Soldiers: Skyfall

"If you're reading this, We're the Bright family, we are heading to our cabin you can find us there."
--Note found in abandoned Trottingham home, search of the cabin revealed lack of occupancy for 8 months. Bright family officially listed as Missing.

Date: August 9th, 1666 CC
Time: 13:49
Name: Dasher
Location: Green Gables Apartments, Apt 4B

Dasher stepped into the hall that led to his apartment, his little sister clinging to his back having due to be carried to become too tired to run through the city. It had taken them hours to get home due to the sheer chaos the city was in as people fled in every direction. At one point they had to hide under a car as they watched a military tank in full retreat firing on a weird looking tank, the tank not caring what got in its path as it ran over cars and other things, luckily they were on a side street and had avoided notice.

Dasher’s shoulder hurt to move where the monster had hit him when it tried to grab his sister but he ignored it as he focused on getting home.

The two foals quickly made their way down the hall to their apartment and Dasher used the key their parents gave him in case of emergency to enter. “Mom! Dad!” he yelled as he rushed through the unlocked door.

There was no answer from the dark apartment.

He closed the door and set his sister down before going to check the apartment and found what he feared.

Their parents weren’t home.

He returned to his Sister who sat where he left her by the door.

“Where’s mommy and Daddy?” Sparkling asked.

“I’m sure they will be here soon…” He said as convincingly as he could. He knew they’d have been at work but they should have been home before them…..he hoped they didn't go to the school….

He forced that thought down and smiled at Sparkling. “How about I make us some lunch?” he asked and Sparking gave a small nod. He moved her to the living room and clicked on the TV to put cartoons on for her and was met with a staticy image of a reporter crouched behind an overturned car as gunfire and explosions sounded loudly. “--overrun….I say again Evacuation site Delta is in danger of being overrun and citizens must find alternative evacuation sites.” The reporter yelled into their mic to be heard over the gunfire. “I’m going to attempt to escape and continue to bring as up to date information as I learn it….This is Quick Scoop for KETB and I'll report again as soon as i can.” The reporter said before grabbing the camera, the view being tilted and showing EDF Troopers behind sandbags firing everything they had at an unseen foe before the feed cut and the screen was just static.

Dasher gulped and started flipping channels and was met with static or test signals till finally he shut off the TV. “um…..maybe things will be on later…”He said, shaken and quickly went to get some of his sister’s toys from her room.

Once he got her playing he went to the kitchen and turned on the stove glad the power was still on as he grabbed a box of mac and cheese and began to cook it, standing on a chair so he could see well enough.

Shortly he was serving very watery noodles having done his best to follow the instructions on the box but still turning out not the best as he brought a bowl into the living room for his sister. “Mom said we aren't supposed to eat anywhere but the table…” Sparkling said.

“It’s fine…she won't be upset.” Dasher said as he set the bowls on the coffee table and went to the cabinet holding the discs with shows and movies on them.

He grabbed one of the shows Sparkling liked and soon the living room had the sound of magic and talks of being a princess as the siblings sat in silence eating.

Normally Dasher hated this show but right now he focused on it and blocked out the world outside.

By the time the first episode ended their meal was done.

“Oh….I wonder if Tumbler is home….” Sparkling said.

“Tumbler? Wouldn't she have been at school?” Dasher said knowing Tumbler was the daughter of the building manager and one of Sparkling’s friends.

Sparkling shook her head. “No, she was out sick.”

Thinking about that reminded Dasher that Mr. Ground was probably home as he had no reason to leave the building especially with his daughter sick. He’d surely know what to do or at least could help them. He hadn't thought of that as they came through the back door rather than the main door.

Dasher got to his hooves. “Stay here, I'm going to go see. Don’t open the door for anyone, I have a key.” He told his sister who nodded and slowly went back to watching her show as Dasher headed for the door.

Locking it behind him he made his way to the main stairwell and descended the four floors till he exited into the main area. There was a row of mailboxes along one wall next to a small window that served as the office and across from the office was Mr. Ground’s apartment.

And the glass door to the outside of the apartment was smashed in and Dasher froze seeing nothing between him and outside.

He shook his head. Just needed to see if Mr. Ground was home.

Slowly he approached the door and gulped as he saw the door was missing. And what looked like a couch close to the door.

