"So he died?" asked Corey.

"Mhm," Johnny replied. "Was killed during a charge."

"Damn, that's a sad way to go," Corey said. "Where did he even die?"

"France," Johnny answered as he looked down at the warm, hot chocolate on the table.

It was another cold day in the Motor City. At the local coffee shop, it was as empty as usual. Sitting at a table that looked like it'd been through more wars than the average man, Johnny looked at videos of vicious battles. These weren't available in many places since the usage of social media and other past necessities cannot run as perfect as it used to. Most of these videos are posted on private websites to show the horrors of war. Footage of decapitated heads and crying soldiers being pushed against walls and shot at. The hard-to-see videos of war crimes including rape, murder, and genocides. These videos would be produced on a daily schedule.

"Why do you keep watching those unethical videos?" Corey asked.

"Because it's addicting," Johnny replied. "It's also educational."

"You're just disgusting, my guy," Corey said in a straight face.

Johnny laughed as he drank his hot chocolate. The day was cloudy again, and once again, the streets were as quiet as usual. Downtown, at least, shows a good amount of activity, but in cities near war-torn areas, locals tend to be nervous to move around. The coffee shop they were in has rarely seen more than 10 customers stay in the shop.

"You heard about that all-female squad that went missing?" Corey asked.

"I thought you didn't meddle in war topics," Johnny smirked.

"It was on the news; it's very interesting," Corey replied. "One of the girls missing was in our math class in middle school."

"You'd be surprised at the number of people who have enlisted from our school," Johnny said.

The two continued to enjoy their morning hot chocolate as the day began ahead of them. Monday was a school day, and a thunderstorm was forecast. Corey and Johnny walked side by side down the long sidewalk and entered their under-maintained high school.

The clouds made the sky darker than usual. The sun hasn't shown itself in days. The air was still, and the weight of the bag Johnny had on was losing its weight every single day. The school at the beginning of the year was made up of 1,321 students and staff. The hallways were designed by the students to help this under-maintained school start a new horizon. This was all at the beginning of the year.

Now walking through the quiet halls as the bell hasn't rung yet. The walls were left untouched, with farewell messages. Lockers left from those who were destined to be back. Lights flickering on and off, and the school itself was as quiet as it could get. Johnny has walked these halls every day since he started high school three years ago. A year before the war started, the halls were packed, even after the bell rang. The atmosphere was as if it were out of a movie. Sports and after-school activities were all the talk of the town.

"Johnny, you'll be late for 1st period if you walk that slowly," sighed a girl named Mara. She was a bookworm and was mostly known for her strict attitude and attention to detail. Though Mara has a bad reputation with most of the people in their class, she's still good friends with both Corey and Johnny. Her stretched-out glasses and ponytail blonde hair were an everyday look for her. As well as the occasional anime hoodies she'd bring along.

"Nice weather outside, isn't it?" Johnny said.

"Yes, yes, there's one less cloud in the sky than usual," she sarcastically uttered.

Walking into their first period class, which was history, there were only a select amount of kids standing around.

"It's getting less and less by the month," Johnny muttered.

"Yeah, that's how it's going to be," Mara replied. "From a school with over 1200 students to just a bit under 600."

"And that number could be lower, since many people don't come to school anymore," Johnny asked.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Mhm," Mara replied. She walked to her seat, next to the window, and sat down. "More and more of us are leaving or enlisting."

"But before that, many of us were drafted," Johnny replied. He sat in front of Mara, in front of the teacher's desk. "Just like my brothers."

"How are they?" she asked. "I haven't seen or heard about Gio since he was drafted."

"Ah, well, he died," Johnny replied. "Died while charging on the frontlines."

Mara's mouth dropped. She shivered and showed an uneasy facial expression.

"I'm so sorry," she stuttered.

"No need to apologize," Johnny said.

Mara went quiet. The class started with only seven out of seventeen students present. Many students from that class were drafted, and many of them were presumed dead. At the back of the classroom stood a memorial to every student that came through the class doors each year since the war began. Mostly just pictures placed by Mr. Clarence and the students.

