《Eyes of Bloodshed》Chapter 12 - Gregory Brine
Advertisement
Gregory’s palms were sweaty as he held the microphone in his hand. He had never addressed their viewers with something so real and terrifying before, though that hadn’t stopped him from offering to report from the scene.
He had been on the Remdian border reporting about a new plant species they had discovered when the invasion took place. He felt reporting live from the scene had the chance to either make his career or provide aid to Caledornians struggling to understand the magnitude of the invasion. So, he called the studio and offered to cover the invasion live.
Gregory and his crew had set up some distance away from the action, barricaded behind a cement fence, should things escalate. They could see the whole street, but they had cover, or so Gregory hoped.
“H-hello, everyone,” he started weakly, a slight tremble in his voice as the soldier’s footsteps echoed in the distance. Most local Caledornian’s had long since fled the streets, opting to stay inside or flee. A few brave souls lingered outside, curiosity getting the better of them. Gregory was one of them, still consumed by the idea that this would end before it began.
Gregory took a deep breath, calming his nerves before speaking again. “It is with great sorrow I deliver this news. Remdia is invading, though they seem to be peaceful as of now. No gunshots or offensive actions have been heard or seen. As of now they are simply marching. To where, we have yet to determine.”
He stepped out of the frame of the camera. His cameraman zoomed in on the marching soldiers, armed and holding their weapons high. Each man and woman wore a dark red uniform, uncannily reminiscent of blood.
Gregory watched the scene, confused as to why Caledorn wasn’t defending itself. His government hadn’t sent the troops to stop them, nor to greet them at the border. From his perspective, Caledorn was laying down the gauntlet and letting Remdia take control.
Advertisement
“As of yet, we don’t know what action Caledorn is planning in retaliation, nor if there will be any retaliation. We’re reporting live and as you can see, Remdia is invading and meeting no resistance as of yet.”
As Gregory spoke the final words, he looked back at his cameraman. He lifted an eyebrow as if asking what else he should say. The young man behind the camera shrugged at him. Gregory sighed, almost disappointed by the lack of information he had to give.
They were filming people walking, it hardly seemed like something worthy of reporting on. Gregory watched them for a moment, hoping something would happen.
A loud bang forced Gregory to suddenly feel the ignorance of his own thoughts.
The first gun shot rang through that quiet street of Caledorn.
Gregory’s eyes snapped towards the sound of the horrific sound, the hairs on his body instantly erect as he perceived a threat.
The soldiers stopped their march. They stood in eerie rows, unmoving. The brave Caledorn lurkers took cover behind any wall that stood close to them.
Still off camera, Gregory whispered into his microphone, “We’ve just heard a gunshot. We have no idea who shot the firearm, nor if anyone was injured. All we can see from this angle is the troops have stopped moving.”
He instinctually ducked further behind the cement wall he had been standing behind. With just his head poking out, he realized he wasn’t as scared as he thought he’d be. He was brave enough to cover a wartime event, live nonetheless. He’d once considered joining the military like his father but had decided he didn’t have the stomach for it. He instead followed a path of media and filming, not death. Whatever compelled him to venture to that harrowing street showed him that his father had rubbed off on him more than he was aware.
There, he stood, well, crouched in a potentially deadly situation proud to be the one to deliver this manic news. The only regret he had was never asking his beautiful blonde neighbor on a date.
Advertisement
Making up his mind, he spun towards the terrified cameraman. Gesturing with his hand, his finger spinning in circles, he mouthed, “Keep rolling.”
The cameraman hesitated, shocked by the gunshot and confused by Gregory.
“Caledorn needs to see this,” Gregory mouthed. “This war is real.”
Just as the cameraman raised his hand to zoom in on the scene, another gun shot rang out from the silence.
Gregory once again glanced down the street, instantly wishing he hadn’t.
Someone clutching their abdomen fell in the street, a Remdian soldier, who had broken formation to step forward ten paces, stood over them.
