It’s a Child’s World

Hello, Mother, I feel like tonight may be my last in these trenches, for better or worse. Last night the enemy pushed us back to the perimeter of the town we’ve been defending for the past three months. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how much longer we can hold out for. Reinforcements and supplies are two to three days out, I have two insta-chow syringes left and three and a half magazines to hold me through the next few nights. We have about two more hours of sunlight left. I’ll be sure to give the mail carrier this letter before it heads back to command.

I just need to be honest with you. Don’t get me wrong, I love you very much, but I wish you never had me. Being given away to fight for this lost planet that’s been long forgotten by our rich leaders was a choice I hate you for. I understand what you were trying to prevent, but it’s no life for a kid.

My earliest memory is when I was given my mask, rifle and shovel. I don’t remember playing. I don’t ever remember feeling a solid piece of food touch my tongue. I don’t even remember any motherly instances with you. Unlike all those who left us to rot on this planet while they get to fully enjoy their lives on Mars.

From there, it was just war. I’m not even sure how old I am, sixteen maybe? I was reminded of what a face looked like today since we all wear these damn gas masks and treated uniforms that are supposed to keep us alive in this wasteland. Only thing that makes sense to me anymore is my rifle at this point. You wouldn’t know anything about that, you damn waste of lubricants. You’re no better than me.

Only difference between you and me is how we die. Just know your son will die on his feet. I won’t become an incubator. I refuse to go out that way. They still tell us they don’t know what those things are, or where they even came from.

They fucking know. I hear them talking. Some of the soldiers think they’re aliens. Others think they’re demons. They’re neither.

This morning we were tasked as a squad of four to inspect an overtaken village up north while the rest of the unit refortified in the areas where it was needed. It was one of those villages that thought prayers would save them. A mistake paid in fluids. Three pikes sat at the entrance of the village with six heads impaled on each one. All of their hands were stuck to the sides of their heads with that nasty mucus, and their feet to the bottom of their necks with the same.

We knew we needed to find the nest. The bodies and doors told the story along the way. Like always, the buildings were untouched with relics hanging above every door. There were some forced entries that were probably those seeking shelter after the monsters revealed themselves. You could tell because the first few doors were in good condition. Panic settled in after that.

Each household had a pike to the left of the door with however many heads were inside stuck on it. Just like in front of the village, heads with feet and hands stuck into them like it was some sort of sick joke. We knew better than to look inside the houses, so we set off for the church.

It didn’t take long for us to find the bodies of the villagers. Those monsters had them positioned around the church on their knees, in prayer. All missing their hands, feet and heads. All facing away from the church in the center of the village. We went inside knowing we were walking into a nest, just not sure what kind.

It was dark inside with that sticky mucus strung all over the place. We looked up to see that the village kids were stuck against the stained glass windows in that nasty shit. They hung upside down keeping the sun from shining through to the inside with their large impregnated heads taking in all the light. I could see the little baby monsters eating their brains in their distended skulls. It was horrifying, but it’s times like these where I question if you made the wrong decision.

My boot laces were older than J124, so I understand why he made such a stupid mistake. The kid couldn’t have been older than five when he started fighting in those trenches next to me. Yet, no matter how many times you see a nest, you’ll never get used to it. All those kids were just like us. Just, not as fortunate. At least that’s what I thought.

Without securing the church, J124 decided to neutralize a larva in one of their incubators. W088, the oldest of us, yanked on the muzzle of his rifle to get him to stop, but it was already too late. I don’t care what people say. Those things fucking laugh when they are hunting us. The sound of hundreds of feet stepping off in unison all around us immediately put us on edge.

We watched the long body of a Nester unravel through the pews until it was standing in the middle of the church. The Nester was easily taller than the church’s ceiling. Mucus hung from its nose and teethless mouth while it checked on the head J124 shot. All while it laughed. Shortly after, the Crawlers started climbing down from the ceiling.

The Crawlers went straight for us, three to be exact. I really can’t stand those things. Seventeen legs on a body with nothing but a head on it still haunts my dreams after watching P217 get taken on my first night with the Tunnel Purgers. I’m glad I wasn’t small enough to go in, but I’ve always regretted not doing more.

W088 focused on the Nester while the rest of us opened fire on the Crawlers. Two of the three Crawlers dropped from the ceiling before they could get to us. The third stuck all of its pointed legs into B899’s body before biting into her neck. I put a bullet through both of their heads while it was still latched to her neck. No time for the wounded.

W088 blew off a quarter of the Nester’s head. The rest of his rounds went into its long, hairy body that was leaking from the wounds. It was trying to patch itself up with its mucus while swinging its other end at us. Pews were thrown around the church making us find cover. J124 popped his head up to let off some shots just to have a ball of mucus nail him in the face. Kids feet were taken out from under him as his head smacked the floor.

We recognized that the Nester was about to burrow when we noticed the incubators were no longer stuck against the windows. W088 had been saving his last explosive for the past couple weeks. They’re really hard to come by nowadays. He waited for it to start burrowing, then went to stick it on its body. Well, his hand got stuck too.

W088’s body was crushed from being forced through the hole before we heard the boom. The tremors died out shortly after that. It was just J124 and me after that. I could tell the deaths of W088 and B899 weighed on him watching him clean that mucus shit from his mask. It comes with the job though, he would have learned.

B899 still had some ammo on her, so I picked it up so J124 didn’t have to. We left the church to head back to this fuck-ass town when J124 was lifted into the air next to me. I turned around to see a damn Brain-Bleeder floating in the church’s doorway. It started laughing, or making that damn noise before I sent two round through its chest, and one more to pop that fucking balloon head. I wasn’t ready to see J124 dead at my feet though.

His mask was peeled off, and I saw a face I didn’t recognize. He didn’t even look human. His nose was just two holes in the center of his face. The tube that feeds us our nutrients, stims and lubricants was ripped from his neck making him gasp for life itself while blood puddled under him. I watched his small beady eyes shrivel up inside his skull before he was able to even see me.

I heard him call for his mom who he probably didn’t remember through his cracked, thin lips. Didn’t have many rounds to spare. I quickly drove my shovel through his neck hoping it didn’t cause any more pain than he was already in. He didn’t need his rounds anymore. His fight was over.

I walked miles through the wasteland back to this town alone with my thoughts. You know what I thought about? How grateful I was that the Brain-Bleeders could only focus on one person at a time. Then I thought about how they often focused on mind manipulation rather than killing. That monster could have just made J124 kill me, or mutilate the kid right in front of me.

Yet, it just ripped off his mask before letting me kill it. It might have not tapped into my mind like they usually do, but I could feel the seed it had planted. By the time I got back to this town S405 was no more. I finally understood what we have been fighting.

T209 uploaded the footage from my mask as soon as I got back from our assessment. Now I’m at my post writing you this letter even though I haven’t heard from you in years. The town’s mayor thinks we’ll be able to hold the line for the night. I believe we might, but the reinforcements won’t find anyone alive when they arrive.

There’s a reason why they only come so suddenly at night. A reason why they never have to force their way into everyone’s home. There is a monster inside all of us. They’re just waiting for the right push.