Blood Shattered Skies Book One: Revenge

Chap 1

“Always keep the ones you care about close to you,” my dad always told me. I never realized how right he was until after he was killed.

My name is Jesse Greene. Until a few years ago I was a farm in Iowa. Then something horrible happened that changed my life and several other peoples lives forever. 

It was a quiet morning in the April of 2035. I was repairing an ATV with my friend John Hawke when an armored car pulled into the drive. Five men with submachine guns stepped out. Not liking the way these people looked John and I snuck into the barn. This decision may have saved our lives. We watched from one of the windows while the rough looking characters kicked down the front door of the house. A few minutes later, shots rang out in the still air. Then the men rang out, one of them telling the others about the pickup crews being there in a few hours and how everyone always wanted to do it the hard way. 

After the armored car drove away, we crept out of our hiding place and into the house. A grisly sight lay on the floor. My whole family, dead! Judging by the flesh underneath their nails they put up a good fight. 

I was beyond tears. It was bad enough to natural causes. But to have your whole family torn from you in one day? Unspeakable!

John’s voice tugged me from my grief, “I’ll bet they got my family too.”

When looked around the room my eyes fell on a Thompson SMG laying on the floor. Apparently during the fight it had been dropped and abandoned. I picked it up and looked it over. The magazine could hold up to 40 .45 bullets. On the barrel was a laser attachment that was strong enough to pierce thick layer of steel. On the stock was a black shape. It looked like a dragon’s head. I had no idea what it meant. 

Wasting no more time we got out our ATVs and took off for the small town of Afton, about five miles away. 

Sure enough John’s family had met the same as fate as mine. We had no idea what we were going to do. With both of our families dead it was hard to look at the future with hope. Sadly we walked out the the ATVs to decide on what to do next.

As we sat there thinking our friends Brandon Mikleson and Emily Rider walked up the street. Both were armed to the teeth. Brandon carried a Tommy similar to mine while Emily carried a 12 gauge shotgun and a dagger.

John called to them and they walked over.

“Group of them jumped us while Dad and I where working on the wiring in the garage. We barely had enough warning to barricade ourselves into the house but they still managed to break down the door. Dad and I fought hard but they got him and the rest of the family. I managed to get one of them with a revolver but the others fled. I grabbed this Thompson and ran out to chase them down but by the time I got out they had vanished.” Brandon told us.

Emily’s story was similar to Brandon’s though she hadn’t killed any of her attackers and had barely escaped with her life. 

While we all sat there wondering what to do next, Kyle Brown, Miranda Ramsey, and Mackenzie Darwin showed up. All of them told of experiences similar to our own. After that nobody else showed up. We originally had a group of eleven friends. It looked like only eight had survived. 

Miranda spoke up, “Did anybody see them coming? I mean what happened to our military? The police? The FBI, the CIA? Why didn’t they stop this?”

“Let’s try the news. Maybe there will be something there.” John said.

So we went back inside. While we skirted around the remains of John’s family and trying not to look at them Mackenzie turned on the television. 

The news anchor was in the middle of a breaking news announcement. “People all over the world are reporting that their houses are being stormed by a military of epic proportions. Nobody seems to know what country they are from or what their purpose is. The stormings seem to be at random with no clear objective other than to terrify civilians. Anyone who sees any suspicious activity is advised to take.......” 

At that moment a grenade bounced onto the table. The news anchor woman screamed as it exploded in her face. The screen went fuzzy. Mackenzie shut the television off. We all looked at each other. 

Unable to stand the silence I spoke up. “So, what are we going to do?”

John shouted, “Fight!” The others murmured in agreement. 

I looked at him, “John are you insane? There are only eight of us and millions of them. What chance do we have?”

Miranda said, “Well it beats staying here and waiting for them to come and pick us off.”

I was still unconvinced, “ We would need weapons and supplies and even if we did get them we have no military experience and no plan. Need I remind you that this is an army we are talking about here?”

What about we do guerrilla stile warfare? We could raid bases and steal there supplies,” Emily said. 

I was starting to see that this may be possible. “Alright let’s vote. All in favor of guerrilla warfare raise your hand.” Everyone raised their hands. “Very well then gather whatever supplies and weapons you can find then rendezvous in the woods behind my place.”

We all left John’s house and scattered. I went back to my house and found hunted around for some things. I eventually found a duffel bag, a semi automatic pistol, a 30-30 deer rifle, plus a lot of ammunition. I also stuck in the bag my survival kit I had put together when I was still in cub scouts, my Bowie knife, an aircraft identification handbook, and my Magickal Beings trading cards that I had collected since I was five. I also picked up the Thompson that had caught my eye earlier.  I then took one last look at my old home, then slinging the bag onto my back I walked out the front door and into the adventure that I will remember until the day that I take my last breath.