Trouble in the Mines

The war

Prologue:

Snow fell in the deep forest. It was a very cold night. The quiet of the night was shattered by the sound of people passing by and people crying and being ordered around, entering a bunker with hostages. The metal door slammed shut. The bright searchlights were cut. All was still...

Chapter 1

A secure town

All I remember was the cold. Standing outside of the house. Looking at all the empty houses and the missing persons posters everywhere. Not that many people were left here. Somehow, someone was taking, or killing these people out of my sight. I had to figure out why, and how. May thinks I should take a break, but I can't. I swore to protect this village and I will. Marshall has been leading many of the search parties accompanied by Ethan. They have looked far and wide for them, but the snow and ice make it hard.

It started off about 3 months ago. Someone was taken from the house during broad daylight. We thought it was just an accident. Then 2 people. Then 3. More people were taken and we started our search for answers once the 10th person had gone missing. When winter had arrived, the disappearances died down. We had time to act. We made a new weapon system. Our house became bigger and stronger. We had much more security and even had a perimeter wall around the village, with Ethan's soldiers littering the watch towers. Even so, I don't think we're safe, seeing the death toll after my father rained destruction, I think nobody believes they're safe...

Chapter 2

A surprisingly hot night

Outside the walls of the village, a squad of armed villagers sporting woodland camo are listening to a briefing by Ethan, these groups of villagers, along with Marshall the Burly, are our military and the current search parties searching for the lost villagers, Ethan finished his speech and the army walked off into the woods, Ethan turned walking back into the village, I see him turn and walk down the street that city hall is located on. He enters the building sporting a long back cape and an army green formal suit and a black and grey jacket with medals, and awards on it. "Sam!" yells Ethan walking towards the staircase in the lobby. "More Search parties are underway, and I have scouts, scouting ahead to see what exactly is happening to the villagers'' Ethan said walking up the stairway from the lobby to the second floor. "I don't like seeing my people disappearing, with no explanation." I replied, "I will not rest until they are found Mr. Mayor" General Ethan adds while walking to the war room.

That evening I walked to my house complaining about what to do on the reports flooding in. On my way home I passed by a construction site, the site is building Ethans new house as his old one was outside the village and its walls, leaving the threat for him to be kidnapped. I did not feel at home, before when I would walk through the village I would feel comfort and peace, but now not so much as Ethan had military soldiers patrolling all through the streets brandishing there newly developed weapons: fully automatic assault bows we made with iron that fired only the tip of the arrow so more could be easily stored in clips that would go in the weapon. The soldiers had woodland camo shirts and pants, they had leather black vests with iron slabs in them to cushion the blow, black gloves with hardened knuckles, black elbow and knee pads, a black helmet, finally they had black combat boots made with iron toes. Every guard was heavily armed with their fully automatic bows, a semi-auto side arm, they had two combat knives one in the vest and another in the boot, with that they had some rations, money and water, Ethan was not kidding around when he told me they would be armed. The thoughts of the ongoing war with this unknown enemy bounced around in my head as I was walking home. At least May was there to comfort me as I entered the house, I hung my coat on the wall and plopped down on the couch next to May. May was flipping through missing posters as she has been helping the villagers put them up. I put my arm around her and tried to clear my head.