The night he found them was replayed like a movie in his mind. It was a cold October night, the sky pitch black, not a cloud obscuring his view of the Earth’s moon. He laid wide awake in his bed, hearing the sounds of explosions in the background. Not a new sound, but it seemed much closer that night. Little did he know, and unwillingly so, he was right.

There was a pounding on the door, incomprehensible yelling echoed from the outside. He heard his father get out of bed, walking down the stairs to his home. But, before the door could be opened, the soldiers barreled through the door, sending its wooden shards throughout the living space.

His mother ran down to see, it was then that Jack heard screaming. He got up himself after that, carefully hiding at the top and watching the soldiers. They had a gun pointed to his fathers’ head, his mother being led out with a gun to hers as well. She cried as she looked back at him, him trying his best to not give out his vantage point.

The man holding the gun to his father’s head put his finger tighter on the trigger, and that caused Jack to stealthily hurry down the stairs, throwing himself into the soldier.

“Get out of here!” One of them yelled, the soldier he tackled now pointing the gun to his head instead of his fathers. Jack noticed his father crawl away in anguish, grabbing a pistol from the ottoman. The soldier noticed, firing his gun at the man, a bullet hit him right in the shoulder. The boy ran over to help his father, and the gun stayed pointed at him.

“Don’t kill the kid, Carter.” A larger man said.

“But-“ 

Jack fired the gun at the soldier, realizing later that it was loaded. The bullet struck him in the chest, and he crumbled to the ground immediately. The boy ran out of the house as quickly as he could, followed by the heavy footsteps of soldiers. He ran into the woods, as deep as he could go. The trees began to run together as he sprinted through, the moonlight his only guide into the realm of a fugitive.

He took every passage he could, trying to throw them off, and eventually, the footsteps ceased. He assumed they got tired. Jack stopped sprinting at that point, instead walking and wandering, trying to find any sort of life in these dense woods. His walking was quiet, as he tried his hardest to avoid any branches or twigs in his way. Eventually, he saw a plume of smoke in the air. That’s where the people were.

Stupidly, he walked towards it, expecting a welcoming embrace from whatever human life sheltered in this area. Instead, he was welcomed by another gun pointed straight at his head.

“Who’re you?” A female voice beckoned.

“Uh… I’m…”

The gun dropped as he stepped closer to the fire, revealing his face. “A kid… what’s a little bastard out here doing in the woods?”

“The soldiers… they came, and they took my mother, and they shot my father-“

“You should’ve gone with them. It’s dangerous out here.”

“I shot one!” He screamed silently.

She turned her head to him, “You shot a soldier?”

Jack responded with a frantic nod. The woman rubbed her chin. “Well, you’re already doing better than me.”

“How?”

“Because you got one of those assholes.”

She turned around, lighting a cigarette in the fire. The place reeked of nicotine, and she didn’t have much in the way of food or supplies.

“Stay with me, kid. I don’t got a lot, but I’ve got friends with big plans, and I ain’t gonna kill you unless you peek.” She paused for a moment, “The name is Luci, by the way. You got a name?”

“Jack.”

“Jack… that was my dog’s name.”

The boy sat down in the grass. “Do you… know why they’re here?”

“The soldiers? Yeah, I know why.”

“Tell me.”

She sighed, “Empress Levia wants earthlings dead. Some line in the sand she drew says we’re worse than her people.”

“But the soldiers were human.”

“The Empress is an insane bitch. I swear she’s making this shit up as she goes.”

“Where did they take my mother?” Jack asked frantically.

“I don’t know, alright? I don’t have the answer to every question. All I know is that they killed my family. I’m not gonna let that stand for some psycho Empress.”

The two sat in silence for a while, watching the fire for a little while. They appreciated its warmth, as the nights’ cold winds began to pick up. Jack noticed the woman hold her gun tighter to her body, her eyes still dotting around the woods.

“Are you scared?” Asked a still shaking Jack.

Luci breathed in for a moment, dropping her gun. “No. I just don’t wanna die in these woods.”

“That means you’re scared.”

“Shut up.” She scoffed.

Jack curled up on the grass, and he could feel his eyes begin to drift away. Soon enough, he was asleep, the memory already planting it’s horrid seed in his mind. He didn’t sleep well, as the woods’ constant rustling made him jump and shake with each movement. He could hear Luci snoring, so at least he felt a little safe. The sleep was on and off, but he was asleep when morning came, the sunlight just barely poking out the sky.

