the fading sunrise now behind me. It was going to be a good day.
Smiling bright, I jogged with a happy swiftness back to the tree line. I grabbed my bow which lay against a tree. I gave my brother a lovingly shove as I passed by.
"Tag your it, fool!"
"Aye!" he laughed.
I ran fast, dog on my heel and James not far behind. I turned my head to jokingly stick my tongue out at my little brother to assert my place as the superior one here.
But that was cut short by me slamming into Brady who jumped out of the thicket. I got sent to the ground.
"You made me bite my tongue!" I laughed picking myself up and shoving Brady back. My dog jumping and barking excitedly around us before James tackled both of us.
"Now you're both it!" James exclaimed trying to keep us both pinned. It was a quick over turn by his two older siblings as we flipped him over and sat on each of his arms and the dog went in barking to slobber his face.
"We may be it, but you are still a pip squeak." Brady jabbed with a chuckle.
Dovie made her move and licked my brother's face.
"No no! Not the dog! Let me up! Heeelllp! mmmmfff." Our brother's cry for mercy became muffled as he clamped his mouth shut and squirmed to keep Dovie from getting where any dog wants to go when your face is in their reach.
Brady and I started laughing so hard that we fell off James' arms. He quickly pushed the dog off from his face as he jumped to his feet.
"Ew ew ew," James grabbed his flannel collar and started rubbing his face down violently inside the shirt. But no matter what he did now, his face would have that dried spit on it for the rest of the day.
"So gross." He muttered still trying to scrub the substance off to no avail.
We were still chuckling, Brady having to wipe tears from his eyes he had laughed so hard.
"Are y'all done goofing off yet?" John said as he and Vance rounded the corner up the path.
"Maybe, but I don't think he is." Brady said jabbing a thumb towards James who looked up from wiping his face. A flash of horror hitting his eyes.
And with that, John and Vance were quick to tackle James and whistle Dovie over do her thing once more as they held his head down for her to get.
"You guys suck!" He yelled fighting to get away. Before the dog could get to him though, John and Vance released our little brother with smirks on their faces. He stumbled and ran a few feet off. "You're all gonna get it someday." He said brushing himself off.
John adjusted the shot gun slung over his shoulder as he walked past James. "In your wildest dreams little brother." He sneered as he ruffled James' hair.
James angrily stuck his tongue out at John as we all started making our way up the trail. It was a long hike up the mountain to the field on the other side of the peak where the deer lay.
Today was James' big day, he was going to shoot his first deer ever. He had spent years watching us, and now that he had his hunting license, it was time to put dinner on the table for the first time. He had been giddy all day... and anxious but he wasn't letting anyone see it. I could sense it though.
That's one thing I kept to myself- being able to... sense things. It set me apart and I could never quite put it into words. I could sense the energy of others per se. Just their existence was like a blip on a mental radar. I've learned to recognize some emotions like anxiousness based off one's energy if they didn't physically show anything. And because I could sense energy, I could tell where people- or anything living was around me, even if I couldn't see or hear them. It was strange, I never explored it much, it terrified me and also intrigued me. But I didn't want to drive myself mad going after something I couldn't even explain. So I kept it quiet.
John's hand clamped onto my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Stop day dreaming we gotta get this boy a deer."
"Damn right we do!" Vance cheered.
James was looking off into yonder trying to hide his blush while we all stare at our youngest brother with pride.
I grinned, slapped John's hand off my shoulder and made the stride over to the red flanneled boy. "James you're gonna remember this great day for- "
CRACK!
A zap of lightning came out of thin air in our faces. It cracked like a whip and with it more came. A triangle void filled the space that James and I scrambled to flee. We ran to Brady who shoved us behind him as the five of us backed away.
Quietly he uttered "What... in the devil?"
I clung to my older brother's shoulder as did James. Brady shakily raised his rifle towards the odd three sided hole that now sat in our path.
A strange energy filled the land in front of us. It was alive yet... not. Within seconds that was explained by one and then three robotic figures stepping out of this... this portal.
Humanly shaped- they were not human at all. Just metal with what actually appeared to be brain in the middle.
Armed, they stared us down. Cold emotionless stares.
"Kraag is here for the one known as Koda Canadere."
The voice coming from the robot up front was monotone and even more frigid than it's stare.
