Chapter 2

'I'm not going home'

Influencing Music: Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings

A/n thank you for reviewing my first chapter. Sorry for the late update, I've been trying to sort out the rest of my life but I am always thinking about this story. I hope people continue to read this story and I really appreciate criticism. For example, I have been criticised for being too descriptive which is cool because I probably am. If you enjoy this story, please say so. I wrote this story to be read so don't let me think that you didn't enjoy it without giving me a reason why.

He cracked his plaster dried lips apart, gasping for breath too quickly that his lungs refused it entry and coughed it back up. His watery blue eyes stuttered open, dusty light from the open gash in the side of the building seeped in to his out-of-focus world. Leo's body felt dead, unable to move and no longer a part of him. He didn't want to wake up, he just wanted to continue to sleep in his rubble-made grave, like his parents were now……

'Elene'

His eyes snapped open. He remembered why he was here, why he had to live and he moaned as he summoned his body to awaken. Slowly, brick by brick, he pushed the thin layer of rubble off himself until he could sit up and look at the damage done to his body. Staring down, he could see he was sitting in a fresh pool of blood. 'Where is it coming from?' Leo couldn't even feel where the bleeding was escaping from.

He screamed, nausea rushed up his throat too fast for him to swallow it back and he turned to his side and wretched. Out of his thigh a large of chunk of glass was eating in to him and the sight of it being in his leg was too much to stomach. Once he had emptied all that he had left in his stomach, he knew he had to get it out of his leg. Just the thought of doing it was making his stomach feel weak. He had to do it though.

'For Elene!' His shout turned in to a yell as the glass reluctantly flew out his leg. Blood rose out of the wound at an alarming rate. Leo wanted to throw up again but he was too weak, the blood was draining what little energy he had left. His mind rushed, faces of his family dancing in front of him, his body rose, his legs clumsily stumbled forward and led him in to a bathroom. The pain for his family was so much greater than the physical pain; Leo wished for it to take his life away, he didn't want to feel anymore guilt. He fell forward in to the sink and his bloody hands opened the glass cabinet on the wall. Inside he rummaged through the odd bits of toiletries and tooth pastes and took out a first aid kit. Letting his legs go dead, Leo dropped to the tiled floor with a thud and let his head spin. Blood had followed him to the bathroom it seemed and was gathering around him. As much as he wanted it to, Leo wasn't going to let the red sea consume him. Cursing to himself and in between wincing, he tended to his leg as best as he could.

An hour later Leo was limping around, his appetite replenished slightly as he raided a warm fridge and had consumed all the water that was left in the apartment. His head no longer spun and his mind was focused. After much debate between thoughts, Leo concluded that his sister if she wasn't dead may have fled the city already with her friends and in that case would be heading for home. He had to go head out of town, if not to find her but to stop her from seeing the remains of their home and the fate of their parents. He had to be there for her, he had to act like her big brother for once and find her.

Without looking back at his near-grave, Leo walked out of the apartment, and out of the remains of the block of flats. Stepping in to the dusty sunlight, the smell of burning flesh hit him. He had forgotten the hundreds of innocent people that had been burned away by the scarab, some even burnt alive.

After a brief pause for him to empty his stomach again, Leo limped down the still smouldering street heading out of town. He kept his mind and gaze focused ahead. The sight of the charred bodies was too much and more importantly, Leo didn't want to know if his sister had been caught in the blast. He didn't want to see her little body lying tortured in the street.

Surely we are allowed to dream that our loved one would still be alive after such destruction? If not to hold on to a futile hope that keeps us alive for those few minutes longer, and to know that we would have not given up before letting our soul rest along side the one that we had searched so long for. Leo wasn't going to give up on her. He would avenge his parents before letting himself rest.

After a few hundred metres, collapsed buildings blocked the street and Leo had to turn down unfamiliar alleys to find a way out of town. The more alleys and roads he turned down the more lost and panicked he became. Dust smeared the view of the city horizon and he could no longer see the hills that belonged to his home. He didn't know if he was walking deeper in to the city or further away! His eyes swelled with pools of tears as his leg began to throb and ache, blood seeping through his makeshift bandaging. His senses snapped alert as he heard the familiar sound of gunfire and screams followed by the alien sound of the plasma weapons being fired. Faintly, through the pulsating of his leg, Leo could feel the soft tremors of the scarab echoing through the city foundations.

