Chapter 6: Preparation Begins

Back in Hostin, plans were being made.

   “Now, how should we go about this?” One man said. “Release the onslaught yet?” He asked. “No…not yet.” The other replied. “I must kill him first.” said Crater. “He must die. He was chosen to live a life worth living. I was abandoned and poisoned. He must know his gratitude. If not, he must pay the price. He has been judged ingrateful. Thus, the man shall die. That is my one requirement in this alliance.” He said. “Surely, you wouldn’t want this alliance to be endangered.” Crater said. The first looked upset. The second was content. “We shall defeat him together.” The second man said. “He’ll finally be with our dad-in hell.” Crater said.”Perhaps we’ll go with Plan T.” The second man smirked. “Yes..yes, very wise.”

   Meanwhile, Erich had made tea for the kids. “Here, this is the last of it. I usually only use it when I’m sick.” He handed a mug to Laura and another to Tom. They just sat down, when someone knocked on the door. Erich opened the door to find a man and woman dressed in suits with sunglasses. “Hello Erich. We’ve been assigned the mission of Protecting & Relocating you.” Erich knew who they were. They were agents. “Well, it’s not like it’s neccessary, I mean…it’s only temporary. Crater will get caught up in other things..” The agents had no emotion. It was as if they were programmed. “No, this isn’t a temporary matter.” The woman said. “Well, why can’t the army just take him down?” He asked. “You still haven’t figured out the severity of the situation, have you?” The man said. “He won’t rest until he kills you. The army can’t do anything because, in case you haven’t figured it out, our president is dead. The Vice President is working to enact several taxes, but has not yet mentioned the war. The Senate and House are both working to suspend his official term.” Erich was worried. “So, should the Senate fail…” He began to say. “Then we’ll be attacked nonstop.” The agent replied. “We leave in one hour.” He said. “Pack your things.” Erich looked at the kids. “But what about them? I promised I’d care for them.” Erich said. “Just grab the kids and any of your belongings and get out of here. We can’t risk Crater coming here while you’re sleeping and finishing the job.” Erich saw the agent’s point. He was given a solvent to deactivate the chip in his head. Meanwhile, plans were being made in Washington.

   A bipartisan meeting was held. ”We must go to war. There’s just no denying the fact. We’re the target because of our negligence. Now we must end what we started.” Said a Senator named Senator Renalds. “Agreed. There must be no delay.” said another. “War is not a result of such nonsense. All of this talk is irrational. I’d go so far as to question your sanity, Senator Renalds,” said an elderly senator. His years of experience proved him to be wise. His face was always stern. He would never shed a smile, nor tear. The man had no emotion. Senator Renalds, the man who proposed the war, got up from his seat. “So you believe that we should just leave this problem for our future generation to handle?” He paused. “That sounds like a great idea.” He said. “Just so long as you go to every household in this country and explain how they’re being screwed over. How they cannot live securely because of the constant threat of terrorism. We can no longer negotiate because we’re wrong.” The old man chuckled. “Then do you suggest that we go ruin a country merely because of their response to our negligence.” He said. One senator’s face turned red. “This was not our negligence, but generations and generations before us.  In our society today, as a whole, our generation has done many things wrong. But if we are to endanger the next generation, we shall cause a new cycle of hatred. A hatred of Hostin, that will continue for years and years. We must break this cycle of hatred. And the only way to break the cycle of hatred, is to kill those who bear the hatred inside of their hearts. We caused this hatred, but we shall end it.”

Chapter 5: Taking Back Time

   Erich had been driven home from the hospital by the agent. The damage to his body was very mild, and he was able to shake it off. The damage done to his heart left permanent scars. He turned on his TV. “We are live at the scene of the most recent attack on New York, and it was on New York’s future. The terrorist known as “Crater” has once more attacked, but he decided to attack our schools. We know little of his motives. The government is offering a $100 Million Reward for his capture.” The Reporter said. Erich shut off his TV. “So..he’s attacked again.” Erich wiped his tears away. He went into his kitchen cupboard, grabbing a beer. “I’m usually against alcohol..but-” Erich stopped. He heard a knock at the door. He opened it to find a 12 year old boy named Tom with his 8 year old sister, Laura. “Hello cousin Erich.” Erich was puzzled. He didn’t know these children. “How do you know who I am?” He asked. “I’m not surprised you don’t know us.” He said. “Uncle Dan never did survive, did he?” Erich’s eyes began to water. “How do you know my father’s name?” He asked. “I told you, I’m your cousin.” Tom said. “I’m assuming that Aunt Lisa told you about Ray, who was Uncle Danny’s young brother.” He said. “We have come because…” Tom stopped. He began crying. He ran up and hugged Erich. Laura broke out in tears as well. “Our parents..” Tom said. “they…they died in the attack.”

   Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, plans were being made. The two men appeared in front of an army. One man stepped forward and spoke. “Today is a historic day.” He said. “Today is the day we take back the world. China was once the top country of the world. Other countries bowed down to us. Time passed. Britain gained control. By the year 1775 A.D, they owned more than half of the world. It was there, were America took control. They spread their own beliefs. They undid what our ancestors spent their lives doing. America is a threat to China and Britain alike, which is why we must join. Together we must defeat America. Americans hold the values of freedom, liberty and safety dear to their hearts. In order to defeat them, we must take those values…” He paused. “And burn them to the ground!” Soldiers shouted out of determination. Some fired gunshots up in the air. Others cheered. “WE WILL TAKE BACK THE WORLD WE BUILT! WE WILL NOT HAVE THIS HAPPEN! THE AMERICANS SHALL PAY! THEY WILL ALL PAY!” Suddenly, Crater appeared. “The enemy has been attacked again. New York City National School and Tower 1 have both fallen.” He stated. The army cheered once more.

   Tom and Laura were crying. “You can stay with me. But I cannot guarantee you anything. I’m assisting with the prevention of terror. My existance may come to an end with the next few years.” Tom and Laura hugged Erich. “Thank You.” Laura said. She smiled. So did Erich.

  The agent had met up with several other agents. “You will be given a mission to assist Erich in as many ways as possible. Our enemy is after him as well as us. Should Crater attack Erich, kill him. Crater must not survive.” One of the agents spoke. “But…why Erich?” He asked. “It’s complicated.” The lead agent replied. “In a nutshell, Crater is targeting Erich. He will only be focused on Erich. This will be the perfect time to defeat Crater; when he doesn’t know about you joining him. ”

Chapter 4: What’s Worth Risking

   Everything in New York was quiet. There was a silence after the twin tower had fallen down for the second time. People had parents who lost their lives to 9/11. The United States was in an emotional tragedy. The very same generation that watched the tower fall watched it be rebuilt. Only to come crashing down once more. Their hearts were empty after the attack. Leaving Hatred and Pain to fill the void that love and rememberance had left.

   The day was pretty much normal. Aside from the silence. New York City’s Public Schools were the site of the next tragedy. Students proceeded to their normal classes. The principal was making coffee in his office. It was here, where the tragedy had begun. Crater had appeared in front of the principal.. “Who are you?” The principal said. “The man who’s about to kill you.” Crater replied. The principal ran away from Crater as fast as he could, but Crater caught up. The principal tried to leave his office, but Crater was to fast. “Lights Out.” Crater said. He then locked the door and headed towards the loudspeaker. ”Hello, this is Crater. Well, you don’t actually know me, but you will soon enough. Your school is being put under lockdown. The use of cellular phones is strictly prohibited. Anyone caught using them will be killed. No, this is not your school official. This is an avenger. A goddamn murder. I’m not afraid to kill any more people. Just cooperate with me, and so long as the feds give me what I want, you will survive. All the doors in the school are locked. There’s no escape.” Crater then contacted the police. “Hello, this is Crater.” He said on the phone. The police were ready to track his call. “I’m at New York City National School. I’ve got everyone hostage.” He said. The police were flabbergasted. They didn’t know what to say. Suddenly, one spoke up. “You….bastard!” He said. “I will leave them alone, should you give me what I want. Grenade Launchers. 20 of them. And $50 Million.” He said. “Are you a fool? We’re not going t-” The Policeman was interrupted. “Then I’ll kill them all.” Crater replied. He smirked.

   The students were panicing. Someone had pulled the fire alarm, making all the lights in the school blink. All the doors were shut. There was no way to get through. “DAMN IT!” The teachers shouted as they tried to push the door open. Then there was Tom. He was…different. He just watched it all happen. He watched the events unravel for hours. He watched the police refuse to give him weapons. He remained unphased. Until Crater had finally taken Action.

  ”I’LL BLOW THIS GODDAMN PLACE UP RIGHT NOW IF YOU DON’T GIVE ME THE MONEY.” He shouted. The police refused. They knew those weapons would only cause more harm. But they weren’t sure if they were actually going to sacrafice the future of the United States.

   Every individual carries a piece of the future with them. Each life lost is a different future. Tom realized this. “Dark Times are upon us. The future..what if there is none. What if it ends with me? No..it can’t. But…” He sighed.

   Crater had pulled something out of his pocket. He pulled out a liter, and lit the object. He had created a forcefield of telekenesis around him. The object had finally exploded. Half the school was blown up. The bodies of students were seen flying from the school. The police watched in terror. Parents watched on their televisions. “MY KIDS!” They shouted. They couldn’t stop crying. The combination of emotions they felt were impossible to understand.

  Crater appeared in front of the police. ”I’ve done enough damage for one day.” Crater said. He disappeared into darkness once more.

