Escape From Ath

Escape From Ath - Chapter 1: Battleground

Chapter 1: Battleground

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John was feeling sick with fright. He had just been taken from his family by the government to go off to war. He was currently sitting in the back of a military truck with two strangers from the government. He stared out of the window, watching the smoke seemingly grow darker every foot they traveled. After traveling about four miles, the truck pulled over and parked at a military base. One of the men stepped out of the truck, strode over and opened John's door. He gestured roughly for John to come with him, and then took him to a small building behind the base, labeled 'Hospital'.

The man led John down a few long, tight corridors, and into a big room filled with many boys lying on small, metal tables. They took John to an empty table, and left without a backwards glance. John sat down slowly. The table was freezing cold. He waited, imagining what would happen to him. He remembered hearing about old movies where people were abducted by the creepy short grey aliens and were operated on similar metal tables. He looked around the room. The room was stunningly bright, and had almost no color. It felt empty, lifeless. He could see many young boys, around his age and younger. They all looked as terrified as John felt.

He heard a bang from outside of the room. Everyone fell silent. Suddenly, the door flew open, revealing two incredibly tall reptilian creatures in armor running into the room. Their dark skin and armor was a striking contrast with the brightness of the room, making them look like silhouettes. John heard someone in another room yell, "Tatian Intruders! Protect the children!" One of the Tatians gripped the handle to the door with it's tail and whipped it shut. The room rang with the sound of the door slamming closed. They then started grabbing the boys. John jumped off of the table. He darted to the window, narrowly avoiding one of the creatures. At the window, he yanked at the latch that held it closed. It wouldn't open, regardless of how hard John tugged. One of the intruders saw him at the window, and as if to instill fear into John, stood up to it's full height, and slowly crept across the room toward him.

John was trapped, and he knew it. The Tatian backed him into a corner. John was terrified at what might happen to him. He glanced over his shoulder for an escape, and then looked back at the Tatian. He was standing right in front of John, staring at him with his yellow slits for eyes. John tried to convey his fear and desperation to the Tatian, in hopes that it would perhaps show mercy. The intruder ruthlessly grabbed John by his shirt collar. John struggled to brake free of the monster's grasp. The Tatian then grunted irritably, and slammed him into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

When John woke up, he found that he was lying in a prison cell. The Tatians had taken him and the other boys to their own base. He had a bruise on the side of his face from where he hit the wall. He stood up, and walked to the bars. He saw another boy in a cell across from him, huddled up in a corner crying. He looked as if he were years old. John sat back down on a bench in his cell. He waited there, the only sound being a that of the young boy. A few minutes later, another Tatian approached him. "Get up, you're going to fight," he said. "Back away, and don't try anything." He had a breathy, metallic voice. He unlocked the cell doors. John followed the Tatian out of the prison area. They stopped at a small room jam-packed with boys putting on armor. The Tatian looked around the room. He grunted, and then yelled, "Hey! Chief Seddire! We got any spare uniforms?" "Nah! We are running low on em'! Why, you need some?" Chief Seddire replied. "Yeah! We got a new prisoner that needs some armor!" the voice yelled back, slightly irritated. "Sorry! Give him the regular suit!" The Tatian turned back to John. "Well, you'll be quicker, in this than in the normal armor. But one shot will get ya, so if you wanna see sunrise tomorrow you better watch out." He led John to an empty spot near the back of the room, where a small army suit lay. "You're gonna wear this," he gestured to the suit. John walked uncertainly towards the suit.