ã€ŠThe Outlandersã€‹


 Chapter-1 The beginning

    The cold winter winds blew through the streets of Kansas City as evening set in. Weather forecasts predicted thick snowfall roughly after 6:45 pm. People started taking measures to keep the snow outside of their tents. Empty drums were filled with trash to be used as fuel for bonfires as groups of adults, children, and elders huddled around them for warmth. A small snippet of newspaper, dated August 8<sup>th,</sup>2023, starts burning as soon as the fire is lit. The headline on the burning paper roughly read:

    Unidentified Monsters Invade Earth: UN Calls Emergency Meeting Of All Nations. World Leaders Decide Measures To Safeguard Humanity.

    Some 800 feet below the surface, thousands of lights were cast by what appeared to be a partially completed cityscape in a cavern, which stretched the same depth from the roof to the bottom. Eight massive pillars extended from the ground towards the ceiling of the void. Several incomplete high-rise buildings dotted this underground landscape. In one corner of the cavern, about fifty small houses illuminated a small space, leaving a big dark area with dim blue lights scattered over the stretch between the houses and the cityscape, like a clear night with countable stars. These houses seemed to be prefabricated dwellings, each approximately 80 square feet in area, with a small space for a garden separating each house, and they were arranged to form a rectangular pattern. Two children emerged from the 7<sup>th</sup>house in the 3<sup>rd</sup>row of this housing area. One of them, a boy, whose hair was caramel-colored, had looks typical of an 11-year-old kid. He was dressed in his favorite brown T-shirt with orange stripes, blue pants, and a grey pullover, his hair neatly combed, and his face sporting an energetic look. Besides him, stood a 10-year-old girl, with slightly reddish-brown hair tied into two ponytails. She gave the boy a slightly irritated look.

    ¡°Jack, it¡¯s already nine degrees out and you want us to wear just a pullover? We¡¯ll still freeze!!¡± said the girl.

    ¡°It¡¯s 5:45 already. we don¡¯t have time to change clothes and we¡¯re gonna have to make a run for it!! Besides you won¡¯t feel the cold if you run.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Speak for yourself, you¡¯re wearing a pant. Please just let me wear a pair of pants under my skirt.¡± Said the girl.

    ¡°Ok fine. But hurry it up.¡± Said Jack.

    The girl entered the house at a sprint and came back 2 minutes later, wearing dark grey pants under her one-piece pink skirt.

    ¡°Come on, we gotta hustle.¡± Said Jack.

    He grabbed the girl¡¯s hand, dragged her, and broke into a run. They moved out from the backdoor to the street behind their own and ran towards one of the supporting pillars behind the housing area, near the southernmost corner of the cavern. It took them a good five minutes to reach the structure. Exasperated, they entered the structure and proceeded toward a door in front of him. The Children swerved through hundreds of carpenters, electricians, and plumbers moving about the hallways to reach the door. The automated doors opened and closed as children entered a circular room along with a couple of workers. A woman¡¯s voice came out through a speaker as one worker pressed a button on the lift.

    ¡°Level one. Now moving up¡±

    With a minuscule jerk, the lift started moving up. As it moved up, the unfinished city was visible after about a few minutes, its many lights gleaming through the window, as though it were nighttime. The housing area looked more remote. It was as if it were built for a different community on the outskirts of the city. The scene disappeared behind a metallic tube at the very top of the cavern as the lift continued to move upwards. It was another five minutes before the lift came to a halt and the voice in the speaker spoke again.

    ¡°Level 100. Have a safe day¡±

    The doors opened into a dimly lit basement, illuminated by the lights of the lift, as the passengers poured out of the lift.

    ¡°Come one, let¡¯s go¡­.Excuse me. Side, please? Thank you.¡± Said Jack.

    Jack and the girl made their way up through a short corridor leading to the stairs. A door at the top of the stairs led into a worn-out building. A golden light blinded them as they exited the building.

    They were standing in a narrow street facing a scene of decay. All the buildings in their sight seem to have been ravaged by time. Cracks and holes seemed to cover every structure and debris littered the ground. The road was also in a similar, if not, much worse condition. There was not a single patch of tarmac that was free of cracks, with some pieces seemingly easy enough to pull out of the road. A high wall was visible behind the worn-out buildings. Several upward extrusions on these walls indicated Guard posts. On their left, a deteriorated overbridge stood above dozens of tents. Some adults were now huddled near drums of fire for warmth, while children were running and playing around. Women were either sitting and observing the children or chatting in groups around the fire. However, the area looked deserted at most, as if everybody had gone somewhere. Jack looked at his watch, which displayed 6:02 pm, Friday. Below it, the numbers 20, 06, and 2026, were separated by slashes to give the current date. Jack again grabbed hold of the girl and started running towards the overbridge. He took a left and ran by the camped tents, moved out onto the main road, and crossed it.

    ¡°You¡¯re dragging me too hard Jack!! We still got time. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re that late. Slow down a little¡± yelled the girl as she almost tripped over a rock

    ¡°Yeah, but I wanna spend some time with them, Amy. It¡¯s not like they will be back tomorrow morning. They¡¯ll be out for months together.¡± Replied Jack.

    ¡°But we can still see them using video calls. It¡¯s not like we won¡¯t be seeing them at all¡­¡± said the girl before Jack interrupted her.

    ¡°Even so¡­.¡±

    Cheers echoed down the street as they saw a crowd standing almost a quarter of the way toward a road intersection.

    ¡°Great! Looks like they¡¯re still here. Come on.¡± Said Jack as they reached the back of the crowd

    Jack and Amy worked their way to the front and saw a squadron of troops standing on the main Road. They were wearing black spandex suits with big goggles and a white belt. Behind them, stood three giant robots, with a Gatling gun attached to one arm, and what appeared to be a large sniper, on the other arm. A man standing in front of the squadron was giving out instructions, which was drowned out by the cheering of the crowd.

    A gentleman in his fifties, standing behind Jack and Amy suddenly spoke to them

    ¡°You Young¡¯uns here to send off someone from your family?¡± asked the man.

    Jack replied enthusiastically

    ¡°Yeah. Our mom and dad.¡±

    ¡°Oh well ain¡¯ that great? You young¡¯uns must be proud of your mom and dad, I¡¯m sure.¡± Said the gentleman.

    ¡°Yeah, we really are¡± replied Jack.

    ¡°Good, good! Ma own sons in the squad. This¡¯ll be his very firs¡¯ mission and I couldn¡¯ be more proud of him. He¡¯s a scout trooper. What abou¡¯ your papa an¡¯ mama?¡±asked the gentleman.

    ¡°They¡¯re in the scouts too, and they¡¯re captains¡± replied Jack

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s really great innit? Then ma son will be in your parents¡¯ care. I hope he gets along well with his superiors.¡±jested the gentleman

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that Mom and Dad will get along with him, sir. They¡¯re really fun!¡± said Jack enthusiasticallySupport creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Hahaha. Thanks, kiddo. Oh! Looks like they¡¯re done with their breifin¡¯¡± said the Gentleman as he pointed ahead.

    True enough, the squadron started scattering and several soldiers were moving towards the crowd, hugging parents, kissing their wives and children, and talking to friends. Jack looked for his parents, but couldn¡¯t see them in the crowd in front of them.

    ¡°Jack! Amy!¡± a young voice came over from the right. A boy, about the same age as Jack moved up to him. He had jet-black hair wearing a green-colored down jacket and black pants. A pair of red-colored half-frame glasses hung from his nose as his black eyes looked through them at Jack.

    ¡°Billy! Hey. What¡¯re you doing here?¡± said Jack.

    ¡°I figured you guys would be here to see your parents. Have you seen them yet?¡± said Billy.

    ¡°No, we can¡¯t find them at all in this crowd. Maybe they¡¯re looking for us too.¡± replied Jack

    ¡°Amelia, you look cold. You, ok?¡± said Billy as he noticed the girl shivering.

    ¡°No. it¡¯s freezing cold, even with the jacket¡± replied Amelia through her chattering teeth

    ¡°you two want a blanket? I got two spare blankets in my tent.¡± Asked Billy.

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m fine. Besides, it ain¡¯t that cold out here.¡± Said Jack with an enthusiastic tone. At this answer, Amelia looked at Jack and yelled.

    ¡°SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!!!!¡±

    ¡°Sorry!! Sorry!!! Jeez!¡± said Jack

    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll go get a blanket¡± said Billy.

    Jack resumed looking for his parents as Billy ran towards the tents. Suddenly, a large burly figure bumped into Jack.

    ¡°Sorry!¡± said Jack. The person turned around and yelled in an unnaturally harsh voice.

    ¡°HUUUUH?!! What the hell do you want Punk?!¡±

    The Man¡¯s face was covered in a mask surrounding every inch, and the eyes were behind opaque, yellow goggles. A blue light was visible on one small section of the mask, right over the right ear and the center of the belt. A small wristband was on both his hands. He was accompanied by a female partner who also had her mask up.

    ¡°You gnats better get outta the way before we make ya beg for ya mama!!!¡± exclaimed the woman, in a similarly unnatural tone

    Jack sighed and spoke to the pair.

    ¡°Dad, Mom, if you¡¯re trying to dupe us, you gotta do better than that. Also, you make sorry excuses for villains if you ask me.¡± Said Jack

    ¡°Yeah, no kidding. That voice is just too yucky for you.¡± Said Amy.

    ¡°Ouch, that¡¯s Harsh! Well, it was a lame act anyway.¡± Said the man as his mask started to de-materialize.

    ¡°We wanted to scare you kids a little. But nothing really scares you much. We should¡¯ve known better.¡± Said the woman.

    Both their masks had completely de-materialized, revealing a middle-aged man and woman. The man had brown hair which was a shade darker than Jack¡¯s, with an almost flat chin, while the woman had short red hair and a round chin. Both removed their goggles and placed it over their heads, showing their identical brown eyes.

    The woman then bent down and embraced Jack and Amy.

    ¡°Thanks for coming to see us off. That¡¯s so sweet of you kids.¡± Said Mrs.Foster.

    ¡°There wasn¡¯t any way we were not going to see you guys before you go. After all, it will be a long time before we see you again Mom.¡± Replied jack.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ll mostly be a four to five-month-long mission. I¡¯m gonna miss you, kids, terribly.¡± Said Mrs. Foster as she released the siblings from her hug.

    ¡°But why aren¡¯t you wearing your jackets? Isn¡¯t it terribly cold out?¡± asked Mrs. Foster.

    ¡°Well someone here was in such a hurry to see you that he thought it best to wear just a normal pullover!¡± said Amy through her clenched teeth.

    ¡°Jack! You know how much your sister is prone to cold. Why did you not wait till she wore a proper sweater?¡± said Mr. Foster in an irritated sort of way.

    ¡°Sorry Dad,¡± replied Jack in a low voice

    ¡°And what about yourself? Aren¡¯t you cold at all?¡± asked Mrs. Foster.

    To this, Jack replied in the most energetic tone.

    ¡°Nope. I ain¡¯t feeling a thing at all.¡±

    Mrs. Foster sighed and put her hand on her forehead as if she was defeated

    ¡°Ugh, you got too much energy, kiddo. Like father, like son I suppose.¡±

    The Father gave a nervous laugh at this. At that moment, Billy, who came back with a folded blanket, greeted Jack¡¯s parents.

    ¡°Oh! Good evening Mr. and Ms. Foster.¡±

    ¡°Good evening, Billy. Why do you have a blanket?¡± asked Mr. Foster.

    ¡°Oh, I brought it for Amy. She was feeling cold and I had a spare blanket.¡± Replied Billy.

    ¡°Thanks, kiddo!¡± said Mrs. Foster.

    Billy handed the blanket to Amy, who pulled it over her as soon as she got it and heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s so warm.¡± Said Amy with a wide smile

    ¡°Well, we kept it to dry for a whole day and it was hanging near the fire.¡± Said Billy.

    ¡°Thanks, Billy.¡± Said Amelia.

    Mrs. Foster then turned to Jack and Amy.

    ¡°Right! Almost forgot. Did you listen to the weather report?¡± asked Mrs. Foster.

    ¡°Yeah we heard it on the maglift¡± replied Jack.

    ¡°So you know the drill right? No staying over after we leave. If it¡¯s going to be as thick as they say, you might get stuck if stick around.¡± Said Mrs. Foster.

    At this statement, Jack giggled

    ¡°Hahaha¡­Stuck if you stick around¡­¡±

    ¡°Not funny Jack!¡± said Mr. Foster sternly.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± said Jack. Then he suddenly looked at his mother eagerly "Hey Mom! Can we come tomorrow to play in the snow? Please?¡± asked Jack eagerly.

    Mrs. Foster reached for Jack¡¯s left ear and pulled it a little as she said

    ¡°That¡¯ll be a big fat no, Jack! You know how we feel about you guys coming to the surface alone.¡± Said Mrs. Foster.

    ¡°Owieee!...But we won¡¯t be alone. We¡¯ll be with Mr. Hoffman. Billy is staying up until he gets an allotment anyway¡± said Jack.

    ¡°Yeah, please Mom!¡± said Amelia in the same eager tone and look.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you guys to trouble Mr. and Ms. Hoffman. Besides, they¡¯ve gotten their allotment letter.¡± Said Mrs. Foster.

    ¡°WAIT! For real?¡± Exclaimed Jack and Amy as their eyes darted toward Billy.

    ¡°Yeah. I forgot to tell you guys. We were allotted house No.24 to move in, just yesterday.¡± Said Billy.

    ¡°That¡¯s just a street behind us, isn¡¯t it? Awesome!!¡± exclaimed Jack.

    ¡°Yup. Now you guys don¡¯t need to come up to the surface to play with me.¡± Said Billy.

    ¡°All the same, I still wanna play in the snow a little.¡± said Amelia.

    ¡°Amelia, no¡­..¡± said Mrs. Foster before Billy interrupted.

    ¡°No worries Mrs. Foster, I asked my old man if he could bring me over to play in the snow a little. He agreed to bring me for a little while tomorrow morning. I¡¯ll tell Dad that Jack and Amy are joining in too.¡±

    ¡°Oh but, we don¡¯t want to trouble your dad..¡± said Mrs. Foster.

    ¡°It''s all right Mrs.Foster. I¡¯m sure he would love it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the best man!¡± said Jack.

    A cool voice floated in the air as a soldier on the megaphone spoke out.

    ¡°Attention all units, please check your equipment and assemble on the flyover! We are leaving in T-Minus five minutes! I repeat please assemble on the flyover. We are leaving in T-Minus five minutes!¡±

    Mr. Foster repositioned his goggles on his nose as Mrs. Foster rose up and did the same.

    ¡°That¡¯s us. Well, take care kiddos. We¡¯ll talk as frequently as we can by video calls, so you guys won¡¯t get lonely. Jack, You know how to make breakfast right?¡± asked Mrs. Foster.

    ¡°Yuppp! Count on yours truly!¡± said Jack.

    ¡°Good. Now you will get some rations delivered home about every month. Use them properly. Remember we won¡¯t be coming back for months, so you had better be a responsible brother. Got it?¡± asked Mr. Foster.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Replied Jack.

    ¡°Good. Well, we gotta hustle. See you soon kids.¡± Said Mr. Foster.

    Then suddenly, Amelia spoke in a slightly trembling voice.

    ¡°Mom, Dad. You will come back, right?¡±

    Jack turned his eyes towards Amelia, as did Mr. and Mrs. Foster, and Billy. Two droplets of tears were sliding down on Amelia¡¯s cheeks, their trails visible due to the evening light. Mr. and Mrs. Foster kneeled down as they hugged both Jack and Amelia and said.

    ¡°Of course, we will Amy. You guys are our world. No way we would leave you. I will always dream about the two of you while we¡¯re apart.¡± Said Mrs. Foster as she wiped Amelia¡¯s tears.

    ¡°Hey, kiddo, Your Mommy and Daddy aren¡¯t called ¡¯The Furies¡¯ for no reason. We will come back. That¡¯s a promise.¡± Said Mr. Foster.

    ¡°Yeah, They¡¯ll come back. I¡¯m sure of it!¡± said Jack in a confident tone.

    ¡°Ok.¡± Said Amelia, with a bit more confidence.

    ¡°Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jack. Now we really gotta go. Jack! You promise to look after your sister and never leave her alone. Got it!¡± said Mr. Foster.

    ¡°SIR! YESSIR!¡± said Jack while giving a salute.

    ¡°Hahahaha! good answer. At ease soldier.¡± Said Mrs. Foster as she ruffled Jack¡¯s smooth caramel hair.

    ¡°See you ki¡­.¡±

    Mr.Foster was interrupted by a loud siren coming from the direction of the walls. Loudspeakers placed on one of the lamp posts on the sidewalk spoke with a stern voice.

    ¡°ATTENTION! ATTENTION! We are under attack! Please vacate the city and move towards the maglifts in a calm and orderly fashion. I repeat! Please move towards the maglifts in a calm and orderly fashion.¡±

    No sooner had the message been addressed, the air that was echoing with cheers, was now filled with screams as people started to run down the main road towards a Four-way intersection

    ¡°WHAT THE HELL?!!!¡± exclaimed Mr. Foster.

