The Final Hero

A devastating war has left the United States crumbling and the spirits of the people broken. After 12 years of containment and control from the government, a hero emerges from an unlikely boy.

The Final Hero

Dust swirled in the air as a young boy just turned teen trudged through the ruined streets of Town 54. Collapsed buildings and mangled cars lay off to the sides and left a grim and solemn effect over the once proud town and bustling community. Dark clouds rolled and thundered above the boy’s head, foreshadowing that rain was coming.

A sharp sound to the right caused the boy to whip his head around and straighten up with practiced ease. He cautiously moved to where the sound had come from behind two tipped over trashcans. The faint sounds of scuttling and jittering caused the boy to relax then chuckle to himself.

“Of course, its just a rat searching for some ancient food.” His voice, proud and confident, cut through the gloom and left a warm glow behind. “Well time to get home and eat whatever mother made from the approved meals.”

The trek home resumed and gray dust drifted up in the wake of the boy’s smooth gait. His ruffled black hair bounced to the rhythm and his dark brown eyes drifted lazily around, gazing at whatever caught his particular interest. A shattered and blackened jar and three small, blackened stones held his gaze the longest before it lingered on and studied more of the ruined landscape. Faint tinkling made the boy perk up again before he settled down again without a care in the world of what made the noise. The faint tinkling became louder and a sharp whistle accompanied it this time with a softer note at the end.

The boy stopped and hesitated before whistling a new tune as if in a signal to the first whistler. The tinkling and whistling stopped then running footsteps came from behind him and slightly to the right. He stood still with a mischievous light now dancing in his eyes and a grin playing across his face. The footsteps became louder and more hurried then other footsteps joined the first pair, creating a steady tempo that almost made the boy break his silence to join in.

Without warning, something crashed into the boy’s back, knocking him to the ground and quickly pinned him down. The other footsteps caught up and the boy looked up to see other boys, different ages and sizes, looking down at him with wide grins. A sharp knee to the back made the boy roll to the side to dislodge his attacker. The weight left and the attacker jumped up with a laugh.

“All right, all right!” The boy laughed as he got up and surveyed the group surrounding him. “You caught me. Well, actually 5003010 caught me and with great stealth.”

Raucous laughter greeted his sarcasm and one of the boys stepped forward with a playful gait. He was tall and thin with wispy brown hair and soft brown eyes. The boy appeared to be 16 years old, just 3 years older than the apparent leader of the group whom he had tackled.

“I learned everything from you, 500357.” 5003010 replied with a calm yet strong voice with a hint of rebelliousness. “Now that we found you skulking around, where shall we go?”

“Yeah, where?” A large boy asked, his voice slow and cautious. He had thin, black hair and blue eyes with a large baby-like face. He also was what people would call overfed or lucky, but it was a disorder that he had that affected his speech and his weight. Despite this, the group took him in and he grew to be respected for his strength and thoughtful ideas.

“Might as well go back to our homes before our parents call the police to come and get us.” 500357 replied and nodded to the group before turning and resuming his walk down a large, cracked and buckled road. Five pairs of footsteps followed him with 5003010 walking right beside him.

Thunder rumbled in the sky and lightning forked across, brightening up the darkening sky as torrents of rain came crashing down upon the group of boys. An hour or two passed before they finally turned down a smaller road with run down yet livable houses lining the road. People milled around with serious expressions or kids played on their yards with toys fashioned out of things that folks could find out of the collapsed buildings.

500357 looked around with a sad and angry gaze then fixed it back ahead as the group began to break apart to step up to their houses. The disabled boy was the first to leave with a smaller and skinnier boy skipping by his side with young innocence and glee. Two other boys left until it was 500357 and 5003010 walking down the gray road. The taller boy looked at the leader then shifted his gaze to look at the desolate people around them.

“I wish life wasn’t like this.” He said with his calm voice and soft eyes taking in the dull atmosphere.

“Don’t say such things where untrustworthy people can hear you.” 500357 snapped quickly and hastened his step before unwanted attention came upon them. “Only say stuff like that around the group, no one else. You hear me?”

“Yeah, I hear you.” The other boy replied before taking a swipe with his right hand at the leader’s shoulder. “I’m older than you, I should be in charge. You just now turned 13!”

“I’m street wise and adults don’t expect a young kid to lead a group, so if we’re caught we have an advantage.” 500357 replied confidently then suddenly shoved into the older boy, knocking him into a small alley between houses. “Quiet!” He hissed when 5003010 opened his mouth to complain.

