The Fighters

                                                  THE FIGHTERS

Chapter1

            It was dark. I couldn't see a thing. What had just happened, a few moments ago? Why can't I open my eyes, or move my limbs? I felt a tapping on my forehead that must have been drops of water, but I couldn't make myself move away. I struggled for feeling and wanted relief from this nightmare. Was it a nightmare? I thought hard. I remembered... the television, and my parents. Yes, we were all together, watching television. I remembered the rain softly increasing from a pitter patter to hard, large drops that sounded like hail. I must have fallen asleep. I flinched as a flashback overtook me and my body twitched, the feeling was coming back. I remembered sitting on the couch, my parents on my right, and we were watching television. It was so peaceful, so calm. I watched the show end and commercials come on. A commercial about the Fighters. I watch as pictures of men and women run with equipment and camouflage, shooting them.

            Them. And then I remembered completely. I watched the pictures of the Fighters and wondered if I could ever be so brave to fight the aliens who had invaded the earth. Slowly, they were bombing and attacking the entire world. The small town in Chicago began building the safe house a few months back, and we were advised to always keep the TV on, just in case an attack was coming. So we could be prepared. They must have snuck up on us, because the moment the roof collapsed in on the right side of the house, we were blindsided. "Get to the basement! Get to the basement Tyri! Now!" my father's voice rung inside my head as we both tried to pull my mother from a heavy plank of wood. His balding head was turning red from the exertion, and his unfit body didn't help. I could only see half of my mother's frail body structure under the plank, her green frantic eyes searching for help.

            I looked into his eyes, with fear in my own, and knew that he would never forgive me if I didn't get into that basement right then. I ran for it. I dodged pieces of the fallen roof, and over turned furniture that the strong winds helped to flip. I made it to the basement door. Turning the knob, I stepped in onto the first step of the flight of stairs to enter the basement. But I couldn't leave my parents. I turned around, the rain stinging my eyes, and found my father, carrying my mother in his arms, as he ran for the basement. A sigh of relief escaped me. Until I looked up for the first time through the gaping hole in my house, to see the outside.

            A skyscraping monster, big and grey and roaring. Its black beady eyes looked around and picked up my next door neighbors from their house, dropping them into a smaller monster, a bug like creature that seemed to hold a large basket on its back. It had picked up my neighbors like they were dolls, and threw them carelessly into the basket. My ears rung as I heard their screams. But then, a scream louder than I had ever heard escaped the monster's disgusting dry, purple lips. Its round face opened into a scream, showing large sharpened teeth and its long thin arm reached down into what was left of my home. "No!" I screamed.

             My voice came out wretched and scratchy, as I watched my father and mother get torn from the ground and thrown into the basket. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to run, but I knew what I had to do now. I had to take revenge. No one is sure what they do to the humans. There are rumors that they take them into a cave and leave them to die slowly. Others say they kill them fast, so none are left. But I stood, hidden on the basement steps, eyeing the creature that took my family. It had a mark in the middle of its round head that none other seemed to have.

            In the middle of its heaving, grey and slimy face, there was an unmistakable white mark. It looked almost like a straight line, and tiny red circles around it. On every other alien I had seen on TV, they sure didn't have that on their face. And I knew that one day; I would come for this monster. As I pledged my promise for revenge, I was knocked back by a plank from the roof that fell loose from the carnage of my gutted house. And then everything went black.

            I finally remembered everything, and I regained my movements. I moved away from the rain drops that were falling on my forehead and saw that the basement door was still open. Rain was dripping in from the ceiling, but with my view of the outside, the rain had seized. But it was dark, grey and gloomy. It suited my emotions to a tee. My heart ached, and for a moment I hoped I would forget what had just happened. But I forced myself to remember, and now every second was engraved in my brain.

            As I struggled to stand, I saw that most of the basement wasn't harmed, except for papers scattered by the harsh winds. I walked up the stairs, my head and vision now clearing up, except for the fact that every time I closed my eyes, I saw my parents. My eyes widened when I remembered him. Leon. Oh, I hoped and prayed to the gods that he was alright. I started to increase my speed up the endless flight of stairs. My partner must be safe! He must! I screamed to myself in my head.

            I thought of his short brown locks and his soft hazel eyes, and tried to calm myself as I thought of his embrace. I reached the house, and assessed the damage. It wasn't too bad, if you could call a house without a roof not too bad. Walking out of what used to be my front door, I saw houses torn apart, debris from the homes everywhere. Oh, how I hoped Leon wasn't taken from his now destroyed home. I saw his green house from where I stood a couple streets down. But it had to be next to impossible to walk.

            Pieces of houses, windows, tables, entire bedrooms, sat broken on the streets for everyone to see. I saw only a few families emerge from the ashes, but most of the "houses" seemed empty and lifeless. I ran as fast as I could while dodging all of the debris, and finally reached Leon's house. The whole left side was torn out, and his roof looked like it was about to collapse any second, with it tilting to the side from the lack of support. I ran into it anyway. I had to find him. I screamed his name for what seemed like hours, because it felt like I was moving in slow motion.

            Bathtubs and the basement, rooms, and nothing. No one. A couple of people watched me with sad, pitiful eyes as they walked through the debris and saw me, my screaming increasingly loud and my eyes blinded by tears. Cuts and bruises covered my hands from throwing pieces of wood and glass back as I tried to search for him. But still, nothing.

            It hurt my very soul to know that we were apart in this world. He might be in the monster's care now, and I would have no way to get to him. I fell to my knees, defeated. Before I took my face in my hands and broke down, I stopped. The monster that took my family seized my attention. His picture in my head was like a target, and I was determined. I had to do all I could. And all that I could do was join the Fighters.