Part 5 (might as well)

We did this for a few months, spending all day at the fort, going hunting before dark, and then returning to town with fresh meet and food from the greenhouse. From the day we found the secret base I mostly stopped letting boys join the youngsters. I only let three kids in during this time. Jose was actually studying to be an airplane pilot, so I agreed to let him help us out. Grant and Matt were both into hunting and they both had their own equipment. Apparently they were out hunting when the storm hit. The storm is what people had started calling the attack that... Well, you know what happened...

Winter in town was hard, as we expected, but just about everyone survived. Gramps was very good at organizing people and keeping everyone calm, even through some of the toughest storms. Soon it was Spring, and then summer. The town was becoming very healthy. We had farms built, and medical re-advancements (we had an actual doctor). We also found a couple other towns like ours, and developed some trade with them. Turns out an entire hospital had survived and they were trying to take care of all the patients. So we traded work for medicine. 

Unfortunately not everyone on earth was settling down and rebuilding. One summer evening after a church meeting our town was raided. Nobody was hurt, but a small group of refuges came and stole food from our stores at gunpoint. I doubt they had any ammo but I wasn't going to risk it. After that I volunteered the youngsters to help patrol the town and build a wall. If you've ever read Nehemiah (book of the Bible) then you can get an idea of what it was like in our town after we found that there might be enemy threats. Everyone pitched in to build the wall. Gramps assigned where everyone would build (as close to their own home as possible). Eventually we weren't only a town but a fort, and we didn't have much trouble after that. I mean who wants to go up against a town full of prepared healthy people that are defending their homes. 

I still had the youngsters patrol the walls and the granary, each with a concealed hand gun. I still didn't want anyone to know we had found real weapons. I mean we're kids. They'd probably take them away and tell us  to sit in the corner or something.

Then it happened...A group people of people in our little town were especially angry about the storm and decided to go out to the nearest bombing site and mess around with the red field of posts. Gramps was against the little raid and tried to convince the people not to go, but they didn't listen. All the youngsters were in town due to the fact that it was Saturday, and none of them left with the mob.
The nearest bomb site was about a mile away, so sometimes we could hear the banging and crashing of hammers and rocks on metal posts. Everyone who stayed in town waited for about six hours for the angry mob to return. After all those hours of listening to the clanging coming from the bomb site everyone was surprised and frightened by the sound of an explosion. At the time I was sitting and talking to Gramps in front of his little hut, but as soon as I heard the loud boom I ran to the wall. One of the younglings, Grant actually, was patrolling the wall and was looking toward the site for a few seconds before turning to me and yelling "Hostile aircraft spotted sir!" I knew it was directed toward me and that he was waiting for my orders but for a minute I was stuck. My heart stopped, my brain shut down. I had a flash back of standing in front of my old church youth group to present the memory verse. I remembered standing there and, after all the preparation I had gone through, being unable to put my thoughts into words. I realized the reason I didn't wan to be a leader was because I was afraid. I was afraid to be responsible for people's lives.Another explosion woke me from my daze. This was real and now. I had to be a leader, no matter how much I didn't want to.
"Get your brother and go to the fort!" I yelled to Grant. I saw Zach come from around the corner of the big house that started our town. "Zach, get all the boys and meet me at the western gate! Gramps get all the men ready for... anything! everyone else should get inside and hide. Don't put them in the bit house that might be the first target in an attack on the village." I stopped for a moment, realizing that I had just told basically the mayor what to do. Gramps just looked at me, smiled a little, and started to carry out my orders. Then I ran to the gate, calling all the youngsters I saw on the way to follow me.
When I got there I found that Hammy was there with Jose and Shawn. "You three," I said to them,"stay here and help Gramps."
I waited another minute for Zach to round up  a few more boys. When they were all assembled in front of the gate I took the lead and opened the gate as we heard another explosion. Was it just me or was that one closer that time.
It took us three minutes to get a wooded area near the river and find the first villager. He was running toward us at full speed yelling "They're back! Run!" A few of my boys slowed down a little. I wanted nothing but to run the other way. My mind was telling me to panic and try to save myself. I knew though, that I had to do something. I lead my team past more scared running people. Some of them were limping and one was being carried.
I looked up and hovering over us was a round metal sphere about the size of a basketball. The whole thing began to glow green. Then the green concentrated to one point on the ball. I had seen enough Doctor Who to know what happened next. "Everybody down!" I yelled, and my team jumped to the ground, hiding behind trees and rocks. I ducked as a beam of green light flew over my head and and exploded behind me. I was thrown forward by the explosion but somewhat safely landed on a rock-free patch of grass. I had very little time to be thankful for my soft landing though, because the orb had began to glow again. "Fire!" I was surprised to find my voice squeak a little as I grabbed for my hidden weapon. Soon my whole team was shooting at the ball. The bullets only left little dents in the metal. The glowing started to gather on the orb and it was pointing to the middle of the group. "Spread out!" Everyone ran in different directions. The beam missed. I jumped to my right, got behind a large rock and took aim, as the sphere began to glow again. This time the glow seemed to be focusing on me. I shot, but the bullet glanced of the side of the ball. everything was in slow motion. The green light was almost completely concentrated. I shot again. The bullet flew and hit the orb right in it's center, right in the point where the glow was gathering. And Bang! no more metal basketball.
I was so relieved to have killed it. I could now go back to the village and sit in my hut and rest. Just as I started climbing out of my hiding spot a green light shot in front of my vision and a tree exploded to my left I shielded my eyes with my arms as splinters flew everywhere. The explosion was close enough to knock me on my back, this time on the rock I was hiding behind. As I tried to regain my breath I heard more gunshots and rolled over. There in front of me were two more orbs. "Aim for the glow! Wait till the last second!" I hoped everyone heard me. As the orbs prepared to fire I aimed for the bright point. I fired, but the exploding sound wasn't coming from my target. I had missed and the beam had landed right next to a tree that one of my men was behind. I heard him yell in pain as the explosion threw him into the open. Caleb's legs were badly burned and he was plastered with dirt. He laid there moaning, but not moving. Both orbs begin take aim on him. I pulled myself to my feet and fired madly at one of the spheres. Then I saw Sam run to Caleb, grab his arms and start pulling him behind cover. I knew I couldn't hit that tiny point again. the first time was luck. Just as the orbs are about to fire and kill Caleb and Sam, a rocket flies over my head. It shatters one orb and the explosion pushes the other through the air, causing it to miss it's target.
I turned around to see Matt driving a jeep, and Grant in the passenger seat with an RPG on his shoulder and an M4 strapped to his back. Grant was loading another rocket and staring wide eyed at the enemy. I faced the enemy again with new hope. I crouched behind my rock and took aim. The ball was now focusing it's glow on the jeep I pulled the trigger nothing happened... really, out of ammo? Not cool. Matt pulled a shotgun out from next to his seat and took a one handed shot at the orb. Just as the beam began to form the air was filled with orb shards and the sound of victory!

So there's a little action for you. I'm kinda experimenting with this story so honest feedback is cool. Even if you don't like it I give you permission to say so. I want Your opinion so go ahead and comment, and you can be totally honest... ish