[A NEW WORLD] : A NEW ORDER

[A NEW WORLD] : A New Order (ch3 Calm before the storm)

Nathan sat slumped against some sand bags while watching Dave stand on guard with binoculars pointed out towards the ever expanding lands of this new place. After everyone was woken up, the colonel ordered everyone to defensive posts while they continued to try to regain communications with upper brass.

He didn't want to believe they weren't on Earth anymore, but the facts were just overwhelming, and if they were no longer on Earth, who was to say they were not the only ones affected. For all they knew, they could be the only ones affected by whatever brought them here.

A single drop of water hits the tip of his nose. Looking up, he sees gray clouds forming together, threatening them with heavy rain as thunder sounds off in the distance.

“Just what we needed-” He starts to say while getting up, using some sandbags as support, “some rain.” He says while looking at nothing in particular.

Dave Lowers his binoculars, while keeping his eyes out in the distance, “At least we ain't in a flood zone.” Dave says with a chuckle, followed by him as they both recall their time in basic.

Then the surroundings go slightly darker, catching the attention of Nathan. Looking up, he sees the clouds starting to let out a small drizzle of water while more thunder sounds off in the distance.

“Eh, no kidding…I swear the drill instructors did it on purpose…actually they one hundred percent did it on purpose.” Dave says in an annoyed tone.

Dave slowly sits next to Nathan, his rifle placed next to them on some sand bags, “Got a smoke?” He asks.

Nathan checks his pouches and his back for the cigarette box he placed in one of them before they fell asleep, “yeah hold on, I'm pretty sure I have some left.” He says, then feels the familiar box and pulls it out, “Ah here we go.”

He opens the box, offering it to Dave and he takes it graciously, “Thanks man.” Dave says while grabbing his lighter.

He watches Dave struggle to light the cigarette as the small flame of his lighter keeps getting blown out by the increasingly strong winds, until finally the cigarette catches and Dave lets a small puff of smoke out.

The sky turns even darker as the gray clouds turn nearly black as heavy rain drops start falling, pounding their helmets, and winds start howling around them.

The wind and rain was so strong in fact, that it put out the delicate flame of Dave’s cigarette, and he could barely hear him let out a swear.

“Shits strong isn't it?” He says to Dave and there's a small pause between them, “Actually that's too strong.” he says on the edge of a screaming.

Then there's a sudden white flash that engulfs their vision just for a second, followed by the roaring boom the following thunder out in the far distance.

Nathan notices something far out in the distance, just barely past the treeline and he wipes his eyes to clear his vision as he squints out, “Hey Dave-” He shouts out so Dave can hear him over the roaring winds, “Get some eyes on that treeline…Around South East, 49 degrees.” He says while pointing towards the indicated direction.

Dave nods and puts his binoculars back up, and slowly scans the tree line. It takes him a second to see what Nathan was pointing at, but sure enough, he freezes as he stares at the tree line, “...He hell are those.”  Dave says in a whisper.

Nathan could see Dave’s mouth move, but couldn’t hear what he said over the screaming of the wind around him. But judging by the expression on his face, he was petrified at what he was seeing.

Looking back at the tree line he sees the figures moving around, they’re shaped oddly human, and moments literally similar to humans. But some primal instinct told him they were not humans at all. Then his hairs at the back of his neck started to rise.