Thread: The End War

It's been a year since the war began. It's been a year since their war spilled into our streets, our homes and our lives. The world had been cradled quietly in the uncertainty that none of us really knew there was life that existed on another plane just a few steps away from our own. That uncertainty, that conjecture, was abruptly shattered, and the world was brought to its knees all just one year ago. The world of man had been caught unwillingly in a war between Heaven and Hell. It would be nice to think that it started not quite so suddenly, that we actually had a fighting chance. We never really did. It was only a matter of days before the chaos spread and the fires of Heaven and Hell's wrath consumed almost everything we knew. Thousands died every day. The vast legions of the warring armies swarmed our cities and rivers of blood soon flowed across the lands. Within weeks mankind was nearly destroyed. But, how did this happen you ask? How did it all begin? It was a Tuesday that started not unlike any other day. For some, the day was just beginning, while others half the world away, slept quietly in their cozy beds. The living world continued to move the same way it always had. People talking on cell phones, e-mails being sent to and fro, traffic backing up, the moon rising, the sun setting, winds blowing across empty plains, men and women toiling about, all of these things all at once! Yet despite all of the knowledge at our fingertips, none of us had any knowledge of the catastrophe about to unfold. It started small, at first. A rift, or tear in what we know as reality, appeared around 604 am, near the edge of a cornfield in Iowa of all places. It was less than half an hour before the local media caught word and began covering the scene, explaining the dimensions of the anomaly as well as quickly spouting theories as to its origin. Many on the national scene assumed it was some sick Orson Welles like hoax, at first. Before long there were scientists and military personnel taking over the scene. Helicopters were buzzing about in the sky, swooping in and deploying soldiers and machines both. Men with guns stood guard, aiming at the gaping tear. The bursts of flashbulb lights, clicking of cameras and chatter of onlookers filled the air. The growing crowd was barely held at bay as so called experts weighed, measured and quantified every aspect. Have you ever seen one of those signs that read The End is Near!? Have you ever really wondered Maybe they were right? None of them suspected, including the innocent farmhand that spotted the thing, that they were about to become the first human casualties caught in the tide of another mans war. There wasnt much footage of the next few seconds. How stupid we were to assume this would be an isolated incident. Without warning fire belched out of the rift and roared through the air. Everything within eighty feet was engulfed in white hot fire and incinerated almost instantly. Shrill screams of survivors rang through the morning air. Soon, they too were silenced. A host of grotesque creatures came pouring out of the rift. Each one looked like something ripped straight from a horror novel. Some were diminutive, winged, vicious beasts that took to the sky and rained down upon the crowd only to tear them to shreds with claws and fangs. A few were more canine in appearance, covered in moisture with lean agile bodies, but the head was nothing more than a huge, gaping, razor lined maw disproportionate to the rest of the body. These extraordinarily fast creatures dove headlong into the remaining crowd and began ripping bodies limb from limb. A large humanoid figure then stepped through, treading over the burning earth as though it were nothing. It looked simply evil with its large leathery wings and great ebony horns atop its head. Both its hands and feet ended in jet black talons that shined like steel in the light of the fire and the massive body looked like well toned raw muscle. Fire licked out of its mouth as it roared and turned the gaze of those horrific black eyes to what few people were left clamoring for their lives. Suddenly there was a brilliant light, white and blinding. It seemed to fill everything, every little crack until nothing could escape. In that moment everything went silent. The silence was short lived, shattered abruptly by a thundering and hateful roar. As the light fades a new figure comes into view. It was covered in a dark and blood spattered gold armor from head to toe. Large, beautiful, red feathered wings sprouted from its back and spread wide. The source of the second roar became quickly obvious. There stood both of the figures, perfectly still. The one clad in armor had plunged its mighty sword completely through the belly through of the horned one. As the sword slowly withdrew this Angel pulled briskly up and cut the beast in half. The deep hum of battle horns sound in the distance and all goes dark once again. The End is Near the signs readwe should have been paying attention all along. In the coming days, the face of our world changed almost entirely. More rifts appeared around the world and more battles erupted in their wake. Eventually, the influences of Heaven and Hell both reshaped the land, sea and sky. The heavens displayed the first signs of change. At first all that beautiful blue was tucked away behind dark, ominous grey clouds. Soon, there was no longer a day or night as unnatural hues lit the heavens. Bursts of golden haze intermingle with crimson clouds around patches of sterling white and