    ¡°Right when we were about to leave? Boy, that sucks.¡± Said Mrs. Foster

    A beeping sound suddenly came from Mr. and Mrs. Foster¡¯s wristbands, where a blue light blinked as rapidly as the beeping. They touched the blue light and a miniature holographic projection showed up on their hands. A waveform of a voice was displayed.

    ¡°This is the southern garrison! Can anyone hear us?! We need immediate assistance! I repeat we need immediate assistance.¡±

    ¡°Copy southern garrison, This is Captain Foster of the Scout regiment. What the hell¡¯s going on out there?¡± Said Mr. Foster.

    ¡°Captain! We need emergency assistance now. We are under attack from three different directions from the south. And it¡¯s not just one species. There are three of them!!¡± said the voice

    ¡°WHAAT!?¡± exclaimed Mrs. Foster as she listened in

    ¡°Yeah! We have seven Ghoul hounds, three Rhinigators, and five Pteravens. They¡¯re attacking from the south, southwest, and southeast sir. We need backup urgently! Our forces are holding them for now, but it won¡¯t be long before they break through!¡±

    ¡°Roger! We will send back-up your way as soon as possible, just hang in there!¡± said Mr.Foster as he activated his mask.

 Chapter 2 A broken promise

    ¡°Alright, I want you kids to listen to me¡­¡±

    Said Mr. Foster wheeling around to face Jack and Amelia.

    ¡°I want you guys to stick to the crowd and stay away from the walls. They are heading toward Maglift 13. Follow the instructions given to you by the evacuation team and stay safe.¡±

    ¡°But the No.8 maglift in Parisi catering is the closest one. We could go there in five minutes if make a ru¡­.¡± Said Jack, but was interrupted by Mrs. Foster.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear your dad?! Stay away from the walls! Parisi is too close to the walls!¡±

    ¡°But..¡± said Jack.

    ¡°No buts! It¡¯s risky to go anywhere near the wall. STICK WITH THE CROWD! Understood?!¡± exclaimed Mr. Foster.

    ¡°Ok.¡± replied Jack.

    ¡°Good. Now go. Remember, stick with the crowd.¡± Said Mr. Foster as he wheeled around. A jetpack materialized on his back. Mrs. Foster did the same, and both flew off into the sky.

    ¡°Come on. We gotta go. Lose the blanket.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Right.¡± Said Amelia as she threw the blanket away and started running with Jack.

    They ran down the main road and caught up with the crowd, which was heading up a street on the second right at a four-way intersection. ''West Pennway St'' was written on a signboard on the left. People were rushing through the crowd, trying to outdo one another. The voices of the soldiers directing the crowd seemed louder than the screams and whimpers floating in the air.

    ¡°Keep moving everyone. Stay in a group. Please make sure you don¡¯t let your kids out of your sight!¡± shouted a soldier on their right through a megaphone.

    Jack and Amelia continued to follow the crowd. Shouts and cries were still floating in the air, creating a tense atmosphere. But Jack was unconcerned. His mind kept returning to his parents.

    ¡®I hope they''re okay. They must be all right. They must be kicking some monster butt right now. I''m sure they''ll be back before you know it¡¯ he told himself as he tried to calm down.

    He caught a glimpse of Amelia''s trembling face. He realized she was thinking along the same lines as him.

    ¡®It''ll be fine. They''ll be back. You must protect Amelia. Remember your promise to Dad. He would want you to keep her safe¡¯ he told himself, and a wave of determination washed over Jack as he kept these thoughts in his mind.

    With everyone in the crowd trying to get ahead of each other, the risk of being hit by taller people was very real. If they tried to get ahead of the crowd, they chose to stay in the back. The evacuation was on its way to its destination, and everything was going well.

    Then, in an instant, everything was thrown into hell. The evacuation was halfway to their destination when a large blurred figure landed in front of the crowd with a stomach-rattling crash, creating a large dust cloud. The soldiers escorting the crowd gathered in front. They took out glowing blue cubes, which transformed into swords, gauntlets, guns, and other hand-held weapons. The soldiers took defensive positions in front of the crowd. Jack couldn''t see anything, but he couldn''t shake the feeling that it couldn''t be anything good. As if in response to his thoughts, the dust cloud violently swept away as a massive, black, winged creature stood before them. It had blood-red eyes with a narrow pupil slit. Its face was typical of a bat, with three bony projections from each side of the lower jaw pointing backward.

    Jack heard a loud voice say, "Open Fire!" before the creature let out a deafening roar that muffled the sound of gunfire. People began to flee, but it appeared that the creature was not going to let even one person escape, as it began jumping around at the fleeing evacuees, crushing them under its front paws, or violently shaking them in its mouth, as an alligator does. It didn''t appear to be bothered by the gunfire. A soldier used a gauntlet to attack the monster''s sides. When it collided with the beast, the gauntlet unleashed a massive shockwave that pushed the beast a good distance away. People saw this as a chance to get as far away from the beast as possible.

    "Come on, keep moving, Amelia!" exclaimed Jack as they approached the end of West Pennway Street, where they had originally joined the crowd. Because they were near the back of the crowd, it was easier for them to flee at any time, which is exactly what Jack and Amelia did when they heard the monster''s roar about two and a half minutes ago. They ran up the same road where they met their parents and returned the same way they came.

    ¡°I know I¡¯m running as fast as I can.¡± Said Amelia in an exasperated tone.

    ¡°We should¡¯ve gone back the way we came. That would have been much safer..¡± said Jack before Amelia interrupted him.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know that for sure. What if the monster had decided to come after us instead of going at the crowd? Then we would¡¯ve been in a much stickier situation than we are in now.¡±

    ¡°Either way, we aren¡¯t completely safe. So let¡¯s keep moving as fast as possible¡± Said Jack

    He turned right on the intersection onto what he knew was Jefferson Street, still clutching Amelia¡¯s hand tightly. He was completely focused on getting Amelia to safety and keeping his word to his father.

    ¡°EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!¡±

    Amelia''s high-pitched scream jolted Jack back to his senses, and he looked up. The creature was right on top of them, its mouth wide open, exposing its massive blood-stained teeth. But what alarmed Jack the most was the fact that the back of its throat was emitting a bright orange light and a few sparks. He was almost certain he knew what would come out of the beast''s mouth, but he had no idea how to avoid it. Before he could think of anything, huge flames erupted from the sky, heading straight for him and Amelia. Jack turned his back on the flames and embraced Amelia to protect her. As he felt the heat approaching him, he reflected on how much he would have killed to see his parents. As tears streamed down his cheeks, he could see his parents lovingly smile at him and feel their warm embrace around him.

    ¡®It''s close, I feel the heat, it''s going to burn me, I just hope Amy isn''t hurt by this, Oh please God, let me keep my promise to Dad at the very least¡¯  thought Jack as he braced himself for the pain.

    He could feel the intense heat but he realized that the flames shouldn¡¯t have taken this long to engulf him. He turned his head slowly behind and opened his eyes a tiny bit.

    He saw a silhouette of a person, leaning in the direction of the flames, holding what appeared to be a digitalized shield in front of them, keeping the flames at bay. The flames abruptly died out. The monster, on the other hand, didn''t appear to be giving up on them. It tilted its head back, its throat glowing brightly once more. But, before it could spit fire, another person appeared from the sky. A gauntlet materialized on the approaching figure''s right arm as he reared the same arm for a powerful punch aimed at the beast''s head. Jack then heard the person scream at the top of his lungs.

    ¡°STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY KIDS YOU BIG UGLY PIECE O¡¯ CRAP!¡±

    Punctuating these words, the soldier punched the monster¡¯s Jaws, creating a shockwave much stronger than before, knocking it down from the sky as it crashed near the entrance to the flyover in front of them. The man landed in front of them, picked Jack up, and flew into the sky.

    ¡°Dad, is that you?¡± asked Jack

    ¡°Yeah. And what the hell are you kids doing here?! I thought we told ya to follow the crowd and NOT head towards the wall!¡± said Mr.Foster through his mask.

    ¡°We tell you to keep away from the wall and you guys do the exact opposite of what we tell you?! What th¡­.¡± Asked Mrs. Foster angrily before she was interrupted.

    ¡°Dad, Mom, we were going with the crowd. It¡¯s That monster. It suddenly showed up outta nowhere and started killing the people. That¡¯s why ran this way.¡± Replied Jack.

    ¡°Yeah. Nobody even saw that thing coming.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°What the hell?!! I thought we had occupied all the monsters near the south side wall. How did this thing enter the city without being detected?!¡± exclaimed Mr. Foster as he started hovering about.

    ¡°More importantly, what is that thing anyway? It¡¯s the first time I have ever seen an X-Beast throw fire. And something¡¯s strange about it. I have never seen an X-Beast wearing a collar.¡± Said, Mrs. Foster.

    Only at this statement did Jack notice the monster''s collar. It was made up of three brown leather segments held together by metal rods. Something large was embedded in the centre of the bottom-most segment. It appeared to be a crystal and was glowing red. Mr. Foster turned to his wife.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°We can figure that out later. Right now we need to get these kids to safety. We should also alert the..WHOA!!!¡± shouted Mr. Foster as he barely dodged out of the way of a fireball.

    Both Mr. and Mrs. Foster wheeled around to see the monster bite a chunk out of the road. It kept the chunk in its mouth for a few seconds and spit it at them as a second fireball.

    ¡°Dang! This is a seriously troublesome monster! We really gotta get these kids to safety.¡± Said Mr. Foster.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s scram.¡± Replied Mrs. Foster.

    Both of them started heading away from the monster and towards the nearest Maglift.

    ¡°Looks like you get your way, Jack.¡± Said Mr. Foster.

    A huge force propelled them sideways, almost sending them crashing into a building. Mr. and Mrs. Foster, on the other hand, were able to regain control. The creature, which had taken flight again, had hit them with its tail. It lunged forward at them, baring its massive teeth. Mr. and Mrs. Foster ducked to either side of the approaching beast''s path, still clutching Jack and Amelia as tightly as they could. The beast came to a stop in mid-air, wheeled to the left, and pursued Mrs. Foster, who managed to avoid the incoming monster''s head by rolling herself along the side of the beast''s body. Mr. Foster began firing at the beast as soon as it was clear of Mrs. Foster. Agitated, it began to pursue Mr. Foster.

    ¡°Damn, This thing doesn¡¯t seem like it wants to let us off the hook that easily. Ok, hold tight Jack, I¡¯m going to try a few manoeuvers to shake this thing. Mary, call in some backup, we need it right now!¡± Said Mr. Foster.

    He then flew towards one of the buildings behind him at the maximum speed possible with his jetpack gear. The beast followed them closely, randomly shooting fire at them.

    ¡°James! Be careful!¡± exclaimed Mrs. Foster into Mr. Foster¡¯s earpiece.

    ¡°I know, I won¡¯t let anything happen to Jack.¡± Replied Mr. Foster.

    They reached a red-colored building, which looked like an apartment.

    ¡°Ok, Jack! Things are about to get dicey, so hold on tight.¡± Said Mr. Foster.

    ¡°OOK!¡± replied Jack.

    Mr. Foster opened fire on a window in the building''s lower half. The glass broke, allowing Mr. Foster to zoom into the room, and then fire shots at the window to their right to secure their escape route. Because the beast was close behind, it smashed through the wall at full speed, scattering debris and splintered woodwork throughout the room. Jack closed his eyes to keep anything from getting into them. The entire scene seemed to shake violently, making Jack sick. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, but instead gritted his teeth and gripped his father as tightly as he could. They exited the building through the right-side window as quickly as they entered. The monster, which was about six feet tall, tore a huge hole through the building and destroyed about half of the lower right side of the building in its pursuit of Mr. Foster, causing the already weak structure to tip over to the right side. The beast managed to escape the collapsing structure before it could crush it with unexpected dexterity.

    ¡°Ok, time for plan B!¡± said Mr. Foster as he started flying away from the monster.

    ¡°What¡¯s plan B?!¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°No idea.¡± Replied Mr. Foster.

    ¡°HUUUUH?! No idea!!!!!?¡± exclaimed Jack.

    ¡°I¡¯m still thinking, ok!¡± replied Mr. Foster as he dodged another fire attack.

    Just then Mrs. Foster flew past Mr. Foster and Jack and punched the monster square in the jaws. The monster was knocked out of the sky by another big shockwave. Mrs. Foster then turned towards Mr. Foster.

    ¡°I''ve told Amelia to go to the maglift as soon as Jack arrives. She is inside Parisi Catering. I''ll hold this thing off while you get Jack there.¡± said Mrs. Foster.

    ¡°Copy that! All right buddy, let¡¯s get you to safety¡± said Mr. Foster as he swooped down.

    Mr. Foster landed in front of the back entrance from where Jack and Amelia first came, as Amelia came running out to them.

    ¡°Ok, you know what to do. Take Amy and get the hell outa here. I gotta go help your Mom.¡± Said Mr. Foster.

    A roar erupted from above them as the monster charged into their line of sight. Mrs. Foster was barely able to repel the monster''s onslaught of attacks. Mr. Foster returned to the sky to assist his wife. Amelia entered the building and proceeded to take the basement stairs down. She turned around, expecting to see Jack close behind her, but instead found him standing at the door, his head tilted upwards, watching the fight above them.

    ¡°Jack! Come one! We have to go.¡± Yelled Amelia.

    ¡°Oh no!¡± whimpered Jack.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?!¡± Asked Amelia concernedly.

    She dashed over to where Jack was standing and saw why he was whimpering. Enraged at Mr. and Mrs. Foster, the monster grabbed Mrs. Foster by the mouth and began to spit fire at her while holding her in its mouth. Mr. Foster used his shockwave gauntlet to land another punch, but the monster saw him and hit him from above using its tail, sending Mr. Foster hurtling downwards until he tore through a wooden wall next to the Parisi.

    ¡°DAAAD!¡± shouted Jack as he ran towards the hole.

    A loud thudding sound came behind them as he ran toward his father. The monster stood behind them, Mrs. Foster in its mouth, its teeth now covered in blood from digging into Mrs. Foster''s abdomen. Her armor was glitching and her black spandex was visible. Mrs. Foster''s face was contorted in pain, and blood poured from her mouth.

    ¡°MOOOM! NOOOO!¡± yelled Amelia, tears flowing from her eyes.

    The monster turned its head toward Amelia, with a hungry glint in its red eyes. It dropped Mrs. Foster and started to head toward Amelia slowly.

    ¡°HEY! YOU! OVER HERE YOU OVERGROWN PIECE OF HAIRBALL!¡± shouted Jack. He then picked a stone and threw it at the monster and yelled.

    ¡°YOU WANT HER!! YOU¡¯LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME!!!¡±

    The monster gave an ear-splitting roar and began to charge toward Jack. Just then Mr. Foster jumped over Jack.

    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!!!!!¡± yelled Mr. Foster as the shockwave gauntlet formed on his hand.

    The monster noticed Mr.Foster''s incoming attack. It swerved its head and grabbed Mr. Foster by the teeth while tilting its head to avoid getting hit. Then it used the same fire attack it used on Mrs. Foster, blasting Mr. Foster''s torso with flames while he was in its mouth. As Jack looked on in horror, the monster continued to fire at Mr. Foster''s armor, while Mr. Foster retaliated by blasting the beast with his plasma gun. The armor seemed impervious to the attack until it began to glitch. Jack felt helpless as he watched his father scream while being burned by the monster. He''d never felt so hopeless, helpless, and beaten in his life, and his knees were at breaking point as he sensed impending danger. He knew that once the beast was finished with his father, he would be next in line. This realization paralyzed Jack, so much so that he couldn''t even move his neck to look around.

    Just then, a plasma shot from behind the monster struck one of its wings. The beast turned around and dropped Mr. Foster''s half-burnt body. Jack, too, turned his head in the direction of the shot. Amelia stood beside their mother''s body, her legs shaking in terror, tears streaming down her cheeks, a horrified expression on her face, holding a plasma handgun pointed at the beast.

    ¡°L-l-leave my d-dad alone!! And s-s-stay away f-f-from my b-brother!!!!!¡± shouted Amelia, half sobbing in fear.

    ¡°A-A-Amelia¡­..r-r-run..¡± said Mrs. Foster with great effort.

    ¡°No! I don¡¯t wanna leave you, Mom!¡± yelled Amelia rebelliously.

    The beast reared up on its back legs, and its mouth began to glow again. But before it could launch its attack, a rocket struck it in the face. Before Jack could realise what had happened, two hands plucked him from the smoke and ran towards Parisi. Shots fired, roars, and shouting filled the air. When Jack turned around, he saw that a couple of soldiers had attacked the beast, accompanied by one of the large mechas. He looked to his left and saw Amelia being carried by another soldier.

    "We''ll get you both to the entrance, then you guys get to the maglift as soon as possible." Said the soldier holding Jack as he ran towards Parisi. "This thing is big enough to wreck this narrow street, so you guys better get moving."

    But, as they were about to enter Parisi, the monster''s tail thrashed around and destroyed the building. Jack couldn''t shake the feeling that the entire universe despised them. He couldn''t see his father or mother because of the chaos, but he did notice Amelia. She was safely in the hands of another soldier, who was keeping her away from the fighting.

