Never Say Die

by D J Sternowski-Korzec

  Raider arrives in his room and jumps onto his bed. He looks at his ceiling and begins to think. Raider says to himself, “The World Army is in great danger. If only I could warn them about my father’s plan of attack. I do not want to see my father win this war. Humanity has done nothing wrong or given us a reason to create a world of horror. My father must be stopped, but how will it be done? I need to get out of here, but how will I do it without being caught or killed?” Raider crawls out of bed and looks outside of his window. Raider looks outside of his window every day to see if the World Army is close by him. He has not found the perfect opportunity to run away from his father and join the World Army. After he is done looking outside of his window, he heads outside to play with his younger sisters.

  Raider arrives at the courtyard. Two of his younger sisters are playing with each other inside of the courtyard. The youngest sister’s name is Lucy. Raider’s younger sister’s name is Beth. Beth and Lucy are chasing each other around the courtyard. They are playing a game of tag. Raider feels too old to be playing a game of tag, but joins them anyway. Raider asks his two sisters, “Can I play with you?” Lucy replies, “Yeah, but you are going to have to be it now. Will you take it easy on us, because you are older than us?” Raider replies, “You don’t need to worry, I will play fairly.” Raider counts to 10 as his sisters run away from him and get as far away from him as possible. After he is done counting to 10, he chases after his sisters. He keeps his promise and takes it easy on them. Raider chases after his giggling sisters and plays with them for a very long time. Raider and his sisters are all having a blast inside of the courtyard.

  Meanwhile, Synx is going over his plans with his wives. They will be attacking the World Army alongside him. If they are going to attack the World Army’s main military base, Synx and his wives are all going to be there. All of his wives have several victories underneath their belts. They are all great leaders and killers. Because they are attacking the World Army’s main military base, they need their elite to attack them. After all of his wives understand their next plan of action, they rally the troops and get ready for battle. However, this plan will come to a halt, because the World Army has sent a small group of people to attack them. The World Army has sent Sarah and a few of her comrades over to attack Synx’s fortress. This is where Raider helps Sarah and her comrades blow up a big chunk of his father’s fortress and runs away from his father.

  Now, Raider wakes up in the middle of the night and leaves his tent. He is sharing a tent with Sarah, because she wants to keep a close eye on him. Raider doesn’t go very far, but moves as far as he can without losing sight of the campsite. Raider falls back into another memory. He goes back to when Synx and the rest of his family were getting ready to attack Sarah’s village.

  Synx is assembling an army to attack Sarah’s home village. He is hosting a meeting with his family in the meeting room. Synx goes over the plans he has made out for their first attack on humanity. Everyone is supportive of Synx’s decision, except for Raider. Raider tells Synx, “Humanity has done nothing wrong to us, so why are we going to get rid of them? I am not for this raid. If you think I am going to help out, you have made a huge mistake.” Synx replies with anger, “You are going to do as I say! We are all a family; you must join us no matter what you think! Humanity deserves to die! Now, you’re either with us or against us. If you are against us, you will be killed on the spot! You will be killed by me! Do I make myself clear?!” Raider replies, “Yes, sir.” Synx replies, “Good…” Synx goes over his plan of action to destroy Sarah’s home village. Raider is hating every word coming out of his father’s mouth, but doesn’t say a word. Now, Raider must join his sisters and attack Sarah’s village.

  Raider and his sisters head into Sarah’s village. Raider’s sisters are having no problem causing complete chaos and killing humans. Raider is causing chaos and taking many lives, but is not having fun at all. He is not creating nearly as much destruction as all of his sisters. When they all have completely destroyed the village, they all meet up in the center of the village. Everyone in Synx’s family is very happy and proud of each other, except for Raider. Raider tries to walk away from his family, but his father stops him. Synx grabs Raider by the back of his neck and asks, “Where do you think you’re going?” Raider replies, “I am going back home.” Synx laughs and replies, “No you’re not. We are not done here. You and your sisters must check to see if there are any survivors.” Synx releases Raider from his grip, but shoves him aggressively. Raider and his sisters are now searching the houses for any survivors. Fortunately, they do not find any survivors. Now, Raider goes back home with the rest of his family. They will return to this village and make it into a military base.

