This Is War

twelve

"Go, go, go!" Weaver herded us through the door, flashed Ben a thumbs up and followed.

From that moment on, it was a great gray blur. Skitters and mechs everywhere. People shouting, orders being called, orders being followed. Skitter blood on the walls. Human blood on the floors. Nothing penetrated my mind walls. I was invincible. Every room I poked my head in had harnessed kids, but I didn't recognize any of them. Four rooms left.

Nope.

Nope.

Yes! Conrad and Leven! I shot in like a bullet and flew out like a bird, Conrad on my back (piggyback style), Leven in my arms. They didn't seem to register that I was there to save them. That I was even their sister. It was rather disheartening. I sprinted for the door, but before I knew it a mech had stomped in front of it, blocking me. The whirring, The lasers on my forehead. I didn't have time to move. Too slow. Suddenly, a force hit me full on in the side, shoving me out of the laser's path. I flew to the left, landing on Conrad's leg, Leven's head smacked on the floor. His face showed no signs of emotion or pain. I stared at the my savior, it was either James or Adam. Probably Adam, he looked like an Adam.

"Thanks!" I shouted at him. He was on one knee, shooting the mech. It finally stopped moving and fell through the glass exit doors. Adam nodded at me and went to go tackle a skitter that was overpowering Tom Mason.

I climbed over the dead mech's arm and out into the forest. I rushed to Ben who was still standing behind the trees. Dumping Con and Lev at his feet, I turned to go back for Kendrick and Shona. Ben snatched my elbow, "Do you guys need help?"

I could hear Captain Weaver shouting orders, then hollering at Mr. Mason as he defies them.

"Doesn't sound like it, but if we are in trouble, I'll howl like a wolf." I replied. I shook from his grip and while running back to the aliens yelled, "Watch my brothers!"

Then I was back in the midst of the chaos. There was only one room that could have Shona and Kendrick: the last one.

The other eight soldiers were fighting off mechs and skitters. There was a skitter in the room with my friends, taking out my SG 552, I started to shoot its legs off, just like Hal had taught me. In seconds, it lay in a pool of its own blood, squirming. I walked up to it, unslinging my gun, then bashed the base into the aliens head. The skitter writhed, but I kept hitting it with the gun until it lay motionless. The blood soaked my shoes.

Kendrick, Shona and four other young teens stood watching me emptily. I pushed the loose grimy hair out of my face and advanced toward them. No reaction. It was hard when my own two brothers didn't have any reaction to me after not seeing me for ten months. Now my best friend since preschool and crush since second grade didn't even care that I was saving their freaking lives! Yet, I walked quickly towards the two of them. I stood between them, took Kendrick's left hand and Shona's right and began walking back out the door. Just as we stepped into the corridor, a bullet from someone's gun went wild, missed its target, ricocheted off an ugly wall and headed straight for. . .

Kendrick.