    The beast abruptly stopped thrashing around and turned to face the wall. Its face appeared to be in a trance, as if it had been summoned. And then Jack noticed it: the red crystal in the collar was glowing brighter and pulsing.

    ¡°All right!! This is our chance!!! Let¡¯s bring this thing down!¡± said one of the soldiers.

    But before they could launch their assault, the monster took off and flew away. The soldiers all watched as the monster vanished beyond the wall. Everything seemed quiet for the first time in the last hour, except for the sound of soldiers running around and shouting for help. But Jack''s ears were ringing too loud for him to hear anything else. He was completely disoriented, his body hurt all over, and his legs were on the verge of collapsing. He was brought back to his senses when he was suddenly enveloped in a tight hug. He noticed Amelia in front of him, crying and squeezing him tightly. At this point, Jack''s legs completely gave out and he was forced to his knees. He hugged Amelia just as tightly as she hugged him. He choked as tears rolled down his cheeks in a steady stream. He couldn''t bring himself to make a sound.

    They were led in hoverbikes to the maglift hidden beneath Primitivo Garcia school, where they were headed before the chaotic episode. It took about ten minutes for them to reach the underground city, where they were taken to the hospital to be treated for their injuries. Amelia couldn''t answer any questions without crying, while Jack remained silent for the most part, only answering the doctor''s questions with a yes or no, tears steadily streaming down his cheeks. After getting their injuries treated, Jack and Amelia were led to the emergency room, where their parents were taken. The soldiers stood at the entrance.

    ¡°They¡¯re still awake. But¡­. It won¡¯t be long before they¡¯re gone. Go on. Talk to them.¡± said the soldier in a grim tone.

    They saw their mother and father hooked up to various monitors and oxygen masks. Both of their bodies were half-burned. Jack and Amelia ran up to them and stood beside them.

    ¡°Hey kids¡­..you¡¯re alive!¡± said Mr. Foster with a weak voice.

    ¡°Daddy¡­Please don¡¯t go.¡± Sobbed Amelia. She lay herself onto her father as she cried.

    ¡°Sorry¡­ my little chihuahua¡­I don¡¯t think either of us is going to make it¡­¡­We got burnt pretty good.¡± Said Mrs. Foster, her voice barely audible.

    ¡°But..But.. You Promised!! You promised you¡¯d come back to us alive!¡± Cried, Amelia.

    ¡°Oh, Amy¡­.We''re sorry... I know we did¡­.I''m so sorry that we''re leaving you¡­.. after promising to come back. But¡­. we aren''t leaving you completely.¡± said Mr Foster.

    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t?!¡± Asked Amelia in a slightly surprised tone.

    "Your father''s right¡­. Amy. We will always be there for you...in here" Mrs. Foster pointed her finger straight at Amelia''s heart.

    ¡°We will¡­..Always be thinking about you¡­.no matter¡­..where we are¡­.We will¡­.dream about you guys¡­.forever.¡± Said Mr. Foster, barely able to form a sentence at this point.

    ¡°Please try to hang on Mom and Dad!¡± exclaimed Jack in tears, as he heard the monitor beeping.

    ¡°Heh..Your Dads¡¯s beat buddy¡­can¡¯t hold on¡­¡± Said Mr. Foster as he coughed.

    ¡°We¡¯ve¡­Broken our promise¡­and I¡¯m sorry we did¡­But please..try to keep your promise¡­Please¡­ keep Amy safe¡­Promise that.. to us¡­Once more.¡± Said Mrs. Foster, coughing from time to time.

    ¡°Ok!! I will Keep Amy safe. I¡¯LL NEVER LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO HER!! THAT¡¯S A PROMISE.¡± Said Jack crying, yet trying to do his best to keep his composure.

    ¡°Heheh¡­ That¡¯s my boy¡­.¡± Said Mr. Foster as he drew his last breath and his eyes became lifeless.

    ¡°Good Luck..kiddo¡­¡± Said Mrs.Foster as she too lost her life.

    Both of their monitors displayed a blank line as their hands hung down from their beds, holding each other.

 Chapter-3 Overprotective Brother

    ¡°Where am I?.... What the heck is this place?¡± Said Jack.

    He was walking in a pitch-black area, not knowing where he was going. He waved his hands around, trying to reach something. But nothing came into his reach.

    ¡°Damn! This is creepy!¡± said Jack.

    Suddenly he heard a growl from his left.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!!¡± yelled Jack

    He waited for a sound or a response, but all he got was an eerie silence. Then, from behind him, he heard another growl. He looked around, staring at nothing. A sense of dread began to fill him. He began to make his way through the darkness. He continued to flail his arms around, unable to see anything, desperately trying to feel his way out of this place.

    Suddenly he felt something wet on the ground. He extended his hand to touch the liquid. When Jack smelled it, it gave off a scent that made his skin crawl. A bright red light illuminated the area, and Jack noticed blood on the ground, which covered everything he could see like a large lake. Sweat poured from Jack''s brow as he looked around him, only to see a sea of red.

    And then Jack saw it, two glowing red shapes in the dark behind him. The Face of the monster that killed his parents came into view in the red light.

    ¡°No¡­ Not you!¡± said Jack in a quivering tone.

    He looked down to see the beast''s paws on his parents'' bodies. He looked into their lifeless eyes, which stared back at him. He suddenly lost his voice, and the most intense fear paralyzed him. Jack turned to face the monster, which gave a menacing growl as it approached him. It pounced on Jack with an almighty roar as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

    He found himself in a dimly lit room, illuminated by lights coming from outside. As he looked around the room, Jack was sweating profusely and exhaling heavily. Jack jumped a little when he heard a cool female voice from his left side.

    ¡°Good morning Jack. It is now 5:45 am.¡±

    ¡®Ughh. Yeah, Thanks, Linda. Stupid Nightmare¡­¡± moaned Jack half awake. He scratched his long, bushy hair as he threw over his sheets. He exited his room and approached the wash basin outside his door. He saw his reflection in the mirror in front of him as he turned on the light. His unkempt caramel-colored hair had grown to the base of his neck. He had stubby facial hair and his eyes were tired.  He now had a partially defined jawline, and his Adam''s apple was visible.

    Jack finished grooming himself and entered the attached living room and kitchen. He saw a plate of eggs and bacon placed on the table near the kitchen aisle and proceeded to eat it. As he did so, he took the newspaper, which was also placed on the table, and unfolded it. The date read as 17<sup>th</sup> July 2034. He read through the main headline as he ate.

    Citizens of the outskirts protest as rations become scarce: allegations are leveled against wealthier citizens of the main city for hoarding rations.

    Thousands of residents living on the city''s outskirts in prefabricated homes took to the streets in protest after their rations supply had gone down for a few days. These protesters were mostly made up of people who worked odd jobs like mechanics and sanitation workers. They were previously employed in internet and phone services, as well as tourism groups. Former space scientists and astronomers also took part in the protest. With the onset of the current crisis, these individuals have been forced to seek alternative employment to feed their families and themselves.

    ¡°We don¡¯t get paid much, but the government told us that we would be compensated with free food and rations until this crisis got over. But these days we are getting as much food and rations as much as we are getting paid.¡± Complained a man who works in city sanitation. ¡°I am barely able to make ends meet. Before this crisis, I was able to feed my family three times a day. But now, I¡¯m struggling to get enough food for even two meals a day! We ask for rations and they say there¡¯s not enough for all of us??!! Why the heck do you make promises you can¡¯t keep?!!¡± said an angry restaurant waiter. ¡°When will this crisis be over? This is the thirtieth time this has happened in the last eight years. How long are we supposed to live through this?!¡± asked a desperate car wash employee

    ¡°Good point there, buddy.¡± Sighed Jack as he read the comment.

    The front door suddenly opened, and a girl with reddish brown hair tied into a ponytail entered the house. Unlike Jack, she radiated maturity and energy. Her eyes were a brilliant brown, and her smooth jawline enhanced her beauty. She wiped her brow with a towel from a nearby chair.

    ¡°Morning Jack.¡± Said the girl.

    ¡°Good morning Amy. You finished your jog a little early today. What¡¯s up?¡± Asked Jack.

    ¡°Well, today¡¯s the career advice Meet you big dumbo. I got my slot first thing in the morning, or did you forget all about it?¡± asked Amelia as she served herself some breakfast and sat down at the table.

    ¡°Oh yeah! The stupid career advice meet. It''s going to be a gloomy session. What plans do you have for the future? Your Teachers have told me that you are skilled at handling and repairing electronic devices. Perhaps you could get a bachelor''s degree in electronics and then work in R&D. There''s a lot of it going on since the crisis began.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Mmm.¡± Replied Amelia unenthusiastically, while eating her bacon.

    ¡°You could apply to Rockhurst University. Of course, it isn¡¯t what it used to be. But you can still get in with a little help from Uncle Frank. I¡¯ll ask him later.¡± Said Jack.

    Suddenly, Amelia banged her hands on the table and stood up.

    ¡°Jack would you stop that?!! You¡¯re acting like you¡¯re my father or something, but you¡¯re not.¡± Replied Amelia furiously.

    ¡°What? What did I say?¡± asked Jack in a puzzled tone.

    ¡°I said stop deciding stuff for me, ok? I¡¯ll decide what I wanna do got it!¡± said Amelia firmly.

    ¡°I was just suggesti¡ª¡± Said Jack as he was interrupted by Amelia.

    ¡°That sounded more like you deciding my future Jack! And what about you? You finished school, but you¡¯re still sitting on your butt at home doing nothing. Why don¡¯t you try to find something to do.¡±

    ¡°I am! I looked for some high-paying jobs. Because of the current situation, they¡¯re accepting any able-bodied hands in any job regardless of their education. But I need a job that pays us enough and helps me repay Uncle Frank.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°All I''ve seen you do is go over to the cliff and stare out at the city for hours. A load of good that does!¡± replied Amelia bitterly.

    ¡°THAT¡¯S ENOUGH AMELIA!¡± yelled Jack as he stood up.

    There was a moment of tense silence before Jack spoke again.

    ¡°All I did was suggest you a path. I wasn¡¯t rejecting your options or forcing mine onto you, so why are you lashing out like this?¡±

    Instead of replying, Amelia looked away and stayed silent.

    ¡°I know I have asked this a hundred times, but you¡¯ve become more hostile ever since Mom and Dad died. What gives?¡± asked Jack concernedly.

    But Amy remained silent. Jack sighed and gestured Amelia toward her seat.

    ¡°You should finish your breakfast. The bus will be here any moment now.¡± Said Jack with a calmer tone.

    Amelia obeyed and silently ate her breakfast. She then got up and went inside. Jack picked up their plates and washed them while in deep thought. At half past seven, the bus horn sounded and Amy came out of her room and headed towards the bus top in front of their house. Jack accompanied her to the bus as the other kids in the locality gathered there.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be there at eight-thirty, right?¡± said Amy.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Replied Jack as the bus left the street.

    Jack went back inside to get ready. At about ten past eight, Jack boarded a second bus bound for the city. Jack contemplated for the majority of his 15-minute journey. ¡®What should I do from now on? Amy is right. I''ve been sitting on my butt. Nothing seems to click. Maybe I could ask Uncle Frank''s help. Maybe he''ll give me a job. I''ll have to ask him later.¡¯

    Jack got off in front of a 6-storey building, which looked more like a coaching center than a school. He entered it and headed to the top floor and seated himself outside of a room numbered six hundred and twelve. With eight minutes left before the meeting started, Jack closed his eyes and relaxed.

    Soon, he found himself floating through the sky on a cloud. He was admiring the ground from above as he traveled over the world, eating grapes growing from out of the cloud he was sitting on. Suddenly he was plummeting down to the ground at high speed. He screamed at the top of his lungs, and then he felt himself splashing into the water a few seconds later. However, he neither floated nor sank to the bottom. Instead, he landed on solid ground, surrounded by pitch blackness. He couldn¡¯t see anything for even a few centimeters.

    ¡°What is this place?¡± He asked himself.

    He flailed his arms around to reach for something. But nothing came to his reach. Suddenly he heard a growl behind him. He turned around to see two glowing red shapes in the darkness.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°HOLY CRAP!!!¡± exclaimed Jack as he made a run for it.

    He didn''t know where he was going, but the idea of something approaching him from behind motivated him to keep running. The sensation of walking on liquid hit him at that point. Jack slipped over the liquid and fell. He was now covered in some of the liquid, which smelled like blood. Red lights flooded the area once again, illuminating an enormous pool of blood on which the terrifying face of the monster who killed his parents stood. He observed his parents lying underneath it''s feet with their entrails spilling and lifeless expressions on their faces. Pure, unadulterated fear had him gasping for air and paralyzed. He raised his head and he saw the beast mere inches away, staring at him with its evil red eyes.  The monster opened its mouth wide and bit off his head in a flash as Jack woke up with a start.

    ¡°Whoa!! Jack!! You ok?!!¡± asked Amelia, who was seated next to him.

    Jack took a moment to calm down as he drank some water that Amelia offered him.

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Is it another nightmare?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just leave it.¡± said Jack with a mildly frustrated tone.

    Just then, the door opened and a bespectacled lady looked out.

    ¡°Amelia Foster. Please come in.¡± said the lady.

    Jack and Amelia entered the room and saw the principal, who was a man in his fifties, also seated in the room. They took their seat as gestured by the lady.

    ¡°Ok Amelia, you have excellent grades under your belt. You have excelled in almost everything here. You have a good rapport with the teachers and I¡¯m most pleased to have had you as my student.¡± Said the lady with a wide smile.

    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Rodriguez.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°What do you think Jack? What do you feel about her future? Do you have any suggestions for her?¡± asked the lady

    ¡°I actually gave her one. I told her that she could take electronics as her major at Rockhurst. But she didn¡¯t seem to like it.¡± Said Jack.

    Amelia gave him a scorning glance at this statement.

    ¡°Why yes! I¡¯m sure you would do well if you took Electronics and communications as your major. But of course, we will hear your plans if you don¡¯t want this path.¡± Said the Lady.

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t plan on doing any majors right now. I wanna join the special division army forces.¡± Said Amelia with a serious look

    This answer shocked the other three occupants of the room, most of all Jack.

    ¡°What?!!!¡± exclaimed Jack.

    ¡°You¡¯re Talking about the ¡®Outlanders¡¯ division. Am I right?¡± Said the principal

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Replied Amelia.

    ¡°Are you insane?!¡± Asked Jack.

    ¡°I have been planning on doing this ever since middle school. That¡¯s why I participated in all of the sports events held till now. I wanted to increase my physique and my stamina. In fact, I¡¯m gonna join them as soon as my final exams are over.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°What the heck you never told me!¡± said Jack.

    ¡°Well, well. Almost everyone these days is enrolling for that. The pay is supposedly high and you will be granted special honors if you perform admirably. But at the same time, a lot of people are dying in that line of work. Are you sure young lady?¡± Asked the principal.

    ¡°Yes sir. I am.¡± Said Amy with a confident tone.

    ¡°But you aren¡¯t eighteen until this fall and They don¡¯t recruit people under seventeen. How are you going to apply now?¡± asked the lady.

    ¡°I have a contact who can help me with that Ma¡¯am.¡± Replied Amelia.

    ¡°Ok. I wish you the best of luck, Amelia.¡± Said the lady.

    ¡°But¡ª¡± said Jack as he was interrupted.

    ¡°I get your concern, Jack. It is a dangerous job and you are worried about your sister¡¯s safety. But you have to realize, she isn¡¯t a child. If she has decided to go join the army, let her. You can¡¯t deny her the right to choose.¡± Said the principal.

    ¡°yeah but¡ª¡± said Jack before he was interrupted again.

    ¡°Amelia I¡¯ll ask again. You are absolutely sure about this right?¡± asked the principal.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not ok with this one bit. I am not letting you go and get yourself killed. No way.¡± Proclaimed Jack in an angry tone.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t my parent and I¡¯m not a child, Jack. You don¡¯t have any hold over me. Got it?¡± replied Amelia rebelliously.

    ¡°You never told me about this to begin with! I didn¡¯t promise Mom and Dad that I would let you throw away your life. I¡¯m not letting you go and that¡¯s final!¡± said Jack angrily.

    ¡°I won¡¯t die ok. There¡¯s no way that I am gonna die! And I didn¡¯t tell you this precisely because you would never let me join the army¡± replied Amelia.

    ¡°Both of you, please calm down.¡± Said the bespectacled lady. But her pleas fell on deaf ears.

    ¡°Have you forgotten what happened to Mom and Dad? Do you wanna end up a corpse, like they did?¡± said Jack.

    ¡°DON¡¯T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MOM AND DAD LIKE THEY WERE TRASH, YOU BIG COWARD.¡± Yelled Amelia.

    Amelia pushed her chair away and stormed out of the room. Jack felt helpless as he took to his seat again. The principal then spoke.

    ¡°Please, take a seat and calm down Jack.¡± Said the principal

    Jack obeyed and sat down.

    ¡°Like I said, Jack. I implore you not to impede her choices. I understand your worries. But you have to face the fact that she isn¡¯t some child you can put restrictions on. Think about it carefully, please. You may go now.¡± Said the principal.

    Hearing this only seemed to anger Jack more, as he left the room frustrated. He looked around for Amelia, but could not find her. He left the building and looked around for her. But it seemed she had already left. Assumed she might have left for home, Jack called for a taxi. When Jack reached home, he found Amelia doing push-ups in the space separating the neighboring house. Amelia spotted Jack and got up.