  Now, Raider lies down in the desert sand and looks up to the sky. He loves to look at all of the stars, because it is very peaceful to him. Raider says to himself out loud, “I am going into a new environment. Hopefully I am accepted for who I am and not criticized for what I have done in the past. Sarah and her comrades seem like nice people, but that doesn’t mean they accept me. I have to earn their respect completely. Once everyone has woken up, I will tell them my father’s next plan of attack. This should help me earn their complete respect.” Raider stops talking and continues to stare up into the sky.

  Sarah wakes up from her sleep and rolls over to check up on Raider, but he is not inside of the tent. She gets out of the tent and searches for him. Sarah finds Raider lying down in the sand and starts walking towards him. Sarah stands over Raider and asks him, “What are you doing out here? You should really stay inside of the tent and get some sleep. We are leaving first thing in the morning, no exceptions.” Raider replies, “I came out here to think. You don’t need to worry; I will not be out here much longer. Before I forget, I need to tell you what my father has planned next. He plans on attacking your military base very soon. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has sent out an army to capture us, but I highly doubt it. My father wouldn’t send out a search party just to capture me or anyone else. He rather take someone out on the battlefield or with his own hands. Anyway, you are welcome to join me. I can tell you a lot about my father and what he has planned.” Sarah replies, “Fine, but you need to tell me everything you know.” Sarah lies down next to Raider and looks up to the sky. Raider tells Sarah everything he knows about Synx’s plans of action. After they are done talking, they head back to their tent and go to sleep. Raider and Sarah will tell the rest of their comrades what is going to happen next.

  The next morning. Raider is the first one to wake up, but doesn’t leave the tent. He patiently waits for Sarah to wake up before leaving the tent. Fortunately, Sarah wakes up shortly after he does. She is happy to see him awake and inside of the tent. She is also happy he did not run away or betray them in any kind of way. Sarah is beginning to like Raider very much. He is quickly earning the respect he is looking for. Once everyone is awake, they pack up and head back home.

  As they are walking through the desert, Roman spots something out in the distance. It is too far away for them to get a clear vision on what it is with their eyes. Sarah pulls out her sniper and uses the scope to see what it is. Sarah’s eyes light up, because she sees a very dangerous sandstorm approaching them. Sarah warns everyone about the sandstorm and gets ready for it. However, the sandstorm is still far away, so they need to get as close as possible to home in order for them to get there safely and not have to worry about the enemy attacking them while they are in here. Sarah and her comrades run towards the sandstorm as it runs towards them. Once the sandstorm is close by, they all duck for cover and get ready for it.

  Sarah and her comrades are all laying down next to each other and holding each other’s hands. They hold hands so nobody gets lost or flies away. They all lay down on their bellies with their face into the sand, so they do not get blinded or injured by the sandstorm. Raider lies down next to Sarah and holds her hand. The sandstorm is now approaching them. They are now in the middle of a very dangerous
storm.

  They do not know how long they are going to be stuck inside of the storm. This is also why they wanted to run towards the storm, so they don’t have to waste any more time inside of the desert and can get home as fast as possible. So far, everything is going pretty well. No one has flown away or has major injuries. However, this storm is taking a toll on their bodies. The wind and sand is brushing up against their bodies like sandpaper. Everyone has received cuts on their bodies, but none of them are major.

  Moments later, Roman screams from agonizing pain. Roman it is holding hands with Raider. Raider takes a look at Roman to see if he is doing okay. Roman is not doing okay. He is severely injured and needs to get medical help as soon as possible. It is highly unlikely he is going to survive the storm, but Raider makes a life-saving move. Roman has been hit by a rock the size of a half dollar. The rock has a razor-sharp point and has penetrated his neck and shoulder. Blood is flying all over the place. Raider drags Roman towards him and lies on top of him. Fortunately for Roman, Raider has the ability to heal himself and others if needed. Raider opens up his mouth and bites Roman’s injury. This bite allows him to heal others and ends up saving Roman’s life. Raider covers up Roman’s whole entire body and keeps him safe from the storm. Sarah watches every moment of this occurrence. Now, Raider has Sarah’s complete respect. Now he needs to earn the respect of the General.

