Chapter 1
Character- Justin
The sky was just a pure beauty. I couldn't explain in words on how I felt when I looked up at those white, fluffy clouds. The sun shone like no other day. Everything seemed to be in the right place. The grass was greener then normal; there wasn't a sign of death in sight.
I ran across the meadow. No, running wasn't the words. It was prancing, singing, enjoying my life! I pranced all the way down to a cliff, hearing the water rushing down below. It was so clear, probably crystal. I was so intrigued that I had to jump off and dive. Down I went, the wind blowing back my brown hair, the bangs coming away from my eyes.
But it all ended abruptly, the clouds changed from peaceful white to black and satanic. Lightning flashed, almost blinding me. The area around me changed suddenly, and I was no longer falling. I landed painfully on my face onto not green grass, but blood covered dirt. I gasped in horror and swiftly sprang to my feet, checking my new surroundings. What the fuck was going on?
And then I saw something run at me. Was it human? No, definitely not for it was on all fours, and it sure wasn't a dog. From even here I could see green drool coming from its sharp fangs, its claws leaving a large trail behind it as it kept coming towards me now even faster. My body was frozen with fear, my jaw hitting the ground.
It stopped, now in front of me. It shrieked ferociously and stood up on its hind legs. From far away it looked like the size of a normal dog, but from here it was now even taller then me. It towered me in fact, for it was 8 feet tall. It had hard scales on the outside, almost seemingly in-penetrable. Its stomach was covered in softer scales, little sharp hairs sprouting from the pores. Its claws were the size of my arms, able to rip through a human being in less then a minute.
Its blood red eyes stared deep into my brown eyes, sniffing the air. It smelled my fear. My mind told me to run, but my body wouldn't budge. Suddenly, the creature's mouth opened in a wide scream and it raised one massive claw and swiped across my chest.
I woke up at that moment, screaming. My body was covered in sweat, and I was shaking so bad I was afraid the bed would break. Finally, I realized it was all a dream and had to take a few minutes to calm myself.
"What a gay dream!" I exclaimed, checking the time as I did. "Was I....prancing? Who the fuck does that?"
I tried to totally disregard the creature I saw in my dream. Although on the outside I showed no fear of any sort about it, the whole thing just kind of gave me the chills. I'd much rather not remember that part.
But what did it all mean? Somehow it seemed so in place, so in place I couldn't even place my finger on it.
I swung my legs off to the side of the bed, stretching my arms first and yawning. My body felt like one giant wet rag, I needed a shower. I brushed a hand through my thick, now greasy brown hair. It was kind of getting long, due to the lack of a haircut for 6 months. I liked the style though, even though my mother and father would yell at me every waking moment about it.
"Justin Schilling! Get a haircut you hippie!" My dad would shout jokingly. I thought it was always funny.
I got up and looked at myself in the mirror, half nude with only a pair of boxers on. I examined myself, starting with my body. It was pretty average, not really muscular but a bit bulky. I wasn't necessarily fat, but I did have a mini gut from drinking. Everyone gets one, so whatever.
I curved my arms and made muscles, continuing to check for anything out of place. I winked at the image of me.
"So, any of you ladies ordered a side of Justin Schilling?" I said in a confident voice.
That was when I heard someone burst out in laughter. I quickly turned my head to my doorway and saw my friend standing there, almost ready to roll around on the floor. He had short, blonde hair that was almost made into a crew cut. He was definitely taller then me, me standing only at the full height of 5'10 while he was towering me with 6'3. He was starting to show curves of muscles through his military outfit, since the white shirt he had was on tightly. A patch bore the symbol of the Confederacy where his heart lies.
He was decked out in camouflage pants and combat boots, the typical trainee outfit for any military branch. He suddenly stopped laughing and stared at me with piercing, blue eyes.
"You couldn't get laid if the girl was paid" he said bluntly.
My face was now flushed red, embarrassment flew throughout my body. Matt was the typical, hard-working bad ass. I couldn't ever understand why. He lives with us, due to his parents passed away. How? I was never told that. I was a little young when he moved in with me, about 4. I can't even believe I remember that.
He joined the military, always dreaming of being a pilot. His father was made into a legend cause of his piloting skills, the tale being he shot down many enemy fighter planes and holding 3rd in the record of the world of so many kills in air. I guess Matt just wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, like that saying goes "Like father, like son".