    ¡°Look who¡¯s home.¡± Said Amelia sarcastically.

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that attitude! I¡¯m the only one trying to keep you from getting shish kabob¡¯ed out there.¡± said Jack with an angry tone.

    With a frustrated sigh, Amelia answered with a calm tone.

    ¡°Look. My dream was always to join the army, even before this all happened. I looked up to Mom and Dad. They were trying to change things for the better, and I wanna do the same. I know you promised them you would keep me safe, but that doesn¡¯t give you the right to confine me. I¡¯m joining the army, whether you like it or not ok.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever wondered how many people have died in that division? What you¡¯re doing is suicide, Amelia.¡± Said Jack with a highly frustrated tone.

    ¡°I¡¯m tired of living here. I want things to go back to how it was, and I feel like I would be more at peace if I did something myself to make that happen. So there¡¯s absolutely nothing you can do to stop me Jack¡± said Amelia.

    ¡°You idiot, haven¡¯t you figured out why I¡¯m insisting on you reconsidering your option? It¡¯s not just about the promise I made. You¡¯re the only family I have left Amy. I can¡¯t lose you too.¡± Said Jack with tears in his eyes.

    Amelia looked at Jack with a sad look as Jack wiped his tears.

    ¡°I guess I never told you what I see in my nightmares. Since our parents died, I''ve experienced the same nightmare every day. I see that monster standing over Mom and Dad''s bodies as they lie in a pool of blood. I''m terrified of that monster. However, the dead expression in their eyes scares me more. Amy, I don''t want to have nightmares with you in them.¡± said Jack in a quivering tone, his face down and his long hair hiding the unbearable sadness on his face.

    For a few moments, none of them spoke. Then, Amelia broke the silence.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Jack. But I don¡¯t want to stay here anymore. I just can¡¯t take it¡± said Amy in a soft tone as she walked past Jack into the house.

    Jack was completely defeated. He was at a loss for how else to convince Amelia to change her course. Jack walked towards the cliff behind the housing area, which overlooked the city, hopeless and helpless. He took eight minutes to climb the cliff. He sat by the cliff''s edge, dreading what might happen if Amelia once she went to the surface. The more he considered Amelia''s choice, The more images of her dreadfully wounded body he saw. He felt scared, and helpless as he was not able to think of a solution.

    Then Jack felt a hand on his shoulders. He looked around and saw Billy.  He had a more mature look to his face along with his jet-black hair, as he looked at Jack¡¯s face through his half-frame spectacles. He was wearing a red T-shirt and dark blue shorts.

    ¡°Hey Jack, you all right?¡± asked Billy.

    ¡°Billy, what¡¯re you doing here?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°Well, I came up here on your recommendation of course. Actually, I¡¯ve been coming up here for some time. The view¡¯s really good. What about you? you don¡¯t look good. What happened? Asked Billy.

    Jack hesitated to tell Billy. But with a small hope that Billy would have answers to his problem, Jack told him what had happened that morning. after he finished, Billy remained silent in thought before talking.

    ¡°Well, if there¡¯s one thing I know, it¡¯s that Amelia is one heck of a stubborn girl. If she didn¡¯t listen to you, then I don¡¯t know anyone else who can convince her.¡± Said Billy.

    ¡°Please help me. I don¡¯t want her to end up dead. Can you think of a way I can stop her?¡±  asked Jack.

    Billy again assumed silence as he tried to think of something.

    ¡°I got nothing that could work man.¡± Said Billy.

    Jack gave a defeated sigh, but Billy interrupted him.

    ¡°But sometimes, you have to surrender to the current, rather than trying to change its flow.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯re you talking about?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°Oh come on, you know what I¡¯m talking about. I¡¯ve seen you stand up for Amelia more times than I count. You were always there for her when she was bullied, or when some dog chased her. You always stayed by her side when she went to play outside. So much so that even Amelia was irritated by it. You were always fearless when it came to protecting Amelia. What¡¯s stopping you now?¡± asked Billy.

    ¡°What?¡± asked Jack with a perplexed tone.

    ¡°I¡¯m suggesting that you should do what you¡¯ve always done Jack. Be her overprotective and irritating brother. I¡¯ll let you have some time to think.¡± Said Billy, as he left.

    After thinking about what Billy said for about an hour, Jack felt like he finally realized what he had to do. He smiled as he left the cliff and walked toward home.

    Two weeks later, Amelia wrote her final exams and left before graduation. She had made all the preparations for joining the army beforehand. Although she found it odd that Jack didn¡¯t attempt to stop her after their last discussion, she didn¡¯t mind. She assumed Jack didn¡¯t talk to her because he was angry. The day before recruitment started, Amelia went and got her hair shortened, as she considered how her hair might get in the way of her duties. The next day she went to the recruitment office located in the north side of the city. She found a long line waiting for the recruitment process and much to Amelia¡¯s dismay, she was last in line. It took a good two hours before she went into the office. She found herself in front of two recruiters, a man and a woman, both of whom seemed to be in their thirties.

    ¡°Amelia Foster, is it? Welcome to the ¡®Outlanders¡¯ Army special division, tasked with saving all of humanity from the invading monsters. Do you have the necessary documents and paperwork in order?¡± asked the female recruitment officer.

    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡± Replied Amelia with confidence.

    ¡°All right, you will have to write the AFQT held on the eighth of this month. You will have a waiting period of at least a month before you get your acceptance, after which you will be able to join the ¡®outlanders¡¯. Of course, you will need a high enough score to join the ¡®outlanders¡¯. We only take the best.¡± Said the female recruiter.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. I understand.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Good.¡± Said the female recruiter before turning to her partner.¡± She¡¯s the last one right?¡±

    ¡°No, there is one last person who was on the recruitment list. I wonder where he is.¡± Said the male recruiter.

    Just then a voice came from behind.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late. Got stuck in traffic.¡±

    Amelia turned around and gasped in shock. A charming young man was standing at the door. He had caramel-colored, well-combed hair. His eyes radiated energy and they were the same shade of brown as Amelia''s. He had a partially defined jawline and a smooth-shaven face. He approached the hiring desk and gave the man working there his paperwork

    ¡°Jack Foster, is it?¡± asked the male recruiter.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Said Jack with a wide smile.

    Amelia was completely speechless throughout the entire explanation of the recruitment process to Jack by the male recruiter. She never expected to run into Jack at the recruitment office, much less apply for the same division as Amelia. Amelia and Jack left the workplace after the male recruiter was done.

    ¡°I like your new look, Amy. You look like Mom.¡± Said Jack with a wide smile.

    ¡°What the heck Jack? I didn¡¯t expect you to be applying for the army.¡± Asked Amelia.

    ¡°Well, I realized I can¡¯t stop you from joining. But that didn¡¯t mean that I was gonna let you do it alone. So I decided to surprise you.¡± Said Jack with a wide smile.

    Amelia was still dumbstruck as Jack continued.

    ¡°You were right Amy. I was a coward. I was scared of that monster. But Billy helped me realize what I had to do. So you better be prepared. ¡®Cause I¡¯m gonna be the really irritating and overprotective brother you always knew.¡± Said Jack with a smile that radiated energy. Amelia laughed at this as they both walked home.

 Chapter-4

    ¡°When did you pull it off?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°Pull what off?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°You know. When did you get all the documents ready for the recruitment?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°During your finals. I roamed around a lot to get those documents ready.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Heh. No wonder you weren¡¯t in the house most of the time. Did you tell Uncle Frank about this?¡± asked Amelia as she flipped through a page of her arithmetics textbook.

    ¡°Yeah. He was kinda surprised to be honest, you know, considering how much I was affected by Mom and Dad¡¯s deaths.¡± Said Jack as he solved a problem from a logical reasoning book.

    ¡°I bet he thought you would never even consider joining the division.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°He was happy though. Said I finally went back to being the Jack he always knew.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°No joke. You lost your energy and your cheerfulness. I knew you were hurting a lot, but, I didn¡¯t do anything to help you out. I feel ashamed of myself for not looking out for you.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be. I was kinda relieved that you weren¡¯t affected by what happened. You had a goal in mind and you worked toward that goal with no room for anything else, while I was busy being depressed. I should have at the very least tried to move on and get myself a goal to work toward too.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back to your normal self, big bro.¡± said Amelia.

    ¡°Yeah! Now let¡¯s get back to studying.¡± Said Jack with a bright smile.

    ¡°Right.¡± Replied Amelia as she went back to her books.

    Three days passed since Jack and Amelia signed up for the ''Outlanders'' division. They devoted the majority of their study time to topics that would be examined. As he wasn''t as athletic as Amelia, Jack also worked out in preparation for the physical exam. However, because the physical exam wouldn''t be held until they were accepted, he only spent a quarter of the day exercising. Taking a break between studies wasn''t an option as they only had four days until their exam. It was 5:30 in the evening. While drinking their evening coffee, Jack and Amelia were pouring over their books, practicing problems, and memorizing terms when they heard a knock on their door. Jack was irritated that his concentration had been broken. He rose from his seat and looked at Amelia, who shared Jack''s frustration. He got to the door and opened it. On their doorsteps, a young man about Jack''s age was standing. He had jet-black hair and a semi-oval face. He was sporting a pair of red half-frame glasses, a matching red t-shirt, and blue shorts. His face radiated maturity as he smiled at Jack.

    ¡°Heyo, Jack.¡± Said Billy.

    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s up, Billy?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°I got the textbook you asked for Jack. Also, Amy asked for a little help in understanding some topics. So here I am.¡± Said Billy.

    ¡°Thanks, Bill. Come on in.¡± Said Jack.

    Jack offered Billy a seat and then served him some snacks. Jack sat down and poured through the book Billy purchased for him, Meanwhile, Billy helped Amelia with her comprehension doubts. They didn¡¯t realize how quickly time had passed until it was 8:30 p.m.

    ¡°Oh, crap!! It¡¯s 8:30?!!! I better get going before I¡¯m late.¡± Exclaimed Billy.

    ¡°Late? Late for what?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°I got a curfew. I¡¯m supposed to be at home before 9.¡± Replied Billy.

    ¡°Curfews at this age?!! Seriously?!! Man, you got strict parents.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Well, it''s all thanks to my dumb brother. He and his friends went to the surface and got caught by WSF officers on patrol. I got roped into his punishment because I didn¡¯t stop him from pulling off this stunt. I get that I didn¡¯t stop him, but it''s no reason to impose a curfew on me too. Totally unfair.¡± Said Billy in a frustrated tone.

    ¡°Totally.¡± said Jack and Amelia in unison.

    ¡°Oh, right! I almost forgot. Jack, could you send me a few recent photos of you and Amy?¡± said Billy.

    ¡°Hmm? What do you need them for?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°Just send them, will ya? I need them.¡± Said Billy.

    Jack and Amelia looked at each other, perplexed. Jack shrugged and replied to Billy

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll send ¡®em.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Cool!! Thanks. See ya later.¡± Said Billy as he left.

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll start making dinner.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡± Said Jack as he closed the door behind him.

    Thanks. Could you prepare the salad? I¡¯ll prepare the main dish.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Right. Oh, by the way, jinx.¡± Said Jack pointing his finger toward Amelia.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that now?¡± said Amelia smiling.

    ¡°Whatever. I said it first.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Ook. What is it that you want me to do?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°Hmmmmm. For now, nothing. I¡¯ll have to think about it.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Said Amelia.

    Half an hour later, Jack and Amelia sat down for dinner. They were eating oven-cooked chicken along with sauteed vegetable salad and mashed potatoes. They ate their meal while pouring through their books. For a while, the only sound made was the clinking of the cutlery. Then Jack broke the silence.

    ¡°Man! No matter what I try, I can¡¯t get this salad to taste like Mom¡¯s.¡± said Jack after eating a small portion of the salad.

    ¡°I think it tastes good.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Yeah, but Mom¡¯s salad used to have that tangy taste. I really liked that. I miss her cooking. I miss her.¡± Said Jack in a sad tone.

    Both Jack and Amelia looked at their family picture on the wall with a slightly sad expression.

    ¡°Yeah! Me too.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Wonder what they would say to us if they were here now?¡± said Jack thoughtfully.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they would have loooved your hobo look.¡± Said Amelia in a sarcastic way.

    ¡°Enough about my hobo look already.¡± Said Jack in a slightly irritated tone.

    ¡°Awww. Big bwother¡¯s sensitive, isn¡¯t he?¡± said Amelia in a mischievous tone.

    ¡°Not as sensitive as you when someone calls you ¡®angry chihuahua¡¯.¡± Said Jack half giggling.

    ¡°UGGGH! I still don¡¯t get why people call me a chihuahua!!¡± exclaimed Amelia.

    Jack let out a roar of laughter at Amelia¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°As a kid, you used to yell at people in a high-pitched voice and at such a rapid pace that you sounded like a chihuahua. It seems they got used to calling you that.¡± said Jack recovering from his laughter.

    ¡°But it''s so annoying when people call me that.¡± Complained Amelia.

    ¡°Anyway. How far have you covered the subjects?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°I¡¯m almost done. Just a few more topics in arithmetics left. What about you?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°I finished covering all the topics in arithmetics. I¡¯ve just been practicing sample problems all this time.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°WAIT, WHAAAT?!! But it¡¯s only been three days. And you haven¡¯t been practicing since before the recruitment process like I have. How in the hell were you able to finish covering the topics before me.¡¯ Exclaimed Amelia.

    ¡°I was the top of my class in arithmetics remember? I remember everything about it. Just needed a proper refresh and I was golden.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Man! You¡¯re something else aren¡¯t ya? I was struggling a lot before it finally clicked for me.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°No. Although arithmetics is a piece of cake for me, comprehension is a completely different story for me.¡± Said Jack.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°I guess we both agree on that part.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Ok. Enough talk. We should finish dinner before it gets cold.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± agreed Amelia.

    Four days flew by for Jack and Amelia as the test date approached. Jack and Amelia boarded the bus at 7:30 in the morning on the day of the exam to travel to their venue, arriving there by 8 o''clock. Dozens of other candidates had arrived for the exam, just like them. Some candidates were calming their nerves, while others huddled with friends to discuss key points about each subject and frantically flipped through notes and books.

    ¡°I think we should go through a few important topics before they call for us. Don¡¯t you think?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Said Jack as he took the books out of his bag.

    At 8:11 a.m., a cool male voice spoke from all the announcement devices around the building.

    ¡°All examinees. Please head toward your assigned exam halls. The exam shall start at 8:15 a.m.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s your hall again?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see. It¡¯s in room 202. That¡¯s on the first floor if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Mine¡¯s in 102, ground floor. Ok then, let¡¯s go.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Right.¡± said Amelia.

    Jack and Amelia walked along with the crowd before splitting up at the staircase. Jack kept reviewing his notes in his head as he walked toward his hall. So engrossed was he, that he didn¡¯t notice someone in front of him, as he bumped into them.

    ¡°oof! Ow.¡± Exclaimed the person.

    Broken from his concentration, Jack saw that he had bumped into a girl. She had brilliant green eyes and orange hair. These features, along with her oval face, made her look quite adorable. Jack was dumbstruck for a few seconds before he came to his senses.

    ¡°Oh! Uhh. I¡¯m so sorry. Here let me help you.¡± Said Jack as he helped the girl up.

    ¡°No problem. I take it you¡¯re really nervous about the test?¡± asked the girl nervously.

    ¡°Uhh, no. I was kinda lost in reviewing the topics in my head. I¡¯m really sorry about bumping into you.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine really. I was lost in thought too. So, no worries.¡± Said the girl with a nervous smile on her face.

    ¡°Right.¡± Said Jack in reply.

    ¡°Which hall are you heading toward?¡± asked the girl.

    ¡°I¡¯m heading to hall 102.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Same here! What a coincidence.¡± Said the girl.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± replied Jack.

    Outside hall 102, candidates were keeping their bags in the lockers and having their IDs checked before being let inside the hall. Jack kept his bag, took out his ID and pens, and joined the queue with the girl. After entering the hall, Jack checked his hall ticket to find his seat. Each desk had a computer, which displayed the name and photo of the candidate who would be occupying that particular system. Jack and the girl checked their Hall tickets before settling into their assigned seats, only to find that they were seated next to each other.

    ¡°Oh wow! Who knew we¡¯d be sitting next to each other.¡± Said the girl with a giggle.

    ¡°Heh. Crazy coincidence, huh?¡± said Jack with a humorous tone as he sat down.

    At 8:15 a.m., the examiner entered the hall along with his assistant.