Mr. Clarence had three children. All of them were drafted at the ages of 16 and 17, and all of them were reported K.I.A. within three months. He'd walk into class day by day, looking more tired. Before, he was an energetic teacher. He'd give kids presents for getting good grades on exams. He would help those who were struggling and even come to their house to give them an extra boost. Now he's all alone. His wife committed suicide a few days after their children's funeral, and he is still standing.

The wall at the back has pictures of over one hundred students, to the point where they're overlapping and need to move over to the far left wall. The classroom was dark, and the emotions weren't upbeat. Depression was on the rise, and many kids were on the path to enlistment if a new draft was to be reported.

[The Wall of Sorrow]

"Good morning, class," Mr. Clarence said. "Before we start with today's lesson, we're obligated to show you the news. I myself do not know what it is, but I do know of the heartbreaks that have been going on."

"What news?" someone asked.

"Like I said, I do not know," replied Mr. Clarence. "But this happened yesterday."

A video played on the smartboard. It was fresh, only a couple hours old. It was breaking news, except that not that many people in the class or in the school even knew about it.

"Good evening; I'm Gianni Meracheso," said the anchorwoman. "Breaking news is coming in today. A new wave of battles has started with a loss of life for both sets of forces. As the battle for Paris and Lyon progresses, other small areas have been in conflict too. During Easter, two cities were recently invaded. Those cities being Salt Lake City, as well as Guadalajara. Immediate evacuations were set up until a mass casualty event took place in both cities. The civilian casualty rate is reaching near hundreds of thousands. As for battles in these set areas, those rage on. As of now, a draft meeting will be held to see if a draft is needed. Due to the overwhelming number of enlistments, these meetings will conclude at a later date than usual. For those who've lost loved ones in this war, I am with you. I beg you to pray, or at least hold your young ones and relatives closely. Now onto today's news-."

"They're calling it Easter Downfall," said a boy entering the classroom.

"Is that so?" Mr. Clarence asked.

The boy walked over to the back of the classroom and pinned a picture of two people on the wall.

"Joseph and Andre were killed in action this morning," he choked. "That's why they're absent. Just a week away from coming home."

The class went silent. Two new desks were left cold and untouched. Who is to be next?

The class went on, and soon came second, then third period. After that was fourth, where more students had gone extinct. Then came lunch. The lunch room was lively. Many people are crying, and others are laughing about something they saw. You can never be too happy nowadays.

Johnny grabbed two slices of pizza and a milk carton. He also had a few extra quarters to get himself a brownie. He usually sat with around seven people at lunch. But that dialed down to just two. Corey and Mara were the only ones left.

"To think," noted Corey. "It used to be hard as heck to find an open seat sometimes."

"Haha, yeah, the good old days," chuckled Johnny.

"Pour one for the lost crew?" asked Mara.

"Over the trash can," acknowledged Johnny.

And so they did.

They cherished the lost friends they'd had for years. Pouring out some of their favorite drinks before downing them till empty.

Outside, rain flooded the way. It was the third time it rained this hard. Those who were walking home from school got a rude awakening. Even before that, the rain caused a ton of problems. For instance, many classes that don't have a working light system become too dark to work.

In the halls of a free period, Johnny went back to his history class. There, more pictures arise, as a freshmen class had a free period. Everyone was quiet, either minding their own business or taking a nap. The freshmen class still had a good number of students, mainly because the draft age was 16. Johnny took out a picture of Giovanni and placed it on the wall. The faces of every student that's passed through this history class since the beginning of the war are on this wall. Along with that, there are many that are missing.

The school day ended. The rain continued, and the walk home was treacherous. Corey had a thing at the church, and Mara took the bus home. Johnny arrived home to find it quiet. His sister doesn't leave school for another hour. His mother went to work even after the news of his brother's passing.

Sitting down, staring at the television as it was glitching from time to time. He relaxed himself in the quiet house.

- - - [BREAKING NEWS] - - -