  The storm is finally over. Everyone stands up and makes sure everyone is still here. They check out each other’s injuries to make sure there is no one with a fatal injury. As they all stand up, Roman gives Raider a hug. Roman says to Raider, “Thank you for saving my life. I couldn’t thank you enough. I will put in a good word for you to the General and make sure he excepts you.” Raider replies, “No problem and thank you.” Everyone smiles at Raider and no longer feels threatened by him. He has earned the respect from everyone. They will now continue to move forward.

  Meanwhile, Synx and his wives wake up. They all crawl out of bed and head for the dining room to eat breakfast as a family. As they are all eating breakfast, Synx cannot help but think about his son whom betrayed him. Cora can tell her father is upset. Cora asks Synx, “Are you feeling all right, father?” Synx quickly replies with aggression, “I’m fine. However, your brother will not be doing fine once I get him back here. Your father is going to do horrible things to him. Don’t any of you repeat his actions, because I will do the same to you.” All of his children reply, “Yes, father. We will never betray you.” Synx does not reply, but continues eating. He eats as fast as he can so he can take a look at the repairs. After they are done repairing the damage that has been done, they will attack the World Army’s military base.

  Synx arrives at the site of the repairs. He is not disappointed by what he is seeing. The repairs are almost completely done. He walks over to the leader of the construction site. Synx says to the leader, “Excellent job with the repairs.” The leader replies, “The repairs should be completely done by later tonight. However, I don’t know how you are going to replace all of the equipment lost during this explosion. Several weapons and armor were lost.” Synx replies, “You don’t need to worry about that. My blacksmith is developing new armor and equipment anyway. It isn’t really much of a loss. Keep up the good work, I will be returning back when it is done.” Synx leaves the construction site and trains for combat. He will be training for the whole entire day.

  Now, Sarah and her comrades are approaching their military base. Raider is happy and excited to arrive here, but he is also very nervous. He does not know what is going to happen to him once he enters the military base. His biggest concern is the General, because he decides his fate. Raider, Sarah and her comrades are now at the main entrance way of the military base. Sarah orders the gates to open. They have trouble opening the gates at first, because the people in charge notice they have a demon alongside them without any chains or imprisonment. They question Sarah about Raider’s presence. The gatekeepers ask her, “Why is this demon here and why is he not a prisoner?” Sarah replies, “Just open up the gates, because we need to take him to the General. Trust me when I say he is not a threat to us, but a friend to us. Please, open up the gates.” The gatekeepers willingly open up the gates and allows them to walk into the military base.

  Sarah and her comrades lead Raider over to the General’s office, so the General can approve him and allow him to join them. Before Raider steps into his office, Sarah must speak with the General alone. Before Sarah enters the General’s office, she says to Raider, “I am going to put in a good word to the General and make sure he excepts you. Your brave actions will be rewarded.” Sarah walks into the General’s office and explains everything that was going on during this mission and how Raider played a big role in their success.

  As Sarah is putting in a good word for Raider, the rest of the comrades surround him to keep him company and make sure nobody messes with him. Roman sits next to him with his sword out at the ready. He wants to show people he is willing to kill anyone that tries to mess with Raider. This strategy works, nobody messes with him.

  Moments later, Sarah comes out of the office with the General by her side. She has a big smile on her face. The General looks at Raider and stands directly in front of him. He doesn’t say anything to him for a brief moment. The General says to Raider after a moment of silence, “I thank you for all of your hard work and bravery for what you have done for us. It must’ve been very hard for you to do this. Without you, these people sitting next to you probably would have never made it home alive. Welcome to the World Army. Do not disappoint me. You will be living with Sarah and the rest of her roommates. She is going to be responsible for you. I will make sure nobody disrespects you or treats you differently. If they do, bring them over to me. I will have a firm talk with them.” The General walks back into his office. Raider and Sarah head over to her house where Raider will be staying. Sarah hopes her roommates will accept him into their home.