The march of pounding footsteps came faintly into their hiding place, alerting them to people who were much more powerful then the police. These adults were the elite few; they were the army for the government. Their only task was to pick up troublemakers and free thinkers then take them straight to the government for questioning and possible death.

The footsteps became louder and shouts were heard as the soldiers marched down the alley chanting a strange song to the ears of the people. The heavy stamping of their boots beat a mournful and cage-like lasso to the words and made the hearts of the watching people grow heavy with despair.

500357 pressed against the wall and slowed his breathing to match the slow beat of the song. He became sad and felt like there was nothing in the world that could bring happiness and joy back to his soul. The boy began to think that the army was the sole place he could go to regain the happiness he had lost and was about to step out when a firm yet gentle hand rested on his shoulder.

“Look at me and remember the group.” A soft voice cut through the fog of his mind and he turned to see who it was. 5003010 stared back at him with his brown eyes that could melt anybody’s heart.

The rest of the fog disappeared and he blinked in confusion. 500357 looked around then was pushed up against the wall by the older boy as the soldiers reached their hiding place and marched by. No longer did the heavy and mournful chant reach his mind and alter his thinking, only now there was rebellious thoughts circulating around and ideas began to form.

“My dad says that the army sings that little chant to lure free thinkers out because their minds are brighter and have more thoughts, which can be easily twisted into thinking they can step out and join the soldiers.” 5003010 whispered as the soldiers continued to march by then added ominously. “That’s how they get you when you’re least expecting it.”

500357 shivered then ducked down to his hands and knees. He started crawling and went past 5003010, who was still standing with his back pressed up against the wall. The older boy looked at him with raised eyebrows before ducking down and joining the hurried crawl down the small alley.

“There’s a turn up ahead that should take us to our homes without alerting the soldiers.” 500357 whispered over his shoulder as they crawled through dust, broken glass, and other things that had been littered there.

Sharp pain cut through 500357’s left hand as he accidentally set it down on a piece of glass. He gasped and brought it up to press it against his black shirt. The warmth from the blood seeped through and left a smear over his shirt and chest.

“Are you okay?” 5003010 yelped as he maneuvered his hand around the now bloody piece of glass. “Do you need help, like from a doctor?”

“No, no I’m fine.” 500357 retorted and continued on with a grim and pained look on his face.

They finally reached the end of the alley and just like he had said, there was a small turn to the left and went far down the row of gray houses. The two boys got up and ran as fast they could down the row; hoping snooping neighbors wouldn’t catch them. After passing four houses, 5003010 slowed to a walk then stopped and called to 500357, who was still running but had slowed down a knot.

“Bye! Catch you tomorrow! Oh, and I hope your hand is okay!”

500357 waved over his shoulder with his good hand then sped up to get home before his parents became furious. He passed several houses before he reached a gray house that was exactly like the others but had a small paper taped to the back and front door that identified it with the number of the family.

He slowly pushed the door open and stepped in then closed it. A squeal from the hinges made him flinch and hurry away from the door to a faucet inside a dull room with dusty counters and box to keep food in. He washed his hand with the warm water and dried them off all before his mother came walking into the room with her hands on her hips.

“Young man, where have you been and why are you so filthy?” She demanded and walked over to him then grabbed him to see if there were any injuries. Once she caught sight of the cut, she straightened up and pursed her lips.

“Mother, the soldiers were coming so we hid and I cut my hand on glass. It’s fine now.” He explained quickly and waited tensely for his punishment, which was usually a slap across the face.

“The army is nothing to be afraid of and they are only here to keep us safe from people who want to destroy the town.” His mother said tersely and grabbed a piece of cloth laying on one of the counters. She tied it around his hand then lifted her hand and brought it down upon his left cheek.

500357 bit back a cry of pain and turned away from his mother to trudge into another room with a small couch and two chairs. A large, skinny man sat on one of the chairs with a rulebook in his hands. His father’s black hair was slicked back except for a strand that stuck up in the back. Sharp grey eyes roamed the context of the pages then flickered up when 500357 plopped down into a chair.

“Will you please talk to him, A.” His mother requested firmly from inside the kitchen then the clatter of dishes came through the open doorway.

A500357 sighed heavily as put the book down on a table beside his chair and looked at his son with angry eyes.

“Son, you are a troublemaker and I know it. Your mother doesn’t want to believe it because that status would ruin this family and destroy you.” The man said and slammed his hand down on the table when 500357 tried to look away. Once he got his attention again, he continued. “The government is good and will protect us from the horrors of the outside but they will punish any who demonstrate that they can cause mischief and terror to the inside. E500357, you will bring this family to their misfortune and torture while you go off to be executed by the good people. Make an effort to behave, now go to your room and don’t leave this house till you learn your lesson.”

