In the works

The latest story that I have thought up is one that I think would be the most interesting for me. I learned that a lot of stories usually have a meaning so I figured that if I wrote something it should be symbolic and meaningful or something of that sort. Well here is me, free writing and hoping it is decent if not slightly entertaining. Here goes.

Joshua Ford woke with anticipation flowing through him. Today was his day to shine. The convoy was going to set out once everybody was ready and he was going to show what he was made of. He took a deep breath and flexed his muscles. Slowly running through his calming routine until his heart rate slowed to normal. He needed to be steady he needed to be cold so he could kill some Nargs.
He spent several minutes putting on and securing his combat gear. He was outfitted with standard infantry gear. Hard boots, knee/shin plates, combat belt, chest plate and helmet. He felt that he struck quite an intimidating figure. He was slipping on the gloves that his father had given him when he heard the call blast. Grabbing his pack he headed out of the dorm and jogged down the hallway.
He was surprised at how large this part of the FDAN (the Final Defense Against the Nargolians) was. He had come in late the night before and was ordered to bed before he could explore. But now in the daylight he had a new appreciation for the Defenders. He still looked down on them though. Nobody grew up wanting to be a Defender. All of the great stories of glory and honor came from the Strikers. The strongest and most skilled of men cutting a flaming swath into the lands of the Nargs to burn out their vile infestation. He could almost feel the thrill of all of the kills he would rack up on this journey.
He was so lost in thought that he ran directly into somebody going around a corner. It was John Spire. John had come from the same village as Joshua and had traveled with him and several others all the way to the FDAN. The only difference between them was that John wasn't the best. He scored far below Joshua and was picked to be a Defender. This was as far as he was ever going to go. Josh felt a little sorry for the guy.
"Hey sorry there." said Joshua as he patted John on the back. "Got to go." He started to turn.
"Hey Josh!" called John.
"Ya"
"Good Luck."
"Thanks. Hey I'll kill a Narg for you."
"Ha, ya you do that."
Josh continued down to the Gate area. That guy wasn't too bad. Oh well thought Joshua he probably would never see the guy again. He should be more concerned with the ones who he would be fighting with. He got to the gate area and joined his fellow Strikers around the supply car. There were twelve of them total, eight men and four women. Two girls and five guys he knew from home. The two other girls and one of the guys came from outside of his village somewhere but the last man was their Captain. He came from the Cities with papers, picked all of them, trained them and had now led them to the gate and to glory. He was Captain Owen Mars, but everybody called him sir.
The Captain pressed the call blast once before climbing to the top of the supply car.
"Listen up!" He yelled silencing all of their conversations. He wore the same gear as the rest of them but he seemed to carry himself so much easier than the rest of them. He was somebody that Joshua wanted to be, no somebody who he would be. "Today is the day you have all been training for. Many hardships you have come through and came through excellently I might add. Which is to be expected. For you are now Strikers! And beyond this wall!" He yelled pointing at the gate pass, "Is your proving grounds! The chance to earn the title that has been set upon you! To earn glory and praise beyond your wildest dreams! And to most importantly of all, protect everything that we love and hold dear from the vile beasts that have plagued us for so long. So what do you say? Cause I say. Lets go kick some Narg ass." He said the last part with a smile as cheers erupted from the group around him. "Arm up! we move in thirty."
Joshua followed the others into a room close to the gate. Inside were racks of guns and ammunition. He walked to the far wall and picked up an automatic rifle. He shouldered it and felt a rush of excitement. Peering down the iron sights he smiled. Slinging the rifle over his shoulder he pocketed four clips and moved over to a crate in the corner. Looking inside he found a grenade belt with several grenades on it.
"Hey where did you get that?" It was Ted Barely.
"Sorry Ted, last one."
"Hey come on give me a couple."
"Fine, here but you owe me one."
"Ha, no problem."
The call blast sounded and the Strikers filed out of the Armory, fully armed. They gathered around the back of the car. There the Captain was talking with a Defender. The Defender looked fat and out of place next to the Captain.
"Alright everybody this it the Commander of this gate and he has some information that will help us greatly so listen up. Commander."