Adrenaline spread through his body and pulsed strongly in his wounded leg. Am I just going in circles? Leo became desperate; his eyes scanning his surroundings for any sign of a way out of the city but dust hid the landscape from view.

'I'm lost' he whispered, admitting to himself the reality of the situation. But I won't give up.

Moving faster than before, he limped down another side street. He figured standing around wasn't going to find a way out and maybe this way he would find something familiar. Before he even reached half way up the street however, the sound of gun fire had become stronger and Leo could vaguely make the outline of people moving across the mouth of the side street. The injured youth moved as fast as he could down the small street to meet the main road where he had seen the people. They would help him get out of the city.

Reaching the main road, he paused and peered through the murky brown dust to see a small group of soldiers holding ground behind stranded cars, rubble and anything that would withstand the plasma blasts that bombarded them. Every so often a marine would lean out of position and point a battle rifle or whatever weapon he had to hand and fire in to the all-consuming dust cloud. Leo followed the journey of the bullets down the road in to the dust cloud. Something was there. Seeming to be at least a head taller than a human, its shadow danced in the enveloping dust and fired out beautifully deadly shots of plasma at the marines.

Curiosity hypnotised his body and his sanity, and forced him to move closer towards the alien presence that hid in the clouds. Keeping close to the walls, Leo could faintly hear a mixture of deep voices and grunting, as if the aliens were communicating to each other. Leo's heart raced with each sound the intruders made. He just wanted to see what they looked like….

'Oi, you! Get back here kid! What the hell do you think you're doing!' a marine shouted from behind an upturned car.

Leo jumped violently and just as quickly his body contracted to cope with the pain that screamed through him. He fell to his knees, the only position that his body could bear the pain in. Leo looked up at the soldier who had already forgotten him and moved out of position to shoot in to the dust cloud. The marine didn't even shoot one round before a line of purple light passed through his body and sent him lifeless to the floor. Leo paused and stared at death as the marine's head lulled to one side; his agape mouth and empty eyes staring in to him. He looked about twenty years old, a man who died way before his time. Twenty years of life just flashed before Leo's eyes and was lost in one moment, a second of a moment and was lost forever, his death only to be remembered by a stranger who would never even know his name. Leo grew cold and urged himself on to crawl away as fast as he could.

The numbers of soldiers began to decrease rapidly, whilst the alien force still remained untouched and unforgiving, slowly emerging from the dust cloud to finish them off. Leo didn't dare turn back and he scrambled behind a demolished car alongside another marine. The marine glanced at him a second before returning his attention back to the alien invaders. As he did so, his dog tags moved on his chest and captured the sun on its smooth shiny surface.

'Michael,' was inscribed in the front of them Leo noticed. He looked about Leo's age if not a few years older and it was obvious to see that Michael was scared. All around his squad and friends were being singled out and killed one by one.

Without thinking, Leo coolly said, 'hey Michael, don't you think we should get out of here?'

Michael looked at Leo with an expression of what seemed to be relief. It was obvious that if he stayed he would die but he didn't want to betray his fellow soldiers. But what is the point if it's obvious you're not going to win? There were no more 'fellow soldiers' left to betray. Michael needed someone to give him the option to leave his inevitable fate so he would not feel guilty for leaving his fallen comrades. He couldn't give the order to himself and Leo had saved him from his potential deathbed behind this car, in this street, at the end of some alien's hands.

Michael smiled at him and his green eyes blurred with emotion. 'Okay, let's get out of here.'

Leo smiled back, his face a reflection of Michael's. They were too young to be seeing the things they had seen today. No one should have to witness the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent people.

'Here, take this,' Michael said as he offered his shotgun to the other boy. 'You'll need this for any close range combat we might encounter. I'll use this,' he continued as he picked up an abandoned battle rifle from a rag doll-like body.

'But I don't know how to use a gun-' Leo replied, his words anxiously tumbling out.

'Just pull the trigger if you see anyone who isn't human,' he interrupted, his nervousness becoming obvious. 'Come on.'