A singular moment of silence engulfed the scene, everyone too stunned to react.
Then, the screams began. Screams from onlookers from the street. Screams from residents in their houses. Screams from every direction filled the once quiet area with a tangible fear.
Gregory saw the scene unfold in his peripherals, but his eyes were still locked on that fallen body, somehow too engrossed to look away.
People fled from their homes, racing panickedly to their vehicles. Others sprinted from the scene, finally realizing the threat upon them.
“Greg!”
Gregory was violently pushed from his trance as his cameraman shoved him to the ground.
“Greg! We need to fucking leave! Now!”
He nodded numbly in response, unable to form a sentence. The vision of a human body lying in the street burned still at the forefront of his mind.
Every time he blinked, he saw it again.
His mind raced with questions as the chaos unraveled around him. Who was it? Who was the first victim? Was it a male or a female? Were they still alive?
He wasn’t sure if it was the journalist in him seeking answers or his military upbringing telling him to never leave someone behind, but Gregory stood. He stood and began walking towards the army. His feet moved on their own accord, for his brain knew that it was a horrible choice that would almost certainly result in his own death. Yet, he continued moving towards the person laying in the street. Obsessed with the mysterious person he had seen fall.
“Greg!” he heard someone scream from behind him.
He responded by pushing further into the fray. Men, women and children shoved him as he moved upstream against the panicked crowds.
He picked up his pace, sprinting towards a wall of enemy soldiers. The closer he got, the thinner the crowd he had to contend with got. The Remdian soldiers in the closing distance still stood perfectly still, the shooter long since fallen back into their line. They didn’t shoot, they didn’t flinch, they merely watched as everyone fled.
Gregory made it to the fallen victim, though he wasn’t the first person at the scene.
A young woman knelt over the body, sobbing. Her hands and sleeves were stained in red where she had her hands on the abdomen of the person. Her head dropped low as she wailed.
Gregory skidded to a halt, glancing over the situation. A young man, barely twenty in appearance, was shot in the stomach. He bent down and grasped the man’s neck with two fingers, begging to feel a pulse. There was none.
He glanced up as a thunderous clap boomed against the pavement. The soldiers began their march once more. Their footsteps slapping upon the road in perfect unison. They were moving closer.
Gregory looked at the boy, knowing he had already passed away. Then he glanced at the young woman crying, still very much alive.
“Jessie!” Gregory heard in the near distance. He glanced up to see an older couple waving manically at him, or more likely at the woman he was next to.
“Fuck,” Gregory mumbled to himself glancing back up at the nearing soldiers.
Advertisement
Reign of the Wallenstein
Born as a child soldier in a war-torn country, Joey was destined for bloodshed. He spent half of his life on the battlefield, trying his hardest to stay alive. Unfortunately, fate has another plan for him. Joey was involved in some unfortunate accident and died without glory to his name. And yet the death he was expecting didn't come for him. Reincarnated as a boy with the same name as him, Joey Wallenstein must make sense of his new reality while trying to evade his airhead mother's attempt in suffocating him to death. What happens when MHA meets Danmachi? Let's find out, shall we? Though I'm warning you, some characters might have their age altered by the whim of the author. So it might throw you out of the loop. Expect the unexpected!
