The whole world changed in just one Summer evening. I woke up to the sound of sirens and the distant hum of traffic outside my window, thinking it was just the normal hustle and bustle in New York. The early sunlight filtered through the cracks in the blinds, casting thin, diagonal lines across my small room in the heart of New York City. Stretching and yawning, I prepared for another day of summer break, unaware that my life was about to be crazy in just a matter of moments.
I walked into the living room and there was the first sign of trouble and I met. Rosa Martinez, my foster mother, was watching the news from the kitchen bar. Paused in her rolling of morning tortillas, she gazed at the television with an unmoving stare, her face pale and eyes wide with fear. The news anchor's voice trembled as she reported a series of bizarre occurrences worldwide: unexplained blackouts, mysterious military movements, and ominous warnings from scientists about a massive planet passing dangerously close to Earth. The planet, dubbed "Nemesis," was unlike anything humanity had seen before. I had heard about this before, but never once thought it was responsible for our planet's "global warming" as they say. The video footage captures a large shadow in a circle behind the sun. For years they had been calling this a phenomenon of ice crystals. A "sun dog." I twist my head to the side in disbelief. They were lying to us all along. The news anchor's voice rambled on as I gathered my thoughts. or at least tried to.
Rosa turned to me with a worried expression. "Mijo, we need to be prepared. They're saying the government might issue a draft for ages 10 to 55 for all able-bodied males and females."
I laughed nervously. "A draft? For what?"
The laugh was not a laugh but sheer fear. Why was all this coming out all of a sudden? What was this going to mean for my life? I am only seventeen years old, they couldn't have waited another year for this shit? Before Mom could answer, the entire building shook violently. Dishes rattled, pictures fell from the walls, and I held Momma and had to steady myself against the kitchen counter. Outside, car alarms blared, and people screamed. The ground trembled as if the earth itself was roaring in pain. I look around as beads of sweat run down my face from both the heat and fear.
"What the hell is that?"
"Mijo, your mouth please." She looked at me with a worried yet stern expression.
The shaking finally subsided, but the terror did not. The television screen had gone black, replaced by an emergency broadcast signal. A stern-faced military official appeared, his voice calm but authoritative.
"This is General Collins of the United States Army. Effective immediately, a state of emergency has been declared. All able-bodied citizens aged 10 to 55 are hereby drafted into the military. Report to the nearest recruitment center for immediate briefing and deployment. Do not hide, we will find you, Do not attempt to run away, we will track you. Lastly, please do not fight us or we will be forced to take strict and fatal measures as you are in treason with the United States Government."
My heart sank. "This can't be real," I whispered looking at my mother who is able-bodied and age 46.
She hugged me tightly. "We'll get through this, Anthony. Just stay strong.
"Naw fuck that Momma you have to hide! They can't do this to us, to you!"
"Mijo..." She shook her head, as we could already hear the banging of the military on our neighbor's doors.
I looked into her eyes and could tell she had already given up. Her face somehow looked older to me, and more vulnerable. I clenched my teeth in anger as the banging began outside our door. Mom walked over to open the door as the men stood there quietly ready to collect.
"Gather little and come with us please."
She nodded and turned to me. I stood there in contemplation of the total defiance. Suddenly, just down the hall, we heard screams and shouts of resistance just before an array of gunshots. Then there was silence. I stood there as the soldiers looked at me as if they were ready and anxious to do the same. Before I knew it I found myself storming off to my room.
With a heavy heart, I packed a small bag for my Mother and I was careful to only get her most cherished things. I then met with the soldiers back in the living room and we went to the nearest recruitment center. As we left I remember passing by the bodies of an entire family covered in blood-stained white sheets. I pause analyzing the scene. Bullet-ridden door and walls. They were trying to barricade them out but didn't make it. I close my eyes in sadness as the soldier pushes me to move on outside the complex.
The usually bustling streets of his neighborhood were eerily quiet, the air thick with fear and uncertainty. As I walked, I saw hundreds of other men and women, young and old, all with the same look of dread in their eyes.
The recruitment center was crazy with activity. Military personnel barked orders, and recruits were quickly processed, given uniforms, and assigned to units. I paused in the line as my mother was sent away in another direction
" Wait whatchu doin'?" I asked as the officer escorted her.
" She's an older adult, kid, she has to go to her unit." He snarled back.
"Momma...!"
"It's ok Mijo, I'll be ok please...just..." I will never forget how she glanced sideways at the Officer's gun and then back at me as if warning me.
" I love You Mijo."
It tore me up as I let her go and the other soldiers guided me away. I kept looking back until I saw her no more.
I found myself in a unit with other people my age, all from different parts of the city. Some I knew some I didn't. There was no time for introductions or getting to know each other. We were given a crash course in basic training and immediately briefed on the situation.
An officer named Lieutenant Zed addressed us. "Listen up! You've all seen the news. Nemesis is causing massive natural disasters: earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. But, I'm sorry to say, that's not the worst of it. Our satellites have detected alien life forms descending from Nemesis. They're hostile, and they're attacking our cities. We call them code name 'Nemeses'"
The room fell into a flurry of murmurs, questions, and shouts as Zed lifted his hand for silence and continued. "These creatures are unlike anything we've ever encountered. They're fast, strong, and have an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Our mission is to protect the civilian population and fight back against the Nemeses. If you want to live and save your family, if you want things to go back to normal. You must fight. Nothing in life comes easy. But I will do my best to bring every single one of you back. You are no longer children. This is war, and you are now soldiers."