   Tom survived. But he couldn’t stop crying. “Why are you crying?” A friend asked him. “My parents..they’re teachers. Mr. and Mrs. Young share the last name for a reason. He didn’t know if his parents were dead or alive.

   Meanwhile, two men looked at a screen that displayed the school. “Are you positive that using him will be good?” One asked. “Of course.” The other man replied. “He inflicts fear among our enemy.” He smirked. “Fear will lead to a lack of trust. They will kill themselves off.” He paused. “In the end, our greatest enemy…” He paused once more. “is ourself.” The other man was puzzled. “But what if he rebels?” He asked. “Well, that isn’t any of our concern.” The other man said. “Like most humans, he’s allowed pain and hatred to enter his heart in order to fill a void.” He smirked. “Once a person allows hatred to consume them, they become mentally weak. He is merely a puppet, with us pulling the strings.” He said.

Chapter 3: Not Just Dreams Burnt to the Ground

The agents had finally reached their destination-Ground Zero. Two high rise buildings had been built to replace the Twin Towers. The agents had taken Erich into the building. “Where are we going?!” Erich asked. The agents remained silent. They nudged Erich into an elevator. Then, one of the agents pressed all of the floor buttons, except for 9 and 11. Suddenly, the elevator fell down. It gained speed quickly. Eventually, it stopped. The doors opened. There was an empty room. In there were some of the world’s most important leaders. The Agents had finally told Erich. “The president requested your prescence here.” Erich was even more confused. The president had begun to address the leaders. “Today, we face the issue of Hostin and its attacks. Our agents have uncovered a plot for Hostin to begin attacking the United States and all its allies. Even Countries that were once allies will still be targeted. With this impending threat, war lurks upon us. I request all of your assitance. Keep in mind, that-” He paused. The ceiling began to shake. A tiny pebble fell from the ceiling. “DUCK!” One of the agents shouted. The man jumped in front of Erich. The pebble exploded. Then, the man from Erich’s dream had become visible to him. “Come with me.” He said. “I’m your brother.” Erich was crying. He saw the agent in front of him was dying. Erich finally spoke. “You’re no brother of mine. First of all, I’m an only child. Next, how can I believe you after what you’ve done?” Erich held back tears, but the man could see it in his eyes. “Allow me to introduce myself.” He said. “I’m…well, I’ve forgotten my name mind you. Perhaps our mother could tell us. But I suppose that’s the least of my goals. I am Crater. I can give you all the answers you want. So long as you come with me.” The remaining agent started shooting. Crater didn’t even flinch. Suddenly, the bullets went to a stand still. The suddenly changed direction and went for the president. Erich’s mind went blank. He felt helpless. The other agent jumped in front of the president, but the effort was to no evail. The bullets changed direction to go around him and hit the president.  The other leaders were panicing. “Come now Erich, we have much to discuss.” Suddenly, a creaking sound was heard. It came from the building. The support beams were damaged-everything was collapsing. Crater had shouted. “I will protect you from the debris.” It was as if Erich and Crater had a miniature forcefield around them. There was silence. Erich had closed his eyes. A Minute later, he opened his eyes. He saw debris and corpses everywhere. His eyes widened. He began to have a panic attack. He saw a man in a tuxedo shoot at Crater. Crater was sucessfully shot. He clenched his stomach and disappeared. Erich’s vision had been betraying him. He heard “Hey, come here!” Then, everything went black.

   Erich woke up in a hospital bed. Aside him was an agent. “Are you okay?” he asked. “You had a panic attack.” Erich moaned. “I guess I’m fine. It’s just-all the bad things have to happen to me.” The agent couldn’t believe what he heard. “Bad Things? You were the only survivor. You and I are the only ones to encounter Crater and survive. “What?” Erich said. “Everyone died.” The agent explained. “The president, the queen. Everyone. Gone.” Erich was in shock. “WHAT!?” He screamed.  ”The news already broke the story.” He sighed. “This world will be a living hell soon.” He said. “Just hang in there.”

Chapter 2: The Promise

  Erich hadn’t felt any water. He just saw his body fall. Until, everything went black. His eyes opened. He was on his bed. “Guess I must’ve dozed off.” He said. “What a strange dream.” The television had still been on. “This just in, there has been a ship wreck on the coast of the eastern seabord. Authorities will not allow us within thirty feet of the ship, but it is suspected that foul play was involved. We will report back with the latest as soon as possible. Back to you, Ryan,”  said a reporter.

   Erich was puzzled. “So..it is true…? That man..he wrecked the ship. But..how is that possible?” Erich heard the sound of footsteps near his apartment. He heard a tiny crash sound. He peered around the corner, seeing two men in suits and his door knocked down. “We need to protect you.” One of them said. They grabbed him and threw him in the back seat of a truck. The men started to drive the truck. Erich began screaming.