What am I doing here on the planet of Mar Sara? Well, I hold the most extraordinary job of them all! The fry cook of Happy Burger just down the road from me.
Unlike my best friend, I prefer more laid-back pace. I couldn't live two seconds in the military, and I admit it. I'd rather have a job and come home and relax. I haven't even gotten into a college yet. My decision of having a year break from school ended up going on for two years. My parents aren't too happy about that.
"Don't you know how to fucking knock, jolly green giant? Oh, let me minus the jolly part!" I replied with a smile. I saw the anger build up in his eyes, so I quickly started again before my ass was grass. "Oh calm down, you know I'm kidding"
"Yeah, well fuck you man...I'm going to go DO something with my 24 year old life and go to the military base and STUDY." He turned and started heading down the stairs.
"HEY! 20 AND WORKING AS A FRYCOOK AIN'T TOO BAD!" I shouted after him, but he just shook his head in return and kept walking on.
I didn't even bother to follow and prove my point, we always argued like this. It was what friends did, not to mention we were best of friends. I left the mirror and slipped through the doorway towards the bathroom....
TO FIND IT WAS OCCUPIED!
I knocked on the door furiously to overcome the sound of rushing water from the shower. I wanted the person inside to hear me. And he sure did.
"Jus, I'm in here!" my brother shouted. I just sighed.
"Well hurry up! I got work at 2:30!"
"It isn't my fault you slept till 1:30!" my brother retaliated, the shower not even turned off yet.
I shook my head and then dashed down the stairs, my hand on the railing to keep my klutzy self from tripping and rolling down to my doom. I strolled into the kitchen, opening the cabinets and poking my way around for something to eat. I heard someone approach me from behind.
"Justin, we need to have a talk, father to son...or man to man if you prefer" I heard my dad's deep voice ring out.
I didn't turn my head from the cabinets. "Yeah dad, what's up?"
"It's about how you're leading your life Justin..." there was a long pause. I didn't even stop to turn to look at him. He cleared his throat and started again. "You don't seem to be motivated to do anything. You've lived at home for all your life and you still work at Happy Burger. Don't get me wrong, it's an OK job. But don't you think you should head out for something...bigger?"
"What's wrong with $8.00 pay?" I asked, pulling out a bagel and heading over to the refrigerator.
"Well, for being a 20 year old young man, there's a lot wrong with it, sorry to say son. Your mother and I have spoken about the issue last night...and we have come to a conclusion that we want you to join the military."
This stopped me dead in my tracks. For the first time today I turned around and looked at my pop with the most disgusted expression on my face. Did I just hear him correctly? Did he just ask me...to join the military!? I could see dad's frown, even through his thick beard. I kept my cool though.
"You're kidding, right? I told you I was going to go to college after the end of this year" I was trying to sneak my way out of the only option I dreaded.
"Justin, your Mother and I think it's a good idea" he rubbed his chin.
I heard the bathroom door upstairs open. SANCTUARY!!!
"Well dad, this was a great conversation. Just remember, I AM 20, and I DO make decisions for myself now that I am a MAN" I gave my dad a pat on his shoulder and then jogged up the stairs. From even upstairs I could hear my old man sigh wistfully.
Two hours later I found myself in the most hated place I could think of, Happy Burger. In the back of the shack all that could be seen was me busting my ass to please the customer's every needs. It was basically just kissing ass if you ask me. I would flip burgers and if one thing was wrong, who was the one to blame? Of course it was me. Hours passed by seemed like decades. I was finally fed up about everything, and decided to make my dad proud....
When my hour shift was over I was sitting outside in the parking lot on top of my car. It wasn't a very good car, it broke down most of the time but it was always good at getting me from point A to point B. I was thinking about having a cigarette, but I quit that 4 years ago and bringing it back wouldn't do me any good.
So there I sat on the hood of my car, just checking out the clouds in the sky. It was so peaceful out here. I saw some blinking lights overhead, which was pretty unusual. But I just took it that it was the confederacy battle-cruisers and wraiths that were patrolling the orbit around Mar Sara.
