Up and Under the Earth {Short Story}

    There was a shadow, no, many shadows. As I peered around myself, all I saw were countless bodies of fellow soldiers falling beside me. One single gunshot rung out through the air, but this time it was different. As if thunder had clapped, a young woman fell to the ground lifelessly. I just stood there paralyzed, watching with wide eyes. Dark, oozing red blood sloshed out of the open  wound in her head. Then, I realized a key point I had missed. It was that girl. 

My eyes cracked open and I was back in the boy’s trainees dorm, in the threatening darkness. 

“How do I know her?” I thought tiredly. “She didn’t seem familiar-” My thoughts were cut off immediately when my military roommate, Erick, sat up noisily. 

“Ugh.” He began the day off crossly. “Just because we’re soldiers of the Underground Military doesn’t mean we should have to get up so early.”

Laughing at his hesitant voice, I replied, “ It’s the exact opposite, we have to get up so early because we’re part of the Military.” Getting up from my cot, I added bluntly, “But I feel you.” 

Quickly, I dressed into black sweatpants and a navy blue hoodie with gray tennis shoes. I heard Erick yell a quick, “Wait up, Brandon!” but I kept speed walking. As I strolled through the dimly lit corridor, I peered out a window. It reflected darkness back at me and I sighed. No light Underground, huh? I started thinking of the Above World, or so the “administrators” of the Underground called it, but I’d never seen it. I highly doubted that any of the trainees had. We were all just Underground already, never questioned why or how. All we knew was that everyone grew up here. Suddenly, I heard some higher-up officers whispering around the corner, so I only caught bits and pieces of nervousness lacing their voices. Shrugging it off, I hurried to the mess hall for breakfast. The other trainees were already seated as I got my share of glistening slop and quietly sat down. Soon, more whispers reached my ears.

“Did you hear?”

“What?”

“We’re getting a new Lieutenant General to command us today!”

What? No way! Who is it?”

For a while, I became interested and listened intently. I froze up when someone mentioned that she was the General’s daughter. The overall, grumpy old General who has only one daughter who no one had ever seen or met, but the stories of her were legend. I slowly lowered my spoon from my mouth in an exasperated manner. “Great, just great,” I thought unhappily. “These last few months of training are gonna be bootcamp if she’s the General’s daughter…” The mess hall’s white, opal door slammed open right as my thoughts drifted off. A young woman with dark red hair that reached below her shoulders and golden highlights stood in the doorway, glaring at us like we were lab rats. 

“Tch.” she spat out viciously. “What a load of weaklings this year’s trainees look like.”

Erick bolted up and retorted, “At least we’ve worked hard over these past months and are fighting for humanity! Unlike someone who probably gets pampered and can’t even fight!”

“Dude,” I muttered under my breath to him, “Shut up!” Placing my hand on his shoulder, I tried to force him to sit back down but he stood tall, returning her deadly gaze. I saw the Lieutenant General stalk up to him, and peered at his face. 

“Hmm,” she began. “What’s your name?”

“Erick Lionheart.” he said with a tone of disgust.

“Well, Erick. Nice to meet you, I’m your new Lieutenant General, Julia Hex. So you better pay attention while training or I’ll kick your sorry butt out of the Underground and force you to the Above World!” she laughed as she pulled him by the collar to stare into her eyes.

Many trainees gasped, because they would never even think about the Above World, too scared to even ask how she knew about it. Smirking now, Lieutenant General Julia faced us all and spoke once more.

“Nice to meet you all, but I have lots of work to do. Get ready for hardcore training tomorrow!” she giggled out like she wasn’t screaming a minute ago.

I stared at her retreating figure, thinking only one thing. 

“She is bipolar…”

The next dreary day, all of us trainees stood on the metal plates of the workout rooms. She asked us to just call her Commander Hex, which was much easier. To my surprise, she took her sweet time asking us all of our names, determined to memorize all of them. When I saw her gaze travel towards me, I looked at the floor hesitantly. Not like I was one to talk all the time or be so enthusiastic anyways. Her boots walked into my vision so I finally looked up. Her eyes were a shining jade green, with sleek eyelashes that flicked outwards. The red and golden hair of her’s was generally in two pigtails that reached just below her shoulder as I saw it flow from the air conditioning. Then, I flinched when she yelled for me to answer her question. I took a guess with what she had been asking. 

“I-I’m Brandon Rosai.” I replied as calmly as I could.

“Rose-i.” she sounded out, testing the unfamiliar name on her tongue. “I like that name, it’s pretty. Good for you.” She just smiled with a jovial look at my flustered face and carried on to the next person. I felt like she could see right through my emotions and movements because I watched carefully as she studied us all. 

After everyone was done, she called me over. 