  Sarah and Raider arrive at her house. All of her roommates are inside of the house, so Sarah can introduce Raider to all of her roommates. Sarah first introduces Raider to Scarlet. Raider finds Scarlet very attractive and is having a hard time keeping his eyes off of her. Raider says to Scarlet, “It is very nice to meet you. You are a very beautiful young lady.” Scarlet replies, “Thank you, I like you already.” Sarah finishes introducing Raider to everyone in the household. Raider never thought he would be welcomed or accepted into this environment so easily. He thought he would have to find a way to earn their respect. Also, he never thought he would be surrounded by a whole bunch of young women around his age. Out of all of the people in the household, Raider is the youngest. Out of all of the people in the household, Raider likes Scarlet the best, because he finds her both beautiful on the inside and outside. He loves both her looks and personality. However, he didn’t come all this way to find a lover. He came over here to end this war and take down his father’s reign of terror. He will continue to make it his main mission.

  After Raider is done talking and introducing himself to the members of the household, Sarah shows him his new bedroom. He will be staying with Sarah, but will have separate beds. Sarah explains to Raider, “Now that you are part of our army, you need to get rid of your old armor. Did you want a gun or a sword as a weapon?” Raider replies, “Okay, sure. I won’t take a gun, but I will take a sword as my weapon. I don’t really need a gun.” Sarah replies, “Okay, we will go to the armory first thing in the morning. Also, do you have any clothing or do you only wear your armor? You are not allowed to wear armor around here or carry any kind of weapon.” Raider replies, “Well I guess we are going clothes shopping as well. Did you want to go shopping now?” Sarah replies, “Clothing stores are not open at this hour. We can go shopping first thing in the morning with everyone in the household. I am sure they would like to spend the whole day shopping and spend some time with you. Everyone in the household seems to like you very much. Please do not do anything to hurt them or I will be
hurting you.” Raider replies, “You do not need to worry, I like them as well. I will not betray them or you like I did my father. In fact, I like all of you better than my father. He is a very cruel and evil man.” Sarah replies, “Okay, good. It is best we go to bed now, because we have a long day ahead of us. Also, if you don’t feel like making breakfast in the morning, I would wait until one of the twins wakes up. They would be more than happy to cook you breakfast. They love to cook and are very good at it.” Sarah and Raider crawl into bed and go to sleep.

  The next morning, Raider wakes up and heads into the kitchen for breakfast. He was unaware someone else was up and was cooking in the kitchen. Scarlet was the first one up and is cooking breakfast. Raider is very happy to see Scarlet making breakfast, especially because she is only wearing her underwear. Scarlet asks Raider, “What would you like for breakfast, I can make you anything you like?” Raider replies, “I am not sure what you people eat, so cook me anything. I’m not at all a picky eater.” Scarlet cooks Raider her favorite meal for breakfast. She makes him a plate of chicken and waffles. In fact, she is making herself a plate of chicken and waffles herself. After she is done cooking Raider and herself breakfast, she sits down next to him at the table to eat. So far, nobody else has woken up and come downstairs. Raider is very nervous sitting next to Scarlet while they are eating breakfast, because he has a huge crush on her. He has never felt this way before, especially towards a human. Scarlet asks Raider, “So what do you have planned for today? I take it you are going to spend all day with Sarah and getting ready for combat?” Raider replies, “We are going to do that, but first we are going to go clothes shopping for me. The only piece of clothing I have is this armor. I can’t wait to get rid of it forever. You are more than welcome to come join us, if you want?” Scarlet replies, “I would be happy to join you.” Raider and Scarlet hear someone else waking up. Chelsea is the next one to wake up and head into the kitchen. She walks into the kitchen after taking a shower and doesn’t bother putting on any clothing. She begins to cook breakfast, naked. Now Raider is even more nervous, because a beautiful young lady is naked in front of him. This is also a first experience for him. He is having a very hard time keeping his eyes off of her.