Hearing my name from these things froze me, I could've swore my heart skipped a beat.
John, breaking the brief silence: "Well what are ya here for, freaks?" His voice had the slightest break to it. He was scared, as were the rest of us.
"The one known as Koda will be coming with Kraang for the plan which is known as plan B."
"Th-that's unfortunate... for you... she's staying here." James barely squeaked out. They collectively looked at him and he shriveled behind Brady.
"Resistance will be met with force."
I barely had a second to cover my ears as John shot over our heads and essentially obliterated one of the robots with the twelve gauge.
"Meet that force, scum." He spat at them.
Wide eyed we all glared at him, he shrugged, loaded his gun and we knew what was next- we all attack!
Before we could even drop the last two of the first, dozens poured in and a return fire was recieved by other worldly guns we could not compete with.
Run was all that went through my mind and that I did. I grabbed James by the arm and tugged him along.
"Run!" Is all I could think to say as I sprinted down the beaten trail.
Even that was to no avail as shots rained over us as we ran, another one of these triangles popped up in front of us. James and I skid to a stop. Four more robots stepped out and met us face to face.
They fell to the ground like flies and before I could take in what happened,
Brady yelled out to us.
"Aye! Grab their guns! They work great!" A sarcastic chuckle. I could almost see a smile on his face as he and my other two brothers, now armed with the guns of these droids- rained a terror on the continuous flow of robots from several more portals appearing.
James and I followed without hesitation. We took out the next two that came through the portal we almost ran into moments ago. And for a moment, the enemy fire stopped. No more robots came through.
Thinking that we won, James started firing the newly acquired high tech gun at a tree. It took two shots to take down a large pine. It snapped and rumbled as it fell down amongst its fellow hemlocks. Joining the carnage that was at least a hundred of these robots scattering the ground.
Brady wasn't wrong these things were powerful... and they worked great!
"Holy cow! Can I keep it?!" James asked, looking down the sights for another large tree.
Visibly exhausted and out of breath Brady groaned.
"No! We don't even know what they are." He made his way over and swatted the gun downwards so it was pointed at the ground. "Now stop messing with it. Stop shooting random targets you know better." He gestured at the tree. "You just took an innocent life."
"Its a tree... we burn them for heat in the winter." James replied rolling his eyes.
"Yes but you just killed one for no reason!"
John snorted. "Something will make a home out of it! Lay off him mister sacred woods."
Brady just shook his head in disappointment.
But just like that the ground shook as something different came out of one of the many portals. Long metallic legs were met with a little round disk that held... one of those brain things. It stared at us with a curling smile. Definitely more creepy than the robot bodies the others inhabited.
More joined it along with even more robots.
How many more could there be?
There wasn't time for such a question to be answered as the fight began once more and lasers rained down left and right. It was chaos.
The first thing my other three brothers went for were the larger long legged robots. James and I fended off the regular robots going after the preoccupied trio. Which before long brought attention to us off to the side. From the portal just behind us, two robots entered. Shots were fired before we could even turn around and return the favor.
I felt a jolt like someone punched my shoulder. James' weapon sparked in the corner of my vision.
I spun on my heels and fired back and took them both down. They dropped quick along with my adrenaline rush from the surprise. I felt the stinging in my left shoulder. I grabbed for it, to hold it, to stop the pain. It was a groove. I got grazed I was lucky. But that knowledge didn't stop the pain just the worry.
"Uh... my gun is doing something wierd." James said with an eerie calmness as he held the foreign object out in front of him.
I looked at him and then the gun, a growing pink stripe on the side and and urgent sound of increasingly faster beeps emitted off the bizarre gun.
If there was a universal sign for 'this thing is about to explode' this would be it.
With wide eyes I snatched the gun from my youngest brother to toss it as far as I could. The gun hardly left my hand in its journey far into the woods before it blew up. It blasted us back.
My head hit the ground a thud and a bounce. My ears rang. The trees above spun. The world drowned out for a moment.
Shit
My little brother was quick to pull me up. Dizzying as it was I stood, my laser gun still intact- I clutched it tight, my free yet now bloodied left hand against my head to stop the broad ache that was my skull.
"Are.. you alright James?" I uttered putting my hand to his shoulder. A salty iron taste filled my mouth and I was quick to spit it. Blood filled saliva hit the rocks at my feet.