    ¡°All right everyone settle down.¡± Said the examiner. After everyone had settled in their seats, the examiner spoke again

    ¡°Now I''ll go over the rules. The system will open in about five minutes, and you will then be able to start answering the questions. The test consists of 100 questions divided into four sections, with 25 questions per section. The questions in each section will be progressively more difficult. As a result, the points assigned to each question will vary, with the easiest questions receiving one point, the next level receiving two points, and the next level receiving three points. You will also have questions with negative markings, so make sure to answer the questions that you are absolutely certain about. The test will last two hours. Additionally, blank sheets will be provided for you to use in your calculations. That¡¯s all. Best of luck to you all.¡±

    Exactly five minutes later, the screen opened, revealing the questions. Soon silence fell in the hall, as everyone began to answer their questions, with only the clicking sound of the mouse resounding in the silence. Jack chose to answer the arithmetic section first, as he was good at it. In about eight minutes, he had completed that section, and he moved on to the other sections. Jack began to attempt the two other sections comprising mathematics and vocabulary and completed them in about thirty minutes. Finally, he moved on to the more troublesome section of comprehension. He finished the low and intermediate-difficulty questions as quickly as possible and arrived at the high-difficulty questions. Although it took him only ten minutes to attempt the high-difficulty questions, he decided to spend ten more minutes checking all his comprehension answers, after which, he started to cross-check his answers in the other sections. Jack finished his test at 9:30 a.m and rested his forehead on the table. He didn¡¯t realize he had dozed off until the examiner announced the end of the exam, at which he woke up with a start.

    ¡°Hee hee. You were out cold huh?¡± said the girl next to him.

    ¡°Uhh, yeah. Seems so.¡± Said Jack rubbing his eyes.

    Jack and the other examinees left the hall row-wise and they handed over their sheets filled with calculations. Jack collected his belongings and started heading toward the exit when the girl caught up to him.

    ¡°Hey. How was your test?¡± asked the girl.

    ¡°I think I did okay. I had a little trouble with comprehension so I left a few negative points unattempted. I just hope my answers to the negative points I did attempt are right.¡± Said Jack thoughtfully.

    ¡°I had trouble in math. I never really liked the subject to begin with.¡± Said the girl.

    ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡± Replied Jack. Just then Jack heard his name being called.

    ¡°Jack! Hey! Over here!¡±

    He looked in the direction from where the voice came and found Amelia at the building entrance.

    ¡°Yeah! Coming. Gotta go. I wish you the best of luck.¡± Said Jack as he picked up his pace.

    ¡°Thanks! You too.¡± Replied the girl.

    Jack caught up with Amelia at the entrance, and the two walked to the nearby bus stop.

    ¡°I see you¡¯ve been busy.¡± Said Amelia with a mischievous tone.

    ¡°With what?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°Don¡¯t act dumb with me. I saw you walking with that girl back there. She was cute, wasn¡¯t she?¡± said Amelia with a giggle while nudging Jack with her elbow.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. She¡¯s just a talkative one. That¡¯s all.¡± Said Jack irritably.

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± said Amelia with a sarcastic tone.

    ¡°Enough about that. How did your test go?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°I think I did pretty good. I know I will make it into the top ten at least. What about you?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°I did good too. Though I¡¯m not expecting anything just yet. I¡¯m gonna let the results speak for itself.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Way to have confidence in yourself.¡± Said Amelia in a mocking tone.

    Jack laughed at the statement and replied

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make it. I still got a job after all.¡± Said Jack.

    Amelia smiled at Jack¡¯s statement as the two boarded the bus home.

    ¡°Right.¡± Said Amelia.

    Although their entrance exam was over, Jack and Amelia kept themselves busy with exercise and morning jogs, as they still needed to pass their physical examination to join the ¡®Outlanders¡¯ division. Amelia took charge of coming up with their diet plan, which consisted of some of Jack¡¯s least Favourite foods.

    ¡°Come on, Jack. It would help if you ate the broccoli and eggplants. They¡¯re essential for the diet. I¡¯m not letting you off the hook until you eat them.¡± said Amelia.

    ¡°Aye aye, captn¡¯¡± replied Jack with a defeated tone.

    A month passed away at a moment''s notice. It was the 9<sup>th</sup> of September. Jack and Amelia were anxiously waiting to receive their acceptance letters since the day before. Amelia was especially anxious about her results and kept grumbling about the delay.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t the mail supposed to come yesterday.¡± said Amelia in an irritated tone.

    ¡°Calm down Amy. We¡¯ll get them for sure.¡± Said Jack.

    At that moment, they heard a knock on their door. Jack and Amelia rushed to the door at full speed and opened it. But instead of finding the mailman, they found Billy standing with the brightest smile they had ever seen on his face.

    ¡°Oh. Hey, Billy.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that ¡®meh¡¯ vibe?¡± said Billy.

    ¡°Hey, Billy. Sorry about that. We were just expecting someone else. Come on in.¡± said Jack.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± said Billy.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Billy? You look really happy about something?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°Well, I got a surprise for the both of ya, and I can¡¯t wait to see how you react to it.¡± Said Billy as he placed two identical rectangular boxes with a domed lid, all wrapped up as presents, on the table.

    ¡°Go ahead. Open ¡®em up.¡± Said Billy.

    Jack and Amelia looked at each other, puzzled. Jack shrugged, took one of the boxes, and undid the wrapping as Amelia followed suit. Both found what looked like a jewelry box. Jack and Amelia opened their boxes and found a small locket inside each. Jack and Amelia once again looked at each other, quite puzzled. They then looked at Billy.

    ¡°Come on. Do you want me to instruct you like babies? Open ¡®em up.¡± Said Billy.

    Jack and Amelia opened their lockets, and what they saw pleasantly surprised them. Inside were two pictures. For Jack, the picture on the right side of his locket was that of Amelia, and it appeared to have been taken recently, while the picture on the left side was that of family photo of Jack¡¯s family. Amelia¡¯s locket had the same picture on the left, but the picture on the right side was that of Jack¡¯s, which also appeared to have been taken recently.

    ¡°Happy advanced Birthday the two of you!!!¡± exclaimed Billy.

    ¡°Wow, Billy! These are really beautiful. But, why wish now? We still got time, right?¡± said Jack.

    ¡°Well, you guys won¡¯t be around to celebrate in person, right? So, I thought I¡¯d give you guys some presents right now.¡± Said Billy.

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure, Billy. I mean we still haven¡¯t gotten our acceptance letters yet.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. We¡¯ll get it, ok.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°That¡¯s where my second present comes in. Have at it.¡± Said Billy as he handed two envelopes to Jack and Amelia. A surge of expectations rushed into the siblings as they quickly grabbed the envelopes addressed to them and opened them.

    September 9, 2034

    Jackson Foster

    No.23, 27<sup>th</sup> Street, Housing area

    Kansas, MO 640816

    Dear Mr. Foster

    You have been accepted by the ¡®Outlanders¡¯ special Army division after your successful completion of the entrance examination. Please note, that your physical examination will be held on the fifteenth of September. Your physical examination venue is as follows:

    ¡®Outlanders¡¯ Training Institute, Gymnasium complex, 1508 Broadway Boulevard Street,

    Kansas, MO 640816

    You are instructed to arrive at the venue by 8 o¡¯clock on the examination date. We wish you the best of luck.

    Jack saw that the letter was signed by Frank Anderson, his parent¡¯s close friend.

    ¡°How the heck did you get your hands on our letters?!¡± asked Amelia with a bright smile.

    ¡°I just recently joined a mail company for a part-time job. The last mail to be delivered today was yours. So I volunteered to deliver it myself. It also gave me the perfect chance to give you the surprise I was cooking.¡± replied Billy.

    ¡°Is that why you asked for our recent photos?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°Yup!!¡± replied Billy

    ¡°Billy, this is the best present ever.¡± Said Amelia as she hugged Billy.

    ¡°Yeah! Man. Thanks a bunch. I¡¯ll cherish this forever.¡± Said Jack.

    Suddenly, Billy became silent. Then Amelia heard small sobs. She let go of Billy and saw tears rolling down his cheeks.

    ¡°Damn it. I promised myself I wouldn¡¯t go all emotional about this. Guess I¡¯m not good at holding my waterworks in.¡± said Billy with a shaky voice.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°Nothin¡¯. Thinking about how I¡¯ll be lonely without the two of you is making me tear up. You guys are the only friends I treasure. On top of that, there¡¯s no telling if I can see you ever again.¡± Said Billy.

    Jack and Amelia looked at each other and smiled softly. Then the both of them hugged Billy to reassure him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re not gonna be gone for long. We¡¯ll come back for sure.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°And I¡¯ll make sure Amelia is keeping herself alive. I¡¯m not gonna let her out of my sight. I won¡¯t die until she¡¯s back home safe.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°You guys better keep your word. Or I¡¯ll kill ya.¡± Said Billy.

    ¡°Hey! I have an idea. I¡¯ll bake some cake for us to have. This occasion definitely calls for a celebration. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± said Amelia.

    ¡°Yeah! How about some of your chiffon cake? Everyone loves your chiffon cakes. I¡¯ll set the table for three.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°good idea.¡± Said Amelia.

    Billy wiped his tears and smiled.

    ¡°Yeah! Sounds great.¡± Said Billy.

 Chapter 5 We will strive to be better

    ¡°Linda set the jogging distance to 2.5 miles.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Jogging distance set.¡± Said the AI voice on Jack¡¯s watch.

    ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s go, Amy.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Right.¡± Said Amelia.

    It was 5:00 a.m., and Jack and Amelia went out for their routine morning jog. The ceiling of the cavern was mildly lit by the lights from the bigger buildings in the city and the support structures holding the cavern. Not all lights in the housing area were turned on as it was still too early.

    ¡°I never realized this, but, without our watches to tell the time, we¡¯d never know if it''s day or not.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°If you live somewhere in Norway or near the Arctic, this would probably be what you¡¯d experience, in addition to freezing temperatures of course.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°I always wanted to visit Svalbard and see the Auroras. But I never got the chance to ask Dad to take us there.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Well then, I guess we should add that to the bucket list. Once this is over, we can do everything we once wanted to.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Is there anything you want to do after all this is over?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°I''ve never really known what I wanted to do. If you ask me, I was content with what I had. However, I felt lost when making life decisions. I struggled to decide on a course for my life. So, in a way, when you insisted adamantly on joining the army, your safety gave me a reason to join as well. I guess this is my life''s direction for the time being. And it''s all thanks to you, Amy.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Thank you too, for having my back.¡± Said Amelia.

    Jack and Amelia finished their jog and returned home at 5:30 a.m. They sat down and rested for a few minutes before Amelia got up.

    ¡°Right! I need to get breakfast ready. Jack could you help me a bit.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Replied Jack.

    At 6 a.m., Jack finished helping with breakfast and went to bathe, while Amelia laid the table and ate her breakfast as she read the morning newspaper. Jack entered the kitchen 10 minutes later to eat his breakfast.

    ¡°Hey! Get this! They¡¯re saying that artificial sunlight tech is near completion and will be launched next year.¡± Said Amelia

    ¡°Too bad we won¡¯t be able to see it. I can¡¯t imagine these gloomy caverns to be filled with warm light. I wonder what that would be like.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Yeah. But I¡¯m getting a strong feeling that we won¡¯t be needing it. Maybe by this year, we¡¯ll eradicate this crisis once and for all.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t jinx us before we even start, Amy! We haven¡¯t even joined the ¡®Outlanders¡¯. Let¡¯s get through that phase first.¡± Said Jack irritably.

    ¡°Right, right. So, when do we leave? The letters said we have to be there by 8 right?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°Yup! We¡¯ll catch the 7:20 bus. There¡¯s no bus after that, so we have to catch this one. That means you need to finish bathing quickly Amy. You take too long.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°That feels a bit rude, you know? I can bathe fast too.¡± Replied Amy irritably.

    At 7:20, they boarded the bus that took them into the city. It took them nearly 40 minutes to reach the venue as the gymnasium complex was located near the heart of the city, where traffic jams were commonplace early in the morning. After getting off the bus, they ran into the building before they could close it and begin the exam.

    ¡°Are you both here for the physical examination?¡± asked a female on-duty officer.

    ¡°Yeah. Yeah, we are.¡± Replied Jack and Amelia, both out of breath.

    ¡°You¡¯re just in time. A few more minutes and you might¡¯ve not made it. So, Jack Foster and Amelia Foster, right?¡± said the officer after seeing the attendance list. ¡°Proceed to the center field. And good luck.¡± Said the officer with a smile.

    ¡°Thanks a lot, Ma¡¯am.¡± Said Jack as he moved on with Amelia.

    The gymnasium complex was a large domed building, about 380 square miles, which served as the training institute for the ¡®outlanders¡¯ special division forces. The complex also had living quarters, a gym, a pool of 75 feet in length, A virtual reality training room, a fencing hall, and a cafeteria. It was by far, the largest building in the whole underground city. Jack and Amelia walked through several corridors before entering the vast open field in the middle of the center. Other candidates had also assembled in the field and were waiting for the arrival of examiners. A 400-meter sprint track ran around the edge of the field, while an obstacle course had been laid out on the grassy part of the field. Jack and Amelia made their way to the grassy part of the field, where everyone was waiting.

    ¡°Wow! There are a lot more people here than I thought there would be. Guess they all passed the exam.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Well, there are people with all kinds of reasons to be here. These days you get a good reputation from others for being in this division. In addition, they promised that those who perform exceptionally will be given the highest awards and can expect a position as top-ranking officials once this crisis is over.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Oh hey! There you are!¡± called out a familiar voice behind him.

    Jack and Amelia looked behind and saw a girl waving at them. She had brilliant green eyes and orange hair. Her oval face made her look adorable.

    ¡°Hey. Long time no see.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t believe that I¡¯m here. This feels like a dream! I always wanted to join the army my whole life. And now, I¡¯m finally at the starting line.¡± Said the girl.

    ¡°Wow! Good for you.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Thanks, Jack.¡± Said the girl.

    ¡°You¡¯re wel ¡ªHuh?! wait! How do you know my name?¡± said Jack.

    ¡°Well, she yelled out for you back then, after finishing the test remember? Also I saw your name on your hall ticket when we were showing them to the inspector. I kinda remembered that as well.¡± Said the girl.

    ¡°Wow. You¡¯ve got some solid memory! That was like an entire month ago.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Yeah. People always said I had a sharp memory. Sorry, I never introduced myself. My name is Elena Jones. It¡¯s nice to meet you both.¡± said the girl as she held out her hand.

    ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡± Said Amelia as she shook Elena¡¯s hand

    ¡°Yeah, nice to meet you too, Elena.¡± Said Jack as he shook her hand.

    ¡°So! Are you his friend?¡± asked Elena as she looked toward Amelia.

    ¡°Nah! I¡¯m his sister.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Waaah? You¡¯re his sister?!!!¡± exclaimed Elena.

    Amelia replied by nodding her head.

    ¡°Are you his older sister or younger sister?¡± asked Elena.

    ¡°Younger sister.¡± Replied Amelia.

    ¡°How old are you now?¡± asked Elena in a curious tone.

    ¡°17.¡± Replied Amelia.

    ¡°Woow! You must have some supportive parents. Mine didn¡¯t want me to join underage. Even then, they weren¡¯t supportive of my decision to join the army.¡± Said Elena in a dejected tone.

    ¡°Actually, we don¡¯t have parents. And Amelia almost didn¡¯t tell me of her decision.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m so sorry. I was being insensitive.¡± Said Elena apologetically.

    ¡°No. Don¡¯t worry. We weren¡¯t offended in any way.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°So, you fought your way into the army?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°Yeah! My parents didn¡¯t want me to join the army. But I fought and somehow convinced them.¡± Said Elena.

    ¡°I had a similar kind of fight with Jack. However, in the end, he decided not to leave me alone and joined the army too.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°You got a good supportive brother then. Lucky you.¡± Said Elena.

    ¡°Yeah, sorta.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°I Had to struggle with my parents for almost a month. It was thanks to my career advisor that I managed to convince them. Boy was it worth fighting with them. I am completely fired up for this.¡± Said Elena.

    Meanwhile, Amelia leaned her head over toward Jack.

    ¡°Man, she¡¯s talkative.¡± Whispered Amelia to Jack.

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    ¡°I told you so.¡± Replied Jack in a whisper.

    ¡°But that¡¯s what makes her adorable, doesn¡¯t it?¡± whispered Amelia as she shot a mischievous glance at Jack.

    ¡°Knock it off.¡± Replied Jack in a whisper with a slightly irritated look.

    ¡°You guys say something?¡± asked Elena.

    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Replied Jack.

    ¡°So, what do you think they¡¯ll ask us to do for this test?¡± asked Elena.

    ¡°If you ask me, I think they¡¯ll ask us to run this course.¡± Said Jack as he pointed toward the obstacle course in front of them. ¡°Of course, That could just be one of the tests. Who knows what else they¡¯ll ask.¡± added Jack.

    ¡°I think they could ask us to¡ª oof! Hey! watch where you¡¯re going!¡± exclaimed Amelia at a candidate who hit her shoulder as he passed by her.

    The candidate was slightly taller than her and Jack. He had a broad face, with small black eyes and brown hair. He turned around to look at Amelia with a menacing stare.

    ¡°Yeah? Who¡¯re you to tell me how to walk?¡± asked the candidate with a malevolent tone.

    ¡°Hey! Chillax! We¡¯re not here for any trouble. Let¡¯s all try to get along.¡± Said Jack as he tried to diffuse the situation. He donned a serious expression on his face as he did so.

    ¡°Tryna be a hero are ya? How ¡®bout I teach ya not to meddle with other people¡¯s business?¡± said the cruel candidate as he brought his face closer to Jack¡¯s to intimidate him.

