Phil

Phil saw the massive shape of the missile coming long before it hit. He ran into his home and ushered his whole family to the basement. His mother-in-law, and grandparents had been staying with them. Phil pushed them along trying not to be impatient with their slow pace.

Phil slammed the basement door shut, hoping the tiny timber would somehow save their lives. He knew it was a long shot but was something.

Huddled in a group in their basement, Phil and his family waited for the inevitable. The violently shaking ground was the last thing any of them felt, as they screamed out for help.

Lance

Lance was riding his bike to work. He had been trying to be more eco-friendly in recent years. Beneath his helmet, his headphones were playing some mellow jazz music. With both layers pressed up against his ears he didn’t hear the chaotic cries of people in the streets.

Slowly, he started to notice their panic though. Everyone on the street had stopped to point at the sky. Curiosity getting the best of him, Lance stopped to have a look.

He glanced up just in time to see the bright lights of the fiery missile headed directly for him. He hopped back on his bike and pedaled his heart out. The heat incinerated him before he crossed the street.

Leslie

Leslie was sitting on a plane trying to flee from the war in Caledorn. She was praying it would end soon, but she didn’t want to wait until that happened.

She held a little pet carrier on her lap. Inside was her small and old cat, her longest friend. She would never have left Mr. Stinks behind. Leslie pet his head through the wire of the cage, looking out the window.

Suddenly, the other side of the plane seemed to pull the whole aircraft down. Leslie looked to her left and saw a massive hole in the plane where a missile had skimmed it. Just then she and her cat were ripped from their seats.

Jazz

Jazz was sitting in the car with the females of her family. They were fleeing the country like they’d been told to do. The men however were told to stay behind and fight. Jazz’s older brother was only a year older and a lot less mature. She worried about the safety of her twenty-year-old sibling.

Her mother, aunt and sister were singing to the radio. They were blissfully ignoring the situation at hand and attempting to lighten the mood.

Jazz saw the plane first. She screamed to her mother to turn the car in another direction, but it was too late. The bomb dropped on the road three cars ahead of them.

Jazz could do nothing but watch as the explosion engulfed her and her family.

Nial

Nail raised his gun to the Caledornian man, he was clearly homeless and hiding under a cardboard box in an alley. He had been told to kill everyone he saw, but this felt extreme. The man was clearly unarmed, he posed no threat.

The man begged for his life as he looked down the barrel of Nial’s weapon. Again, Nial hesitated, unable to pull the trigger. He shook his head to rid himself of the chaotic thoughts in his head.

In that split second, the homeless man had thrown an unseen hatchet at Nial. It cleaved into his neck and shoulder, hitting a main artery.

The man screamed apologies as he ran away. As Nial bled out in the alley, he saw the man gunned down by his comrades.

Kendra

Kendra jogged through the forest behind her house. She was aware of the war but was convinced Remdia was winning and thus she’d have nothing to worry about. She was on the winning side of this war and had the luxury of not stressing out because of it.

She ducked her head under branches and hopped over roots. She almost fell twice but managed to catch herself.

She glanced up to make sure she wasn’t going to hit another branch. She didn’t see a branch, she just saw a fiery wall tearing through the world around her.

She didn’t even get a chance to run. She died right there, in the middle of the woods.

Amy

Amy wept in a corner. She tried to stay quiet, knowing the red soldiers were right outside her window. She still made muffled cries though, it couldn’t be helped.

Her brother’s body laid on the ground in front of her, dead. He had been shot through the window of their home when he peered through the curtains.

She heard her front door slam open. Her whole body vibrated with fear as she heard footsteps nearing her location.

The soldier walked into her room and Amy screamed. He shot her brother once more then shot her in the head.

Monty

Monty was on the 23rd floor of a massive office building. He was filing paperwork in a windowless office. He wasn’t unhappy with his job, but he wasn’t happy either. He just existed.

He dreamed of finding a job that allowed him to travel. Monty got caught up in the daydream. He imagined blogging about his experiences as he drank Pina Coladas on a beach.

His dream abruptly ended when he heard a screech from the main office. He ran out to help whoever was in need.

The building started to shake and rumble before he could check on his coworker. He was crushed between the steel and cement of the building. The last thing he saw was that windowless room.

Arthur

Arthur had begged his partner to go to Remdia. The city life was meant to be amazing. They were from a neighboring country and had never seen the likes of a big city.

They had been there for a few weeks when the war broke out. To the rest of the world, Remdia was the guilty party in the war, so all their flights home were canceled. Arthur was on the phone with his consulate trying to find a way out of the country before matters escalated further.

His partner walked in the room and left a chaste kiss of support.

Neither saw the missile coming, both died instantly in their hotel, still trying to find a way home.

Victorie

Victorie stumbled through the street. She had survived the bombing, but she was gravely injured. Her head swam with confusion as she walked, disorientated. She saw all the rubble of the buildings.

The blood from her wounds left a dripping pattern in the mayhem behind her. She fell to her knees looking at the death that surrounded her.

People laid everywhere, all dead. It was silent for Victorie, bar the incessant ringing in her ears. Nothing made sense. Her whole world had ended in a matter of minutes. One false promise, one bad decision, one bomb. It had escalated to a point of no return.

Victorie laid down on the ground, surrounded by death.

Her eyes looked at the bloodshed before her, only permeated by a sudden burst of light.