It is of September 11th, 2015. Everyone is celebrating Patriot Day. Meanwhile everyone at Westview High School stand before the American flag in class as the National Anthem is playing on the overhead speaker. Me and the other cadets in the ROTC building stand before the Colors as well. The anthem ends and we are told to take our seats and take a moment of silence to those who have died on September 11th, 2001. The weather outside is cold and wet, has been for over a week. We take our books out and begin S.S.R. It’s been about 7 minutes in and a loud rumbling sound starts outside. Disturbed by the sound, Captain Cardoza opens the hatch to the exit of the building, I look up at him and as he opens the door, he gets shot in the head and falls to the ground. Panicked by the sound of the gunshot everyone gets under their desks. The speakers come back on and the Principal initiates the school lockdown. I look back and see Master Sergeant crawling to the next room, he calls for all the upperclassmen to come with him. He tells us that there are drill rifles in the closet on our left, to grab them and head outside and wait for him. I protested and said.
“Master Sergeant didn’t you just see the Captain get shot dead out there?! That’s suicide sir!”
2nd lieutenant Montell Johnson, my best friend, and leading cadet in Alpha company, was right beside me. He told me to get him a rifle and meet him and the roof of the building, I complied with the order and shot straight up off the ground, ran towards the closet, grabbed two drill rifles and threw one to him then followed him into a room that had spiraling stairs and we ran up them quickly. We opened the top door to the roof and at first we were blinded by the suns light, but as our eyes adjusted, we looked up and saw hundreds of parachutes if not thousands spread over the entire city of Phoenix. I look above us and shouted out loud.
“Johnson! We got one coming up on us!”
He looks up as well and sees the guy coming down fast. He nods at me and as the guy comes to the ground he tries to pull his rifle off his back but before he could get the chance Johnson and I start beating him relentlessly with our rifles. The soldier falls to the ground on his back while me and Johnson beat him with the butts of our guns. he comes to a halt trying to break loose of us. he’s dead. Proud by our work me and Johnson high-five each other but suddenly the hatch to the roof opens, quickly we draw our rifles towards the hatch, as it opens up we are greeted by Major Michael Larkham. He too has his rifle with him. We put them down and watch as everywhere around us there are soldiers dropping out of transport planes. Out of nowhere a BlackHawk comes over to us and is armed with two turrets, air-to-ground missiles, and about six or seven American Airforce troops inside. They lower the chopper down and tell us to get in. We all comply and climb into the helicopter. As it takes off I ask one of the soldiers,
“where are we going?! And who the hell are those soldiers landing on the ground?!”
he replies in a monotone voice,
“apparently since y’all are cadets, and just teenagers, you will be going to the refugee camp. and from what I’ve seen they look like Russians...”
My eyes widen with shock. “Russians?! Are you kidding me?!”
The soldier looks at me straight faced.
“no son, I ain’t--”
suddenly we were all cut off as the back of the helicopter had exploded, then the master alarm up front came on and the chopper started to go into auto-rotation. my ears ringing from the explosion and dizzy from spinning I black out.
---------------------------------------------------
Night. I wake up, dazed, confused, and aching in pain. One particular spot hurt the most, I try to look at it, but my visions blurred out. I try to make an idea of where I am. What happened? are we still invaded? Was all this just some dream? No. it couldn’t be, I saw what happened out there. I remember now. Montell! I had to find him. I crawl through all the shrapnel and rubble, I feel a soft spot. I touch it again, fuck, it’s one of the bodies. Though I was sad I tended to notice that it was too ‘large’ to be Montell. I keep crawling but stop dead when I hear unfamiliar voices, they sound foreign, almost like gibberish. but then I hear one of the soldiers yell aloud.
