Immune Heart

Chapter One: The Start

It started when I was six. My dad was stationed in South Korea at one of the US military bases there. It was right after he remarried to a native woman with three kids. Like everyone else we had seen the news and even the huge ship pass over a couple of times. But, we didn't expect this. This unstoppable force from the sky sent down terrors the world never could have imagined. It was the beginning of what would be known as The Purification.

Few had actually seen one of the aliens before the first attack. Some claimed to have seen them, but were quickly debunked. Now I couldn't remember a time where I didn't know what one of the Tsarklary (Zar-cla-ree) looked like. They are a broad alien species as we have know figured out. A few types of them won't do you any harm, and in fact some are part of the rebellion against the Tsarklary.

They came quickly. One day their ship just showed up in our orbit. Then it entered our atmosphere. It was months before the first attack. My new brother Taehyung and I were outside playing at a park in the city after school with a friend of mine, Jimin. Hearing screams, I turned and saw people running toward us. Taehyung screamed and I turned to the sound.

The first thing I saw wasn't him though. Up in the sky, looming over the skyscrapers, was this ship. It almost blocked out the sun it was so huge. I stood paralyzed in fear. "Tate!" Taehyung ran to me and I collapsed against his chest. "Oppa! Where's Jimin?" I shouted over all the chaos. He was about to answer when we both heard a huge crash. Suddenly huge projectiles were launched down from the ship. It crashed into a building which now came tumbling down. We held onto each other and started running. The force of the building coming down near us sent, tumbling down.

The last thing I remember before waking up is the stones coming down around us. We spent two days trapped in the rumble. One of the rocks had landed on my left hand and broken it. Taehyung and I were separated by about three tons of stone.

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My family and I packed up our bags. Jimin stood next to me, his already packed. His parents had died in the first attack so he came with us. "Taehyung, come on! We have to leave!" I said motioning out the door. Jimin already had started downstairs. "Wait!" Tae's seven year old form ran to the dresser. He pulled out the bracelet I made for his birthday last year and the necklace he got me the year before.

He handed me the bracelet and put the necklace on. "Lets go." We raced down the stairs and met my family at the door. We quietly ran through the city which had been invaded on the west side by the Tsarklary. Soon we reached the forest. Jimin and Tae held my hands as we ran, so not to get lost. My parents directed us through the forest, my father leading. We tried to be as quiet as possible. The night was just setting in and the forest had this eerie blue light from the moon breaking through the trees. We had made it about a mile or two when we slowed down to a walk. "This way." My father said. He had his arm around my stepmother who held onto my step sister. My half brother Jeonggyu held onto my father.

A screech was heard from somewhere near us. "They've found us." my stepmother whispered. A loud wail sent all our heads flying in the direction behind us. There stood two of the alien creatures, I now knew as Injectors. Their height reached half way up to the tall trees around us. The two things charged towards us and my family started to run. Jeonggyu started to fall behind so I let go of Taehyung's hand for just a second to pull Jeonggyu onto my back and carry him. Hearing a scream behind me, I saw my brother get picked up and flung by one of the beasts who had caught up to us. "TAEHYUNG!" I screamed.

His body slammed against a tree and went limp as it fell to the ground. "Tate! Jimin!" My father yelled. He had stopped in his tracks. He let go of my mother and sister and ran towards me. I sprinted as fast as I could to his arms which held the safety I needed. I was only a few yards away when the second creature crossed in front of me and picked up my father.

Screaming I watched as it's talons crushed him. My stepmother screamed at us to run the other way. Jimin pulled me away from the sight of my father's mangled corpse. The creature dropped him and his lifeless body landed with a thump on the hard forest ground. Jimin had taken my brother off my back and I ran to my father.

"Dad! Wake up,Daddy! Please!" Tears streamed down my cheeks and fell onto his. Gunshots rang throughout the area as my stepmother tried to fight back. "Daddy! Please! I can't do this without you!" I heard another scream and my little step sister was picked up in one of the aliens grasp. Little tentacle like things came out of its mouth and seemed to be analyzing her as she struggled and screamed in its grip.

"Eunjin!" I screamed. The monster seemed to reject her and threw her against a nearby tree, the force causing the sound of her neck to be heard throughout the forest. "Tate, go!" my stepmother yelled. Jimin screamed at me and tried to pull me away from my father. "No! Leave me alone!"

"Tate! We have to go!" Little Jimin said. I held onto the jacket hanging off my father's backpack as Jimin pulled me away from him. The jacket and I were pulled away with one last good tug. Jeonggyu, Jimin and I ran deeper into the forest, away from the screams and gunshots coming from my mother. Another screech sounded and I looked to see the other beast trekking after us. Jimin, who still carried my brother on his small six year old back, was starting to slow down. The next thing I knew, I saw Jeonggyu's terrified face as the talons of the monster pried him from Jimin's back. Time seemed to slow as I reached back for my brother. His hand reached out for mine. The speed of my turn caused me to fall over and I scrambled up trying to reach him.

The tentacles of the creature came out again and started to analyze my little brother.

"Give him back to me!" I screamed in desperation. Taking the small gun my parents had given me, I shot at the creature, missing it twice. "You took my brother, my father, and sister away from me! You can't have Jeonggyu!" I yelled. The beast made a sort of clicking sound and it's long pointed tail came up to the side of my brothers neck like it was taunting me. I shot at it again and Jimin started throwing rocks at it.

It's buried the sharp tip deep in my little brothers neck. He screamed in agony. "Jeonggyu!" We both yelled out. My little brothers eyes started to turn black and his body became completely still as if he was paralyzed. After a second he started to move. And his eyes returned to normal. The alien removed it's tail and a strange scar was now in its place. It set my brother down.

"What did it do?" Jimin asked quietly. I just stood there. The monster made another clicking noise. "Jeonggyu-ah." As if on command my brother came launching toward us. He tackled Jimin to the ground with a force unimaginable for a four year old.

Jimin screamed as my brother tried to beat him. The monster let out a howl and picked me up. The tentacles started to examine me, their rough and slimy surface moving decisively on my skin. It made another clicking noise and I screamed, as it brought it's tail up to my neck. I heard Jimin call out to me before the sharp tip was plunged into my neck. The pain was unimaginable.

You know when people say you see your life flash before your eyes when you die. Well those people are lying. I saw all the people I loved. Their faces flashed before me as the pain became greater. My vision became blurry and I heard the creature screech. It removed it's tail from my neck and my whole neck seemed to burn. The alien flung me forward and I hit the ground and rolled until a stump stopped me. Everything seemed hazy. The world was distorted. I saw Jimin run up to me. His mouth was moving but nothing was coming out. The world around me was spinning. He pulled me up and ran as best as he could helping me along. My vision was not getting any better. And I could feel my heart beating and pulsing in my brain. Which didn't make any sense to me.

The only sound I heard was Jimin s heavy breathing and his footsteps on the forest floor. That's the last thing I remember before blacking out.