“The fuck are you idiots doing? Don't just stand there, shoot that bastard down!" it didn't take long for everyone to open fire with their carbines. A volley of fire was sent towards the behemoth, only to bounce off the hull with ease. “why are they shooting at us? I thought we were all on the same side!" one boys yelled back as he struggled to reload another magazine. After losing two in only a matter of seconds, the rest of the group were starting to panic. I tried my best to stay calm but that was easier said than done. “Those assholes are traitors and cowards!" Another one chimed in.

“shut up and pay attention. Here it comes!" The squad leader said,  yanking a guy out from the opening and into cover. The gunship was coming in fast from the east so all of us braced for incoming fire but it wasn't what we were expecting as Multiple objects released from its underbelly and sped towards us, there was no time to react. The heat felt intense as i was thrown hard against  a pick-up truck, with chunks Of asphalt and concrete sent flying in all directions. The pilot decided it was best to just use high explosive rockets on us than waste bullets.

Everything felt blurry when i tried to stand from the shock wave, but i only met with pain from my leg which cause me to fall back to the ground. Despite the ringing, i could still hear people screaming off in the distance. I witnessed a girl was completely set ablaze but was still alive. She was running around aimlessly while still screaming to the top of her lungs, some survivors were attempting put her out but the heat prevented them from coming any closer so all they could do is watched. Burnt human flesh was new to me, it smelled like a mixture of the exotic meats you see in the outdoor markets closed to the agriculture district. I felt sick to my stomach, almost to the point of vomiting on the spot.

Eventually the girl's moments slowed and her screaming stopped abruptly. Her body fell onto the hood of a car but the fire continued to eat away at her. The gunships suddenly change direction and proceeded to head towards the capital, it wasn't long before we couldn't hear it anymore. “shit, we weren't even the target. They just happened to see a blockade and start shooting. Is everyone alright?" the squad leader asked, picking up his helmet that fell off during the chaos. I was finally able to stand on my feet but still felt the lingering pain.

I limped towards the squad leader who was searching for any other signs of life with the exception of three that were already by his side, two boys and a single girl. “Everyone else is either dead or missing. We can't defend this position anymore. Give me a moment while i call for backup."  he said while pulling out a large brick of a radio from his hip, extending the antenna from the top before speaking into the device. One of the boys, who looked no younger than me dropped down to the ground. He was hugging his legs close together. “I JUST WANNA GO HOME!" He sobbed uncontrollably, rocking back and forth. I looked on in silence, watching as the poor boy slowly lost it. The squad leader merely glanced towards the direction of the noise and simply went back to his radio.  I wanted to reassure him, tell him that everything was gonna be alright but no words escape my mouth.

I wasn't exactly the social type back then, having only a select few who I call friends. It's funny to think that i could make more friends in this situation. Strangely believing that I would go out to late night bars when i'm older with my buddies and drink to our heart's content, sharing epic stories of what we did. A dream that is too ridiculous to come true, with how things are going right now, i won't last half an hour.

“You can't be serious? That's insane, you'll kill us all in the process! Command, are you there? FUCK!" The squad screamed as he thrown the radio to the ground, shattering it to a million pieces. We all looked over to see him sitting on top of a hood of a nearby car with his head hung low. All that confidence quickly drained from his face, he knew something that he wasn't willing to tell. “So, turns out that all of the other defensive points around the capital have been attacked and destroyed. Alpha Citadel is at the verge of Collapse, the ass of a prime minister ordered that all personnel evacuate within two hours." i was confused, why give us a time limit to leave our home, It didn't make a lick of sense at the time. I tried pressuring him to explain more but the squad leader shrugged off any question i asked.

“All you need to know is that we need leave the city limits and regroup with other forces. Here's my plan, we'll take the underground transit system out of her--!" he stopped mid sentence, both of his knees buckled from the weight and he fell to the ground. Blood gushed from the side of his head,  he groaned for moment before going completely stiff. “Sniper!" the girl called out as everyone scrambled for cover, i grabbed the young by his collar and dragged in a recently made crater. We didn't know where the shots were coming from, so staying in one was the only option we had.

“Mommy! Daddy! Please come get me, i don't want die yet!" The boy i grabbed whimpered, clutching onto my arm for dear life. He wasn't a soldier anymore, but a child calling out to his parents, i needed to act quickly before he got us killed. “Look, calm down. He said that we have two hours to leave so that's what we are gonna do!"