Through the whole lecture, 500357 had tried to sink into his chair from embarrassment and anger at the unfairness of it all. He got up and hung his head once it was over then walked to his room. The house was small with short hallways so he quickly reached his room and pushed the door open.

“Oh look, E got in trouble again.” A taunting voice said behind him and when he turned around, he saw a tall girl standing there with wavy brown hair and green eyes. “So young and so stupid.”

“Leave me alone, C.” 500357 grumbled and stepped inside his room to see that it was trashed. Clothes were thrown all around the floor and trash littered the ground.

“Like the touchup, E? It fits your personality.” Another voice joined in. “Hey, C, you want to teach E not to mess with our social standing?”

“Oh, it would be a pleasure.” The girl laughed and E500357 dived into the room and slammed the door shut behind him. Laughter echoed behind the barrier and E gritted his teeth with extreme dislike for his siblings.

He walked over to his bed, while kicking clothing and trash out of the way with carelessness. He flopped down on his bed and sighed sadly then began to think, think about why things were the way they were.

Why can’t my family be more like my group? Happy and mischievous with responsibility mixed in. No, my family has to be goody two shoes to the stupid government and hate me then beat me when I do something that I feel is right. Ugh! Why do we have to live like this, even animals have it better than us. I can’t live like this anymore. Something has to change…

E slowly fell asleep with these thoughts in his head and had the same troubled dreams where his group and him were captured then dragged away while his family looked on with happy smiles. The sky was blood red with dark clouds rolling across it; a deluge of blood rained down upon them. E screamed as the blood soaked into his skin and poisoned him. A strange howl of an animal cut through his screams and he woke up with sweat drenching his body. He threw back the blanket and dragged himself out of bed then hurried to the shower before anyone else woke up and took the bathroom first.

After the cold shower, E put on a dark blue shirt and holey pants then his black boots he had received for one of his birthdays. He looked around then ran out of the house and down the road with delight at having broken the rules once again. Birds chirped as they rested in the few trees on his street and doors banged as women came out of their houses to hang up laundry.

A door to the left caught his attention as it opened up and 5003010 came sprinting out with a hurried goodbye to his parents. The two boys met up then ran to the meeting place of their group. The place was inside two broken down buildings that had formed a large yet hidden cave in between their snapped foundations.

They dodged into empty houses or into alleys whenever a policeman appeared or one of the untrustworthy adults looked their way. After about seven minutes, they reached the collapsed buildings and ducked behind pillars to find the entrance of the room. Soft chatter greeted them as they walked inside with heaving gasps for air.

Four boys looked up when they entered and nodded or said greetings then found places to sit down as 500357 walked to the center of the room after catching his breath.

“I’m done, I’m done with all of these rules and awful families.” He snapped as he turned around to look in each boy’s eyes. “Today, we make an agreement to go full free thinker and troublemaker group and try to cause as much mischief as possible before being caught.”

“Whoa, slow down there 500357.” One of the boys piped up while motioning with his hands as if telling him to sit down. He had spiky dark brown hair and yellow, shifty eyes.

“All of you knew this day was going to come, now we must embrace it!” 500357 said passionately and indicated for everyone to stand up. “The first step is giving ourselves names.”

Gasps followed this statement and 5003010 jumped up with a shout of disbelief.

“We can’t do that! They’ll kill us for sure!”

“So?! They’ll kill us one day for whatever knows what and no one will remember us because we’ll just be more people to have died for a lost cause. I want us to go down fighting with names that people will reminisce and take up the call for!” 500357 yelled then quickly brought his voice down when he realized that he was getting too loud. “You can always back out and return to your families to live normal, poor lives.”

Energy swept through the room as he gave his speech and the boys jumped up with shouts and laughter. They puffed out their chests and shoved into each other to show that they were in it to the end.

“Good.” 500357 laughed, instantly falling back into his relaxed, joyful mood when the reactions turned from reluctant to enthusiastic. “Now for your names.”

Just then, rapid footsteps came running up to the buildings then stopped as the person hesitated.

“Who is it?” The yellow-eyed boy growled and made a move toward the entrance.

“No!” 500357 yelped and pushed him back toward a corner of the room. “Everybody hide, if they catch you then fight.”

The group quickly found hiding spots with 500357 diving into a hiding spot as the last person. The footsteps continued to pause before the owner walked slowly paced around to find the entrance. Once they found the entrance then they came walking in with a tense gait.

