A Bundle of Short Stories

Unwanted Conflict

     ""Bye mom!" I yelled running out of the front door. 

     I was so excited as I ran to the stop sign. I checked my backpack as I waited. I wanted this day to be perfect. After about five minutes I grew impatient. I looked around. 

     Then I heard my mom yelling for me to come back inside. I looked at her confused until I heard it. The sound that would haunt my dreams for the rest of my life. The thunder of footsteps. I started to run to run back to my house. My mom running toward me with her arms outstretched. I heard the sound louder and louder. If only I had run faster. 

     Someone grabbed my arm and my mom gasped. "No, don't take my son!" She yelled running over.

      Someone held her back. I was screaming at them to let me go by that point. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my best friend sneaking into my house. I knew what she was doing. They started to pull away and I saw my best friend on the phone. She looked scared. I didn't want to leave her. I saw a small army truck. My mom was still struggling. I was thrown into it and locked in with a bunch of other kids. It was dark, cramped, and dirty. I held onto my bag as I felt the car start driving.

     "W-what's happening-g," I stutter toward any kid listening. 

     "We don't know," I heard someone say.

     I could hear the steps of the army surrounding the car. 'Why is this happening?' I thought, hugging my backpack for some sort of comfort. I hated this already. I was only thirteen at the time, and I didn't know what to do. 

    "My name is William Forest. We might as well get to know each other. We don't know how long we will be together," I heard someone say.

    "He's right, I'm Josh Hemmings. I'm fifteen years old," 

     "Oh, I'm seventeen by the way," William, I assume, said.

    "Wow, I'm only thirteen. John Brians by the way," I said loosening my grip on my bag.

     "I'm eight!" a small voice piped up. 

    "That's really young kid what's your name?" another person asked.

    "Eli, Eli Camberson," the kid said. 

     "Cool, I'm Benjamin Justice, call me Ben, I'm sixteen," the other guy replied. 

    It went on like that. We really couldn't see anyone so we were quickly learning each other's voices.A kid or two more were thrown in, but after that, we didn't see the light of day for a while. After a few hours, the truck had stopped. 

     The door was swung open and the light shined through. We all shielded our eyes immediately. I finally got a good look at all the kids when my eyes adjusted. We were soon getting out and being sorted into rooms. Four to a room. In the rooms, there were two bunk beds and a bathroom attached. It was small and we had to organize any stuff we had or got under the bottom bunks. 

     "All will be explained in the morning. Get yourselves situated and we will come back for you in two hours," A man yelled through the hallway.

     I was roomed with William, Eli, Josh, and Ben. There was one extra person so Eli and Ben slept in the same bed. I put my backpack under the bed closest to the bathroom. I got a top bunk along with Josh who had the other. William was under Josh and Eli and Ben was below me. 

     I guess I should describe everyone. Well, William, over there, had short, messy, blonde hair. He was tall and well built. He looked like someone who would be a strong leader. Josh, the guy reading, had short spikes for a hairstyle. His hair was a nice dark brown. He was slightly built and wore glasses. He seemed smart and quick thinking. Ben, the guy next to William had a messy hair with crazy highlights, he had dark brown hair. He was coltish with some freckles on his face. He was like a brother that you could trust. Eli, the one still eating, had short, fluffy, neat, dark blonde hair. he was shorter than us, but only because he was so much younger than us. He was a compact kinda person. He was like a little brother who made bad things seem even a little bit better.