    ¡°Come on, Gordon. That¡¯s not how you treat your future co-workers.¡± Said a voice that seemed to be filled to the brim with arrogance.

    Another candidate walked out from behind the taller candidate. He had a slim face with a sharp chin, blonde hair, and pale blue eyes. He was approximately the same height as Jack.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My friend here forgot his manners. He should have introduced himself first. My name is William. William Hauser. It''s nice to meet you.¡± Said the candidate as he bowed to Jack.

    ¡°This guy here is my family friend. Name¡¯s Gordon. He lacks¡­.elegance, which you must have noticed when he bumped into you. Also, he¡¯s a bit sensitive, so when you yelled at him, he felt a little ¡­. upset. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± Said William.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok. She¡¯s not hurt. Right, Amelia?¡± said Jack.

    Amelia was about to protest this response when she noticed Jack gesturing her to calm down.

    ¡°Yeah. Fine.¡± Said Amelia with a discontent look.

    ¡°Good! That settles it. Say, are you ladies friends with this guy?¡± said William as he pointed toward Jack.

    ¡°Yeah. So what?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°Surely you could fi¡ª¡± said William before he was interrupted.

    ¡°All right! Settle down! All of you!¡± said a loud voice from their left.

    They saw a group of people entering the grassy part of the field. Two people seemed to be leading the group. The first person was a bald man sporting a horseshoe mustache with sideburns. He radiated an air of authority as he walked with confidence onto the field. The second person wore a brown suit, and a red tie and had a black framed spectacle. He gave off the aura of an FBI officer, striding across the field with purposeful steps. Jack and Amelia immediately recognized the second person and were visibly happy to see him. The rest of the group consisted of three people who appeared to be physicians. The group stopped in front of the candidates and addressed them over a mike.

    ¡°I bid a very warm welcome to all the candidates present here. I am the secretary of defense and the founder of the ¡®Outlanders¡¯ special army division, Frank Anderson. First of all, I would like to congratulate each and every one of you on passing your AFQT test held in the preceding month. We will now be conducting the physical examination to see if you have the energy and fitness to join the ¡®Outlanders¡¯. Those who pass this exam will be inducted into the army special division, and their training will start in earnest. Any questions?¡± asked Mr. Anderson.

    ¡°Excuse me, sir.¡± Said a voice from behind. Everyone looked in the direction from where the voice came. A girl was raising her hand eagerly in the middle of the crowd. From her looks, she seemed to be an Asian-American. She had jet-black hair, grey eyes, and a heart-shaped face filled with enthusiasm.

    ¡°Yes, please?¡± said Mr. Anderson.

    ¡°You are holding this exam after we have all been accepted into the special army division. What would happen if we were to fail this test? Would we be sent back home?¡± asked the girl.

    ¡°Ah, yes! Thank you for pointing out. To think I almost forgot. All right! You don¡¯t have to worry if you fail this test. Those who fail will be appearing for a second physical test. This test will be to recruit you into the Wall Security Force. As you are aware, Our crops are grown on the surface and all the radio and communication devices used to facilitate communication with neighboring cities are also situated there. We can¡¯t have them be destroyed by the X-beasts. So we still have the wall that we constructed 12 years ago, and we have the wall security force to ensure that the wall stays upright. So, it is also a crucial responsibility for which we need recruits. However, You will be given two choices in this respect. You can either take the test for the WSF, or you can try for the ¡®Outlanders¡¯ again next year. You will be given that freedom. Now if there are no further doubts, I would like to hand the mike over to my friend, Major General Brian Hill.¡± Said Mr. Anderson as he handed the mike over to the man with the mustache.

    ¡°All right! We will hold three different events for this test. The first will be a 400-meter sprint race for male candidates and a 200-meter sprint race for female candidates. The second event will be a set of basic exercises that you have to perform in a stipulated period. The third event will be tackling this basic obstacle course you see in front of you. The three physicians here will be judging you based on your stamina and vigor. Now then. Let¡¯s begin the first test.¡± Said Major General Brian.

    The participants were divided into groups of five for the 400- and 200-meter race. Jack was in the first group for the race, along with William. The second the gun was fired, Jack began running. Although he was going relatively slower than the other sprinters, he had enough speed to keep up with the other sprinters.

    ¡°Come on, Jack! Run a little faster!!¡± yelled Amelia.

    But Jack continued to maintain his pace. After about 3 minutes, the rest of the participants started to slow a little due to exhaustion. At this point, Jack began picking up his speed rapidly, passing all the other sprinters in his group, until finally, he took the lead and placed first. Amelia whooped loudly at her brother¡¯s win. She high-fived Jack as she moved on to the field for her 200-meter sprint while Jack moved on to the second event. Each participant was asked to complete two minutes of sit-ups, two minutes of push-ups, and two minutes of crunches. Having exercised for an entire month, Jack completed the exercises easily and well in time. He was unable to see Amelia¡¯s sprint race but was happy that Amelia placed first in the race just like him. He moved on to the final event, the obstacle course. Since the course was set up for beginners, Jack was able to complete it in 4 minutes. Jack was told to take a seat in the spectator''s gallery to await his results. Jack sat down and watched Amelia as she lined up for the obstacle course along with Elena.

    ¡°So, Jack was it?¡± said a voice, which Jack recognized as William.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Replied Jack.

    ¡°Huh?! Is that all you have to say to me? You¡¯re kind of boring judging by your response.¡± Said William.

    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Replied Jack as he focused on the events.

    ¡°I saw your performance there. You were very sloppy. Your strides were very short and inelegant. I was far better and I finished it much faster than you did. I think I may just pass with the top grade.¡± Said William.

    But Jack remained silent at William''s comments. Instead, he watched Amelia¡¯s turn in the obstacle course. William was clearly not pleased with Jack¡¯s ignorance.

    ¡°Oh? Now that I pointed out your sloppiness, you¡¯re suddenly silent. Does it hurt you so much to hear someone criticizing your efforts?¡± said William in a taunting tone.

    ¡°The way I see it, You¡¯re the one who¡¯s being bitter about me coming in first and you placing second.¡± Said Jack calmly as he watched William¡¯s face turn a shade of red.

    ¡°Yeah. I saw your run in the sprint race. You were really desperate to come in first. You would have taken first place if you hadn¡¯t focused on showing off by raising your hand as if you had won it all.¡± Said Jack

    William¡¯s Face grew redder and his brows contorted in anger as he listened to Jack calmly taunt him.

    ¡°Hmph. You think you¡¯re better than me, don¡¯t you? Well, know this. This will be the only time you ever insult me. I¡¯ll make sure you never talk to me in that arrogant tone. I¡¯ll make you respect me by becoming the commander of this squadron. You¡¯ll regret ever crossing words with me.¡± Said William in an angry tone as he walked away from the spot.

    ¡°Was he causing trouble?¡± asked Amelia as she came in along with Elena.

    ¡°Yeah. The guy¡¯s got some serious superiority complex. I get the feeling he¡¯s gonna be a real pain in the butt. By the way. You did great Amy.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Thanks. You fooled me in the sprint race. I thought you were tired. But you were just really saving your energy, huh?¡± said Amelia.

    ¡°Yeah, it was a smart strategy. I think you would be a good tactician.¡± Said Elena.

    ¡°Oh, come on! It was just a simple tactic. Nothing more.¡± Said Jack.

    It took 20 minutes for all the candidates to finish the physical test, and another 5 minutes before they were recalled back to the field.

    ¡°All right then. The physicians have decided on who would be selected for the ¡®Outlanders¡¯ division. Their names will be displayed on the screen behind me. Check your names in the list. Those who aren¡¯t on the list will come over to the left side, while those on the list will move over to the right side.¡± Said Major General Brian.

    The list projected itself on the screen. Countless names were on the board. Jack surmised that about 80-90% of the candidates must have passed to have so many names on the board. Jack knew he would be selected, but a tiny amount of self-doubt was lingering in his heart, so, he began to search his name nervously. He looked at the top ten finishers to see if he was in it. As Jack browsed the list, he found himself in second place, with Amelia in first. Ecstatic, he looked toward Amelia, who was standing beside him. She looked back at him with the same ecstatic look on her face. Both laughed and shared a victory high-five before moving to the right side of the field. They spotted Elena also joining their group and were visibly happy. On the left, a group of five people were standing, with disappointed looks on their faces. One among them, was Gordon, the candidate who had bumped into Amelia at the start of the test. After the two groups were formed, Mr. Anderson came forward and addressed the groups.

    ¡°My congratulations to both the groups! You did your very best, whether you failed or succeeded. Now, the candidates on the right will be given accommodations here in this training complex. You are given a period of three days starting tomorrow, to gather all the stuff you feel is necessary and move them to the living quarters in this facility. You will attend an orientation where you will be briefed about your training, your dorm assignments, and other details. For those of you who lived alone with the support of the government, you needn¡¯t worry. Your homes will be well taken care of and none of your other possessions that you won¡¯t be able to bring here will be harmed. As for the group on the left, you have two choices. You can either refuse to take the WSF test and retry next year, or take the test and join the WSF.¡± Said Mr. Anderson. None of the five candidates moved. Seeing this Mr. Anderson addressed the crowd again.

    ¡°Wonderful! Now then. The group on the left will have a break of about half an hour before we commence the WSF test. Please head over to the canteen and take some refreshments. The rest are permitted to go home. We eagerly await your arrival to our dormitories in three day¡¯s time.¡± Said Mr. Anderson.

    Jack and Amelia proceeded toward the exit along with the other candidates. They spotted Elena running toward them

    ¡°Hey! Awesome job you two. First and second place?! You two might just be the rockstars of the academy!¡± said Elenea.

    ¡°Aw shucks! You¡¯re embarrassing us.¡± Said Jack rubbing his head.

    ¡°She¡¯s right you know.¡± Said a familiar voice from behind.

    Jack and Amelia turned around and saw Mr. Anderson standing behind them, hands behind his back.

    ¡°Uncle Frank! It¡¯s so good to see you!¡± said Amelia as she hugged him.

    ¡°Likewise, Amelia. You two did a fantastic job. Seeing the two of you here reminds me so much of your parents. You two are so much like they were. Strong, fierce, and supportive of each other. I kinda feel nostalgic¡± said Mr. Anderson with a wide smile.

    ¡°We are their children. But I promise that we¡¯ll work to be even better than they were.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°That¡¯s more like it. I look forward to seeing both of you in the institute.¡± Said Mr. Anderson.

    With these words, Mr. Anderson returned to the field. Amelia and Jack exited the field while Elena, clearly surprised, continued their conversation.

    ¡°The secretary of defense is your uncle?!!!!! Wow!! Did not see that coming.¡± Said Elena in a surprised tone.

    ¡°He¡¯s not actually our uncle. He is our parent¡¯s best friend and our Godfather.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Woow! That¡¯s so awesome. Just one recommendation from your godfather and BAM! You guys could become top-ranking officers in no time!¡± said Elena in an excited tone.

    ¡°Nah. I don¡¯t wanna climb the ladder that way. Like Jack said, we¡¯re gonna surpass our parents and I prefer we did it with our own effort. Ain¡¯t that right Jack?¡± said Amelia.

    ¡°Absolutely!¡± exclaimed Jack.

    Elena looked at their determined faces. A smile came upon her face involuntarily.

    ¡°Yeah! Go for it with full speed, you guys!¡± said Elena.

 Chapter-6 The starting line

    ¡°Hey, Amy! How much longer will you take?!¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°Just a second!¡± shouted Amelia from her room.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re bringing the entire room in your bag. We aren¡¯t supposed to take too much with us, remember?¡± said Jack.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know.¡± Replied Amelia.

    Jack sat down at the table in their living room, with a carry bag and a backpack full of his things lying in a chair beside him as he waited for Amelia to finish her packing.

    ¡°Man! She should¡¯ve been finished with this like¡­yesterday!¡± mumbled Jack in anger.

    Then, Amelia came running into the room with a carry bag in her hand and backpack on her shoulder, panting. Jack stood up, put on his backpack, and picked up his carry bag.

    ¡°About time! There¡¯s supposed to be some maintenance on buses today, so the next bus might be the last and WE need to catch it.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Yeah, I know. I¡¯m sorry. I forgot to pack up some things. It only kicked in at the last moment.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Seriously! You might need to keep sticky notes to keep yourself from forgetting things.¡± said Jack.

    ¡°Geez! I said sorry. Stop rubbin¡¯ it on me.¡± Said Amelia in an irritated tone.

    Amelia and Jack barely make it in time to catch the last bus of the morning hour, as they took their seats, completely out of breath.

    ¡°Oh, man! If we had missed this bus, I would¡¯ve killed ya.¡± Said Jack panting heavily.

    ¡°Well, we made it. So, stop complaining and catch your breath.¡± Said Amelia, also panting heavily.

    5 minutes into their journey, they finally settled down and Amelia took out a small box. She opened it to reveal two pieces of chocolate pastries.

    ¡°Happy birthday, Jack! Here, say ahh!¡± said Amelia, giggling.

    ¡°I can eat my cake on my own, thank you very much. And I should be the one doing the feeding.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°That would be mega embarrassing in this bus. People will see.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Oh!? And I¡¯m an exception to this rule how?¡± said Jack in an irritated tone.

    ¡°Oh come on, it¡¯s your birthday. You should enjoy it!¡± said Amelia.

    ¡°You dodged my question.¡± Said Jack, in response to which, Amelia gave a nervous laugh.

    ¡°Fine. Just take a piece out of it and feed me as discretely as possible please.¡± Said Jack.

    Amelia took a tiny piece of the cake and fed Jack quickly, making sure no one spotted it. Jack then proceeded to take a small piece of the cake and fed Amelia in the same manner.

    ¡°It¡¯s too bad we couldn¡¯t celebrate your birthday with Billy.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°He did send me his wishes. He also said it was okay since he already gave us our birthday gifts.¡± Said Jack as he touched the locket around his neck.

    ¡°Yeah. That was the most thoughtful gift I ever received in my life. I really love it and I can¡¯t thank him enough for it.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°He did ask us to come back alive. For now, that¡¯s about all we can do to repay him.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s do our best.¡± Said Amelia as she fist-bumped Jack.

    They arrived at the ''Outlanders'' training institute and were met by two soldiers who checked each entrant''s name against a list. They noticed Elena ahead of them. She noticed the siblings and waved to them, who returned her wave. They entered the complex and deposited their bags at a bag deposit area before following signs to an orientation room.

    ¡°Man! Finally. I¡¯m so excited. I¡¯ll finally be a cadet. I¡¯m so happy I could cry any moment.¡± Said Elena in an excited tone.

    ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t help but smile. It¡¯s really happening. I can¡¯t wait to start my training.¡± Said Amelia in an equally excited tone.

    ¡°What about you Jack? Are you excited or what?¡± asked Elena.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m as excited as you, but I am looking forward to the hand-to-hand combat and sword-fighting training. I always wanted to learn those fancy fighting moves I see in action films, like backkicks and Roundhouses. An added advantage is that we get to kick monster butt using those moves. So, yeah! In a way, I¡¯m excited too.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°So, you want to be a martial artist? Is that it?¡± asked Elena.

    ¡°Kinda. Yeah.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Nice!¡± said Elena as she laughed at Jack¡¯s comment.

    ¡°But how did you know we would be taught these things?¡± asked Elena.

    ¡°Uncle Frank gave us an early sneak peek about what we might be taught.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Oh yeah? What did he say we would be learning?¡± asked Elena out of curiosity.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell us much else. Said that everything else would be told to us during the orientation. ¡°Said Amelia.

    ¡°Ooh. Suspense, eh? Now I¡¯m looking forward to it even more.¡± Said Elena in an excited tone.

    The trio reached the orientation room and sat next to each other. The room began filling up with more and more people and the air resounded the noisy, excited chatter of the newly joined cadets. At 9:00 a.m., The secretary of defense, Frank Anderson, and two other officials entered the room, and silence fell.

    ¡°A hearty welcome to all our new recruits. I am very pleased to see the large number of applicants for this division. Each of you may have joined the ''Outlanders'' Army Division for a variety of reasons, but I hope you will all demonstrate courage, patience, perseverance, integrity, and a sense of duty as we continue with your training. I expect you all to work hard and be on your best behavior. Now we''ll go over the details of this training program and your accommodations. Please take a look at the screen behind me.¡± Said Mr. Anderson.

    A white screen appeared on the large display behind Mr. Anderson. A tabular column was displayed on the screen, displaying a three-month training program. The names of theoretical and practical classes, as well as the number of hours they would be conducted, were provided.

    ¡°Ok, We¡¯ve got ¡®basic theory of standard procedures and protocols¡¯, ¡®Theory of Navigation¡¯, ¡®Tactical strategies¡¯, ¡®Theory of known X-beasts¡¯. In practicals, we¡¯ve got ¡®electronics¡¯, ¡®basic mechanical training¡¯, ¡®marksmanship¡¯, ¡®fencing¡¯, ¡®basic combat training¡¯, ¡®VR combat training¡¯, ¡®Parkour¡¯, and¡­ ¡®Live combat training¡¯? What does that mean?¡± mumbled Amelia as she read the contents of the table.