I was just about ready to hop into my vehicle when I saw a figure pop out from the woods ahead. I squinted my eyes to help me see better. It was definitely human, and he was running at a very fast pace. When he got closer, I saw that his clothes were torn and beaten, and he had dry blood stains all over his body. I hopped off the car to greet him but he tripped and fell, landing on my car for support.
"I saw them!" he panted, barely able to stand up.
"Whoa, man calm down. What are you talking about?" I quickly passed this guy off as crazy.
"Monsters I tell you!" he shouted. People that were heading towards the fast food restaurant heard him and started staring our way. I began to feel uneasy, my face flushing red. My next instinct was to calm him down.
"Calm down, dude. You came from the woods, you could have saw a critter or-"
He grabbed the collar of my work shirt and slammed me up against the car. He came face to face to me, and I could smell that his breath reeked of alcohol. His hair was ruffled and greasy, and his face was covered in dirt. His eyes were blood-shot like he was awake all night, or drugged up. "Weren't you listening!? There's a monster out there! He killed my other two friends! I am NOT crazy, call the police!"
Apparently someone already had, and thought that HE was the monster. Two police officers grabbed him from behind on each shoulder, ordering him to get down. They didn't even give him a chance to follow, one officer taking out his tazor gun and shocking the hysterical stranger. His body jolted with electricity and he stopped struggling, falling on his face on the concrete. As one officer started handcuffing the now unconscious man, the other turned to the growing crowd.
"Nothing to see here, move along ladies and gentlemen." The people saw that the action was over, so they started to flow back into the restaurant. He turned to me. "You can move along too, civi"
"Civi" was a short, negative term for civilians. It was usually used by marines, but ever since the Confederates moved in to keep law and order on our planet, other law patrons used it too. I raised my hands, shaking my head "No problem, officer. Sheesh" He shot me a dirty glare as I jumped in my car to get away from this nonsense.
On the way home I kept thinking about what that guy was saying. His image kept popping into my thoughts, on how he was beaten and ripped up and bleeding. Maybe he was out partying with his friends, but I doubt any drunken people would tear him up like that. Not even a human with skilled knife-work could cleanly cut him up like what I saw. ESPECIALLY not drunk people.
I shook my head. Why was I worrying about this? The man WAS drunk, he could have been hallucinating. His blood-shot eyes could have been from a drug usage. Marijuana-usage was a big problem on Mar Sara, since law enforcements couldn't keep track of all the fields, it was easy to crop and sell without getting busted. Many people were arrested for turning themselves in for hallucinating, however. Scientists had informed the citizens that the weed here on Mar Sara was ten times stronger then that on Old Earth, just because the soil was healthier for the plants to grow.
I tended to stay away from drugs. I was more of a drinker....
And damn, could I go for a drink!
I parked my car in its usual spot in the driveway. Of course, it really didn't matter since all the cars floated at least 10 feet off the ground. Getting out wasn't the problem. It was sort of a respect thing; the man of the house gets to have his car in the front of everyone else's so he can get out the easiest. I remember when I first parked my car behind my dad's; he got so mad at me. I was, in fact, grounded for a day from driving because of it. Respect is a bigger thing now then it ever was back then...Especially if your parents were in the military. My family had a long trace of the military, on both sides. I am the only kid in my generation since 20 years that might be breaking the chain of not joining. My dad was a computer technician. He worked with radars, helping to detect nuclear launches to help prevent them.
I just didn't see it fitting me. I didn't want to get yelled at for what to do. I wanted to be able to do anything with my own free will, not by someone barking orders at me. I know that doing this would make my family hate me forever, dislike me, and even become the black sheep of the family. But that's better then selling my mind and body to the confederacy...
But I fixed the problem that my dad was talking about. I will make him proud today. I dragged my tired feet up my porch and into my house, placing my work hat on the living room couch. I took my shirt off, my body slick and shiny from the newly acquired sweat. I hated my job so much.
I waltzed into the kitchen, usually at least finding my mom there. But she was no where to be found, which was extremely odd. I saw a big piece of yellow paper hanging on the fridge, so I snatched it and read it:
Dear Family,
I have went food shopping, there is barely anything left! I can't believe I live in a house with a bunch of grown pigs! I'm just kidding, I'll be back later! I love you guys!
