I have always hated him for sending my parents to their doom but i could understand what was at stake. The balding man didn't look that well the second time around though, smelling of booze and cigarettes. I didn't care how he was, i just needed know what happened. “Where's mom and dad?" I demanded. He stared at me for moment before clearing his throat. “Um, well i believe that they are still doing supply runs at thr north. Away from the fighting of course so no need to worry about them." he muttered, i could see the dark circles around his eyes, he must've not slept for while. “Anyway, the reason why i came here is that things are getting a little complicated with the animals and we need every bit of manpower for the protection of the Citadel." He shuffled to the side and gestures me to look past him.

“You are not the only one, as of this day, you will no longer be a boy but a man." large transport trucks were lined up across the middle of the street with others who were the same age as me climbing inside them. “By order of the prime minister and her majesty, you are to be immediately drafted into the citadel honor guard forces. Pack lightly and embark on one of the trucks, they depart in few minutes so hurry up." He said softly, turning to leave before i stopped him. “is it…. really that bad?" I asked him but he ignored my question and kept on walking.

I  understand drafting people into the military in times of need are necessary but we didn't really stood a chance out there. With nothing else to do, I ran up the steps to my room to collect my things. All i needed was a few minutes to grab my school backpack with some food and water tucked inside. I gave the place i called home a final look-over before closing the door, i wasn't sure how long i was gonna be gone so i decided to leave my spare key under the welcome mat and ran off towards one of the vehicles.

The trip to our destination was disturbingly silent, some were sleeping while others Just sat there, staring off into the distance. The explosions were becoming more frequent now with the intensity increasing by the second. That's when it dawned on me: they have already breached the Citadel's walls and were closing in on the capital. It was only matter of time before they reached it and that's what scared me the most. “Alright ladies and gents, this is your stop. Good luck out there!" our driver said from the front, opening the rear hatch for us to jump down.

Once the last kid walked out, the hatch closed back up and the convoy of trucks roared back to life and crawled forward, taking a sharp turn and disappearing from sight. We were dropped off by a large four-way intersection on a street I didn't recognized. The only person who was here besides us was a young man, possibly in his early twenties dressed in typical honor guard attire with his helmet and body armor on him as well. “so this is the reinforcements command sent me eh? Well i guess it's better than nothing i suppose. I will be your sergeant from this point on so listen up and grab your gear and gun, chop chop!" everyone  shuffled towards the crates that the soldier was standing in front of .

I have only seen the frontlines through movies and tv shows in the past. we were always depicted as the good guys, warriors laying down their lives for the greater good. Not just kings nor families but for their fellow humans as a collective whole. I wanted to be humanity's champion  but when reality comes a knocking, your perspective of things can change dramatically. This was no movie or show, a single bullet could mean death if you slip up at the slightest. We learned that the hard way. “Alright here's the situation. Honor guard forces are getting their butts handed to out them at the capital's perimeter. Our job is to defend the route that supplies our defense forces until further notice, should be easy peasy."  the man nonchalantly said while checking the chamber of his rifle. “No action, no shooting, just stand around and bullshit." He was awfully calm about all this, i guess he done this far mores times in his career. My instincts were screaming danger but if all we have to do was defend then it shouldn't be that bad.

There was a total of seventeen kids in the squad, five were girls while the rest were boys, all of them had the same nervous feeling as me but showed no signs of it on their faces. Day turned into a chilly night and no action as of yet, even after being surrounded by tall abandoned apartments, i could still see the faint flashes of artillery shells hitting their intended targets. I was positioned at the north point with two other guys and one girl when i heard it.

It was distant at first but slowly came closer. “Hey do you guys hear that?" I whispered to my comrades who were conversing with each, they took a moment to listen before confirming my suspension. “ yeah! What is that?" the girl asked. It sounded choppy as if something was rapidly cutting through the air and it was sending my nerves on a frenzy, sweat quickly dripped through my helmet. “G-g-guys something is coming, north end!" I yelled out to the whole squad.

It felt like the world was stuck in slow motion as it came into view. I could only see the shape but it was somewhat familiar to me. A heavy gunship appeared before all of us, larger than a eighteen wheeler yet nimble as a hummingbird.They were the most popular strike aircraft within all three citadels, a force to be reckoned. At first i thought it was one of ours but when i heard the twin chainguns rotate, the squad leaders panic strekened voice called out from behind us. “Everyone get down!" i was able to press myself against the sandbag wall just in time before the rounds reached me while the girl and boy beside me weren't so lucky. It was the first time in my life that i have witnessed death up close, the armor pad we wore were completely useless against something meant to take on tanks. The girl went down without a word, one round hitting her chest while another one ate through her arm, tearing it off completely. The guy took one to the stomach but it was more than enough to send him down. He was screaming in agony as blood and other fluids freely poured from the point of impact “it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" he cried out while all i did was stare, frozen in place by what just happened. Eventually his crying ceased and he fell face first into the crimson soaked pavement with a thud.

I should have done something to help them both. maybe if i pulled them down to cover with me then they would have still lived longer but i didn't do a damn thing to save them and now their live were gone before they had a chance to begin, their parents are going to be devastated when they come back to see they lost their children. I kept staring at the two bodies until i felt the squad leader shaking me from my trance. “Snap out of it kid! It's coming back for another strafe!"