Still crouching, the two began to make their way down the street away from the aliens. Leo's back began to ache as it became more and more difficult to deal with his injuries, crouch and carry a shotgun which was surprisingly heavy. He had never held a gun before and the idea of ever having to use one seemed a foreign one.

'We'll go into that alleyway up ahead and get out of this city,' Michael called back to Leo excitedly. We're going to live.

Before they could make it to the alley however, an elite burst out from behind the remains of a fallen building and pointed a weapon at Leo who lagged behind Michael. Leo froze; the weapon was crested with a purple haze of pins and was to end the life of a boy who had not yet lived. Without any apparent thought, the alien tugged as the trigger and a series of purple needle-like beams of light headed for Leo. He shut his eyes and accepted his fate. I just want to rest now. As the needles struck, Leo breath was forced out of him as a large shunt from his right pushed him to the ground. Looking up at where he once stood, Leo looked up into Michael's eyes.

'Michael!' Leo screamed. Why? Michael smiled weakly as a mass of purple needles stuck in to his chest. 'I'll help you Michael!' he cried again as he scrambled to his feet to attempt to pull the needles out.

'No Leo, I'm already dead. Get out of here,' he softly replied, pushing Leo away.

'NO! Not again!' Leo hysterically screamed back, as he went to grab Michael's arm.

As if at the command of Leo's grasp on his arm, the needles in Michael's chest unanimously exploded, ripping his chest open and setting his soul free. Leo grabbed for his falling body as blood sprayed everywhere, covering him and his surroundings. He wept openly as Michael flickered a smile before turning his expression cold to the sky. Flesh surrounded the young boys' and Michael's open rib cage was exposed to the dusty air. Leo wanted to wretch again but he had to get away. From behind him he could hear what sounded like laughing from the alien that had just killed his friend. Leo picked up his shotgun, and took one last look at the fallen boy before turning to the gloating alien. He watched as from the elite's split mouth came gurgling sounds of laughter. He was at least a head taller than Leo and looked as if he could easily over power him. Anger filled Leo's body and his vision blurred with hateful tears. Without a second's hesitation, the boy turned towards the alleyway and ran. He couldn't fight with a gun he had never used before or simply out of anger. Leo had had enough with his own foolishness for one day, and decided to convert his anger in to energy to run.

As he ran, his shotgun swinging in one hand, the other clutching at his sides, Leo glanced round to see if the alien was following. To his surprise, the alien was no where to seen, but it did not ease Leo's persistence to flee. As he turned back Leo's head smacked in to something of shell-like hardness forcing him back on to one foot, and then to the other before losing balance completely and falling in to a pile of rubbish in the alley. He clutched at his head as he pushed it upwards to see what he had crashed in to.

Leo gasped; an elite towered over him, this time with what looked like a plasma weapon. All the aliens looked the same but no way could it have been the same one as earlier.

'For fuck's sake!' Leo shouted at the oblivious alien. Lifting the shotgun with one hand, he aimed the barrel at the head of the elite, and without hesitation snapped the trigger back. The shot smashed the helmet to pieces and blew half the elite's head off. Alien blood splattered over the alley walls and Leo, resting alongside the blood of Michael on his clothes. The force of the shotgun shot forced the butt back in to Leo's chest and winded him. Leo laid motionless, trying to mouth words, to scream, to cry for help, anything. Blood that wasn't his own ran slowly down his face like rain on a window and he had no energy to wipe it away. Blood gurgled from the open mouth of the now fallen elite. Leo shut his eyes and fell back in to the comforting rubbish pile, finding it too nauseating to distinguish any features from its now hideously mutilated face.

As Leo lay in the bags of rubbish his body flinched as sounds of bullets ripping through the air ripped in to his consciousness. With every sharp snap of the trigger and every raw bang of the gun, red flashed in his closed eyes. He tried his hardest to remain still but every blast shocked his body more than the last, until it ended with the sound of a fallen boy and fast moving footsteps.

'Well, are you gonna get up?' a feminine voice coolly asked his motionless body.

Slowly, Leo lifted his head and met the steady gaze of a forest green-eyed girl. Seeing that the boy was alive she started reloading her pistol.

'Hi,' Leo croaked back, finally recovering his voice and energy back.

