Land Of F.E.A.R
Hero
I'm a loaded gun
An only son
But I'm nobody's hero
The fire crackled, the sparks flying up towards the cloudless night sky and Perry could only smile as she stood as close as possible. The nights were cold these days-winter had fallen on them as it was now February and she knew if they lived anywhere other than this desert that there would be the threat of snow. Perry had never seen snow-she had seen it in books, but never in person-and as she stood by the fire with little Odette to her left, Perry tried to decide which she wanted to see first, snow or the ocean? Persephone smiled, her face glowing from the fire and she couldn’t help but look down at the small girl at her side. Odette was just like she and Andy-her brother Mark had passed a few days ago from injuries sustained in a raid on HQ and now the small girl was an orphan of the Legion.
Persephone hadn’t known what to think when the group that had left for the raid-she had chosen to stay behind this time-and then come back with Mark being carried. His injuries didn’t look too bad-a broken nose, some cuts on his legs and he had a large gash across the back of his head. He had even laughed at her when she had rushed over and yet even then Perry could see the fear in his eyes. Days went by and yet Mark grew worse and worse. He couldn’t keep warm at night, he would toss and turn and the gash on the back of his head had become infected. They all woke one night to Odette’s screams and sadly there was nothing they could do. His funeral pyre had been the night before and now the group was surrounding the fire for a different reason.
It was almost time for their final battle with F.E.A.R.
The decision had been made once one of the scouts had come back from his travels and reported something none of them had been expecting-Wickenburg had been destroyed. F.E.A.R had dropped bombs on the small town, blasting it out of existence completely. They had all stood around the boy in shock and silence until more scouts began to show up reporting the same thing. One boy had managed to sneak in to a bar undetected-Guards were permitted to enter buildings that sold them alcohol-and he sat, shocked as he watched the television. Many small towns around the country were seeing the same fate as Wickenburg, including the small town Odessa had come from along with Andy’s town in Ohio. F.E.A.R was running scared-they could sense that their time of rule was coming to an end and they were becoming desperate for control.
Perry shook her head, coming back to reality and she noticed that Andy, Jinxx, Jake, Ashley and CC had all appeared before them, standing on a riser that over looked the crowd and the large fire. Andy looked grim-he hadn’t been eating much-and Perry could see the ring that was now sitting on his left ring finger. She had asked Jinxx about it the day before after catching a brief glimpse and he told her sadly that Andy and Odessa had planned to marry after defeating F.E.A.R and that they had bought rings. It seemed that Andy was now wearing it as a remembrance and Perry felt her heart grow sore. All of the other guys were standing on either side of Andy and Perry thought silently to herself that they all looked pretty terrified. This would be the last night for all of them to gather together-tomorrow morning at sun up they would again travel west to fight F.E.A.R-for the final time.
People had been arriving all day-from places as far away as England and Germany-all to fight F.E.A.R. It had to start here-in the Arizona desert because this is where it all started, this is where the Chancellor had chosen to reign from. Everyone grew silent as Andy raised his hands in the air and Persephone looked up, the fire before her burning in her eyes.
“Legion! Hear me!” Everyone got very quiet and as Perry stood and watched Andy speak she felt the chills run up and down her arms.
“We have fought a great fight! But with the rising sun we are possibly walking to our deaths! We have been through so much together…” He stopped and Perry noticed that Andy seemed to be looking at each and every one of them. They had been a huge group of over two hundred and now their numbers had been multiplied thanks to the overseas Legions that had joined them.
“Seeking out acceptance amongst peers, watching as our families have been broken and taken away from us one by one. I too have lost someone-someone I loved very much. She was taken away from me with the last raid. I will never get my Odessa back and I know some of you have lost loved ones in your lives as well. I can’t bring them back, but I can fight for them. We all should fight for those who have fallen.” He looked at them all, tugging on his leather jacket. Perry felt the tears sting her eyes and she knew it wasn’t from the smoke that was drifting towards her in the wind.
“This is the end! We could all die, but we are not afraid to die! We embrace our mortality because that is what makes us human! That is what separates us from the Army of F.E.A.R!” Perry felt her heart stop-she could die tomorrow…they all could.
“Fight with us! Bring your daggers and your spears! Fight with your fists and with your bodies! We fight together and we die together, but we do not die in vain! Are you with me?!” They all shouted, but Andy sighed-he knew they had more in them than that.