“You wanted to talk, Commander Hex?” I saluted her speedily. 

“No need to be so formal, kid. I just noticed something about you.” She paused. “You don’t really talk to the other kids much, huh?”

The question took me by surprise. “Um, no, not really. I guess you could say that… I don’t really feel cut out for the Military.”

Grinning, she replied, “I believe you are, with that shaved head, golden eyes and all. You got the looks, but here’s the thing, we need to catch you up with the other’s training. Or else, you’ll never survive a real war.”

I nodded in agreement. “What do you suggest?”

“Five thirty a.m. in the morning. You meet me in the workout station and I’ll train you myself. no biggie right? I just want all my soldiers to survive.” Turning around, I watched as she flipped her hair across her shoulders and shut the door closed. Falling asleep that night wasn’t that easy, to be honest.

Commander Hex strutted down the bland hallways fast and quietly to not wake anyone. She slipped into the trainees room and lifted Brandon carefully so he did not awaken. Then, when she got outside into the misty, cold air, she threw him onto the dew covered grass. “WAKE UP!” she yelled impatiently.

Waking up, I prayed that wouldn’t happen but as it turns out, it did. Just like in my dream, she tiptoed into Erick and I’s dorm at five thirty in the early morning just to throw me on the Underground’s artificial grass. I rubbed my lower back impatiently. 

“What the- Why did you throw me down?” I said significantly. 

Suddenly, I felt a stinging pain launch across my right cheek, as simple but steady slap. 

“Don’t forget that you’re talking this way to a superior, Brandon.” she hissed.

Nodding, I got up and prepared to train like I was running from bootcamp, and technically, I wish I was. 

Many months passed, Commander Hex waking me up to train early, I was improving so well, almost getting top of the class. It was in these short months that I remembered most clearly. Julia Hex was opening up to a trainee like me, helping me while I struggled to get stronger and more confident. She was willingly offering help, and that’s when I entrusted her with my life during any mission. We became close, too close for the General’s-her father’s- liking. One day, she came to me sobbing and I didn’t know what to do. Sparkling tears rolled down her cheeks, and that’s when I gazed at her hair. The long, straight, clean-cut locks had been slashed off unevenly, and she looked worn out. When I asked what happened, she clenched onto me tighter and I held her until she calmed down. The words clearly resounded in my mind.

“Y-You can’t tell anyone Brandon, promise me.” She choked out, frowning with tears spilling off her cheeks. “My father, the General, he doesn’t trust us. He thinks that I would tell you sooner or later about that. I begged to him I wouldn’t but since we got so close, I considered telling you in pieces so it wouldn’t come as a shock, but still… When he decided that we weren’t to see each other, I protested of course. That was a few minutes ago… we fought with our fists, and as a result, he cut off the hair my mom had loved of my traits, and has sent an order out that will betray and deceive all of us.”

Pausing, I lifted my gun up to defend myself and everyone who still survived. 

“He’s going to let us known the secret, and enter the Above World.”

But that was in the past when Julia had told me those words. Now, General Hex had told us who we trainees were, just orphans from the Above World, kidnapped and brought down to the Underground to be trained as soldiers. At first, everyone was stunned, but then the rioting started. Everyone wanted for the administrator’s and General to tell them that wasn’t true, but they refused to release any more information until we all left. Nobody knew why they were allowing us permission out, but I was estatic. My goal in life, to become strong enough to leave was finally coming true. So, we got out, even though General Hex was not trusted anymore we still followed him to as our only hope out. After, we discovered what a beautiful but cruel place the Above World could be, but that was in the past.

My shaking hands kept my gun positioned at the General, seeing as I was close to crying. When we arrived, everyone that used to live Above was dead. No sign of life, just a big bloody massacre. My only yearning had come true, to escape but only to find all other’s were dead. Julia came up behind me protesting, but I did not care. My whole world was collapsing around me as I pulled the silvery trigger at her father and fell to the cold, crude ground. 

The last peaceful moment I remember after that, was Julia Hex’s pale lips against mine as I regained my consciousness. Then, she pulled away, whispering soothing and relieving words into my ear.

“Thank you, Brandon.” her voice was shaking as she spoke. “You helped save us and now, I believe you could lead all of humanity into any situation. Congrats, you passed.” She choked on tears while laughing painfully, and I tugged her into a toasty hug. 

“It’s okay…” I thought gratefully, as I peered around at our new world. It was covered in bright dewy grass and wildlife. Another thought reached my mind that I hadn’t questioned in what seemed like forever. “Who was that girl in my dream…? Ah, it was Julia Hex.” Wistfully, I buried my head into her shoulder more. “But war’s not a threat anymore to me. She alive and we survived.”