'Are you just gonna lay there or something. I don't know if you noticed but I just saved your butt from those monsters. It was coming down 'ere to kill you,' she continued, unsympathetically telling him off.

'Thank you,' was all he could manage to think of. Leo was too in shock that a girl his age was going round shooting these aliens. He didn't even notice her scolding; he was too confused to be bothered by it.

'Here,' she lent out a hand to the laying boy. 'Not very talkative are you?'

Leo just looked at her, still unable to recover his wits.

'Never mind. Take this,' she ordered placing a pistol in his hand.

'But I have that,' Leo answered as he pointed at his bloody shotgun lying in the rubbish.

'You don't want to use that. I really don't want to get right up close to one of those aliens in order to kill it, you know what I mean? A pistol is a lot better if we wanna keep our distance. I hope you're a good shot.'

'Okay.' Leo assumed it was safer to take orders from this girl than try question her. He looked down the alley at the elite that she had killed and noticed that its body lay quite far away. Where did she learn to shoot like that? She wasn't even in the army, just wearing her casual clothing, blue jeans and a white tight-fitted top that remained hidden underneath a green-hooded zip fleece. Her long brown hair flowed down past her shoulders and complimented her lusciously green eyes. If they hadn't been here right here, right now, Leo may have thought more differently about her. But the only girl on his mind was Elene.

'It was a good shot wasn't it?' the girl smiled smugly.

'Yeah,' Leo seemed to whisper back.

She sighed. This was going to be difficult. Why did I come down this alley to save him? There are so many other people I could have helped. His eyes looked so vacant, he wasn't here anymore. She looked him up and down before moving forward and sitting him back down on the floor. He woke up momentarily and looked at her. No emotion rained in his beautiful blue eyes but she seemed understood why.

'We're not going anywhere until I've mended you. I can't take you anywhere fast if you're limping around can I?' She smiled at him sympathetically. 'By the way my name is Mima.'

'Leo,' he faintly smiled back before looking away again to return back to the safer world in his head.

Mima got to work on the gash on his arm and redoing the bandage on his leg. 'Did you do this?' She asked, pointing at his leg.

'Yeah, I'm not very good.' Leo said looking at her, feeling a bit more alive.

'No, you're not,' she said with a light smile.

'How do you know to do bandages so well?' He winced as she pulled tight the last bandage.

'My dad is-' She bit her lip. 'Was a doctor.'

They both looked at the floor. He needn't apologise for her loss because silently they already knew that they had lost somebody. They were sixteen year-old kids with guns destroying the lives and witnessing the destruction of lives, they had to be fighting for someone.

'Okay, you're all done.' She said as she helped him back up.

'Thank you. I really appreciate what you've done for me Mima. You didn't have to.'

'It's nothing. We're all in it together aren't we? I'm just glad you're starting to talk to me now.'

'Yeah, sorry 'bout that,' Leo replied shyly.

'Ah, don't worry about it,' she said waving a hand at him. 'Can you walk okay?'

Leo moved around a bit before nodding at her.

'Right, so who are you looking for?' She asked bluntly.

'My younger sister Elene,' he answered back, equally to the point. 'She was in town before this all happened.'

'I think I may know where she is,' Mima said with a hint of confidence.

Leo rushed towards her, his face filling with colour again. 'Really?'

'Yeah. The aliens, or the covenant I think they're called, are rounding civilians up in the city this way,' she said pushing her finger towards the centre of the city. 'So let's go.'

'Are you sure? I can go on my own now.' Leo didn't want to see anyone else die.

'I'm going with you Leo. I got nothing left to fight for,' she answered. 'If I go with you, at least I'll have something to live for.'

'What if we die trying, achieving nothing?' Leo asked.

'Then we die trying. I have nothing to lose apart from my memories, and even those will disappear with time. So it doesn't really matter if I die today or in sixty years does it? So, of course I'm coming with you.'

'Thank you,' Leo smiled at her, finally feeling a bit safer and hopeful. Sliding his hand in to hers, she led the way down the dust infested streets to find Elene.

A/n I've never written chapters so long in my life. Well it took long enough and I hope you enjoyed it. I just want to make this story feel more down to earth. As if it could be you in Leo's shoes. It's a horrible thought.

KujaWolf