Slowly Dasher stepped around the door frame to see an overturned couch with the door laying on the other side of it, the middle of the carpet had indents indicating the couch had been there originally. “M….Mr. Ground?” Dasher said as he stepped into the room seeing something laying on the floor, he wasn't sure what it was, a small red plastic tube attached to a small brass metal bit.

Dasher looked around and saw another by the hallway and stepped up to the hall. “Mr. Ground?” he called again seeing more of the little red tubes and some sort of purple stuff splattered on the wall.

Dasher crept down the dark hall toward the far end of it.

There he found a door with “Tumbler '' on it in wooden letters hanging from one of the hinges with a large hole in the center of it and more of the dark purple stuff splatter.

He gulped as he slowly approached it. “Mr. Ground?” he said as he stepped around the door.

Inside was a bright pink room with ribbon hanging from a few places on the ceiling. His eyes slowly went to the far side of the room where he saw more of the red tubes beside a mattress that was on its side between the door and the far corner of the room propped up by the rest of the bed with a large hole burned through the center of it.

Slowly the colt stepped forward. “m…Mr. Ground?” he said as he stepped around the mattress and recoiled as he found Mr. Ground on the floor clutching a shotgun, a box of shells overturned beside him and a shelf half way into the gun and a large hole in his chest.

Dasher started to breathe rapidly as he looked at the body and then rapidly looked around seeing no sign of Tumbler….save the little stuffed dog he’d seen her with many times laying on the floor beside the bed.

His mind brought up the monster he had encountered on the run from the school. It had been trying to grab them, and had grabbed his sister.

He gulped at that as realization dawned on him and he turned to leave.

As he ran down the hall he reached the living room where a flash of light caught his eye causing him to stop.

There hanging on a hook by the kitchen was a single key on a ring Dasher recognized as the one Mr. Ground used to unlock the doors around the building, The Master key.

Dasher looked between the key and the door as fear told him to bolt home and hide under his covers and the big brother told him the key could let him get whatever they needed from the rest of the building to make him able to defend the apartment.

These two warred within him for a few seconds before the brother won and Dash grabbed a chair to pull over and in a second he had the master key. He found some string and tied the key around his neck.

He then began searching the living room and kitchen for useful things, not going near the hall.

He opened the closet beside the front door and found a small toolbox Mr. Ground used to do minor repairs around the building.

Dasher grabbed it and had to strain a bit to lift the heavy tool box. Seeing he wouldn't be able to carry anything else Dash left the apartment with the tool box and started to make his way home.

By the second floor he was having to semi drag the toolbox up the stairs as it was too heavy for him to carry the whole way, the box making a somewhat loud thud with each step.

It was slow going but he was getting it up the stairs, reaching the third floor landing and dragging the box across the floor toward the stairs.

The door to the third floor exploded outward as one of the Monsters crashed through it, its weapon raised as it swept the landing. The shock of the thing’s sudden appearance caused Dasher to fall back pulling the toolbox partly up with him before he lost his grip and the box landed on its side popping open and spilling the tools out onto the floor as Dasher cried out in fear.

The thing’s strange rifle aimed at the colt who lay on his back and it quickly lowered it and started to reach for the foal who scrambled back in fear.

The monster claw-like hands grabbed his leg and he screamed in fear as it started to drag him back towards it. He desperately tried to find something to hold onto as he kicked at the things hand screaming in fear.

As it started to lift him up by the back leg his hoof found something to grip, something plastic and cylindrical.

Without thinking Dasher swung with all his might and the tip of the screwdriver buried itself in the monster's unarmored neck causing it to make a noise that might have been a cry of pain and fall backward.

It landed with a loud thud on the landing, Dasher landing on its chest.

Scrambling Dasher grabbed the screwdriver and pulled it out and brought it down once more then repeated the action stabbing the monster in the neck over and over again as it made a gurgling sound as dark purple liquid spread out from under it.

It was sometime after it stopped moving that Dasher finally stopped stabbing it and sat there on its chest shaking looking down at its destroyed neck.

Suddenly he felt something welling up inside of him and stumbled a few feet away before the mac and cheese he ate earlier came back up all over the corner of the landing.

It was a minute before Dasher stopped throwing up and was able to right himself on shaking legs. He swallowed hard and mechanically started to collect the dropped tools back into the box, not even looking at the screwdriver buried in the monster's neck.

Once the toolbox was full he closed and latched it and started dragging it up the stairs once more.