“We are fighting against F.E.A.R! We are telling them that we will not live by their laws or their rules. For we are many and we are strong! So! Legion of the Black-are you with us?!” They shouted, throwing their heads back as their voices rang out in a collective cry that could probably be heard for miles.
“I am not a hero.” There was a collection of boos and hisses and Perry made sure that hers were the loudest. Andy was a hero-all of the Wild Ones were heroes and even though they felt differently-the Legion of the Black would make them see it.
“You’re my hero Andy!” Someone shouted from the crowd and Persephone smirked as she saw Andy smile and shake his head. He cleared his throat, rubbed at his eyes and then looked right at her.
“I’m just a man. Just a man who had a vision and tried as hard as I could to make that vision happen. You all-the Legion-you are my heroes. Every day you rise up and move on, even though you all have lost more in your lives than seemed humanly possible. But here you are-still with me, still standing here and you’ll be standing here tomorrow, ready to walk off in to the desert and fight for what is right.” Andy said with sadness to his voice and Perry felt her heart stop. He was pulling and tugging at the band on his finger and she knew he was holding back tears.
“I had someone. Her name was Odessa and she was everything to me. CC also had someone-Marguerite Jones. They both perished at the hands of F.E.A.R-we have all lost people to F.E.A.R and it has to stop.” His eyes locked with hers and Perry only smiled and nodded.
It would stop, she would die trying to make it all come to a final end.
Perry watched as those around her tried to comfort one another and she smiled as Odette began to cling to her side. They had both lost everyone in their lives, but looking around it was pretty clear that not everyone was gone-the Legion was a big family all by itself. She hadn’t gotten to spend much time with the overseas Legions because Andy had her in strategy meetings almost daily, but Perry noticed that they didn’t look much different from everyone else.
They spoke with thick accents and some of them didn’t speak the same language as her, but none of it mattered. They were all here, standing under the same star filled sky and watching the same man who had brought all of them together. They were alike in their differences and they were alike in their hate for one man who had taken everything from them.
Andy had been furious when she had told him of everything she had seen when she had dream jumped into the Chancellor’s home and Perry understood why. Andy and the Wild Ones had been living without comfort for years, all for the greater good-all while the Chancellor had been living in lavish settings, claiming that it was for the greater good. It was unfair and she only wished that there was some way to get the word out to others. Perry knew that if the Guards knew of their masters living conditions that they would abandon him-they lived in small shacks all around the city and often went days without food and Perry knew that even they were growing tired of F.E.A.Rs half assed promises. A voice rang out and Perry snapped her head up to see that Andy was still speaking-he could speak for days if they let him. She only smiled softly and tried to focus on his words once again.
“We are the revelation! We are the future! We are the Legion that will haunt their nightmares for all eternity! This my friends-this is a family that is tried and true and we will stop at nothing until our family beats the odds!” He was shouting, his blue eyes filled with passion and fire-glowing red from the flames that continued to grow towards the sky.
“Ready yourselves tonight! Sharpen your weapons and tighten the strings on your armor! We meet in the old church tomorrow morning, we will gather there to ready ourselves and then it will be time. I want to thank our overseas Legions for joining us-fear not, your homelands will be the next target for us. I do know that once the Chancellor falls-F.E.A.R will fall with him and it will only be a matter of time before those who have been captured will be free. Cut the head off of the snake and the rest of that snake will soon die.”
“I cannot make promises of a brighter future-I don’t know what the future holds for any of you. But what I can promise is that you all will always have a home in the Legion. If ever you need someone-we will be there. If ever there is an injustice in your lives-we will be there. The Legion of the Black is always there. For we are Legion. For we are many. Never forget that! Never forget us! Most of all-never, ever forget them…the fallen.” Andy stopped speaking and as he was now finally standing still-man he liked to pace when he spoke-Perry could see the tears running down his cheeks.
All of them stood around the fire and all of them were focused on the same thing-the dancing flames that lit up the night sky. They had all lost so much-walls had come crumbling down and yet here they were-together. They had lost families, friends, homes and loves, but they had yet to lose one another. As Perry stood there and caught Andy’s eye, they shared a smile and knew-they would always have one another.
