"Argh!!!"
Screams pranced over the rocky terrains of Planet Z.
Blood, corpse and other war acquaintances weren't left out of the brutal massacre.
Everyone's heart was beating faster and louder than ever and was charged with a creeping feeling of fear and frustration and a conspicuous compulsion to lose hope and end.
The tragic scenery pulled people to different parts of themselves that they never knew existed. Most by the wind of cowardise, others by the cord of 'I-cannot-die-alone'. Some others suffered a severe psychological trauma which resulted in a full muscle lock-up. Only a few managed to pull off sanity and clench tightly to their prayers and wit.
Out of the millions that were recruited, only about 50 of them were left.
Never has five minutes felt so long and aggravating. From the second they stepped in, adrenaline ate into every corner of their body and despite being within a rocky terrain, the enormous boulders did very little to shield them from the carnage-longing tentacles of the cnidra beast.
More screams were continually let off and were slowly dying down as we're their numbers too.
The task was merely to survive under planet Z's novel conditions for 10 minutes, a task that seemed a bit insulting at first, 'Just ten minutes,' some said but after spending only half the time 95% of everyone laid waste on the ground.
This was going to count for the worst number for a release per patch and yet some individuals, from a safe distance heartlessly watched the bloody carnage.
Amid the carnage, just behind an enormous rock, at the far end of the chaos was a young black-haired boy.
He was the only one left around his region, barely gripping on to life with his festering wounds and widespread cut on his leg.
Looking around and sighting those he called friends, othere foes, all dead washed a shivering wave of disbelief and soberness over his determination.
He scooted slightly, evading the sight of the beast while still tightly grasping his wounded leg to reduce the rapid blood loss.
'Looks like none of us will survive this let alone awaken,' he grunted as he checked the time left on the comm starapped to his arm.
4mins and 45secs.
The numbers spoke in a final tone on the fate of the young wanna-be-mages.
After all the sacrifice –the kidney trade, the greuling 20-hour work shift every day, and every other tragic venture, all just to scrape enough money for this one opportunity to be here, to be the one of the elite and live the life his parents always dreamed for him.
But even now, his body betrayed him.
His sides still throbbed from the improperly performed surgery that was done in a shady Mafia clinic. And just recently, after a rushed checkup, he was diagnosed with some kind of psychological infection. The symptoms had been growing ever since he started his strenuous job and now, the doctors said he had only weeks to live.
The realization was hard for him to accept at first but still, he had come here.
Why wouldn't he?
Because, he thought that if he could be here, and by some miracle survive the impossible, that maybe, just maybe, someone out there could heal him.
Where he is from, magic was a rare come-by, as all forms were hoarded by The Organization and even the few made available were extremely overpriced, and ultimately left for sheer admiration and longing to have.
All this shattering thought dealt the final blow in disheartening the young boy.
He was going to die, and it was only a matter of seconds.
Yet, at the centre of all these grim thought, stood firm the real reason he ever wanted to be hear and recalling that only deepened the ache within him.
He had failed with piling pathetic nature with disappointment.
A bitter whisper escaped his lips:
"I wish I got the chance. The chance to be like him."
It's been almost a decade now since the great catastrophe that befell humankind.
But in every dark cloud, there's a silver lining.
The occurence was termed 'The Revolution' as it unfolded into a massive breakthrough for human kind.
He was only five years old, walking down the streets of Calyx with his lovable family – His dad, which held him in his right hand, and his pregnant mom, on the other.
The amiable chemistry between them was enviable as the heartily strolled through the pavement, lost in the beauty of joyful chatter and laughter.
The incidence took everything away from him, he could never forget. Graven vividly in his mind, an etched with forsaken emotions onto his heart.
First, the sky grew dark and tempesteous lightning threatening from the sky.
"Rain? That's not what the forecast predicted," his dad said quizzically unaware of what was truly happening.
As the lightning blazed and the thunder roared, a form could be seen descending from the sky.
At first, it was hard to see due to the dense nimbostratus clouds but as it approached closer to the surface, its features grew more distinct and soon everyone could tell exactly what it was.
"What's a spaceship doing here?", some asked.
For the moment, curiosity seemed stronger but as soon as the door dropped open and the unknown welcome immigrants began their attack, fear took its rightful seat within their hearts.
Some they slayed without mercy, others they harboured into their ships presumably as labrats.
People ran and screamed for their lives. It was an apocalypse and unfortunately in such a phenomenon the only one you had to help was yourself.
Like everyone else, they too wasted no time in seeking safety. His dad carried him on one hand while he held his wife's arm on the other. They were running to the nearest bunker across the street.
Unfortunately, running any further was futile as a steaming hole could be seen through the body of their courageous father.
Seconds later, his mother fell to a drilling slash through the midsection and both dropped dead on the ground.
The two extra-terrestrials that killed his parents stood at opposite ends of the street as they approached him and one violently grabbed him by the arm.
'Come over here kid," he said as he dragged him towards the ship.
Though they were clearly armed with out-of-this-world technology that shouldn't exist for another eon or two, that didn't stop him from resisting.
"I want my mom," he cried to no avail.
In a desperate attempt, he took the blaster off one's side and blasted off the arm of one then he made a quick escape to his parents.
"Mom. Dad. We've got to go. These people are mean."
He shook their cold corpse vehemently only to be replied with the heart-breaking silence of death.
The cold and grave looks on his parents faces leased the realization to him that he was now an orphan. Left alone with nothing in this ruthless and treacherous reality.
Nothing else mattered in these tumultuous moments.
A traumatizing scar has just been etched on the fragile heart of a 5-year old child.
He didn't want to accept it.
Tears welled up behind the boy's eyes, cascading towards the bloody pool below.
"I'll teach you some manners, kid."
Despite being injured, he agitatedly fired another blaster at him, which bits of chunks of flesh of the young boy.
The blast came fast and too quick for him tj react, as if he even could in that state.
He was dragged violently backwards and scarpped against the rough bloody road.
His entire left side was gone. Eyes, arms and legs all scattered ruthlessly on the ground.