Luci kicked him with her boot, “C’mon kid. Wake your ass up.”

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“Ugh… what?”

“We’ve got somewhere to be, people to meet. I’d rather do it now than later. There could still be soldiers patrolling through here.”

“What time is it?” He asked, groggy.

“No clue. All I know is the sun ain’t all out yet.”

“It’s too early.”

She groaned, “But it ain’t too late to live, c’mon, or I’ll leave you out here to rot.”

Jack let out a long groan, and another long yawn as he stood to his feet. He followed the woman, who’s gun was brandished at her hip. She looked down at the shorter boy, her face inquisitive.

“Y’know, I never got how old you were.”

“Oh. I’m 17.”

She made a whistle with her lips, “Ooh… I was way off.

“Huh?”

“Yeah, I thought you were 12 or something like that. You look like a fifth grader.”

Jack gave her a blank look. “Thanks.”

“I’m just being honest with you, my momma always taught me that lying would get you killed. Don’t need that bad juju.”

They walked through the woods, the sun beginning to shine over the trees. Jack began to feel a little concerned that the soldiers would find them, no matter how many times Luci tried to talk him down. He could hear rustling, and twigs snapping, but it was all under his own feet. He’d never felt this scared before.

Once they were out of the woods, the noises stopped, but the paranoia got worse. “We’re gonna get caught out here.” He panicked, audibly.

She turned to him, hand on her gun. “As long as I’m around, ain’t no one gonna get to either of us.” She paused for a moment, “I’d love a new adventure.”

“It’s just that, oh I don’t know, we’re walking out here in broad daylight!”

“Yelling will get us caught a lot faster than if you’d shut your whiny trap. Seriously, all you’ve done since I saved you is cry. No thank you or nothing.”

“I’m sorry.”

She scoffed, “It’s alright. I’m used to it. Now, get moving. Not a lot of free daylight left.”

The walk somehow became more arduous, as the hills of the forested countryside were not easy to traverse. A highway stood right by them, but there were no cars on it. Everything seemed dead as they walked into a barren town.

“Bastards.” The woman scoffed, her hand fiddling with the trigger of her gun. Jack looked around, seeing buildings burnt out from the inside. He tripped as he was looking around, landing hard on the grass. Luci walked over, picking up what he tripped on. When Jack got up, he saw it too. It was a human head, decomposed down to the skull. Jack let out a scream, then held in vomit as she looked it over.

“It’s alright to be sick, kid. That’s what this is. The Empress is one evil bitch, and she’s capable of a lot more than any of us know. These are only what her soldiers did.”

“Is that what they’ll do to my mother?”

“I don’t know, kid. I don’t know.”

They continued walking until they reached a large, flat field. A massive hangar sat in the middle of it, a concrete exterior with nothing on it whatsoever. It was just a massive concrete structure standing in a field.

“We made it.” Luci said confidently.

Jack followed her into the facility, and when the door opened, it revealed the big adventure Luci kept talking about: a massive spaceship, sitting dead center in the hangar. It was a drab grey color, looking obviously beaten up from years of wear and tear. A large man walked over to them, looking obviously upset.

“Where the hell have you been? We’ve been waiting forever!” He shouted.

“Press the brakes, Tyson. I told you it’d be a little while.”

“And what is that?” He pointed at Jack, his finger curling.

“That’s a kid. He shot a soldier.”

“That… shot a soldier?”

Luci nodded, “That’s what he says. I’m inclined to believe him, based on how scared shitless he’s been this whole time.”

“We don’t have room for one more passenger.”

“Then make some. I’m not throwing him out there to be slaughtered. He’s just a kid.”

Tyson looked over at Jack, who was still marveling at the ship. “Fine.” He grunted. “He can come along, but we’re leaving in an hour. Might wanna get him acquainted with everyone else. We’ll be there a while.”

Luci groaned, then turned around. “Hey, kid.”

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t you go over there and talk to everyone else. We’re leaving in an hour.”

Jack looked over, “Okay.” He then walked over, hiding behind the ship as he saw the other three sitting by the ship’s engine. Another girl sat on a box, combing her long, brownish orange hair. A man walked around also, tall and burly, with a wide smile on his face.

“It must be boring under there.” The girl said. “Working on this thing all day.”

A female voice from under the ship responded, “It must be boring just sitting there not doing anything.”

“Ugh!” The girl feigned, “I do things!”

“Like sitting there and combing your hair?”

“Shut it, wrench girl! At least I don’t smell like a rusty old car!”

