I grab my forehead as mortars fire from our last line of defense. Mama groans and covers her ears, she shouts, “Jack! Go hide!” I grab her, “Mama?” “Go!” She shouts in pain. Damn it, too much noise!
I run, stop and grab at my hip. Damn! Why won’t that energy kick in?! I limp over, might need a cane. I groan, lean over and grab a rifle and use the stock as a cane. Dust kicks up as mortars pound against the ground. The ground quakes and the dry ground finally cracks up. Soldiers lose their footing as I limp towards a truck full of fuel. Might as well bring it to the front.
I roll up as battered tanks fire against a giant horde of them. Sure, they burn up quick, but it’s not the small ones I’m worried about. The Governor points at me and soldiers surround the car. I get out and sigh. “Where’s your agent on your shoulder?” “How are you still alive?!” “Where is he?” He exhales, “He died.” I smile, “Yeah, he was ripped off a tank when I was with him. He should’ve been dead then too, but he was so quick to come running to you.” “He died to protect me!”
I hunch over, lean on the gun and jerk my quivering finger in his face as they raise their rifles, “He killed your children! He lied to you, to me!” “Bullshit!” “Don’t you get it?! He’s gone! Too convenient!” “Sir!” A soldier points towards a giant demon, big as an office building. The ground quakes whenever it takes a step. Our bullets and shells do nothing to it, not even flames. The sun glares back at us, from the metal underneath all that nasty sludge.
I slowly get back in the truck and he shouts, “We’re not done!” I look back and wince, “Hit it’s leg with all you’ve got! I’m just going to run all this fuel right into it! Two birds, one stone!” He roars as I plop down and pound on the gas. Bullets hit the back of the truck.
Demons grab on as I plow through them. I swerve as I get swept off course by the sludge, shells pound it’s legs, it screams at the pain, my ears ring as I roar and jump out the truck. I hit the ground and my heart booms. I scream at the pain of the impact, rock lifts from the ground in sheets. It crumbles and digs into that hard layer of skin. What is this?! Somethin’ entirely new? The sheets punch against my body. I moan as the rock burns on my skin, I can feel the rock. I close my hand and the sheets bend and crack to clench. I can feel every touch, every sheet is a part of me.
That big old monster falls on all fours from the explosion, blood red bloated eyeballs, black sludge spews as it roars. A shell explodes and one eye pops. The other sucks back in as metal clangs it’s body shut. It slams down and I block. Rock sheets raise up from the ground. I jump away and the hand slaps down, crushing everything below like nothing, the black sludge that splattered with it, sucks everything in like an undertow.
It tries slamming down again as fire rains from the exploding shells above, I jump away, then my heart surges, I rush in and punch the metal, my armor cracks as rock sheets spear through it. It stumbles, Red trails of smoke light up behind me, I jump away as the creature lights up like a Christmas tree. In but a moment, it’s bare iron scrap from tanks held together tight, but not for long.
My heart booms hard and I can predict where the sheets shoot out the ground, whenever I punch. Another volley strikes it. Metal debris falls from it, it can’t keep up. I shout and wave like crazy, “Open fire!” Another volley hits him and I cheer. The volleys of mortar strikes melt him away, parts of him tear away and collapse.
The volleys stop and the thing roars at me. He’s smaller now, still pretty big, like he ate 15 bodybuilders. It tries to run, I charge after it, it looks back as I punch. He dodges, I block but it's arm springs and stretches across my face. Rock tears off my face, then he spits in my eyes. I shout and try to clean it, a gurgling roar. Tight grip on my head, my neck could split from my body hanging, an intense falling sensation, then a huge force against my head. I scream in pain with one eye clear, it's giant leg towers above me. I block and rock sheets collide together- a loud pound from above me, rock crumbles on my head as the sheets crack. He keeps hitting it.
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Stone fragments stuck on my hands cut into my bald head, drenched in sweat and blood, desperate fast breaths. I don't want to go back out there. I can't. More sheets rise to cover the cracks. Relentless, fast pounding as the cracks get worse. My head pounds, my heart booms, blood pulses down the side of my head. I see why we were so quick to kill them off now. I take a deep breath as I lose more and more space. I clench my fists, Damn! If I don't, Jean- I wipe my other eye and squat, imagine where he'll be. Paradise for Jean, everyone! A large portion cracks, light glares through. I explode up and punch, the sheets of rock wedge into his shoulders as my fist smacks against his face. He inches backward as his arm falls off.
He throws a punch, I block and a pillar of stone raises. It crumbles as I punch through it, the stones fly through his skin. His arm grows back and loses mass, all to swing a large blade. I block. A large sheet of stone, I chop, a giant sheet rises, copies my movements, squishes him between the two. It roars at his torso gets pinned and crushed. The agent reaches out with one arm, crushing, then opening his hand again. He can’t reach my skull. I breathe heavy as he tries to break free, "The governor is rotten! Let me go and I'll tell you everything!" I hunch over, "You're lying!" A loud explosion, I turn, a shell comes straight for us. I run, jump away as the agent screams, "They're all rotten, don't you see, Golem!?" I block as flames explode across his body.
My heart skips, I scream at the pain, take a knee as all the rock tears off me, like my own flesh. My arms bleed from that thick skin. Cheers come from the base as I quiver before standing up. My heart still is booming, I can still use this power, let’s get back up there at least.
The governor glares at me behind vigilant soldiers. When I get over the cliff, the people stand together all giddy. I walk up and wince, “I only ever killed for country, why would I suddenly stop now, Governor?” My heart dies out and I get back to my old age, I moan in pain as my back, knees and hip kill me.
Mama and Jack smile as Jon, Dave and Jean run to this old fool. They help me along as Mama rolls beside us with Jack. “What are you going to do now?” Jeans's chin lays on my shoulder, “You should go back to the farm!” I wince, “I’m getting too old for this. I hope my heart don’t give out.” Dave grabs my shoulder, “What, you’re not quitting?” I shake my head, “Cities need saving. Have to make things right before I head back to homestead life.” Jon sighs, “You’ll be dead by then, though!”
Mama smiles, "We'll come with you." I wince, there's definitely a rock wedged in my lung. "Not a chance." Mama rolls beside me, "Jack is not my only responsibility." Jean cheers, "We can't just leave you hanging." Dave nods as Jon shrugs, "Where Mama goes." Mama continues, "I want to save people and you can't do it alone." I grumble, "Fine."
The governor walks up, "More like you don't have a choice. Emergency Draft." I turn around and he holds an orange slip. I look up and he smiles, fakest one I ever seen. He thinks he holds all the power, have to trust the word of a devil that fell off another's shoulders. I grab it and give it a quick read as blood smudges on it. I smile to him, "I accept your challenge." His smile grows wider in front of all the refugees. "Good. Because I have one for each of your friends." I follow his eyes, to Jack. Threatening a kid?!