In the beginning

Hi my name is Malcom, I'm 18, and I'm currently running for my life.

"Shit shit shit shit shit I'm so fucking late!" I scream as I run.

"This is it, this is the day I die!"

I look at my watch.

"8:30 FUCK!"

I speed up as I round the corner.

BAM!!

I run full force into someone knocking us both over into the sidewalk.

" Sorry sir are you alright" I ask the man I basically just assaulted.

" Haha it's quite alright young man I'm just happy to see youngsters so full of energy these days."

I help as he starts to pick up the many, many papers that fell.

" I'm really sorry sir I was rushing and I wasn't paying attention-"

I hastily try to explain while helping him, the last thing I need is this guy telling the military police I tried to mug him.

" Its fine really, I too was a bit distracted."

He waves causally towards the blueprints Strewn across the street. As he picks them up I noticed one of the blueprints was of a prosthetic arm, the details were stunning, and on any other day I would've stopped and spoke more with him but I was in a hurry. I quickly help him pick up the rest of his papers before running off in the other direction.

"Sorry sir if I ever run into you again I'll treat you to dinner."

As he ran off the man looked towards Malcom with sadness in his eyes.

"I hope he can make it through this." he whispers.

By the time I make it home it's 8:42 and I'm panicking, before I can even open the door it explodes open, literally, my father is in the doorway even with both legs missing he's terrifying.

"YOUR TWO MINUTES LATE!!"

His voice thunders.

"THAT'S TEN LAPS AROUND THE CITY TOMORROW!!"

"Man c'mon pops there was an accident-" I try to explain.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT." He booms.

"IF YOU WERE STRONG ENOUGH YOU'D BEEN ABLE TO STILL GET HERE ON TIME."

"Yes sir." I salute him.

"At ease son," he smiles.

I go inside and change out of my training gear.

I know he's only acting like this because the city was put on lockdown seeing as the "army of despair" was spotted not to long ago. But even if city 8 isn't their target it's better to be paranoid than to be a dumbass.

There were twelve great cities but seven of them have fallen due to carelessness. We thought just cause we weren't being attacked we were safe. The last one was destroyed 20 years ago and it was a devastating blow to humanity. It's funny our teachers told us that before the war there were 7 billion humans on earth now it's a little over 100,000. And that's just a rough estimate.

But putting depressing matters aside we are currently in a time of tense peace. It's been awhile since the last battle broke out and humans have been preparing for the next one including my father who's been training my brothers and I since we could walk.

"Honey can't you put training aside for one day?

I hear my mother ask from the living room.

"It's a special occasion after all."

"Fine but he's still doing the laps no matter what. " My father grumbled.

The special occasion my mother's referring to is my older brother who's visiting from Fort Jupiter.

" I just hope Kevin enjoys the meal I've prepared."

My mom was nervously sitting at the table doing maintenance on one of her favorite guns.

" We haven't seen him in two years I hope he's still the same." She sighed.

" Mom stop it, your actions and words don't go together, either be a worrying mother or a killer, you can't do both at the same time it's creepy." My little brother James complains.

"Oh come on you know I can't help it when I get nervous I have to do something!" She exclaims.

" I mean it is kinda off putting." I say sheepishly.

"What?!"

My mother looks at my father for help.

"I didn't wanna say anything but it is a little weird." Dad says while trying not to laugh.

"Well fine i guess I won't be making my blueberry pie for dessert." Mom days with a sly grin on her face.

"NO!!" The three of us yelled in unison we looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Please mommy you know your pie's the best in the city."

James said while engaging the puppy dog eyes, for a nine year old the kid knows how to get what he wants.

"Best in the world more like it." Says a voice from the door.

" KEVIN!" My mom screams in excitement, and even though she's the furthest from the door she somehow make it to him first.

"Oh my baby are you hurt anywhere? Do you want something to eat? You've lost weight."

She instantly goes into full mom mode.

"Ma if your gonna do that at least put the gun down."

I point at the high powered plasma pistol she's still holding.

"Oh right. You boys take Kevin's stuff to the room while I finish dinner" My mother says absentmindedly,

While she goes back into the kitchen dad finishes the maintenance she was doing and James and I help Kevin take his stuff to the room he and I share. We live in a small three bedroom house, the place is in shambles by the way, part of the roof is slightly caved in, one of the walls has a huge crack in it, and in The kitchen there's a hole in the floor in one of the corners. But none of us have any complaints. We've lived in this same house for as long as any of us can remember this is our home, and even though Kevin lives on Fort Jupiter now he still remembers the dynamics. We throw his stuff on his bed and he takes a step back to look at us.

"Whoa my little brothers got big huh?" He says with a goofy grin on his face.

"Stronger too" James states proudly.

" How about we go outside later for a good old sparring match?" I say.

I'm curious as to how much stronger Kevin got after all that training at Fort Jupiter.

"Sure right after dinner" Kevin chuckles.

"Boys dinners ready!" My father yells from the living room.

We all head to the dining room, but as I sit down I feel something off and I pause.

"What's wrong Mal?" My father asks worried.

"I don't know something feels off" I take a look outside but see nothing amiss.

"Hey dad can you sense anything out of the ordinary?" I ask.

When my father was in the army he specialized in sensory so I knew he had the widest range out of all of us. He closed his eyes and concentrated for awhile before opening his eyes.

"Other than a few strong magical energies from the neighbors I don't sense anything else." He replied.

"Do you feel something?"

"No it must've been my imagination."

" Well hurry up and come eat James is eyeing your plate."

"The hell he is"

We all laugh as I rush back towards the table I'm five feet away when I hear a noise behind me when I turn around I hear my father yell.

"GET DOWN!!"

Just as he yells the front of the house explodes throwing me against the back wall which crumbles from the blow putting me outside.

When I lift my head up to look around I instantly believe I'm in hell. The neighborhood that was so peaceful just a moment ago is now in utter chaos there are fires everywhere and as I'm getting up something pounces on me it looks like a mix between a dog and a lizard except it's all black and it's eyes are a piercing red, as I swiftly break its neck one word pops into my mind.

HELLHOUND!