The large man cleared his throat and spoke in a deep husky voice. "Alright as you know you are up against the Nargs. Now I have watched from this gate post and I will tell you what I know about this neck of the woods." he cleared his throat again before spitting. "Alright you all know the basics but something that they like to leave out in the books is the fact that the Nargs are silent. You wont hear a peep out of them unless they want you to. So when you think about letting your guard down to itch your nose or take a piss. Make sure the guy next to you is covering you otherwise you can kiss you dumb ass goodbye."
There were some smirks but his expression was dead serious which stifled any humor.
"Another thing is that if one of you does get hit the best thing that anybody can do for you is put a bullet in your head and forget about you. The Nargs don't care if you are trying to bandage your buddy up or if you are shoving rounds down their face. So get used to your friends dieing. Its the way of things out there. Grief can kill just as much as stupidity and if you ask me this whole-"
"Thank you Commander." cut in the Captain. "I think we can get the point." He nodded as the Commander walked back into the building. "Well spend this time to get ready. Gate opens in a few."
Joshua leaned up against the car and started to calm himself. He thought back to his village. Back to his family. He thought of his younger brothers. Who knew what kind of stuff those rascals were up to. He remembered the time that he took them to the Treacher farm and they colored all of the animals with paint. It was the best memory he had with them and it made him smile every time somebody mentioned livestock. His thoughts soon drifted to Sara. She was probably the prettiest girl that Joshua had ever set eyes on. She had long brown hair and pretty blue eyes. Her face occupied many of Joshua's thoughts lately and he always got excited. He dreamed of serving his time as a Striker and then working his way up and become an officer. Then he would arrive home, as a hero and he would sweep Sara off her feet. They would be happy. A smile spread across his face.
"What’s so funny Josh?"
Josh looked up. It was Kyle Pear. "Just thinking of home."
"Well it is what we are fighting for isn't it." Smirked Kile, "In fact I was just thinking of a curtain somebody with brown hair, blue eyes and a voice sweeter than my moms cider. And how I was going to go home and kiss her pretty little lips just like I did last fall under the big oak in the square."
"Liar"
"No really. She had just told me how I was the only one for her and how everybody else fell short of her high standards especially a certain Joshua F-owtch. Come on it was a joke."
"Not funny."
"Just a little."
Josh smirked. Kyle was one of the few who knew about Sara. Joshua felt he could tell Kyle anything. And he knew for sure that his back would be covered no mater what.
A new alarm sounded. Joshua looked up and saw a red light flashing above the gate.
"Positions Strikers! This is it!" bellowed the Captain.
Josh moved to his position at the back of the car. Everybody formed a loose rectangle around it facing outwards. There were two people in the cab, the driver and spotter, then two were on top as lookouts. Then Three to each side and two hanging out the back. Joshua was on the back right. The supply car moved at about 15km per hour which wasn't that much but they wouldn't be trying to outrun anything anyways.
Joshua looped his arm through the restraint and put his rifle on his lap. Pulling out a clip he pushed it in and pulled back the action and slid one home. He flipped it to semi-auto and then fingered the safety. He was ready to go.
There was a hiss followed by a creak. Joshua guessed that the gate was opening. He felt the car start up and lurch forward. His heart raced. He looked next to him and looked at Kyle who winked before loading his own gun. As they pulled forward Joshua noticed that the Defenders had gathered at the gate watching them go. Their faces were solemn. Joshua noticed John among them and nodded his head at him. He got a slight wave back. Joshua thought of all of these Defenders. They would probably never imagine all of the things that Josh would be experiencing. Of course they probably had fewer worries but glory and honor was lost upon them.
They cleared the gate and Josh watched it close. He saw how it was part of a vast wall that stretched as far as he could see to his left and then joined up with a sheer mountain to his right. It sure was a sight. But he had to concentrate. He leaned over and caught a glimpse ahead of him. A vast land of fields forests and rocky plains. His new territory. The hunters were coming and Norg blood would flow tonight.


~~~~