An only son
But I'm nobody's hero
The fire crackled, the sparks flying up towards the cloudless night sky and Perry could only smile as she stood as close as possible. The nights were cold these days-winter had fallen on them as it was now February and she knew if they lived anywhere other than this desert that there would be the threat of snow. Perry had never seen snow-she had seen it in books, but never in person-and as she stood by the fire with little Odette to her left, Perry tried to decide which she wanted to see first, snow or the ocean? Persephone smiled, her face glowing from the fire and she couldn’t help but look down at the small girl at her side. Odette was just like she and Andy-her brother Mark had passed a few days ago from injuries sustained in a raid on HQ and now the small girl was an orphan of the Legion.
Persephone hadn’t known what to think when the group that had left for the raid-she had chosen to stay behind this time-and then come back with Mark being carried. His injuries didn’t look too bad-a broken nose, some cuts on his legs and he had a large gash across the back of his head. He had even laughed at her when she had rushed over and yet even then Perry could see the fear in his eyes. Days went by and yet Mark grew worse and worse. He couldn’t keep warm at night, he would toss and turn and the gash on the back of his head had become infected. They all woke one night to Odette’s screams and sadly there was nothing they could do. His funeral pyre had been the night before and now the group was surrounding the fire for a different reason.
It was almost time for their final battle with F.E.A.R.
The decision had been made once one of the scouts had come back from his travels and reported something none of them had been expecting-Wickenburg had been destroyed. F.E.A.R had dropped bombs on the small town, blasting it out of existence completely. They had all stood around the boy in shock and silence until more scouts began to show up reporting the same thing. One boy had managed to sneak in to a bar undetected-Guards were permitted to enter buildings that sold them alcohol-and he sat, shocked as he watched the television. Many small towns around the country were seeing the same fate as Wickenburg, including the small town Odessa had come from along with Andy’s town in Ohio. F.E.A.R was running scared-they could sense that their time of rule was coming to an end and they were becoming desperate for control.
Perry shook her head, coming back to reality and she noticed that Andy, Jinxx, Jake, Ashley and CC had all appeared before them, standing on a riser that over looked the crowd and the large fire. Andy looked grim-he hadn’t been eating much-and Perry could see the ring that was now sitting on his left ring finger. She had asked Jinxx about it the day before after catching a brief glimpse and he told her sadly that Andy and Odessa had planned to marry after defeating F.E.A.R and that they had bought rings. It seemed that Andy was now wearing it as a remembrance and Perry felt her heart grow sore. All of the other guys were standing on either side of Andy and Perry thought silently to herself that they all looked pretty terrified. This would be the last night for all of them to gather together-tomorrow morning at sun up they would again travel west to fight F.E.A.R-for the final time.
People had been arriving all day-from places as far away as England and Germany-all to fight F.E.A.R. It had to start here-in the Arizona desert because this is where it all started, this is where the Chancellor had chosen to reign from. Everyone grew silent as Andy raised his hands in the air and Persephone looked up, the fire before her burning in her eyes.
“Legion! Hear me!” Everyone got very quiet and as Perry stood and watched Andy speak she felt the chills run up and down her arms.
“We have fought a great fight! But with the rising sun we are possibly walking to our deaths! We have been through so much together…” He stopped and Perry noticed that Andy seemed to be looking at each and every one of them. They had been a huge group of over two hundred and now their numbers had been multiplied thanks to the overseas Legions that had joined them.
“Seeking out acceptance amongst peers, watching as our families have been broken and taken away from us one by one. I too have lost someone-someone I loved very much. She was taken away from me with the last raid. I will never get my Odessa back and I know some of you have lost loved ones in your lives as well. I can’t bring them back, but I can fight for them. We all should fight for those who have fallen.” He looked at them all, tugging on his leather jacket. Perry felt the tears sting her eyes and she knew it wasn’t from the smoke that was drifting towards her in the wind.
“This is the end! We could all die, but we are not afraid to die! We embrace our mortality because that is what makes us human! That is what separates us from the Army of F.E.A.R!” Perry felt her heart stop-she could die tomorrow…they all could.
“Fight with us! Bring your daggers and your spears! Fight with your fists and with your bodies! We fight together and we die together, but we do not die in vain! Are you with me?!” They all shouted, but Andy sighed-he knew they had more in them than that.