    ¡°As you can see, it includes both theoretical and practical courses. You will go through this training for 1 year and 1 month. For the first month, you will primarily learn theoretical courses, along with one practical course. You''ll learn the fundamentals of the protocols you should follow on the field, the various weaknesses of the monsters we''ve fought over the years, strategies you must know to gain an advantage, and so on. You''ll also learn fencing as a part of your combat training. After your first month of training, you will be transported to a facility about 250 miles outside of the city, in what used to be the Mark Twain National Forest. It''s the ideal place for the remaining 1 year of your training, the majority of which will involve intense physical training. You will also be putting what you learned into practice by accompanying your instructors on regular patrols. You will be assigned to one of four regiments after the first month of training based on the instructor¡¯s discretion.¡± Said Mr. Anderson as he pressed a button on his pointer device.

    Four insignias appeared on the screen. The first insignia was a horse''s head, the second a crosshair, the third a sword behind a shield, and the fourth a representation of a robotic exosuit.

    ¡°The scouts, snipers, knights, and tanks are the four regiments. The Scouts specialize in reconnaissance missions, ensuring that the path ahead is safe for the troops to move and, if not, alerting the troops behind them of the situation so that the monsters can be eliminated. They are an important part of our exploratory forces and face many dangers head-on. The Snipers specialize in giving the troops a tactical advantage by attacking monsters at vulnerable points or stunning them so that the rest of the forces can move in for the kill. They may also engage in hand-to-hand combat from time to time with lower-category monsters as backups. The Knights serve as the force¡¯s shields. They are equipped with OL-1 shockwave shields, which absorb monster attacks and release the stored kinetic energy as a shockwave that can stun or kill low-category monsters. These shields have a wide area of attack and massively powerful shockwaves, and you will be taught how to handle these shields responsibly. The swords used by the knights are also heavy and can cause significant damage to the monsters'' skin. They will be the first line of defence against a horde of monsters or a single monster in a frontal assault. Finally, our heavy battalions are the Tanks. They use MATE, or Mechanical All Terrain Exosuits, to fight the monsters with heavy suppressive fire. They also contain a plethora of other weapons, providing an overwhelming advantage against hordes of monsters. Based on the results of your VR combat training, we will decide which of these four regiments you will join, as each requires a different set of skills than the others. For example, to operate the MATE, you must have quick reflexes and a thorough understanding of the mechanics involved. As a result, we''ll look for people who understand how the machine works and can make quick decisions. You will also be given the option of joining one of our exploratory missions or being assigned to one of the outposts, where you will work to clear the surrounding areas of all monsters while gradually expanding the radius of clearance in that area. It is also my responsibility to present you with some hard facts. This line of work is always dangerous. Many of our soldiers are killed almost every day. Some are killed because the monsters catch them off guard, while others are killed because they fail to obey their commanding officers'' orders. This is not a job to be taken lightly. So, please be disciplined, responsible, and dutiful. Give it your all and assist us in ridding our country of the scourge of these monsters. That''s all there is to it. I now turn the stage over to you. Ask any questions you have. It is now an open discussion session. You must have a lot of questions because you''ve been cut off from the outside world. And I always enjoy interacting with bright young minds like yours.¡± Said Mr. Anderson.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    At once several hands shot up. Jack and Amelia looked around to count the number of hands for fun.

    ¡°You. Yes, you. I recognize you. You were the one who asked about the recruitment process during the physical test. Please stand up.¡± Said Mr. Anderson.

    ¡°Thank you, sir. My name is June Chang. I have a question about the training program you mentioned. What¡¯s the point of practicing Fencing? We¡¯re only fighting monsters. We can train to fight monsters in VR training. And if its purpose is to just serve as physical training, we have a gym in the complex to take care of that.¡± Asked June.

    ¡°Ah! That is a valid point. Yes, as you mentioned, your physical training could be easily covered in the gym, whereas your combat training could be covered by our VR training. However, fencing serves two important functions in your training. It assists by sharpening your reflexes and preparing you for a secondary threat that you may not have been aware of. You see, when the X-beasts first rampaged through the world, every prison was emptied and the inmates were transferred to cities. But not everyone was in on it. They chose this as an opportunity to flee law enforcement and go into hiding. Obviously, with the world in disarray, the government would not pursue these criminals. They would be preoccupied with protecting civilians. Some of these inmates agreed to the transfer, but the vast majority chose to flee. They had to figure out how to survive in the wild with the monsters. So they spent the first 2 to 3 years secretly plundering the resources of a few cities, stealing months of rations, weapons, and robotic suits. They then fell silent. Of course, we assumed they''d all been slaughtered by the X-beasts. But, about two years after the civilians moved into the underground cities, we received numerous reports of troops being killed and camps being ransacked and destroyed, not by monsters, but by the very weapons we use to kill monsters. The soldiers who were killed had their weapons, armour, and nanocubes taken from them. These inmates have also gotten very good at hiding their tracks. Six years of manhunting has yielded no results. We don''t have enough troops to find and destroy this group. As a result, we can only teach you how to protect yourself against them if you come across them.¡± Elaborated Mr. Anderson.

    ¡°Thank you for clarifying, sir.¡± Said June as she sat down.

    ¡°Any other doubts?¡± asked Mr. Anderson.

    He saw another hand raise up. This time, it was Amelia¡¯s.

    ¡°Yes! What¡¯s your doubt, young lady?¡± Asked Mr. Anderson.

    ¡°Thank you, sir. I too have a doubt in the training program. What do you mean by ¡®live combat training¡¯? Does live training refer to In-person training with the instructors?¡± Asked Amelia.

    ¡°Oh, right. We couldn''t think of another word to describe what we were trying to say. But, yes, this course pertains to your training by fighting actual monsters in a controlled environment. You see, the reason we transfer you to the outpost for the final phase of your training is that we occasionally capture and keep live specimens for the cadets to hone their sword skills and marksmanship. Yes, VR training is beneficial. However, training with a live specimen will provide you with more experience with how an X-Beast''s behaves as well as how it reacts to your attacks. It also allows you to predict what the monster will do next. When it comes to combat training, nothing beats hands-on experience. And, as previously stated, you will be sent out on patrol to put your strategic thinking and dexterity to the test. This is also a part of live combat training. The ¡®live¡¯ simply refers to training with real monsters.¡± Said Mr. Anderson.

    The questionnaire session continued for another hour before it ended. Mr. Anderson gave a few final words before addressing the audience.

    ¡°So there you have it! We''ve been here for nearly an hour and a half. I''m sure you''re all feeling exhausted. Outside in the hallway, there are refreshments. Please indulge to your heart''s content. Once that''s done, we''ll take you on a tour of our facility. You''ve only ever seen this facility''s sprint track. There is still more to show you.¡± Said Mr. Anderson as he moved out of the hall, followed by the cadets.

    Jack, Amelia, and Elena grabbed some snacks and Juice as they chatted about the program

    ¡°We¡¯ve got a lot of interesting courses. It¡¯s gonna be a whole lot of fun for the next three months.¡± Said Amelia

    ¡°Except for the theoretical courses. Tactical strategies and protocols?! Yeesh! I get the feeling that that¡¯s gonna be boring and monotonous.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Yeah. Learning the protocols will be a pain in the butt. But you¡¯re good with tactics Jack. I haven¡¯t been able to beat you at chess even once. I think you will do good in that.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Being good at chess has nothing to do with this. Besides, I like the practical aspect of it. Studying it will most definitely be boring.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Same here. I like¨Chey isn¡¯t that Gordon over there?¡± asked Elena in a surprised tone. Jack and Amelia turned around to see the large figure of Gordon standing near the water dispenser, listening to William. He had a very stoic look on his face as William talked to him.

    ¡°Yeah. What¡¯s he doing here? Didn¡¯t he take the test for the WSF? This is supposed to be an orientation for ¡®Outlanders¡¯ cadets only.¡± Said Amelia in a tone that clearly showed some anger and frustration.

    Just then Mr. Anderson walked by, and the trio looked at each other.

    ¡°Let¡¯s ask him.¡± Said Jack.

    The other two nodded and walked toward Mr. Anderson.

    ¡°Excuse me, Uncle Frank. Can we talk to you for a sec? ¡°asked Jack.

    ¡°Hey, Jack, Amelia! You certainly can. However, while we are here, please address me as Mr. Secretary. It''s proper conduct. So, what exactly do you want to talk about?¡± asked Mr. Anderson.

    ¡°Sorry, Mr. Sceretary. We were wondering why Gordon was here. I thought this orientation was only for ''Outlanders'' program participants. Wasn''t he attempting to join the WSF forces?¡± asked Amelia.

    ¡°Ah, yes. There was a third way to enter the ''Outlanders'' division, and that was through recommendations. Gordon was recommended for the "Outlanders" division by William''s father. He stated that he would be a valuable ally to us. Of course, the test left me doubtful. However, William''s father is the only major financial contributor to the ''Outlanders'' division, and he continues to support us by supplying us with weapons and robotic suits. As a result, it was difficult to say no to him. Personally, I would have rejected his recommendation. But, William¡¯s Father is a tough guy to deal with. If we disappoint him even a little, he may not like it. So, I had no choice but to accept Gordon as an ''Outlanders'' division cadet. I know that you guys got in trouble with him, But try to get along with him, please.¡± Said Mr. Anderson as he left the trio.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s terrific!¡± said Amelia in a displeased tone.

    ¡°You know, I used to believe that jerks like William were always accompanied by two lackeys. It''s strange that he only has one.¡± Said Elena in a curious tone.

    ¡°That doesn''t have to be the case all of the time. And, besides, I doubt Gordon is thrilled to be his lackey.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± asked Elena.

    ¡°Well...It''s more of a hunch. When he spoke to William, he wore an emotionless expression. Normally, you''d imagine a lackey supporting and agreeing with them. But all he did was stand there and listen to him, without any looks of approval or anything.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Even so, he tried to pick a fight with a girl. I don¡¯t think that excuses him of anything.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Come on, Amelia. Let¡¯s not dwell on that. We should regroup with the rest of the crowd. It¡¯s time to get on with the rest of the orientation.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Jack¡¯s right. We should get going.¡± Agreed Elena.

    The trio joined up with the rest of the crowd as they moved on with the tour around the institute. They were shown the various facilities, which included swimming pools, a VR training room, a Fencing arena, and the gym. Finally, at 12:30 p.m., the cadets were shown their dormitories.

    ¡°Now then, there are two dorm buildings, one for boys on the left and one for girls on the right. The dining-living room, as well as the bathrooms, will be on the ground floor. The dorms begin on the first floor, with 20 rooms on each floor, 10 rooms on each side of the hallway, and a total of 5 floors. All of your belongings have been delivered to your rooms. The list of cadets and their assigned rooms will be posted on the ground floor noticeboard. In your rooms, you have beds, wardrobes, bedside cabinets, and work desks. I''m confident you''ll enjoy your new surroundings. That brings the orientation to a close. You can now explore your dorm rooms and settle in. Lunch will be at 0200 hrs, and dinner will be at 2000 hrs. Please do not miss your meals. Thank you for your time. You''re dismissed.¡± Said Mr. Anderson.

    Jack parted ways with Amelia and Elena as he made his way to the boy''s dormitory. Just then, William passed him and hit him on the shoulder. He turned around, sneered at Jack, and walked on with Gordon. Jack ignored this and proceeded to the notice board. His room was on the second floor, the third room on the right. Jack climbed the stairs instead of taking the lift, as was his habit, and arrived at his room on the second floor. The room was welcoming and comfortable. It was about the same size as his own room at home, if not slightly larger. Jack took his bags that were delivered to his room, placed them on the floor and unpacked his belongings, which included a family photo and an alarm clock, and several casual wear clothes. He placed the family photo and the alarm clock on the bedside cabinet. Then he took out his casual wear clothes and neatly placed them in the cupboard. As he unpacked, he looked out the bedside window, which overlooked the city''s thousand bright lights. He''d spent hours looking out over the city from the cliff behind the housing area where he lived. However, it appeared even more stunning from his dorm room. Jack paused to take in the scenery before returning to his work. He unpacked the last few items he had brought along, a flipbook, a stationery set, his desk lamp, a brand-new diary, and Billy¡¯s birthday gift.

    ¡°Phew. Done and done.¡± Said Jack.

    Jack went to the canteen for lunch and met up with Amelia and Elena. A special menu was created to greet new recruits on behalf of the special army division. The cadets enjoyed the feast while interacting with one another. Jack spent the rest of the day with Amelia, touring the facilities and working out in the gym. Both went back to their rooms after dinner. Jack lost himself in his hobby of sketching environments. At 10:00 p.m., Jack got ready for bed. Before going to bed, he looked out the window at the city, admiring its lights. He had a rush of excitement for the next day. He took the family photo from his bedside cabinet and glanced at it, warmly smiling at his parent¡¯s faces.

    ¡°Mom. Dad. Amelia and I made it to her starting line. I¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s safe while she¡¯s pursuing her goals. I¡¯ll keep my promise to you. You can count on me.¡± Said Jack.

    He placed the photo back on the cabinet, pulled over his bed covers, and went to sleep.

 Chapter-7

    ¡°Good morning Jack, it is now 6 a.m.¡± said Linda, the cool female voice in Jack¡¯s alarm clock.

    ¡°*Yawn* Thanks, Linda.¡± Said Jack as he stretched his hands.

    Jack opened the closet, took his towel, toothbrush, and toothpaste, and went downstairs to the ground-floor washroom. Other cadets were getting up and following him downstairs. Jack brushed his teeth and bathed before heading to the dining area at around 6:55 a.m. A team of cooks was preparing the hot morning breakfast, which included omelets, bacon, an assortment of fruits, and milk. Jack made his way to an open seat with his breakfast in hand. He found a table with three people and one open seat.

    ¡°Excuse me, is this seat taken?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°No. Feel free to join in.¡± said one of the cadets.

    ¡°Nice to meet ya. My name¡¯s Kyle. Kyle Johnson.¡± said the cadet opposite Jack¡¯s end. His face radiated a jovial aura with his curly hair and bright blue eyes.

    ¡°Nice to meet you too. I¡¯m Jack Foster.¡± Said Jack as he reached out his hand to shake Kyle¡¯s.

    ¡°Hey! Matthew Sullenberger here.¡± Said the cadet on Jack¡¯s right as he shook his hand. He sported an army cut and had mildly tanned skin.

    ¡°And I¡¯m Clarence McCallister. Nice to meet you, Jack. You¡¯re the guy who came second in the physical test¡± asked the cadet on Jack¡¯s left as he too shook his hand. He had a more muscular physique than the other two and had mousy brown hair.

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s nice to meet you all and I hope to get along with you moving forward.¡± Said Jack with a smile.

    ¡°Wow! That sounds a bit too formal. Take it easy, dude! It''s not as though we are your superiors or anything.¡± Said Kyle.

    ¡°No. It¡¯s not about being formal. I really do look forward to getting along and being friends with you guys. That¡¯s all.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Yeah! Same here, Jack.¡± Said Matthew and Clarence.

    ¡°So..Are you guys originally from here or¡­..were you..Uh¡ªyou know? Um, forced away from your homes by the monsters?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°Oh me and Kyle are from around Missouri. Matthew is from Florida. Right?¡± asked Clarence.

    ¡°Yeah. Miami. I do miss it. What I wouldn''t give to be able to enjoy that sunny seaside again. Beaches, the feel of a cool breeze on your face. It''s simply refreshing.¡± Said Kyle as he reminisced as he drank his milk.

    ¡°That does sound beautiful. It¡¯s almost been forever since we even saw the sun or the sky.¡± Said Jack while chewing his bacon.

    ¡°What about you Jack? Where are you from?¡± asked Clarence.

    ¡°I¡¯m from this city. So is my entire family, for about 4 generations now.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Wow! So this is your ancestral home. Nice.¡± Said Kyle as he ate his omelet.

    ¡°Got any siblings Jack?¡± asked Kyle.

    ¡°Yeah. A little sister. She¡¯s a year younger than me.¡± Said Jack as he finished his meal.

    ¡°Nice. So, is your sister is studying in a different school or the one you attended?¡± asked Matthew.

    ¡°She¡¯s...Oh crap! it¡¯s almost 8. We gotta hustle for the morning class.¡± Said Jack as he looked at his watch.

    ¡°Fierce underworld cockroach king! You¡¯re right!!¡± said Kyle as the group got up from the table.

    ¡°Wha..? Who¡¯s ¡®Fierce underworld cockroach king¡¯?¡± asked Matthew in a perplexed tone.

    ¡°Take the first letters from each word and put it together. You¡¯ll get what I mean.¡± Said Kyle as the group ran toward the plate deposit area.

    ¡°pfft! Hahahahahahahaha! Wow! Ahahaha! Where the hell did you pick that up?¡± said Jack as he and the others realized the joke.

    ¡°I think it was from some movie? I can¡¯t really remember which one.¡± Said Kyle as the group ran down the hallway laughing.

    Jack and his group entered their designated seminar hall as others started pouring in as well. Jack spotted Amelia with Elena and a silver-haired girl walking in and waved at them. Amelia and Elena waved back at him as they took their seats in the front row on the right side of the hall. Jack and his group took the front-most seats in the middle row of the hall. Other candidates occupied the rest of the 2 seats in the front row.

