Endless War (Complete)

Chapter 4 "Shock to the System"

Shock to the System

The plane is over the drop zone, I know this because the red lights are flashing overhead and my chip interrupts my train of thought. Once again we form a line but this time we are just working on autopilot. No one is standing there like you would think, telling us when it is safe for the next person to jump we just know. I allow the chip to take my mind so I don't screw up with the jump and kill myself.

Instantly I am no longer in control of my body, I am a passenger in my own head. I don't like the feeling of this but I resist the urge to take over and just allow things to continue. As soon as the person in front of me has cleared the plane I take the jump myself.

Wind is rushing by my head and that is all that I hear. If someone was next to me screaming I am pretty sure that I wouldn't hear a thing. I should feel something, like my stomach jumping up into my throat or the feeling of impending doom but I don't. I feel nothing. Suddenly I feel my arm is in motion and is pulling the chord for the parachute to open and I glide slowly to the ground. My legs ready themselves for the impending impact and it is over.

We all gather together releasing our parachutes to the wind and walk towards a small village. This is the first time we will ever see the enemy. We have seen drawings of them or obscure pictures of them but never seen footage of them. Almost as if they want our first sighting of them to scare us into killing them all. I continue on autopilot because I really want to see these creatures and not have to think about firing my weapon.

As we approach I can see them, scrambling at the sight of us, trying to get out of our firing range. I take in their grotesque appearance. Their eyes are what I notice first as they take up a large portion of their head. My eyes are then drawn to their body, they are so thin, it is like watching skeletons running for cover. Their bones are much more lengthened than ours making them much taller than us but frail looking at the same time. They have no hair on their heads and their skin is a greenish grey pallor, making them just look ill. Their heads are twice the size of our own and they don't have a nose just little openings that seem to open and close as they breath. I look at the mouth and they have no lips just a slit below their nose that opens revealing a long angry tongue and sharp teeth.

Despite the fact that they seem to be fleeing from us they also appear to be angry and trying to attack us. The movement makes no since. I just now realize that I have my weapon in hand and am firing on them, despite the chip telling me they feel no pain it looks very painful. Their bodies are convulsing on the ground at my feet. I am forced to look back up and continue firing on them. 

I push myself trying to regain control, fighting against the hold I have allowed the chip to take on my body. It actually hurts this time, my head feels like it is on fire as I force my way back to the forefront of my mind. Once I regain control I slow down my pace and start to take in my surroundings as I continue to fire my weapon. 

I stop firing as I realize that the Fallen are indeed running from us. I look around at my fellow soldiers who are continuing on killing everyone of the Fallen in sight. I see them once again convulsing on the ground, in pain. At first they all looked the same height and size, now I can tell that there are larger ones and small ones even what looks like infants. Oh God, we are killing children.

I hear a noise to my right, and aim my weapon to see two of the fallen trying to hide in a crevice in the wall of one of the mud shacks. I look closely and see that one is tiny and holding tightly to the other which is covering the small one the best it can. Their faces look angry but I know they are afraid.

Suddenly I feel a sharp blow to the back of my head and everything goes black.