-Mom
Awesome! I was wondering when my mom would go shopping. I was a big binger, and I really wasn't home for any of my mom's good 'ol cooking. I usually munched on those "Meals-Ready-To-Go" thingies. They weren't great, but they held me over many times.
I heard the TV sound off effects from that of something of a video game....my brother. I went into down the stairs into the basement and found him sitting in front of the TV, eyes glued while he jammed on the buttons of his game controller.
Marc was my annoying little brother. He was sort of big, bigger then me in weight and body height. He was a little slow in his agility, but he was pretty strong. I remember countless number of times when we would fight and he would win. People made in fun of me because he beat me up when we argued. He had long brownish blond hair that covered the top half of his eyes. I always wondered how he saw through his hair.
He was the only person in the world that could make me angry, and so easily too. He just did stupid little petty things that irritated me, and I haven't gotten used it through his 16 years of existence.
"What's up asshole" he stated, not looking away from the T.V.
"Nothing much, dirt bag. Where's-"
"He's in the garage"
He didn't even wait for me to finish. "Yeah...uh, how did you know that?" I passed through a doorway into my dad's computer room. He wasn't there.
He stammered at first. "Oh, well you always come home looking for him...got natural ya know?"
"Whatever"
I left my brother playing video games and went outside, heading around back to where our garage was. I opened the door and there he was, working on some car part like he usually did in his spare time.
My dad was a genius with this stuff. He was able to fix cars, computers, and even hack into some stuff. I always insisted I wanted to learn, but I was always too lazy or bored to start. My dad always said that someday some of this stuff may come in handy, and he wouldn't be around forever to teach me.
"Hey Dad" I walked around him towards the fridge he kept out here too.
"Hey Justin" my dad said quietly, almost sounding sad.
"I thought about what you said earlier, about not getting a good job and stuff." I opened the bottle of water and swigged some of the liquid. It felt good going down my dry, scratchy throat.
My dad turned from what he was doing, his eyes twinkling almost. He sounded a lot happier this time. "You did?"
"Yeah, pops. I went right up to my boss in Happy Burger and I was standing in his office and all," I animated with my body to explain my story as I went along, "I was like 'you know what, Harry? I am sick of my lowly pay and horrible working conditions.
I want something better'. I was looking at him straight in the eyes and everything."
"Yeah?" My father had a sense of proud ness in his voice.
"I demanded a 25 cent raise! And I got it! I am now making $8.25 an hour instead!" I looked at my dad as if I won a war. He just stared blankly back at me. "Isn't that great!?"
"Justin, that wasn't what I was talking about...."
"I know Dad, it isn't the best of things, but it still is better then $8.00. I'm gonna go see what Matt is up to at the military base. Catch ya later, pops!" I patted him on the shoulder and left him there before he could reply.
After putting on a different set of clothes, I decided to walk to the military base. I was already low on jet fuel. The cars don't operate on gas anymore, but fuel that is used for airplanes such as wraiths and valkyries. It was about 7:30 PM when I got outside to head to the military base. It wasn't far off anyway, Matt walked there everyday. He insists it's good exercise, and that I was getting a bit chubby. So, I guess this works out for the atmosphere and me.
The stars were out, shining brightly and lighting up my path. The blinking lights I saw earlier were still there, but again I shrugged them off. Confederacy ships kept close watch with high-tech cameras up there. Speed chases were no longer a problem if the officer lost track of the criminal. The battle-cruiser's cameras could see a penny off the ground if they really wanted too.
A couple miles down the road I found myself at the Confederacy military base. It was the heart of their operations. There were other small base camps along the planet of Mar Sara, but in the middle of our Colony was the biggest. This one even had its own air port. Often jets landed and took off from here when doing its duties. This is also where the air pilot trainees trained. Trainees hustled about to get to their next classes all day, and usually the classes ended at 5 P.M. I found it odd that Matt had stayed longer. Maybe a class was delayed and was put up later?
Nah, knowing Matt he is still studying. He'd sit in a class for hours and study, study, study. I couldn't keep my attention on a school subject for long. High school was one thing not to study for, but I knew outside of High school things got tougher. Not studying wasn't an option, and I was afraid of that. Something Matt was better at, persistency.