ink black blots were peppered throughout the sky as far as the eye could see. The seas were next to succumb. Much of the oceans vast were either burned away through hellfire or swallowed into giant chasms and sucked away into a deep nothingness. Not long after, the earth itself became distorted, scarred or twisted. Initially there were earthquakes in the most peculiar of places that destroyed entire cities and ripped the land wide open. These massive, sickly black spires erupted from the earth and towered as high as any skyscraper. Sharp and pointed, all across the land they looked like giant teeth, gnashing against the hateful sky. Strange pockets of blue and green fire occasionally gush out of the ground and even open air in many places. They burn for hours and some even days though with seemingly no source of fuel. Climates and environments began to change too. Before most communications were brought to a screeching halt there were reports of Texas being turned into a frozen wasteland and Greenland was stricken with a ghastly heat, worse than anything ever recorded. Even the wildlife became distorted with such chronic exposure to these influences. Some dogs, cats and other domesticated animals simply went mad. Other creatures, if not killed by the taint, we reshaped into something different and often much more hostile. Angels and Demons wage their war on the ground, in the sky, everywhere and leave nothing but death and destruction in their wake! Battles can rage for days on in, the slaughter never stops. To even attempt passing by one of these battle zones is nearly suicide. Just walking down the street you risk becoming something elses meal or worse. Day by day is a constant struggle to maintain ones sanity and health. Food and water have become scarce and precious. This is the world in which we few live now. No, not live, we just survive. There are a few that still have hope. Hope, that one day, the world might return to the way it was. One man had dedicated himself to finding a way. His name Sergeant Sean Cleave Hawkins. A former military engineer finding himself fighting for his life just like the rest of humanity. But if there was one thing he was particularly good at, it was being a survivor. To him, it was all a matter of location, being in the right place at the right time, even if it was an abandoned underground military instillation. Not to mention having the proper tools for the challenge never hurt either. He had spent much of the last year working in solace. Ever since everything went to hell quite literally, had provided ample time to brush up on many things and take on a few new projects. When not busily hammering away to finish his new toy, or maintaining his exercise routine, Sean spent much of his time reading. Constantly he was plagued by the thought of How did this happen? So he decided to do as much research as possible. He was broad shouldered, lean and strong to be sure and most thought that immediately would have pegged him as an imbecile. When able he would snag every book he could that had anything to do with religion, in particular with reference to the end of days. The main commonality, amongst many of the texts, he poured over was the mention of seven seals. When these seals break, the end of the world is neigh. When all are destroyed, so too will be the world of man, or so thats what hed come to believe anyway. But if the world is still here, what does that mean exactly? For months that very thought kept him awake at night that is until he finally decided to do something about it. Within a few days his project would be complete and he had vowed to find a way to set things right. An entire year of preparation and planning would finally see fruition. Soon that very day came and he was more than ready. After cramming down a chalky tasting MRE for breakfast and throwing on some fresh fatigues, he didnt waste any more time and immediately took off to the underground hangar. Quietly stepping into the chasm-like room he stops momentarily to admire his handiwork A very highly modified IAV Stryker vehicle, currently equipped with 0.50-caliber M2 machine gun, MK19 40 mm grenade launcher and four slightly modified M6 smoke grenade launchers. The main body had been extended to allow more room for comfort and storage, providing even a small enough space just for a bed even packed with water, food and ammo. The front had been altered as well to allow the attachment of a plow similar to the one found on the M1132 Engineer Squad Vehicle. Though hed seen it over a hundred times before and worked hours on in, itd never been used. Truth be told he was afraid it wouldnt even run and hated the idea of being stuck in a damn hole for even another day. Slightly tilting his head, and fingers glide through dark brown hair as his brown eyes glace at specific points on the machine. With a nod to himself, like some pitiful form of self encouragement, he continues walking. Stepping inside, he then takes a seat at the controls. Flipping a few switches, mashing a few buttons, the door closes and the dim light of the monitors slowly brighten. He places his hand on the key and hesitates. Cmon baby. He states plainly. With a deep breath he squints and turns the key. Suddenly the Stryker roars to life, with the diesel engine bellowing and black smoke coughing from the exhaust. He cheers excitedly and takes the controls. With the depress of another button, the door beyond raises to expose the exit tunnel. A broad smile on his face he punches it, eager to see what awaits him on the outside.