Waging War | The Amber Duology #1

12 | Bandages, Blood, and Bombs

Cole was running, and running fast. In his hands were carrying all the weapons needed for battle as he made his way to where the vehicles were parked at the edge of camp. The alarm had been going off for two minutes now, and everyone was prepared to act, already familiar with the drill.

"What's going on?" Jay asked, running up to his side with a blueprint in his hands.

Cole kept handing out weapons to every defenseless soldier he found. "The Oni were spotted a few miles away from camp. We're not sure how they found us but the General wants us to act fast."

From the corner of his eye, he saw his friend visibly stiffen. "R-right."

Cole sighed and came to a stop. He didn't know what Jay had gone through on a personal level but he did know about how he felt. "Look, just hide out in the lab. Everything's alright." He offered a small smile, despite his own nerves. "Just take a deep breath, and try to relax."

"Relax?! How could I possibly relax if that stupid siren doesn't want to stop?! No one can remain calm during war, Cole. Especially when lives are at risk and we are on the verge of being destroyed by a clan of demons that—"

"Just shut up for a second!"

Jay's rambling came to a stop as Cole handed him the extra swords. He gulped and watched as Cole searched his pockets for something. "Uh, what is that?"

"Earplugs. They help when I have new weapons to test out and I don't want my hearing compromised." The boy shrugged and placed a bud in each ear. "Can you hear me?"

"What?!" Jay responded, however it sounded like a shout to the normal ear.

"Okay, it works then."

Cole grabbed the weapons from him and sped off in the direction of the trucks. He climbed into one, fixing his robes, and making sure he had everything he needed. The moment brought back some memories he had as a soldier in training. His build definitely gave him an advantage.

"Well done, Brookstone!" His drill instructor praised after Cole had successfully climbed the pole and held out the flag.

It was a simple praise, but it was definitely enough to get his spirits up. Cole nodded as Zane and Lloyd climbed in beside him, both equipped with their weapon of choice. A dao and a bow.

"Where's Kai?" Zane asked after double checking his surroundings.

"I thought he was with you." Cole motioned to Lloyd who shook his head in response. They must have lost him in the commotion. Cole knew first hand what it was like to deal with panicking initiates.

The first time he heard the familiar sound of sirens was when he was in the bathroom. Cole was in the middle enjoying a hot shower after a long day of training when the soldiers were called into battle, with clothes on or not, everyone was running out of the place.

"What's going on?" He had said, his jet black hair still covered in bubbles from his shampoo.

Only Zane had stopped to actually answer his question. "Those are the battle sirens. The Oni are near and they need every possible soldier in the field."

"Now?!"

"Affirmative."

Zane nodded at him before breaking off into a run. Cole turned off the water and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist. If he was going to fight Oni, he'd rather do it without having to expose himself to everyone who might live to tell the tale.

"What the hell are you doing?" The familiar, and annoying, voice of Kai Smith had filled his ears and pulled him away from his memories. Cole turned his attention to find one of the trainees climbing into the trucks beside them.