My mind raced. Only yesterday, my biggest concern was how to spend my summer. Now, I was facing an apocalyptic event and flesh-eating alien creatures. The surreal nature of it all made it hard to process, but the urgency in Zed's voice made it clear: this was real, and there was no turning back.
As night fell, My unit and I were deployed to the farthest point of the city. The once lively streets of my neighborhood were now a war zone. Buildings lay in ruins, fires raged, and the sky was filled with the distant roars of the Nemeses and dark grey clouds as it began to rain.I gripped his rifle tightly, trying to steady my shaking hands.
I noticed a boy next to me, I heard them call him Alex, a tall boy with long hair and a whole rocker get up. He nudged me and smiled. "Hey, we'll get through this. Just stick together, okay? I'm Alex by the way. One of the best there is."
I nodded, grateful for the camaraderie.
" Anthony. How long have you been here?"
He looks up as if in thought. " Two years now. I joined after I heard about it from my father. He was a soldier too."
"Was?" Those words chilled me to my bones.
Alex sighs. " Look I'm not supposed to tell you this but, my father was 49. They place all of the older adults on the front line."
It seemed as if the earth stood still. A cold sweat ran down my spine as I realized my very own mother, was about to be placed on the front lines. I immediately ran. I heard Alex calling after me as well as others but I didn't care. They were about to sacrifice my mother.
" Momma!"
I advanced through the devastated streets quickly. My lungs burned from the smoke. I glanced about quickly as the ground trembled again. I tried to keep myself steady as I ran through the smoke only to realize this time it wasn't an earthquake. I skid to a stop as I reached the front lines only to find a massive Nemeses, towering over the soldiers, emerging from the shadows. Its eyes glowed with a menacing red glow and its maw dripped with saliva and blood.
"Fire!" A Lieutenant shouted.
I took aim and fired, the recoil of the rifle jarring my shoulder. The Nemeses let out an ear-piercing scream but continued its advance. Bullets seemed to slow it down, but not stop it. Fear gripped My heart, as I was standing right in front of it, but I kept firing, determined to protect my mother. Eventually, it fell sliding to a stop right in front of me. I breathed hard feeling my heart beating as if trying to burst out of my chest. I knew then and there I had to find her, no matter the cost. I moved on to the front lines, pausing to help take one down here and there. My eyes scanned the scene for any trace of her. Nothing.
The battle raged on through the night. For every Nemesis we took down, more seemed to appear. I lost track of time, my world seemed to go in slow motion around me as I looked around. My life was reduced to the deafening sounds of gunfire and the desperate fight for survival. I heard the whirring of helicopters in the distance and watched as they flew right over our heads. I watched as generals and higher officers took to the rope ladders as they passed kicking down those who did not belong. That's when I realized they had sent us on a suicide mission. They had lied to us just like before. We were just a distraction so that they could get to wherever they needed. I watched as the entire front line fell as the second and third proceeded forward. I heard their cries of pain and terror as soldiers were ripped to pieces in front of my very own eyes, but there was no time to grieve. I kept looking through the fallen. Saving her was all that mattered. Checking around me to see if the coast was clear I looked through the mounds of bodies. Still nothing. I stood and just as I did I felt the most horrible case of the heebie jeebies in the world. I turned slowly only to be slapped by a large claw. The last thing I remembered, I broke through a building window into a new car dealership. Then I was out cold.
As dawn broke, I awoke gasping for air. I coughed like a sick man as my lungs got rid of the smoke inside. I sat up in a pile of glass and leaned against a red sports car. I analyzed my body, now full of cuts and bruises realizing I had a major wound from my side to my chest. The wound was swollen and no longer bleeding heavily, but it hurt like hell. I knew it had to be infected. I slowly stood up feeling a major headache coming on and walked towards the window hearing myself grunt with pain. Looking out the window leaning on the pane, I scanned the battlefield. The remaining Nemeses retreated, slinking back into the shadows. My unit had suffered heavy losses, but they had held their ground. Exhausted and battered, they regrouped, waiting for new orders from a single radio, but none came. I stumbled out glass crackling beneath my boots and made my way toward the survivors. My eyes fell upon something shining in the sun and I stopped. I was shaken, my eyes filled with anger and tears. I no longer knew what my feelings were anymore. A rush of emotion overcame me and I fell upon my knees. There in front of me, lie the body of my mother, a look of horror and pain written across her face. I don't know what happened, I don't know if it was all I had pinned up inside, but all I could do was scream out over and over again. My comrades began to move towards me in a hot haste.
I looked around at the faces of his fellow soldiers as they approached me pulling me away from her, young and old, all united by the shared horror of the night. I was torn and wretched but, I felt a newfound resolve. We had faced the unimaginable and survived. And as long as I had breath in my body, I would continue to fight, not just for me, but for everyone I saw here last night and today. For justice for all those who had died. Justice, for his mother. The war was far from over, but I knew one thing for certain: I was no longer just a seventeen-year-old boy from the hood of New York City. I was a soldier, and I was ready to face whatever horrors Nemesis and the Nemeses would bring next if it meant vengeance for those who fell here today.