But I really didn't care. I looked at life as having fun, joking around, and taking things at your own pace. Matt just liked to take it one step ahead.
The base was still open for a reason I didn't know. Two marines blocked the main entrance, both carrying Gauss Rifle machine guns. That was the basic rifle for a marine. The strongest of its kind, it spat out 13 mm pellet rounds that could tear the bark off a tree. It made me shudder of what it could do to a human being. The weapon was so big that it had to be held by two hands! A normal human being without a CS (Combat Suit) couldn't lift the thing up.
The CS was what the marines were wearing. People in enlisted ranks wore the basic CS200, which had the basic necessities (mainly the strength to hold the gauss rifle). The armor was thick, protecting the soldier from most attacks. Of course, with the advancement of armor also came the advancement of weapons to pierce the armor.
When I approached the entrance of the base I felt the cold-blooded eyes upon me. The bright light above the door was shining, forcing me to shield my eyes. One marine was smoking and the CS was filtering the smoke through the ventilation system, the smoke disappearing into the atmosphere. The rifles clicked in their hands when they talked.
"Who are you, civi?" the one on the left sneered.
"Oh, well, uh, I am just here to see my friend. He's a trainee in the facilities" These marines made me nervous.
"Well we need to pat you down. Sorry, government orders and law" the one on the right placed his rifle on the dirt. He came to me, patting down my already shaking body. At any moment I dreaded the thought of him knocking me down and blasting me with his rifle. Fortunately he lifted his gun back up and turned to his friend. "He's clean"
"Alright, civi. Place closes in an hour so make hast will ya?"
I walked into the building as fast as I could, wanting to get away from those blood thirsty marines. The air was cooler then outside, refreshing me. The place was pretty empty, so then I guessed right about Matt studying late. After a few hallways I came up with room 110, the study room.
I peeked through the window of the door and saw his tall figure jotting down notes in the book. I quietly opened and shut the door, creeping my way behind him. I was about to scare him when he turned around and pointed a 9mm handgun at my face.
"Boo" He had a victory smile on.
"Alright, alright you got me! Put that thing away!" I lightly punched his arm. "How could you sit here and study for an extra 2 hours? I'd be so bored with that stuff dude"
He holstered his gun in his pocket and went back to writing down notes. "It's easy...I want to be a pilot so I work. Shouldn't you be flipping burgers or something?"
"Very funny" I laughed. "Hey, get this! My dad tried telling me to join the army or something right? He wanted me to go somewhere in life. So I went to my manager today and I was like, 'yo, I am going to quit if you don't give me a raise!' so he raised me 25 cents. Ain't that awesome?"
My friend stopped writing and stared at me blankly like I grew a second head. All that could be heard was the clock ticking. "You're a loser!"
That's when I realized how lowly my accomplishment was. "Well, it ain't that bad..."
"When you're twenty and working in fast food for $8.25 it's sort of sad" he said yet again more bluntly.
I started to play with the fake human skeleton. I moved its jaw as I mouthed the words, "Not all of us are perfect like Matthew Stubbs"
"I'm just one in a million" he cracked at his own joke that I didn't think was funny. I was about to go see what he was writing when the place shook. Gun fire whistled in the air and it made Matt and I both jump. "Hey did you hear that?"
I wiggled my finger in my ear as if cleaning it out. "Sorry, what was that? OF COURSE I HEARD IT!"
Dead silence.
Suddenly people began screaming. Something un-human bellowed from outside the room. Matt whipped out his 9mm. He cocked it and began moving towards the door.
"You're a soldier and all they give you is a 9mm?" I scoffed.
He didn't turn to me but instead was ready to open the door. "I don't see you holding anything"
He opened the door and jumped outside, aiming his gun where he looked. First he faced right, then to the left.
Another explosion.
The explosion caused the room to shake violently. Glasses holding animal body parts fell and broke on the floor. Airplane models fell from the ceiling, one nearly hitting myself. I lost my balance, tripped over the fake skeleton model. I fell fast, hitting my head on the end of the desk on the way down. I hit the floor faster then I could think.
Everything spun. The light suddenly got brighter, and then everything faded...
Author's Note- First Chapter Released! Yay! I know it's kind of long and may be boring but hey, it's the first chapter! Please review!