The Land After Tomorrow (Completed)

Chapter 26: The War

It was about to be nightfall. The tension was high throughout the camp. The kids had just been sent off about an hour ago to the caves. People were running to their posts in preparation for war. The gate was closed shut and fighters stood on top of the balconies along the wall searching the woods for the enemy. Every rustle of leaves sent everyone on edge. The wind picked up speed like a storm was on the brink.

Blair took a deep breath trying to hold herself together. Her heart beat fast and her breaths were short. She was scared for what was about to happen. She shook feeling the goosebumps run up her skin. It had begun to get chilly and the sun began to drop off in the horizon. Darkness approached them silently and without warning. They watched the sun drop eerily as darkness fell upon them. It moved slowly, taunting them for what was about to approach. It grew colder as the sun finally fell and darkness consumed them all.

Drew stood next to her watching the woods ahead. He waited and watched. Fear grew inside him. His throat went dry standing motionless ahead. A small light pierced through the trees. At first, it was just one. It looked like a firefly from far away, but then it grew bigger. More of them started to approach. Everyone's eyes strained to the woods fascinated by the glowing lights. As they came closer, they were no fireflies, but their enemy. They held torches in their hands with their guns slung behind their back.

"Take aim!" Ian shouted down the wall. Drew felt the gun up against the front side of his right shoulder. The scope aiming down to the enemy. His breathing stopped and so did everything around him. He could barely hear the order to fire. He felt his finger pull the trigger and the shot that came after from everywhere. It echoed along the wall. What scared Drew was that there were no shots coming from the enemy.

"What's that?" Blair pointed to the woods. Drew stood helpless staring at the flames in front of him. He could the warmth radiating towards his skin. They had set the woods on fire and the flames were getting closer.

There were screams as the fire started to engulf the wall. "Run!" Drew screamed to Blair. They both leaped off the balcony landing in a pile of hay. Drew fell onto his ankle, the same one that had been hurt a while ago. Drew groaned in reply. He rolled on the ground onto his stomach banging the ground below him with his fist.

"You ok?" Blair asked concerned. All Drew could do was nod his head banging his fist again onto the ground. She grabbed up under his arms to help pull him up, "Come on, we got to go."

They ran through the camp searching for higher ground by the shooting range. The wall burned behind them slowly burning to ashes. The sounds of the enemy grew closer. Blair looked briefly behind her to see them running into the fire towards them all. They had blankets around their bodies to protect them. They were firing into the fire while men and women ran.

"Keep running," she urged urgently. Screams grew louder, and shots rang out from both sides. Drew could hear the man screaming in his head, the man who was burned alive. It echoed throughout the night. He heard the same screams from his people joining in unison of the screams of death.

They approached the tower with many people running up other towers along side them. "What about the fire?" Drew asked looking around.

"Worry about that later. It's not close enough yet," Blair heaved through her breaths, "Start climbing."

Drew started climbing to the top with Blair at his heels. His ankle throbbed with pain. He pushed up with more of his other ankle bobbing up to the top. Looking down, the fire roamed along the walls bringing them down to ashes. Burning pieces were carried away with the wind. Their light glow lit up the darkness. Within the small light, the faces of the enemy could be seen. There were shots after shots while bodies fell from both sides. Screams cried out through the camp from terror, but also closure to victory. The enemy hollered in a war cry rushing through the wall and into the camp.