The burly man got in between them, that wide smile still remaining on his face. He put his arms between them. “Girls, girls. No fighting, you know what they say, a catfight leads to scratches.”

“Like I’d fight her.” Said the wrench girl confidently, “It’d be like hitting a pillow.”

“Oh! Do you know who you’re talking to?”

Jack walked up to them, awkwardly waving as he stepped into their vision. The burly man welcomed him.

“Why, hello there! What makes you join us on this journey?”

Jack was taken aback, “Oh, me? Heh, i shot a soldier.”

“What?!” The cocky girl shouted, “Not even I could manage that!”

“Well, we should introduce ourselves, now shouldn’t we?” The man spoke up suddenly, interrupting her rant. The girl groaned. 

“I’m Amber, the greatest criminal in the seven realms!”

“What did you do?” Asked Jack, curiously. He got a blank stare in response.

“I… I… killed a guy, like you did!”

“She actually stole a gun.”

Amber turned her attention to the other girl, her face bright red. “Why you little-!”

“My name is Katrina, you can call me Kat, Katie, whatever. As long as it isn’t silly.”

Jack shook her hand, and the burly man stood there, that wide smile still brandished between his lips.

“I’m Barrett! I stole a loaf of bread for my family, which somehow brought me here!”

“You sound pretty happy about it.”

He shrank a little, “Well, the bright side is always much more fun than the dark one, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Tyson walked over, a massive sword in his hand. It’s hilt was the size of Jack’s head, the blade tapping the ground with each movement. It was an elegant one, though, the blood splatters on the top represented a bit more than beauty.

“We’re leaving.” He said bluntly.

Katrina objected, “But I’m not finished with the repairs yet!”

“There are no repairs to be done. You just like taking stuff apart and putting it back together.”

She sighed, grabbing her tools and walking towards the front. The other girl grabbed Jack’s collar, pulling him to her eye level.

“You might’ve killed a soldier, but trust me rookie, you haven’t seen anything yet!”

“I-“

She shoved him away, knocking him into the ship. He looked up at it, a massive decal reading: “The Demon” was plastered on the side. He followed them to the front of the ship, each person pulling the few belongings they had into it.

“You ready?” Asked Luci, a cigarette hanging from her lips.

“Oh, uh, I don’t know. I mean, space? Isn’t that where the empress is?”

“Independent ships pass through the empire’s air space all the time. Spoke up Tyson, who walked over with his sword in hand, “Our job is to find sanctuary for ourselves. Finding a planet that’s free of her wrath will be hard, but it’s our only choice.”

“And we’re gonna help along the way, aren’t we?” Asked Luci, sardonically.

“If we can. Though, I don’t really know how you wish to do that.”

“Stop soldiers from committing genocide. It’s that simple.”

He began to yell, “But then they’ll realize when we’re gone, and go back to kill them!”

“You don’t know that!”

“I do! Because that’s what they do! She sends her soldiers to kill in the name of the serpent, and they do her bidding! A little obstacle doesn’t matter!”

Luci scoffed, “You’re just scared.”

“I am scared! You’re not taking anything into account! And if we get caught, and we get arrested, it’s our heads! It’s my job to protect all of you, and that includes you, Amber, Kat, the kid, everyone! I’m not gonna have you all die because of a headstrong stupidity.”

“It’s not stupid to help people!” Luci responded.

“I’m done. I’m not arguing with you. Just get on the ship.”

Tyson walked up the ramp onto the ship, leaving Luci fuming behind him. Jack walked up behind her. 

“Are you okay?” He asked.

She paused, taking a puff and throwing her cigarette on the ground. “That hardheaded asshole will get it one of these days, I promise you.” She looked down at Jack, a frustrated glare in her eyes. “If you grow up to be like him, I’ll blow your brains out.”

“I’m 17, but thanks.”

She groaned, then walked up the ramp herself. Jack followed immediately, looking at the ship’s barren inside. The ramp went up behind him, and the engines fire rattled the sarcophagus. He fell over, sliding towards the wall as it took off, and shot into the atmosphere. 

Jack got up off the ground, staring out the only window in the place. He saw the blackened void of space, only broken up by stars that he’d never even dreamed of seeing up close. 

And so, the adventure began, and Jack felt a twinge of excitement for the first time in days. It was happening, he was in space… with a bunch of fugitives, just like him. He didn’t dwell on that too much, instead still staring out the window, mesmerized by the space he’d never seen before.

And to think, this was only the beginning.