Phil

Phil and Jack ran for their lives they made sure that their helmet and guns did not fall down. They held it tightly and ran as fast as they could. From bombings and gunfire, they ran. "War was mostly about running rather than shooting," said Jack. I prefer it that way, replied Phil who never took a taste to war. Not many people did, but Jack did. Some people like Jack did. Their eyes widened in the midst of battle. The thrill gave him an adrenaline rush that few other things gave him. He liked to toy with death, it seemed so.

As they took a breather, Phil looked up. Hey, he said. Look there! he said. Jack looked up. It was an airplane but it did not look like one. And it was much faster than a bomber. Watch out! said Phil and pushed Jack to the side. They got up and continued to run. What was that? asked Jack. What? asked Phil as he could not hear anything what was said. Perhaps he even forgot about the sighting. That was war, relentless and unforgiving. No time to think and only time to kill. Or be killed. They jumped over dead bodies as their eyes looked above at the skies. Thousands died everyday. Thousands of sons, husbands and fathers. Thousands of dreams and hopes all withered away in an instant.

Jack got up the next morning to a blistering headache. He stepped out of his van and smoked a cigarette as he did daily. He made some coffee in his make do kitchen and drank it. He smoked inside the van itself not caring about the smell it produced. He put on his suit and combed his hair and walked out of the van. He carried a file with him. He walked the streets with a dry face devoid of any emotion. He tapped the folder on his pants and whistled to a tune only an army would know. He walked into the establishment and introduced himself to the receptionist. She told him to to wait for a while. "You are too early" she said to him. He looked at the watch it was showing 10:00 AM. He sighed, we would have crossed a hundred miles now, he said to himself. He twitched his eyebrows and shook his leg. Looking at his watch every five minutes. Finally a man of reasonable power arrived into the office. He got up and showed his respect. "Jack?" the man asked. Yes, he replied as he was shown to his office. The both of them entered the office room.

Take a seat! said the colonel to both Jack and Phil. What happened there? he asked the both of them. They both looked at each other and did not know what to answer. "What happened sir?" Phil asked back. Are you trying to poke fun at me son? the colonel raged. No sir, they replied. He took a hard look at them, then he spoke "There was an alien craft that people had reported sighting of." Yes sir, replied Phil recollecting the incident. But it was merely for a second or so, he said. It was too dark and there was nothing clear, he added. The colonel then had a hard look at Jack. Jack did not speak anything. He stared blankly at the colonel.

Son, are you there? asked the man sitting opposite Jack. Yes, he replied. I can do a bit of accounts as well, he said. Good, the man replied. He was a bit overweight with black coat on and a red tie. It looked like he had done really well for himself. As Jack was sizing up the man before him as he normally did, the man spoke. "Are you comfortable with visiting the factory premises," he asked. Yes, of course, replied Jack. Good, the man said again as he adjusted his tie. There were a few more questions that were asked which really bored Jack. He was distracted again.