“Where did you go?” A female voice asked, surprised. “Please, I just want to join your group.”

500357 peered cautiously out from behind a large slab of stone and saw a pretty girl with bright fiery-orange hair standing in the center of the room with wide blue eyes.

“Why do you want to join?” He asked confidently, making the girl jump and whirl around to look at him.

“My parents threw me out when I told a policeman to leave a young boy alone when he had accidentally hit him with a stick. I had no idea where to go until I met someone who said that several groups were troublemakers and would take me in. I waited and waited until I saw you, one of the leaders, running down the street this morning then I followed you. I stopped to catch my breath then I came around to see that you were having a meeting and I listened in. I want to join.”

Her voice was quiet at the beginning then it began to become more confident and fiery. The last sentence was more of a demand then a request.

“We can’t trust her. She’s a girl and you know how girls are.” 5003010 huffed as he stretched up from behind his hiding place.

“I think that she is trustworthy.” The boy with the disability said slowly and thoughtfully as he too got up. The young boy beside him nodded vigorously and giggled.

A boy with dark brown hair speckled with black, nodded slowly and gave 500357 a thumbs-up.

500357 was surprised to find that most of his group accepted the girl while 5003010 rejected her. His friend sat off to the side with a stormy look on his face and his now sharp eyes glared at the girl.

“Well, we have no choice but to take her in because she is a girl and she knows where our meeting place is then learned about our rebellion.” 500357 said and received mixed reactions.

The boys sat down on their seats and the girl cautiously sat in between the disabled boy and his little brother.

“Okay, now back to where we left off.” He said and pointed to 5003010. “Your name shall be Stick for you are tall and lean with a soft demeanor. Yet, you can be dangerous and highly effective in a fight.”

5003010, now Stick, blinked his eyes then smiled happily when he heard his new name and the meaning behind it.

500357 nodded then pointed at the boy with the yellow eyes. “501264, your name will be Lizard because you are always sneaking around causing mischief.”

The boy lost his sly look and replaced it with pride and joy for his new name. He was about 15 years old, making him the second oldest boy in the group. Lizard was the only member who had no family because he was an orphan and spent most of his time sneaking into houses and stealing food. He was a good guy though and the group found him very valuable when obtaining information.

Next was the boy with black speckled hair. He didn’t have the ability to speak but the whole group learned sign language with him so they could communicate efficiently. He was around 13 1/2 years old, making him older than 500357 but also making him one of the younger members.

“Hawk will be your name. You are always watchful and ever helping us with escaping from the police.” 500357 said, Stick and Lizard gave Hawk a couple of pats on the back. He switched his attention to the disabled boy and said. “You will now be known as Rock. You have always been our muscle and the ‘rock’ of the group.”

The boy smiled a lopsided grin and ruffled his little brother’s hair, who was now next on the naming list.

“You are now known as Stone because you are Rock’s little brother and the foundation of the group for your innocence keeps us together.”

The little boy, who was only around 7 years old, making him 7 years younger than his brother, laughed with glee and bounced up and down on his seat.

“Now for the girl.” 500357 looked closely at her and sized her up before settling on a name that seemed right. “Your name will be Rose because of your fiery hair and personality. Sweet sometimes but other times you are thorny and will fight back when need be.”

The girl grinned and tears welled up in her eyes before they were quickly wiped away.

“Hey, 500357, can I give you your name?” Rock asked slowly and looked at the leader with a pleading look.

500357 was caught off guard then nodded his head and stood up straighter.

“Thank you. I think your name should be Wolf because you are our leader and my momma says that wolves are like us except with more freedom.” The boy said slowly and a large smile crossed his face when he said the last word.

Murmurs of agreement swept the room and some of the boys clapped loudly at the name choice.

“That is a good name, thank you Rock. From now on, I shall be known as Wolf, your leader.” 500357 announced and the room broke out in shouts of happiness and freedom.

Stick stood up and walked up to Wolf with a calm yet rebellious look on his face.

Wolf stood on his tiptoes so as to reach the same height as the older boy then realized how silly he looked and snorted as he eased off his toes.

The boy grinned and his soft brown eyes became sharp and intelligent. He turned to look around the room before his gaze rested on Rose and the smile dropped off and his eyes became suspicious.

“Wolf,” Stick murmured as he turned back to the leader. “I think that we should cause some mischief before being caught; but, I don’t think that Miss Rose should come with us.”

