O2

"Jake, get up it's time to deliver the oxygen," Mom rushed.

"Alright I'll be right there," I groaned. I shuffled to the bathroom and got dressed.

"Mom, is Thomas outside?" I shouted.

"Yes, hurry up," Mom said.

I sprint outside and fresh air smacks my face. "Jake, what's up?" Thomas asked.

"Nothing just the usual, waking up late," I said.

"Well chief is going to kill us if we're late!" Thomas shouted.

I walked up to the car and jumped in.

"Thomas, since it's your first day on the job let me tell you something." I said casually.

"Yea, what is it?" Thomas asked.

"There are these things called 'The Fallen' and they live in the trenches. If they capture you they will infect you and torture you until you give them answers." I whispered.

"What is a Fallen?" Thomas asked.

"Oh yea I forgot, rookies and civilians don't know," I whispered. "Ok I'll tell you. A Fallen is a crazy psychopath killer that craves on the flesh of humans," I said.

"Omg that's crazy Thomas."Thomas whispered with fear. "Take a left and there is the base," I said. We approached the front gates and chief was standing in the guard tower with binoculars searching for any Fallen outside the dome.

"Hey ladies, hurry your butts up!" Chief shouted

"I told you Chief would be mad." Thomas scolded.

"Calm down let's just go." I said. As the gates opened I could see the army dune buggies and the jeeps ready to go.

"Why do we still use jeeps when we have Strykers?" asked Thomas.

"First of all jeeps are just cool. Second of all we are still going to use the Stryker." I announced. We approach one of the jeeps and get all our equipment and gadgets.

"Why do we wear gas masks?" Thomas requested.

"Did you read anything in the manual!"I shouted

"There's a manual?" Thomas asked

"Dude you are cracking me up. Just read one of the manuals in the back seat of the jeep." I chuckled. Thomas and I decide we want to use a Dune buggy, so we do. "Ok, our mission is to guard the trucks full of oxygen!" I shout over the thunderous engines of the vehicles.

"Ok, I got it." He shouts. As we leave the Dome Thomas and I equip the gas mask and exhale. As the gate of the dome opens, the world outside is deserted, dried up, and a wasteland.

"It sucks that we are at the end of the line!" Thomas whined. I stop the buggy and wait for the line to speed ahead and when the convoy is about 20,000 ft away, I floor the buggy. We catch up to the convoy.

"What a rush!" Thomas exhaled.

"Yeah I know!" I screamed. The buggy started to rumble and shake.

"Umm, Jake I think we have a flat tire." Thomas screamed.

"Ok I am going to pull over, call chief on the radio and tell him that we are changing the tire!" I said.

"Chief said he is going to keep moving and he also said hurry up!" Thomas said.

As Thomas and I were changing the tire I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. It was a Fallen.

"Thomas you better hurry up and get that tire on!" I screamed.

"Dude calm down it's almost done and what's the big deal?" He protested.

"I don't mean to rain on your parade but there are fallen coming after us!" I shouted.

"Holy crap let's go!" Thomas screamed.

As Thomas and me get into the buggy, Thomas floored the buggy and took off like a jet. When we got closer to the convoy we heard gunshots; the Fallen were attacking the convoy.

"Thomas I am going to go on the .50 cal keep the buggy steady!" I shouted.

"Ok I can do that!" He said.

I climbed up onto the 50'cal, loaded her up and started spraying and blasting the living crap out of the Fallen. A bullet came spiraling and pierced Thomas in the shoulder. Thomas lost control and the buggy flipped over. Everything happened so fast, sand splashes up all around us like a blanket.

"Thomas are you ok," I mumble. My lungs and throat are dry as the desert.

"Yea I am ok, I just have a bullet stuck in my shoulder." He says and he manages to crack a smile.

"I am OK the vest stopped the bullet," he says. "Ok, ok do a body scan to see if anything else is injured." I say.

I manage to get to my feet. Here I stand in the blazing hot desert in the middle of nowhere. I squint at the convoy to see if they're still alive and the only thing I see are bodies being dragged out of vehicles.

"No!" I scream.

I run to the dune buggy and grab my rifle and mount it in the sand.

"Jake what are you doing?" Thomas asked.

I ignore him and fire rounds into the fallen. Every round feels and sounds like a movie everything in slow motion. Thomas runs up behind me and adds lead to the fallen's lifeless bodies.

"I think we got them." I say out of breath.

I start to relax and we just sit there. I hear the slightest footsteps behind us and before we know it a rusty blade clutched against our necks. My mask is ripped off. I try to negotiate but, a rag covers my mouth and blackness takes over. When I wake up,

I try to move but cold snake like chains cuff my arms.

"Good morning Jake." a familiar voice says.

A figure stands at the other end of my cell.

"It can't be!" I think to myself.

My eyes lock onto Thomas's eye. The venom stirs in his eyes. A grin stretched across his face.