A cacophony of screams and houls filled the air. Blood spilled everywhere. A young man raised a dagger and pierced an old woman's heart. At the same time, a middle-aged man punched the young man in the chest and sent him crashing on the piles of debris. At the same time, another woman rushed over and snatched a bag of food from the hands of the unconscious young man.
As she crouched down, a teenage boy took the opportunity to drill a hole on her lower back with a piece of broken alloy. The woman cried in agony and collapsed to the ground. With the bag of food now in his hands, he took off and ran for his life. Well... he tried to at least least, and failed miserably. He was met with a devastating fist from a giant man, collapsing helplessly to the ground.
The streets had turned crimson at that point.
Similar wars also took place nerby this one. There were dozens other bags of different supplies the surviving civilians fought for. They were turning into animals at that point. Jack watched the video on his screen with a wistful expression. His mood was dark. He could not even comprehend what he was feeling right now. Was it disgust, envy, kinship or perhaps even pride...
If he was honest with himself, he did not see what else he could have done if he was in a similar situation. There was only survival, that was all that mattered. And war...
The video shifted to a different areal perspective. The cameraman must have had enough of the carnage he was seeing, or maybe something else caught his attention, and Jack saw it as well...
In a not so distant area, another war was taking place. Jack watched as a beautiful young woman, completely covered in blood at that point, cradled a newborn baby in one of the arms. On the other arm, was a small grey bag of small and dirty sheets. Just like the young woman the sheets were in no good condition either. They were torn and disheveled in many places, but that did not matter in a situation like that.
The young woman ran with all the remaining strength she had. It did not matter whether she made it or not, her baby had to survive. She had to get it so safety. A few civilians chased her down the damaged streets, but they could not keep up, mainly because they were busy fighting amongst themselves.
Before the young woman reached safety, a large brick struck her on the head with a loud bang. The back of her head was completely destroyed, sending chucks of flesh and blood everywhere. The woman and her baby plummeted down in one of the giant cracks on the ground caused the the earthquake.
Jack winced and closed the laptop with a loud bang.
The rubbed his face with his palms and suppressed a groan. He reached for the cup of coffee on the table and took a loud sip. That was probably his fourth or fifth cup of coffee that morning, he had already lost count. With what was happening around the world, God knew he needed something stronger. Especially after his meeting with Colonel Jenna, who was the head of the Medical Healthcare and Safety Unit.
He still could not believe humans were capable of such violence and carnage. The Southern Region had gone completely mad. The union of governments were already destroyed, either by the earthquake, the tsunami or the civilians themselves. They had nothing now. The few remaining governments spent their time preparing for the arrival of the Main Evacuation Armies of the supporting countries, but none of it was enough.
There were many things that bothered Jack at that point. He could not shake off the realization that by some twist of fate, he was not in Australia because with all the rage and chaos in his mind, he doubted he would have been able to handle it well.
A few years ago, he moved from one of the Northern Regions of Australia to America because he wanted good training and job opportunities. He worked hard to become the best at what he did so that no military institution would reject him. His transfer application to the military nearest to his home was denied, because just as how his success was a blessing, it was also a curse at the same time. No military institution would reject him, but none would let him go either...
Somehow deep down he was glad to be away from his toxic and abusive family.
But now that they are dead, he did not know how to feel. He did not know how to cope with the trauma. The only way he knew how to cope with it was by doing war. Shedding as much blood as he can. Reaping as many lives as many lives as he can. But unlike the civilians in Australia, he was different. He never took innocent lives. He only fought for them. So that is why he is confused. He did not know what he would have done if he found himself in a similar situation...
He felt conflicted.
'Arghh...'
He rubbed his temples with a pained expression as he felt his headache assault him even harder. He reached inside a drawer under the desk and pulled out some painkillers. He took a couple and drank more coffee. He sighed and looked at the laptop tightly shut in front of him. His gaze heavy and distant.
What was he thinking about again? He could not remember. It was probably something important though. Maybe it was about the mission they were going to embark on in a few days.
'Right the mission, I have to make preparations...'
Just as he came to that realization, a quiet knock resounded from outside his door. He listened closely and the person knocked again.
"Come in."
He said in a somber tone. The door gently opened and a familiar face revealed itself on the other side of the door. The pale young man closed the door and stood straight, as stiff as a rock.
"Morning sir."
Jack studied the young man for a few moments, sensing a hint of fear and confusion in his voice. He smiled faintly and gestured for the chair opposite his desk.
"Morning Mr Walker. Please be at ease soldier. Take a seat."
The young man, Mr Walker, looked at him for a few moments and reluctantly took a seat. He looked unsettled and afraid, as if only punishment awaited him.
He reached deeper into his memories trying to remember why he had called this young man to his office.
***
A gorgeous woman with black lustrous hair and piercing blue eyes walked with confident steps towards a tall building. She held two cups of coffee in her hands. Her uniform was the same mundane military uniform, except that her uniform was littered with more than a dozen badges and pins. But there was one pin that stood out from the rest. It read:
[Colonel Jenna]
Everywhere she passed, soldiers showered her with respect and enthusiastic salutations. She reacted indifferently and continued walking forward. After a couple of minutes, she finally reached the entrance of the compound. A few soldiers on the entrance greeted her politely and led her inside. They descended a couple of stairs and entered the underground chamber.
There, a guant man sat alone quietly on a round table, surrounded by five empty chairs. He was in a strange mood. As soon as he heard the sound of footsteps approach him, he turned his head in the direction. His expression suddenly twisted and turned unreadable. He turned back and looked at the dark empty room. The woman placed the two coffee cups on the table and sat down.
"Leutenant Dorn."
Her tone was even, but a hint of concern could be felt deeper under her tone. Dorn answered back indifferently, without even looking at her.
"Colonel Jenna. What brings you here?"
She pushed one cup of coffee towards him and sighed.
"Dorn I talked to Jack this morning and it seems to be going well on his side. He is doing well as well. How are you doi..."
"Sorry but I do not do coffee. Please leave Miss Jenna, I would appreciate some space right now."
Dorn cut her off before she could finish. He spoke with the same indifferent tone. He pushed the cup of coffee back to her. Jenna contemplated for a few moments and then sighed.
"Well I tried but it could not be helped."
She stood up reluctantly and headed for the exit. Before she passed where Dorn sat, she suddenly stopped near his left shoulder and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword. Before Dorn could react, her beautiful katana flashed in the air, becoming a blur. In the next moment everything was still once more. Dorn's expression chanced from indifference to confusion and contempt. He tried to turn his head and look at her but when he did, it simply detached from his throat and rolled on the table.
Jenna flashed her katana in the air once more, getting rid of the blood painted on it, and sheathed it back elegantly. She looked at Dorn's corpse with a somber expression.
"Sorry buddy. Orders from above. You brought this upon yourself though, you should have just drank the coffee."
She continued marching towards the exit with confident, elegant steps.
The infamous Leutenant Dorn of the Main Evacuation Army Command Center was dead.