Intense Combat

Chapter 1

Hey all my readers! This is my new book! It is a little different from my previous book, but I'm super excited about it! Hope you like :D
-Riftwielder

Intense combat

Chapter 1

The year is 2034. It has been two years since the third world war was won. The world is still recovering and so am I.

I was a simple country boy from Oklahoma. I had a calm and happy life on our farm. Until a bunch of bastards decided to strike up a war with the Koreans. The war started off small, but soon took up flame. America started running out of soldiers and volunteers, so they did what they did in the old days, they got all boys from the age of sixteen and older to join the army.

The war lasted six years in total. Which is not long compared to the previous ones, but you see they didn't have the same weapons we do. I was taken and put in the army, where I stayed for four years. This was miraculous since I was one of the few soldiers that lasted that long. I lasted to see the end of the war. It ended like most wars, a threat with a huge weapon, a cease fire and finally a truce.

When I got back things weren't the same. The people weren't the same and neither was I.

A few months after the war I was sent to a psychologist by my mother after having nightmares during which I would scream out and strangle anything I could get a hold of, also I had more than a few outbursts in public. The psychologist diagnosed me with PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder). It is hard being diagnosed with such a problem, a problem that you cannot fix. The therapy didn't really work, it just made me feel stupid. I started to think that I may never be able to live a normal life again.

After two years, since the end of the war, I realized that there is no way I will be able to fit into normal life. Which sort of sucks. Four months later I heard about this place were veterans go, it is a place that mimics a war situation. They say some guys can stay in that simulation for more than ten years. Mostly because they cannot function in the normal world, not unlike me. I thought of contacting the people who are in charge of the place to see if I could somehow become part of the system.

Two days later, present day, I contacted the people and we made arrangements for me to go to or at least apply to this war simulation. They have a strong policy for the veterans to be in a good heath and mental state, or at least as healthy as one can be after being in a war.

This will be an amazing experience for me. I will finally feel like I have a purpose again. This fact only makes me more nervous. It puts so much pressure on this to work out. The most pressure though is on me, to be healthy and to be in the right emotional state to be able to deal with those types of situations again. Even though I'm still young and I think I'm in a good state, the examiner might not agree.

I'm 22 years old and still living with a parent which is not so strange for someone from my town or time, but I would still love to be independent. This opportunity is a chance for me to do exactly that. One of the most challenging things about going to this place is convincing my mother that it is not a totally moronic idea. This is going to be difficult...

I choose the time of day where she is in the best mood, after she fed the chickens. I still have no idea why she always is so happy after doing that. I guess she just loves the animals. We used to have bulls too, but after my father died and I went to war my mother couldn't handle the farm on her own so we sold them save for two. They are my responsibility now. But I do not know what is going to happen to them when I leave, if I leave.

I wait in the kitchen for my mother, because I know she will come through here to put the eggs she collected away.

Just as I said, she comes through the kitchen humming to herself happily. I stand up as soon as she enters the room and follow her.

"Hi mom?" I ask nervously as I put my hands in my pockets.

"Yes, my beautiful big boy?" My mother turns around and grabs my face with one hand and slightly squeezes my cheek. As much as I love my mother, I hate it when she does that. I mean I'm 22 years old. I kindly remove her hand from my face and drop it halfway down.

"Mom, I need to talk to you about somethin'."

"What is it?" she asks as she sits down at our dining table. I join her at the table to carry on breaking the news. I have a feeling this might be a long conversation and I want to be sitting when we start this particular conversion.

There is a minute pause before I start speaking again. "I heard about this place were veterans can go to get some training and sort of get back into their old groove. It is also, apparently, very good for guys with PTSD. You know, the kind of guys that can't function in normal society anymore. I'm considering becoming a part of it myself." My mother was unusually quiet, this concerned me.

"So... What do you think?"

"I just don't think that it will be the best thing for you." I roll my eyes at this. This is exactly what I knew she would say.

"I mean, you were just starting to get better and now you just want to start all this over again? I really don't think that this is the solution to having PTSD. In fact, I think this might only make it worse! War was the cause and war will only make it worse. Even if it doesn't make it worse, you can't live in a war zone your entire life! And what if you don't cope well?" I want to protest, but she just talks over me.

"There is no knowing what is going to happen when you go in there. You could freeze and die or you could lose your mind and kill everything in your way or you could be just fine. I'm not willing to take the risk of loosing you. You are the only one I have left." She starts crying now and I feel five years old again. Like a little boy who is completely helpless. I stretch out my arms and grab her hands, holding them tightly.

"I will come back to you mother. I will never leave you forever. But I can't live like this for the rest of my life. Besides, I doubt one actually dies there. A place like that would be illegal, wouldn't it?" She stops crying and sniffs.

She looks at me lovingly and says,"As long as you know what you are gettin' yourself into and you do come back, I guess it is alright. You are your own man now. But I'm still not comfortable with this."

The next day I start packing my bags to go to Arizona, where I will be tested. I just cannot wait to get there. The night flies by and the day finally breaks on.

That was chapter one! Tell me what you think and vote if you liked it and want more! Personally I really like that little mother, son moment.
-Riftwielder