If Tomorrow Should I Die: Chapter 2

I live in Orbera, a large island in the middle of an ocean. We keep to ourselves, unnoticed by the world. I remember a time when this place used to be peaceful, everybody was happy. It wasn’t until six years ago, when a man, Teruk, uprooted the system. He promised everyone that he could lead them to a better tomorrow. No poverty, no unemployment, and no sticking in the past. He would lead us to the flying car of tomorrow. A load of crap that a lot of people fell for. Just because of that, an entire war ensued. Bullets flying everywhere, bodies on the ground left and right, man, it wasn’t a sight to see. Two months after the war started, were when the sides actually became clear. Stick with the people, and the familiarity we had for generations, or go with Teruk, a man who just showed up a few weeks ago with some crazy idea that he could do better. As you can see, I stuck with something I was familiar with.

“All rise! Early shifts to your posts!” a guard yelled.

I looked at my alarm clock. It showed 5:30am on its bright blue screen.

“Man, it’s too early in the morning,” Harris complained.

“Then maybe you should retire,” Freddy replied.

“Is that supposed to mean something boy?”

“Now, now guys,” Peruda said, stepping in. “No need to get all fussy. Save that for the enemy.”

Ignies started quietly laughing in her bunk. I didn’t blame her, for this type of thing happened every day with Harris. We always did like teasing him for his old age, but always appreciated for his commitment. We made sure he knew that. I looked over at Tikik, who’s drawing on his notepad as usual. Ignies went over there to plan a strategy with him. It was rare to see both of them apart, even in the front lines.

Peruda came up and put her hand on my shoulder, “Some say today is the day that we will finally come to an end. You think that’s true?”

“We will all come to an end eventually, but today is not the day this will happen. We will fight the enemy, because we all know that Teruk is a liar, and he is just feeding a load of BS to his mislead followers. We will win. That is a fact.”

She smiled and we clasped hands together, “It’s good to have you on our side Nira.”

We all got ready for the day, and headed outside except for Ignies and Peruda. Ignies was going to upgrade Peruda’s automail leg.

I head out to the wall, trying to get a grasp on the situation. How close the enemy is to attacking, how many men they will send, and how close they are to victory. It didn’t take me long to see the small attack force that Teruk sent in to surely divert our attention.

“Nira! What are you doing up here? It’s not your shift yet.”

I turn around to see Verdun walking up to me. “Yeah, I know, but I wanted to see what the enemy was up to. I couldn’t wait,” I answered.

“You know, you shouldn’t be prying around like this. If Rechibald finds out what you’ve been up to, you’re gonna get in a lot of trouble.”

“Rechibald won’t find out. I’m too stealthy for the guards around here, and you’re not gonna tell anybody about this.”

“How will you know I won’t? I need to do my job, and if I withhold information, they could have my head,” he says with a small quiver in his voice.

“Because we’re best friends. Have been for years. If you haven’t turned me in yet, then you never will. That, I know, is a fact.”

“Then get going! A group of guards will be here soon!”

“Thanks Verdun. See yah later.”

“Yeah,” he said, unable to hold a smile. “Don’t mention it.”

After I was able to get down from the wall safely, Harris approaches me.

“Up on the wall, again?” he said, a disappointed look on his face.

“C’mon Harris, don’t look at me like that. I got some important intel that could be useful to Tikik and Ignies. Don’t tell me that’s not a good reason for going on the wall.”

He looked at me and took a deep sigh, “Then hurry and be on your way.”

I smile and I hug him before I leave, “Thanks Harris.”

I approached my tent right as Peruda was going out. She had a huge smile on her face, indicating that she was content with her upgrades. It wasn’t long after when I told Ignies about the small army right outside of the wall. Told her I got it from an inside man. I couldn’t risk her knowing about what I was up to as well. Harris and Verdun already know, couldn’t risk even more people to give me away. Before she could tell us what the ideal situation would be, the alarms sound. Rechibald went on the intercom yelling, “All able soldiers attend to the gate! The enemy is rapidly approaching! I repeat, the enemy is rapidly approaching!”

I ran as fact as my legs could carry me. All heck was about to break loose.