8 222Awakening
A potent tale of self-discovery. Centuries ago, the prophetic Golden Age ended in war, and history spiraled into darkness... Now, only scholars retain the last portent of the mythic city A'lara, concealed in a distant glade for the advent of the dragon mage. At the edge of the Known World, the slave Larin escapes her new lord before she meets his dark masters. Deep in the mountains, the legendary elf Kingard awaits his call to battle. When young Darek flees imperial mages tasked to exterminate shape-shifters, he launches them all on a voyage to redeem their unsought destiny. United by fate and guided by prophesy, their growing band of fugitives journey for A'lara to fight the ancient evil infiltrating the capital. But looming over the gears of fate, their enemies follow the same prophesies. With the unknown close upon them, Kingard and his allies face a mortal quest to restore their infected empire. Praise for Awakening: If you love Anne McCaffrey, J.R.R. Tolkien and Tad Williams, then Awakening is a novel you will surely want to pick up. D.N.Frost is a consummate world-builder with a knack for creating characters that are complex and three-dimensional. Frost writes with graceful prose that is descriptive and well-edited. The plot is fast-paced and entertaining. What really sets this novel apart is the cartography, which is a spectacular accomplishment. Incredible world-building! - M.L. Spencer, author of The Rhenwars Saga ★★★★★ This novel was published in 2014, and it includes 19 antique watercolor maps! Check them out: Maps of Awakening: an atlas directory
8 140Cadorna Keep
After saving the world in "How to Be an Adventurer", and facing down ancient and uncaring evil in "Pillion's Fate" (to be released) the Dnd Adventuring group EoTtHUaARB secure yet another quest in their bid to become great heroes in the world of Gimmok. Can they succeed in a task that so many others have failed? Have they gained enough levels to overcome the challenge of the keep? And what is with these Gamer folks whose words keep becoming more and more clear to them, as if the veil between them is on the verge of collapse?This is a first draft Dnd GameLit Short and I welcome any sorts of comments on it as I try to make it better before releasing it perma free to everyone with any interest (and updating it here as well of course).
8 126The Magitons
Book 3 of the Universe Series This novel continues the adventure from the previous novel, Ocean of Dreams. Each novel is meant to stand alone. Widhbo ( pronounced "wee bow") is a MC who will be in each of the six novels in the main series. The starship Sora had been hurtling through space using its FTL propulsion system toward the Dezba star system for over a decade since leaving the planet Beldora of the Hellsaxe system. The Sora had crash landed on Beldora over a century earlier carrying a couple of aliens from another dimension. The ship came from the Borrugal Realm, a band world associated with what was known as the Tor Galaxy, what we call the Milky Way. Human life on Beldora was never the same. Under the influence of the alien known as Widhbo, Beldora was catapulted from the steam age to the space age. The majority of the scientific advances on Beldora were attributed to the leadership of a brilliant man, Jejliard Castonea, who was secretly manipulated by the alien, Widhbo. When rapid advances in technology inadvertently led to a nuclear war, Jejliard decided to evacuate his family, friends and co-workers on the Sora. The plan was to find a new habitable planet and rebuild civilization until they could safely return home. Much to his despair, Jejliard’s family and friends opted to stay on Beldora to ride out the war underground. Even the other alien, Gengor, stayed behind. Borrowing technology stored in the archives of the Sora, Widhbo managed to transfer the personalities of those staying on the planet into digital storage units known as magitons which could survive indefinitely in cold, sterile space. Living crew members who elected to stay on board the Sora were also uploaded to ensure immortality for everyone in case their life support systems failed en route. Widhbo sought to design a cyber paradise for everyone inside their virtual worlds, but things never go as planned where Widhbo is concerned.
8 199The Gunslinger: Rising of the Shield Hero X Male Reader Erron Black
Y/N, a teenage boy visiting Japan in the summer, he comes across a book in a shop that will change his life forever. Something magical happened and it will change his and many other lives. Legend states that there are 4 cardinal heros that will protect the world and the people from the Waves of Catastrophe. These 4 heros have their differences and it is a headache to all of the people. However, what nobody knew was that there was a second book that never was released. This book states there is a fifth hero in this world. A hero that is ahead of its time and has weapons nobody has seen before. Join Y/N as he learns about this new world and the true meaning behind it all. He will come across new friends and enemies. First attempt to write a Male Reader story. All credits to Mortal Kombat and Creators to The Rise of the Shield Hero
8 161half witch//five hargreeves Book 1
[Completed go read book 2 aboit to be released soon] yn is like the sparrow and umbrella but her power is why more stronger then Viktor and the world combined. She is now facing the world... again but with help [NOT SEXUALIZING JUST AN LOVE INTEREST]
8 167