  ”WHAT’S GOING ON!? WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME!?” He shouted. “Calm down.” The other man said. Erich paused to listen. “We’re from the United Nations. I assume you’ve heard of the country Hostin, correct?” Erich was even more puzzled. “Well, yes. But I don’t know much about them. They’re a new nation, remember? They just seperated from China and miscellanous parts of Europe. Mainly Denmark.” “Correct.” The man said. “They were of a different party of China and Denmark. Among Britain, one of our allies. They shared a common hatred towards the US. They felt we were too powerful. The man you saw in your dream was their secret weapon.”

  Erich had been bewildered. “Secret Weapon? For what?” The man sighed. “They want to destroy the US and its citizens for various things we’ve done. Things they consider criminal. But they’re not.” Erich felt a little suspicious. They weren’t willing to disclose their enemy’s reasons for destruction. The man continued. ”They want to start a war.” “Well..how does this all involve me? ” Erich asked. “And how did you know about my dreams?” The man had sighed. “You’ll learn in due time.” The man took in a large breath. “But the United Nations will need your assistance for this war to be won. Promise that you will help.” Erich sighed. “I’m not sure. You still haven’t told me everything.” The man touched his gun. “Promise.” Erich had felt threatened. “Okay.” Erich said.

   “I Promise.”

Chapter One

In the modern world we live in, it is important that we acknowledge the price we pay for war, and remember those who have fallen for a war not worth fighting. The true price is not paid by those who start the wars, but by the soldiers who give their lives for our defense, and a generation left with a war they didn’t ask for. This is the true definition of war. It will never change, and there will never be true victory.

    It was two o’ clock in the morning. Erich Young had awoken from a slumber, soaring sick. He found himself on a ship, seeing a storm. A submarine had surfaced. “Give it to me” the submarine captain said. A crew member had replied no. “But he’ll be com-.” He was interrupted. The captain growled. “This is my ship. I can take care of things here.”  Time passed. Erich was restlessly asking for answers. He didn’t know why he had awoken on a boat. But no one answered. It was as if he didn’t exist.

   Huge waves crashed aside the ship. The crew began to panic. Suddenly, a wave engulfed the ship. After the water had fallen off, the crew was scrambling. “Is everyone okay?”  A man in black robes had become clear in the distance. His long white hair with a mutilated face was a ghastly sight, hardly bearable.

   “Give it to me.” The man said. Men in suits had come out of the ship’s lower deck. The had immediately opened fire. “Freeze!” They shot. The bullets had come within 6 inches of the man’s face, but they stopped in mid air. Suddenly, the went hurdling back to the men in suits at a swift pace. Within seconds, both men had died. Two crew members were on the top deck. The man in the robes pointed at them. “You! You must know where it is.” One of the members shouted “We’ll never give it to you.” The man had smiled. One of the crew members had lost their balance. Her body flied towards the man in the robes. He pulled out a sword. Her body landed on the sword. The screams were etched in Erich’s memory for eternity.

   “NOO!” The other crew member shouted. She was sobbing, crying tears of sorrow for her lost co worker and sister. The man began laughing. “I wouldn’t kill her. She has information I need.” The dying woman moaned in agony. She knew she was taking in her last breath. “Tell me where it is, Damn it!” the man shouted. The dying woman had told her sister not to give it. He sighed. He dropped the sword. He positioned his hands as if to pray to a lesser god. He opened his hands, and something had fallen from the heavens. Only this was not a gift. Lightning had been pulled from the sky. The lighting stopped an inch away from the man’s hand. “If you don’t show me, I’ll electrocuote her!” The dying woman whimpered.

   The woman told the man that it was on the lowest deck possible. He redirected the lightning at the woman, and stabbed the dying woman one final time, ending her short-lived life. He rushed to the lowest deck, slashing everyone with his sword. Erich had followed him.

   “What the hell are you doing?!?” Erich shouted. The man had looked around, but saw nothing. He continued to persue the mysterious object. Erich had kept chasing after him. The man had finally reached the final deck to see the captain with a sword at the ready. The captain slashed the man in the robes. But the man in the robes had felt something different. His eyes became red. His wound opened more. Wooden Stakes and knives had come out of his wound. “You’re mine.” The man uttered. Erich looked away. His eyes shut for a few seconds.

   Erich opened his eyes once more to see the captain lying on the ground, dead. The man in the robes was no where to be seen. Erich ran to the top deck. He saw the man with more lightining. he struck the ship with it, causing a fire to break out. The man exited in a submarine, identical to the one Erich had seen earlier.

   Time passed. The wounded crew was panicing. Many were jumping ship. Others commited suicide. Erich had been scarred for life. His precious memories-overwritten by the horror of this event. Erich decided to jump, knowing he couldn’t swim. He began to drown, drown, drown.