It had been four hours and there wasn't a sign of life anywhere. Josh was antsy. He kept his eyes watching the rear, ever vigilant he thought. They were heading to a rocky area hoping to find a Norg den. It was easier to kill Norg in their dens were they are all close together. The sun was about two hours from setting and the rocks might be a good place to stay the night. Josh scanned the distance. They had traveled in a snakelike motion so Joshua could still make out the thin wall that ran along the horizon and the tall mountain that they started next to.
"Nearing objective." said the Captain over the the speaker system from the passenger seat in the cab. "There seems to be a single cave like opening in the front. When we pull up in front of it right side will chuck nades. If it is clear then right side right back and myself will breach it and sweep the area. Got it? Good."
Josh took a deep breath and double-checked his gun. He ran through the plan in his mind. He saw the Nargs falling before his blazing gun. His thoughts were interrupted by the call blast. Show time.
A defining blast erupted to his left. This was followed by a second of silence then a double call blast and he hit the ground running. He ran straight into a cloud of dust after his fellow Striker. Two bright flares flew ahead of them into the cave. Their bright lights showed a large empty chamber. The five of them moved in slowly searching every crevice. The cave was loosing promise as it started to narrow into a dark corner. The captain lit another flare and tossed it into the corner. They all flinched their guns to a lone bolder in the corner. Sighs of relief passed all around. Josh had just relaxed when rapid pops and bangs exploded at the mouth of the tunnel followed by the call blast blazing. Josh found himself running full blast out of the cave in front of the others. He burst through the opening and was slightly blinded by the light but he soon adjusted and moving to the back he saw Kile spattered in blood aiming at a mound of dark gray fir. The mound flinched and Kyle's gun spat two rounds into the mound blowing out two chunks of red flesh and bone.
"Bastard." said Kyle. "Came out of no where."
They drove the car into the cave mouth and posted four guards. The rest went into the cave and after making sure there were no other entrances they made camp and went to sleep.
Josh had four hours before his watch and dreamed he was protecting Sara and his brothers from the Norgs. The strange thing was that the Norgs in his dream were men in Norg skins. He just blew a hole in one when the call blast wakened him.
Grabbing his rifle he moved to the mouth of the cave. The car lights were illuminating the area outside of the cave. There was nothing but the ground and blackness.
"Something’s out there" said Tom in a shaky voice. "Just in the blackness."
Josh squinted but couldn't see a thing. "Well there is always one way to find out." said Josh as he un-hooked a grenade from his belt. He walked out a little. "Cover me" he whispered as he cooked the grenade.
Everything seemed to go into slow motion. He stepped and threw. He watched the grenade sail through the air. Then straight ahead he saw a Norg leap into the light and run right under his grenade. It moved straight towards him. Its dog like run. Its devilish face with jagged teeth. Its long muscled body and sharp claws. He brought his gun up and in slow motion and was surprised when at the same moment he lined it up in his sights it leaped and right as he got a round of it's paw hit his chest and sprung off of him. He fell backwards and hit the ground.
Blinking he told his body to get up and get back to the car. Strangely he still lay there. Then he felt dizzy and his neck felt warm. Blood was gushing into the air and some was falling on his face. His vision blurred for a moment and he thought that he saw Sara's face. He blinked and saw Kyle over him. Kyle's mouth was moving but there was no sound. Kyle mouthed a curse word then stood aimed his rifle at Joshua's head.
Joshua only saw a flash.


~~~~

John Spire looked out from the top of the Gate. There was distant thunder and quick flashes.
"Poor bastards." It was the Commander. "Let me ask you something John." he said clearing his throat, "What does Glory and Honor mean to you?"
"I don't know sir. It is a little beyond me."
The commander looked at John and smirked. "That my boy is why you are still alive." He looked out at the horizon in thought. "It is why people like me stay alive here and why people like them die out there." Still looking out the Commander sighed. "One more question." He turned around and looked at John in the eye. "What is Glory and Honor to a dead man?"
John had no answer so he just sat there watching the horizon. There was a flash occasionally until they stopped completely. With that the Commander sighed and walked away.


Well that turned out a lot longer than I thought. I will read this in the morning and see if it is any good and find out whether or not I should write late at night ever again. Well if you toughed it out and read the whole thing then please leave some of this constructive criticism. Thank you//.