“We are fighting against F.E.A.R! We are telling them that we will not live by their laws or their rules. For we are many and we are strong! So! Legion of the Black-are you with us?!” They shouted, throwing their heads back as their voices rang out in a collective cry that could probably be heard for miles.
“I am not a hero.” There was a collection of boos and hisses and Perry made sure that hers were the loudest. Andy was a hero-all of the Wild Ones were heroes and even though they felt differently-the Legion of the Black would make them see it.
“You’re my hero Andy!” Someone shouted from the crowd and Persephone smirked as she saw Andy smile and shake his head. He cleared his throat, rubbed at his eyes and then looked right at her.
“I’m just a man. Just a man who had a vision and tried as hard as I could to make that vision happen. You all-the Legion-you are my heroes. Every day you rise up and move on, even though you all have lost more in your lives than seemed humanly possible. But here you are-still with me, still standing here and you’ll be standing here tomorrow, ready to walk off in to the desert and fight for what is right.” Andy said with sadness to his voice and Perry felt her heart stop. He was pulling and tugging at the band on his finger and she knew he was holding back tears.
“I had someone. Her name was Odessa and she was everything to me. CC also had someone-Marguerite Jones. They both perished at the hands of F.E.A.R-we have all lost people to F.E.A.R and it has to stop.” His eyes locked with hers and Perry only smiled and nodded.
It would stop, she would die trying to make it all come to a final end.
Perry watched as those around her tried to comfort one another and she smiled as Odette began to cling to her side. They had both lost everyone in their lives, but looking around it was pretty clear that not everyone was gone-the Legion was a big family all by itself. She hadn’t gotten to spend much time with the overseas Legions because Andy had her in strategy meetings almost daily, but Perry noticed that they didn’t look much different from everyone else.
They spoke with thick accents and some of them didn’t speak the same language as her, but none of it mattered. They were all here, standing under the same star filled sky and watching the same man who had brought all of them together. They were alike in their differences and they were alike in their hate for one man who had taken everything from them.
Andy had been furious when she had told him of everything she had seen when she had dream jumped into the Chancellor’s home and Perry understood why. Andy and the Wild Ones had been living without comfort for years, all for the greater good-all while the Chancellor had been living in lavish settings, claiming that it was for the greater good. It was unfair and she only wished that there was some way to get the word out to others. Perry knew that if the Guards knew of their masters living conditions that they would abandon him-they lived in small shacks all around the city and often went days without food and Perry knew that even they were growing tired of F.E.A.Rs half assed promises. A voice rang out and Perry snapped her head up to see that Andy was still speaking-he could speak for days if they let him. She only smiled softly and tried to focus on his words once again.
“We are the revelation! We are the future! We are the Legion that will haunt their nightmares for all eternity! This my friends-this is a family that is tried and true and we will stop at nothing until our family beats the odds!” He was shouting, his blue eyes filled with passion and fire-glowing red from the flames that continued to grow towards the sky.
“Ready yourselves tonight! Sharpen your weapons and tighten the strings on your armor! We meet in the old church tomorrow morning, we will gather there to ready ourselves and then it will be time. I want to thank our overseas Legions for joining us-fear not, your homelands will be the next target for us. I do know that once the Chancellor falls-F.E.A.R will fall with him and it will only be a matter of time before those who have been captured will be free. Cut the head off of the snake and the rest of that snake will soon die.”
“I cannot make promises of a brighter future-I don’t know what the future holds for any of you. But what I can promise is that you all will always have a home in the Legion. If ever you need someone-we will be there. If ever there is an injustice in your lives-we will be there. The Legion of the Black is always there. For we are Legion. For we are many. Never forget that! Never forget us! Most of all-never, ever forget them…the fallen.” Andy stopped speaking and as he was now finally standing still-man he liked to pace when he spoke-Perry could see the tears running down his cheeks.
All of them stood around the fire and all of them were focused on the same thing-the dancing flames that lit up the night sky. They had all lost so much-walls had come crumbling down and yet here they were-together. They had lost families, friends, homes and loves, but they had yet to lose one another. As Perry stood there and caught Andy’s eye, they shared a smile and knew-they would always have one another.
Notes
Are you guys getting bored? The lack of reviews for this story makes me thing so. Perhaps I should kill someone off sooner than planned?
Andy maybe?
Love the story Brandie! ;)
7/7/14