There stood a girl in the middle of the oncoming crowd. Surrounding her. Edging closer and closer. She didn’t move; her hands by her sides. An unexpected wind gushed around them. It didn’t stop the crowd, now they could be seen wielding swords, spears and trinkets. The girl was still perfectly still as her eyes glanced left and right as she took in her dangerous situation. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“My name is Emiko and I’m a survivor” I whispered my eyes still closed. I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe. My muscles screaming at me to run. Get away from the approaching creatures. These were the things that wrecked my life snatching away everything I loved. “I can do this” I thought to myself then I was hit with the past.
The car flipped. I don’t know how I survived but I did. I was flung near the trees, their shadows clawing at me. My mother was near the upturned car; my father however was still in the car. They dragged him out
“Who are you?” they shouted at him.
“John Catesbrooke” he whispered and spat out the blood that filled his mouth. The urge to run to him overcame me but I knew I couldn’t. They dropped him to the ground and he looked at me mouthing run. I shook my head and looked over at my mother. She wasn’t moving. My father followed my gaze. Greif struck his face and he looked back at me. The figures turned back to him “what are you doing out here?”
“I... My wife and I are visiting family”
“Who else is with you?”
“No one”
“You lie” the man holding him pulled out a gun and my father glanced at me one more time mouthing go
“Who else is with you?” the figure asked holding the gun to my father’s head “no one” the gun went off. My father’s body slumped to the floor. Lifeless. I stumbled back in shock. I tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. I was concealed by trees. They couldn’t see me but I could see them.
“Leave her. Nothing we can do.” They all got back in the black truck and drove away. Leaving the carnage and my parents bodies for the world to see. A warning sent from them. This was now war.
“I can do this” I whispered to myself “survive this and I’m one step closer to winning.” I felt something brush against my arm. I reacted. My arm flew out and smashed into the creature. My burning touch sizzled against its face. Any human contact and these creatures burned. It was our defence and their weakness. It was their only weakness. They knew this before we did and they protected themselves well until we worked it out. The last of the humans. Those who can fight. The rest have been captured or killed by these creatures. After a while everywhere went silent. There was not a rustle in the air just the smell of burning flesh. I opened my eyes. The scene in front of me was extraordinary. The amount of creatures sent to assassinate me was double than the usual force. Is that good? Or is it bad? Is the number of assassins sent to for me increasing because our numbers are decreasing? I ran away from the fragments of flesh left from the fight. I had to find Ajay; he would know why their numbers had increased.
I arrived at the safe house. I hadn’t been here in months. After the attack on my family I escaped by hiding in the woods until Ajay found me. He had been hiding like me. We instantly became family for one and other. He too had lost his family but his house was set on fire when they were sleeping. His father and Ajay had gotten out when they realised that his little sister hadn’t followed them. His father had rushed back into the house to save her when the house collapsed. He waited in the woods until the fire had died out. That was when he realised that there was no chance his father and sister survived. We bonded over the loss of our families and together we found the safe house. A few month back I went with four other people to begin the process of taking back our world; I hadn’t seen him since then. I continued running until I saw the house in the distance. I began to walk towards the house; relieved to finally be home. When I noticed the front door open. It had been kicked in and was now swinging back and forth hitting something before bouncing back. I walked in and was traumatized at the scene that met me. Bodies of my friends laid scattered throughout the hall way. Zoe was the body trapped behind the door; I pulled at her arm to move her from the door it comes away in my arms. I fall back over another body. A boy I had never met before laid by my feet. They hadn’t just been killed they had been sliced to pieces. I crawled away from the vacant look in their eyes into the living room where I was met with more bodies of my friends and the ashes from the creatures. I couldn’t find Ajay; I hoped he wasn’t one of these bodies. I walked back through the hall covering my eyes from my friends. I ran up the stairs and saw Tina on the floor blood covered the front of her. I rushed over to see the light fade from her eyes. She was 6 years old. My disgust for these creatures grew even more. I felt physically sick from the state of my friends and from my hatred of these things. I walked slowly to the door of Ajay’s room. It was shut. I opened it; walking in. The room was desolate. Empty. Then I heard shuffling behind me; I turned quickly and saw Ajay.
“What happened? Are you ok?”
“They attacked us. Gassed us first, most of us was able to survive but then they attacked us while we were weak. Swords, knifes anything with a sharp blade. Chopping us to pieces. I was upstairs and didn’t hear anything until they crashed through the door. Then the screaming started. I couldn’t do anything. I was helpless, my friends were slaughtered in front of me and I could do nothing. Tina. Tina wasn’t fighting, she surrendered like we taught her but they stilled killed her. Cut her throat right in front of me. There was nothing I could do. I tried to run. I tried to get away but I couldn’t I just froze; they threw a knife. We are all dead.”
“You’re not dead. Let me see”
“I’m dying”
“No we can get help. Let me see”
“Emiko” he whispered then defeated, he removed the cloth from his neck. “I’m losing too much blood. Emiko leave they’ll be back”
“When did they attack?”
“Not long ago. Go.”
“I can’t”
“Leave me. I’ll see my family again” he smiled “Emiko thank you” they sound of tyres pulled up outside the house. He pushed me towards the window and I sat on the ledge ready to jump.
“Go I’ll slow you down. You’re the last of the human resistance” he smiled and I looked at him on more time then at the ground below me “Emiko?” I turned and his lips pressed against me. I gasped in shock
“I needed to do that at least once” then he pushed me out the window. I landed. Twisting my ankle, I ran. Hiding throughout the trees. They still saw me.
“Get her” they yelled chasing me. I ran for my life. All my training came back to me now. I couldn’t stop. I turned back to see them gaining on me. I ran even faster. My ankle screaming at me to stop; my muscles trying to force me to stop while my brain refused. Then I felt something prick my back. No not this. Then they activated it. I fell to the floor. They captured me. I was the last of the resistance and soon there would be no resistance. No one fighting this alien race. No one saving our humanity. I failed everyone. They would kill me or worse make me watch as they kill the last of my race. The last of the humans. If they were going to kill me I was not going down without a fight. They lifted me in their thick gloves. Protecting their skin from my scorching skin. They started walking bringing me back to their master so he can decide what to do with me. I glanced up at the creature’s soulless face. A mask of cruel colours swirled into one distorted face. I spat at it and watched the burning start. Fire lit up its dark contorted face. It dropped my left side and I turned spitting at the other holding my arms. I fell kicking the ones holding my legs. I landed on the ground hard. My back taking the force. I got up and pressed my hand into the face of the nearest creature, killing it. I did the same with the others. Reducing them to the smouldering ashes they deserved. Then something caught my eye. Ajay in the window. One of the creatures holding a gun to his head. It saw me and smiled; and set the gun off. Ajay collapsed. Dead. The wind went out of me as I screamed in terror. Then I felt a bullet pierce my chest. I went down too. My last thought. Peace at last.
