Nocturne ➸ Ben Parish

02

I DUG THROUGH PILES of bodies, separating the fresher ones from the old.
We had to identify each body and write down what squad they were from.
In the week that I've been here, I've already managed to kill a guard and nearly escape. I would've made it if it weren't for Tank, who reported me. He went missing though, so I didn't expect much more trouble from him. The rest of the group claims he went Dorothy.
     "Oh God." Dumbo muttered.
     It was fresh. They must've killed him recently. I sighed, "That's what happens during war."
     "I just never thought it'd be him." Dumbo exclaimed, covering his mouth to keep from vomiting.
     There was a gash on the body's throat. Someone slit Tank's throat. He did go Dorothy. Why else would Vosch kill one of his 'precious' soldiers? To keep them from saying anything about him.
     "Come on." I said, unfazed.
"Bitch." I couldn't tell who said it.
You watched Vosch kill your parents. Being called a bitch is not the worst thing that has happened since the 1st wave. I rolled my eyes.
Without Tank, there was no squad leader, so I appointed myself. No one contested it.
The rest of the day was quieter than usual, even when we went to training. The squad made it through the obstacle course with ease, but they couldn't shoot to save their damned lives.
My father was a very paranoid man, so he taught my siblings and I how to shoot at a young age. Who knew it'd actually come in handy.
My ability to shoot earned a few stares from the rest of the squad.
"Nocturne!" Reznik approached me.
How stupid are these people? I looked down at the gun in my hands. I could kill her if I really wanted to. Wait for your moment, Lynn.
"Vosch would like to see you." she put on a fake smile as she escorted me to the control center.
     I stood in the doorway until Vosch motioned for me to join him.
     "Just keep in mind that if you try to shoot me, I have cameras everywhere in this room and a whole squadron of soldiers will be here within seconds," he smiled, "Now, time for me to tell you why you're really here."
     The gun felt cold against my back. I had hidden it in my uniform, but now I knew that I couldn't use it.
     "We've developed brand new eyepieces to be used in hunting the others." he pulled out a helmet, "Squad 53 is going to be one of the four squads testing them in a real combat situation."
     "And when will that be?" I asked.
     "Don't worry, your squad has a few days to prepare." he responded.
Don't worry. I rolled my eyes. My squad still can't shoot. We're all going to die.

     "What happened?" Teacup questioned when I finally got back to the bunks.
     "We're going to be put into a combat zone in a few days." I sighed, "In other words, we're being sent to our deaths."
     Reznik walked back into the room.
     "What the hell do you want this time?" I nearly yelled.
     A boy about my age stepped out from behind her, "To introduce you to your newest recruit, Zombie." she calmly responded.
    He was already wearing the camo uniform givin to every kid soldier. I remember how it took them a few hours to force it on me.
     I turned away, tending to my gun.
     "What's up with her?" I could hear the boy behind me.
     "We don't really know." Dumbo responded, "All I know is that she's got some grudge against Vosch."
     Poundcake watched as I loaded the gun. He shook his head.
     "Why?" Zombie continued, "Doesn't she know that he saved us?"
     "Saved us?" I snapped, "He killed my parents and forced me into his army!"
     They went silent.
     I rolled my eyes, throwing my gun under my bed.
     The lights blinked off, leaving the bunk in complete darkness. I settled down to sleep.

     My father pulled me behind an abandoned car, "This is only for life or death situations." he told me as he handed me a pistol.
"I thought you said we'd be safe here." I looked up at him.
"We're not safe anywhere." he mumbled before bringing me back to the rest of our family.
Urbana seemed like the best place to go after the 3rd wave. Boy were we wrong. Bodies wrapped in tattered sheets were spread out through the streets.
Around the corner, I could hear the rumbling of a car. My parents grabbed my siblings and I, dragging us into the remains of a coffee shop.
A school bus followed by two military jeeps turned. They were driving parallel to us now.
Suddenly they stopped. Two soldiers got out and approached us. I put my hand on the gun in my pocket.
"Run." my father whispered into my ear, "Whenever you have the chance, you take it and don't look back."
The soldiers stood in front of us now.
"We're here to help." a middle aged man told us, "I'm Commander Vosch."
It all happened so quickly. My mother screamed, prompting me to grab my sisters and bolt.
We hid ourselves in the woods just across the street.
"What's going to happen to them?" my youngest sister, Ezra, asked as the soldiers pulled our parents out into the street.
"They're going to die." my older sister, Marika, said.
I watched as Vosch killed them, starting with my mother. My knees buckled, sending me to the ground.

I awoke in a pool of sweat. Ever since their deaths, I kept having dreams about my family.
"You alright?" Zombie asked in a whisper.
"Never better." I said sarcastically.

EDITED

Did you see what I did there with Lynn's older sister's name? If you either read LEGENDS or the 5th wave trilogy then you should.

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