Leaving Home

The cool and crisp early morning air washed over me as I stepped outside. For the first time in my life, I felt different. I was finally an adult. Having a life path meant I could no longer be carefree. I began to wonder, 'Does everyone feel like this when they leave home?'

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize I had almost reached the liaisons office. From the distance, I could see an ordinary building. It didn't stand out much except for the symbol that adorned the front of the building. The symbol was made up of two different items. An old wooden shield was in the forefront and a sword went diagonally behind it. Besides that symbol, there were no words or anything else on the building.

My walking speed increased for fear of being late. As I reached the building, the sun was just starting to show itself. The closer I got to the door, the more my heart started to pound. When my hand finally touched the handle, the fear of the unknown and what might await me on the other side had built up to an unimaginable pressure. I braced myself and took a deep breath before I opened the door.

When I entered into the building, I immediately calmed down. Once the unknown became known, I was able to calm myself forcefully. There were no decorations in the entrance of the building. The only thing of note was the old but pristine desk and the woman sitting behind it.

The woman who appeared to be doing paperwork currently, was wearing a light brown military uniform. The uniform was tight fitting and quite appealing. I didn't linger on her body though because I had noticed that she was staring at me. With a subtle air of authority and prestige, she spoke to me.

"Welcome, recruit. Since no one else will be joining us, we won't waste time. Follow me and don't speak unless spoken to."

Having received my first orders, I did as I was told and fell in line behind her. She went to the empty wall behind her desk and placed her hand on the wall. From out of nowhere a door appeared. After she opened the door I could finally see that behind it was an elevator.

The elevator had 12 buttons for different floors but since it was a one story building on the outside, I knew me must be going down. She pressed the button for B-1 and down we went.

After a very short ride, the door opened once more. Before my eyes, I was able to see what can only be described as an enormous underground facility. As far as I could see there were people moving to and fro, all dressed in the same military uniform. The only difference was that some of the uniforms had small symbols over the heart.

Most of the floor was taken up with cubicles but there were some small standalone offices in the back. As I followed the woman, I realized that we were heading to one of those offices. When she finally stopped in front of one of the doors, I could see a wooden plaque that read 'Sergeant Landry'. She knocked on the door before entering as I followed behind her.

Inside, the man whom I could only assume to be Sergeant Landry, was sitting behind a desk. He noticed the disturbance and looked up.

"You're dismissed, Private. I've got it from here."

The woman saluted to him and quickly left the room. Unlike the woman from before, this man had a much lighter shade of green for his hair color. He also had the same symbol as the one on the building over his heart that denoted his rank.

I stood there for what felt like an eternity as my anxiety started to return. Fortunate the Sergeant finally spoke to me.

"Be at ease, recruit. This is a simple process. I'll explain to you a bit about what will happen going forward and I'll also answer a few of the questions that I know you'll have.

"First and foremost, you will be issued a uniform shortly. You'll spend the night here after orientation and some medical testing. First thing tomorrow morning, you'll be shipped out to basic training. If you have any questions… now would be the time to ask them."

I hesitated slightly as I processed this information.

"How long will it be before I can return home to my family?"

"Basic training lasts 3 months. After which, you will be allowed to return home for 5 days."

The Sergeant shuffled some papers around.

"Any more questions, recruit? Speak now or forever hold your piece."

"No, sir." I replied.

"In that case, follow me and we'll proceed with your orientation."

As I followed the Sergeant out of the office, I couldn't help but start to imagine myself in the uniform. By the time my fantasies ended, we had arrived at our destination. Once inside the orientation room, a mans and a woman in uniform were visible in the front of the room. They were standing each on one side of a projected screen.

I sat down in the only chair I could see. A quick glance around the room let me know that Sergeant Landry was no longer with me. When I focused my attention back to the screen, the man tapped the line on his wrist. The projected screen immediately started playing a video.

#

The world is not as you know it. Over 1,000 years ago, the sun went dark. That much is true. Only… the world you know is only a tiny blip in the grand scheme of things. A majority of humankind fled underground, but not all of them. The ones who remained were enslaved by a great evil. You are now one of the few who knows the truth.

#

I sat in shock after the video ended. Everything I knew about the world came crashing down around me. Rethinking everything soon became the least of my problems. The woman, who had so far been quiet and motionless, appeared next to me. The last thing I could see was a needle in her hand. A light sting later, and everything went dark.

#

I opened my eyes sometime later, which was a huge mistake. A blinding light immediately sent me reeling. I tried to raise my hands to cover my eyes only to find that they were tied down. My eyes were closed, but I heard a door open wing to my side.

"Doctor, he is finally awake."

"Good, let us get him up to speed."

I tried to make some sense of the voices I heard as the footsteps drew near to me. A few seconds after they arrived next to me, the blinding light dimmed down.

"You are finally awake. Sorry about all of this, kid. Protocol and whatnot. We are going to run a few blood tests and then you'll be out of here in no time. These tests might be a little bit intrusive and very painful so we're going to put you back under. Nurse."

Now that I could see, I saw an unfamiliar man and the same woman from the orientation room. I wasn't able to turn my head, but from the corner of my eye, I could see her carrying an assortment of vials along with a large needle. The woman repeatedly stuck the needle in my arm and slowly filled each of the vials with my own blood. The woman then discarded the needle and pulled out a new one filled with a clear viscous substance. As it entered my bloodstream, darkness started to overwhelm me once again. I heard them mumbling something as I slipped into oblivion.