    ¡°What¡¯s your deal with those two girls man? Childhood friends? Highschool Classmates? Or is there something else going on with them?¡± whispered Kyle in a teasing sort of manner.

    ¡°Nah. One of them is a friend. The other one is my sister.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Huuh!!!!??? Your wha? Which one?¡± whispered a bewildered Matthew.

    ¡°The one with the reddish-brown hair.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Why the heck didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± asked Clarence.

    ¡°I was about to, before I noticed the time and we had to hustle. Said Jack.

    ¡°Anyway, How old is she?¡± asked Kyle.

    ¡°She¡¯s 17.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°And your parents gave her consent to join the army? Man! My mom wouldn¡¯t allow me to join the army until I was 18. Even then, she was really against it.¡± Said Clarence in a jealous tone.

    ¡°Our parents died 8 years ago. She got consent from our godfather.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Said Clarence, realizing he may have said something insensitive.

    There was a few seconds of silence before it was broken.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, man.¡± Said Kyle as he placed his hand on Jack¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Yeah, me too. Me too.¡± Said Jack.

    Just then, a loud female voice sounded at the back of the hall.

    ¡°All Right!! This isn¡¯t a nursery and you guys ain¡¯t 5-year-olds, so quit your yapping!¡±

    The class fell silent as everyone turned to face the door, where a middle-aged woman dressed in full army combat uniform stood. She wore a serious expression with faint smile lines. Her blonde hair was neatly tied into an army braid, and her body posture, combined with her solemn expression, gave an aura of authority.

    ¡°Good! That¡¯s more like it. We¡¯re not gonna waste too much time getting chummy and straight away get into the lecture. Welcome to the ¡®tactical strategies¡¯ class. I¡¯m second lieutenant Martha Rakes and you¡¯ll have this class every 2 hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This will be just a small introduction to all the combat Manouvers and strategies you can employ to outwit the dumb animals or to overpower stupidly strong ones. It¡¯ll also save your butts from time to time. So, pay attention. No need for notes. I¡¯ll make sure to drill these things into your head. Now, who knows how to play chess here?!¡± asked Lieutenant Rakes as she walked up to the front of the hall.

    Several Hands shot up in the air along the first few rows of the hall. Lieutenant Rakes scanned the crowd before stopping at a person behind Jack.

    ¡°You! Second from left, second row. What¡¯s the primary objective in chess?¡± asked Lieutenant Rakes. It was William who stood up.

    ¡°It¡¯s to checkmate the king of the opponent.¡± Said William.

    ¡°Too plain an answer. You! From the first row!¡± said Lieutenant Rakes as she pointed to Jack.

    ¡°It involves the player using his pieces to gain control of the board before gradually moving the opponent''s king into a checkmate position.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°That¡¯s a much better answer. What¡¯s your name cadet?¡± asked Lieutenant Rakes.

    ¡°Jackson Foster, Ma¡¯am.¡± Said Jack

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be¡­.You wouldn¡¯t happen to be James and Mary¡¯s son, would you?¡± asked Lieutenant Rakes with a warm smile on her face.

    ¡°Uh, Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Hah! Never thought I¡¯d be teaching ¡®The Furies¡¯ brat. But we¡¯ll reminisce later. Sit down both of you.¡± Said, Lieutenant Rakes.

    Jack sat down, lowered his desk onto his seat, and rested his arms on it as he listened to the lecture. But the attention of the hall was drawn to Jack as the other cadets whispered about his connection to the top-class soldiers who were in the wall of fame and excellence with more than 20 missions under their belt.

    ¡°Quiet down! Unless you want to miss out on important points and get yourselves blown to heaven!!¡± exclaimed Lieutenant Rakes. The hall immediately fell into silence.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The lecture finished at 10:30. As Jack was about to leave the hall a voice came from behind.

    ¡°Cadet Jack! May we have a word?¡± asked Lieutenant Rakes.

    ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am!¡± said Jack as he walked toward her.

    ¡°I gotta say I was pleasantly surprised to see you here as a cadet, Jack. It seems you¡¯ve been doing well. I never really got to speak to the kids of the heroes who saved my bacon more times than I could count. How¡¯s your sister doing?¡± asked Lieutenant Rakes with a smile on her face.

    ¡°She¡¯s doing well ma¡¯am. She¡¯s a cadet too. In fact, she was just attending your class all this time.¡± Said Jack with a wide smile.

    ¡°What the!!!?? Really!!?? Damn! I didn¡¯t even see her. I assume she got her consent to join from the Sec Def?¡± asked Lieutenant Rakes.

    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am. Would you like to talk to her?¡± asked Jack.

    ¡°Nah. You both need to get to the next lecture. I¡¯ll find time to talk to ya both later. You¡¯re dismissed.¡± Said Lieutenant Rakes.

    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am!¡± said Jack as he stood in attention and saluted. As he left the hall, he heard the lieutenant''s voice again.

    ¡°Good luck, Kiddo.¡± Said Lieutenant Rakes.

    ¡°Thanks, Ma¡¯am.¡± Said Jack as he left for the next class.

    Jack caught up with Kyle, Matthew, and Clarence as they walked along with Amelia¡¯s group.

    ¡°Hey! There he is. The Man of the Hour.¡± Said Kyle.

    ¡°Dude! What other surprises are you even hiding? Like, seriously! Your parents are ¡®the Furies¡¯. ¡®THE FURIES¡¯. They¡¯re practically the ideal soldier everyone here is dreaming to be, Man!¡± said Matthew.

    ¡°Well, it did come as a shock to me as well. I mean, I knew your last name was Foster but damn! I didn¡¯t think it was the same ¡®Foster¡¯ as ¡®The Furies¡¯. You¡¯re kicking up a storm here Jack! Literally!¡± said Elena.

    ¡°And it was more surprising when she said that she¡¯s your sister!¡± said the silver-haired girl.

    ¡°Gosh! This is all a little embarrassing. I knew Mom and Dad were the best in the business. But I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be this famous.¡± Said Amelia in a giddy voice.

    ¡°This army division is for freeing humanity and their best soldiers are never forgotten. It was bound to happen. Just hold your head high and walk with pride, you two.¡± Said Elena.

    ¡°Yeah, man! You should be proud of your Parents you know.¡± Said Kyle.

    ¡°Can¡¯t help but be the center of attention could you, Foster?¡± said a cold cruel voice from behind them.

    William, along with Gordon, walked up to the group and stood in front of Jack, William¡¯s eyes glaring down on Jack.

    ¡°Just because you¡¯re the son of ¡®The Furies¡¯, doesn¡¯t make you a hotshot. You¡¯re nothing compared to me. And I¡¯ll prove that by the end of this month.¡± Said William.

    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s the big idea, buddy?!¡± asked Amelia angrily.

    ¡°Yeah. Leave him alone.¡± Said Matthew.

    ¡°No, guys! He¡¯s right. Being their son doesn¡¯t make me a better soldier. And I accept your challenge, William. I¡¯ll work hard to be better than my parents.¡± Said Jack with a straight face as he held out his hand to William.

    William slapped Jack¡¯s hand away and walked toward the next class.

    ¡°What a jerk!¡± exclaimed Amelia.

    ¡°That was very unprofessional and unsportsmanlike behavior.¡± Said the silver-haired girl.

    ¡°Yo, Jack. What¡¯s your beef with this guy?¡± asked Kyle.

    ¡°He¡¯s been like that ever since I came first in the physical test. I really don¡¯t get what he wants from me anyway.¡± Said Jack in a puzzled tone.

    ¡°You should just ignore him if you ask me.¡± Said clarence.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Said the silver-haired girl. Amelia and Elena agreed as well.

    ¡°Thanks, guys. We gotta get to the next class.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Right!¡± said Kyle as the group began to walk-run to the shooting arena.

    ¡°Oh! Right! I never introduced myself. My name is Sarah Wood.¡± said the silver-haired girl.

    Everyone greeted Srah as they walked. Soon the group reached the shooting arena.

    ¡°Whew. We made it.¡± Said Kyle as he noticed that the instructor had not yet shown up.

    ¡°Ya still haven¡¯t made it to your seat cadets!!¡± said a high energetic voice from behind that startled the group so badly that they almost jumped.

    Behind them stood a tall, muscular man in his fifties, with stubby facial, bushy brows, and a grumpy look on his face.

    ¡°Come on slowpokes, take your seats!¡± said the instructor.

    The group immediately rushed in and took their seats next to each other.

    ¡°Now then, I know I don¡¯t need to explain too much about what you¡¯re learning in this course I hope. Unless you¡¯re too dumb to understand what the word ¡®marksmanship¡¯ means. Is there anybody like that here?¡± asked the instructor fiercely. Only silence greeted him back.

    ¡°Good. I¡¯m your instructor, Lieutenant Gary Houston, and I¡¯ll be schooling you eggs in the art of marksmanship. I¡¯ll be pointing out your mistakes and hammering the correct techniques to aim at your targets until you are a pro in it. So, get ready. First row! To the front!! Grab those guns and start shooting the targets!!¡± Said Lieutenant Houston as a bunch of targets popped up in front of them. Each had points on them, the highest being at the center of the target and zero at the borders

    The first row of cadets got up and proceeded forward toward the low-walled fence. Among them was William, who looked back at Jack and sneered haughtily. Each cadet loaded their guns and began shooting at the targets. William shot each target flawlessly at the center, returned to his seat, and shot a look that said ¡®Let¡¯s see you top that¡¯.

    ¡°Cadet William, you did a fine job annihilating those targets. The rest didn¡¯t do so badly either except for Cadet Gordon. You had better get serious about your aim Boy. Otherwise, you¡¯ll end up targeting your comrades amongst the chaos in the field. You need to aim your target with proper front and rear sight alignment and remember to keep your hands steady. I expect you to correct that by this week. Next Row!! To the front!!!¡± said Lieutenant Houston.

    Jack and his group got up and headed toward the fence. Jack picked up his gun, loaded it with the shots, and aimed at the targets. He waited a moment before pulling the trigger. He lowered his firearm, only to spot that he had completely missed the target. He aimed again and fired the second shot, but had hit the zero-point region of the target. He saw Amelia hit the center for the 4th time in a row and the rest having fairly accurate aims. Frustrated he fired again, and again, and again but kept missing the center. On his last shot, he missed his target again. Jack placed his gun down and returned to his seat, completely bummed out.

    ¡°Excellent aim cadet Amelia, same to the rest of you. Cadet Jack, You hit the target, yes. But you need to be consistent with your aim. If you aren¡¯t consistent with stationary targets, then forget about ever hitting mobile targets. You have one week to correct that mistake. Next row! Up front, Now!!¡± exclaimed Lieutenant Houston.

    Half an hour later, Jack was walking with his group down the hall for lunch

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ll score some good shots next time. Don¡¯t worry about it, man.¡± Said Matthew.

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s just the first day Jack. You¡¯ll get used to it soon enough.¡± Consoled Elena.

    Just then, Jack felt someone push him hard from behind and found himself stopping short of a fall.

    ¡°Well, well Foster. I did say I¡¯ll prove myself better than you by the end of the month, but Damn. I didn¡¯t expect to prove myself better than you on day one itself. Keep up the good work of blowing your aim, ¡®Rooster¡¯.¡± Said William with a nasty laugh as he walked on with Gordon.

    ¡°Ughh!!!! One of these days that jerk is gonna get my fist to his face!!!!!!¡± exclaimed Amelia furiously.

    ¡°What was the point of pushing him anyway? He could¡¯ve just walked on.¡± Said Sarah.

    ¡°Jerks like him always tend to act physically violent. I say we return the favor sometime soon.¡± Said Clarence as he pounded his right palm with his left fist.

    ¡°Nah. It''s cool you guys.¡± Said Jack as they walked on.

    ¡°Why the heck don¡¯t you stand up for yourself Jack? That guy is picking on you and you don¡¯t even seem to care about self-respect.¡± Said Amelia.

    ¡°Yeah. There should be a limit on keeping quiet. You need to stand up for yourself dude! Give him a little smack in the face if he goes too far.¡± said Kyle.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of acting in anger? The only thing it¡¯ll do is attract the attention of the instructors and get you reprimanded for losing your cool. If he wants to go physical, let him. The more you fall for his taunts, the more he¡¯ll taunt you.¡± Said Jack calmly.

    The others found some sense in his words and calmed down, but not Amelia.

    ¡°So what? You just keep quiet every time he disses you? Come on Jack. You can¡¯t sit quietly! You gotta give an answer to his behavior!¡± exclaimed Amelia.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you feel that way, Amelia. Cause I have a favor to ask of you.¡± Said Jack as everyone looked at him with a puzzled look.

    A week passed since the training began and the cadets were rigorously taught many basics about being part of the army. The cadets also had to spend about 1-2 hours daily exercising in their Gym to keep their physical condition in top shape. In addition, the cadets were told to regularly keep up with the theoretical lessons taught for the day. The result was a bunch of mentally and physically exhausted cadets that hit their sacks close to midnight almost every day. It was Wednesday the 26<sup>th</sup>, and Jack headed toward the shooting arena with his friends. They took their seats in the row behind William and began chatting away. Then William turned around and proceeded to taunt Jack.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready for another day of humiliation, Rooster. Cause today, we¡¯re shooting moving targets.¡± Said William in a mocking tone.

    Amelia, sitting next to Jack, started to clench her fist and glared at William''s back. But Jack placed his hand over her fist and shook his head.

    ¡°All right! Settle down, ya bunch of Monkeys.¡± Exclaimed Lieutenant Houston as he entered the hall.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to remind you of what you¡¯re doing today as I had told it last week itself. So let¡¯s get into it shall we?¡± said Lieutenant Houston as he activated the turrets which would fire the targets.

    ¡°First Row!!! Up front!!¡± exclaimed Lieutenant Houston.

    As in the previous class, the cadets walked up to their stations and grabbed their guns.

    ¡°On the count of 3. 1, 2, 3!!¡± Said Lieutenant Houston as the turrets started to fire the targets across the room. William shot 8 targets out of 10 and returned to his seat quite pleased with himself.

    ¡°Nicely done everyone, William especially. Gordon! If you don¡¯t get your fundamentals right soon, then I will have no choice but to suspend you from this class. Next Row!! Move up!!!¡± exclaimed Lieutenant Houston.

    Jack walked up to his station picked up his gun and took a deep breath, before getting ready.

    ¡°On the count of 3. 1, 2, 3!!¡± exclaimed Lieutenant Houston as the second wave of targets started flying across the room. Amelia missed 1 out of the 10 targets while the others had a fairly average score. Kyle managed to shoot down 7 targets and Sarah also shot down nine targets. But Jack was on a completely different ball game. He destroyed one target after the other and each of his aims was spectacular. So spectacular, that it left William dumbfounded as his jaw dropped.

    ¡°Excellent work, Cadet Jack! You overcame your shortcomings in just a week¡¯s time and your aim was just flawless. That performance really put a smile on my face. The rest of you did great too. Now then. Next row! Up front!¡± said Lieutenant Houston.

    Jack enthusiastically High-fived Amelia and his friends as he returned to his seat.

    ¡°All right! Ya did it. Way to go man!¡± said Matthew.

    ¡°Nice job, Jack! You killed it.¡± Said Elena.

    ¡°Yo, look at William.¡± Said Kyle as the group took a glance at William¡¯s open mouth.

    ¡°Heh. Watch this.¡± Said Kyle. He walked up to William and closed his open mouth for him. At this, Amelia, Elena, and Sarah started giggling and Jack, Matthew, and Clarence couldn¡¯t contain their laughter.

    ¡°Hey now! Take your seats!!¡± exclaimed Lieutenant Houston.

    Throughout the session, William''s head shook, and Jack''s group was overjoyed with his rage. After Lieutenant Houston left at the end of the class, William stood up and turned to face Jack''s group, his face livid with anger.

    ¡°You think you¡¯re really smart, huh Rooster? I¡¯ll settle the score soon enough. And you¡¯re gonna rue the day I do.¡± Said William, his voice shaking in anger.

    ¡°Ok then, William. I look forward to the day I regret ever mocking you. Just don¡¯t chicken out before that. Ok?¡± said Jack calmly.

    ¡°OOH, SNAP!!¡± said Kyle. William grunted angrily and left the room with Gordon following close by.

    ¡°Man!! That was sooooo satisfying to watch. hahaha!!¡± said Amelia as they walked to the canteen for lunch.

    ¡°Yeah! You were right, Jack. Your calm responses to William¡¯s taunts are really pissing him off. Now that¡¯s real entertainment!¡± said Clarence.

    ¡°It was worth training my butt off for the entire week. Thanks, Amy, and Sarah. Your tips helped me a lot. And it was a lot of fun to train with you all.¡± Said Jack.

    ¡°Oh, it was totally worth it! The kicker was when Kyle closed William¡¯s mouth for him.¡± Said Matthew as he laughed.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s one week down. We got around four more to go. So let¡¯s keep doing our best and have fun like this you guys.¡± Said Elena.

    ¡°Yeah. Hey! How about we have a 50-meter freestyle swimming competition today? The loser has to bring lunch to the table for a week.¡± Said Kyle.

    ¡°you¡¯re on! Prepare to serve the group, Kyle!¡± said Jack confidently.

    ¡°Ohhoho!! Not if I get the first place.¡± Replied Kyle as they laughed and walked on.