Almost to the point of hyperventilating my brother nodded he was alright
I scanned him over quick, a few scrapes and a dirty face, but other than the terrified stare with tears he was fine.
I smiled but that was brief.
Four robots charged us. I tried to shove James aside and fire but it was just me they tackled and my shot went useless into the sky.
I went backwards.
The four robots and I went through the portal that was behind me.
I screamed.
James tried to grab me.
I landed back on the ground. The group of robots on top of me were struggling for the the only weapon I had.
I yelled for James' help. The triangle passagw way was gone behind the robots.
In a panic I got the strength to rip my weapon free of their steely grip. Screaming I fired on the one over my face and made the next three look like a joke. As they fell I fought off their dead weight to get to my feet.
Trying to catch my breath I took several steps back and fired a few more shots into them to be sure even though they were lifeless and still.
I stare at them.
What the hell is even going on? Where am I?
The ground below my feet was no longer rocky mountain dirt. It was rubber. It was night time now.
Yeah, where am I?!
I spun around. I was met with city lights, distant sirens and horns. Skyscrapers barley visible among the dark sky illuminated by the lights below.
"Oh boy."
I looked left and then right, I was on a rooftop. A few structures stuck out, like vents, pipes, storage units and an entrance to the lower levels. Where occupants undoubtedly lived. Unaware of the weirdness that just took place above them.
I held the laser gun close to my chest watching my fast breath fog in the cool air. Closing my eyes and using my sense- I tried to feel if there was anyone nearby. All I got was the residents below me. Which was to be expected. I looked towards the door that could lead nowhere but down.
I needed help and not just my current situation, I needed medical attention. Stupidly reminding myself I was shot, my shoulder flared angrily in pain. I grabbed for it. There was nothing I could do for it, the graze was more towards my shoulder blade, I couldn't even see it. I've had deeper cuts, but this was incomparable.
I sighed and made way for the door. Maybe someone could help... then I stopped short.
"Ah blueberries, nobody's going to believe me." I scoffed. "I'll get thrown in a loony house."
Feeling the sting in my shoulder I knew that I needed help regardless. So I pressed on towards the door, someone could take me to a hospital at the very least anyway. I didn't have to tell anybody exactly what happened.
Just as I reached for the doorknob another presence of energy quite literally hit the roof top. Silently.
In the shadows there was someone. Panicking once more thinking there were more alien robots after me I fired a shot at them.
The dark figure in the shadows dodged it with a cleanness I've never seen.
"Whoaa! Hey watch where you're aiming that thing!" It was a deep voice. A young man's. A gentle voice.
My sense kicking in full swing, I felt nothing but a soft energy. A calm one. Not the cold almost lifeless energies as before. Stupidly I realized I just fired at someone.
Letting the gun to my side to throw it I began apologizing. "Oh man I'm sorry I-"
A human was not what came out of the shadows.
"What the hell!" I raised the gun and popped off a shot in a panic.
Again he dodged it.
"Hey!" He yelled but not with a sternness. His energy was still soft and welcoming. He wasn't a threat... despite whatever he was.
I still had the gun aimed at him. He had his hands up. Analyzing deep blue eyes watched me. No sign of fear or anything. Just watching... waiting for a decision from me.
I threw the gun down to ground at my side and it clanked against metal pipes protruding from the roof.
"Sorry." My shaky voice managed. I broke eye contact to stare at the ground, more specifically at the weapon. Stuck between paralyzing fear and a need to stay calm I told myself I didn't need its protection. This... guy wasn't going to hurt me.
"It's alright... I understand." He almost chuckled.
I looked back up taking in what he was. Not gonna lie he looked like a turtle, a human turtle if that was at all possible. He was the color of a white pine's needles. Decked out in weapons and protective gear that covered his muscled body- I could tell he did martial arts or body building of some sort. He had not five but three large fingers. Far from human but not too far. But what certainly caught me was calmness, expressed nowhere else but his eyes which looked like they held an entire ocean.
My racing heart finally caught a break and began to slow down. The need to suck in so much air stopped and and my lungs began to relax.
I was okay.
I was safe.
I held my head beginning to spin as my body untensed.
"Yeah I need to sit down."