“And why not?” Wolf murmured back and looked up at the usually calm face with raised eyebrows and hard eyes. “She’s one of us now and she needs to prove to us that she truly belongs to her name.”

Stick grunted and grabbed his shoulders then dragged him out of the meeting room with forced care.

“What the heck are you thinking?!” Wolf demanded as he squirmed in his friend’s grip. “Let go of me this instant, Stick!”

“Hush!” Stick snapped and let go with a small push. He ducked behind some rubble and peered around before standing up again to say. “We need to leave immediately.”

“You’re talking nonsense and acting like a fool.” Wolf accused angrily. He was more hurt than angry at his friend’s rough behavior and suspicious nature. Wolf was about to tear into Stick with harsh words when the sound of hurried footsteps rang through the dull air.

“We need to go. Just you and me; it’s us they want.” Stick said and a tinge of fear was heard in his voice before he ducked into the meeting room.

Muffled shouts were heard from the room and the group came running out with various objects in their hands, wielded as if they were weapons.

“We won’t let them take you and Stick.” Lizard pledged and whipped a broken bottle through the air then firmly held it out in front of him.

Hawk nodded in agreement and twirled a small pipe in his right hand with expert ease. Rock stood beside him with a mean look on his face but it wasn’t complete for he held Stone’s hand in his left hand and he murmured soothing words to his little brother.

Rose walked up from behind them with a bored look on her face then snapped out some curses when Stick jogged around her and the other boys.

“The boys were easy to rile up but the girl was harder.” Stick said as he reached Wolf’s side while as he looked over his group of troublemakers.

“There was no need to excite them.” Wolf said quietly then added with a louder voice. “Go, go back to your homes or wherever you feel safe and wait. Stick and I must run for we are the leaders of this group and deserve the full punishment.”

The boys exchanged surprised looks before Lizard stepped forward with his broken bottle raised.

“If it is the wish of our dear leader then we shall obey.” He pledged and Wolf thought he detected sarcasm in the boy’s tone. Before Wolf could question him, the group dispersed; leaving Rose, Wolf, and Stick alone.

“You can’t come.” Wolf immediately said and turned to walk away with Stick gladly following his lead.

“Fine, but mark my words, me and the others will get to participate in the next rough and tumble.” Rose said defiantly and ran off in the direction of the others.

“Well, we have a lot on our hands with that one.” Wolf commented with a hint of amusement to the disgust of his companion.

“I think that we should drop her and carry on as an all-boy group that risks their lives just to spite the government.” Stick said and shook his head as if to shake his troubled thoughts. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting, but I don’t trust her, not even a little bit.”

The pounding footsteps echoed through the fog and the two boys looked at each other before breaking out into a sprint around the ruined building and ducking in a blackened alley. They cut a twisting and winding path through the buildings as if they knew the place like the back of their hands, which they did. After about ten minutes, the footsteps slowly faded away and Wolf and Stick stopped their escape to duck inside a small, partially standing building.

“I think we lost them.” Wolf panted and peered outside a broken window before ducking back in. “This fog will lift up soon and we’ll be out in the open because they managed to guide us to a clearing, that’s why this building is still standing.”

Stick cursed and kicked at a small pile of rubble before walking quickly to the window. He looked around then sighed and stepped away from the opening.

“I’m afraid you’re right, unfortunately.” He muttered unhappily and he walked over to a corner of the room and sat down. “Might as well rest until they get here.”

“Ah! I see you finally given up.” Wolf challenged him and glared at the other boy then added. “You think I would let them get that advantage so easily? Follow me and I’ll show you how we’re going to fight back.”

He turned and jogged through a small opening into a dingy room with the smell of metal. Wolf heard the hurried clip of the footsteps from Stick and waited for his friend before flicking on a light. Light quickly chased away the gloom and Stick gasped when the contents of the room came into view. Rows and stacks of weapons filled the room. Different types of guns and knives were common while less common weapons were to the far back in hidden piles.

“W-what?” Stick stuttered in disbelief and slowly looked around the weaponry with wide eyes. “How in the world?”

“Discovered this on one of my adventures.” Wolf said proudly and walked over to a gleaming rifle. “They don’t know about this because its in the middle of nowhere with a difficult path to follow. I made sure to let them think they were guiding us but in truth, I was guiding them.”

“You’re crazy! Absolutely crazy!” Stick declared as he admired the weapons then picked up a slightly dusty black gun that was not common to the area. “What is this?”

“Don’t know, but it sure does pack a punch.” Wolf said and laughed at the alarmed expression on his friend’s face. “Don’t give me that look! I tested it on some trees back behind this hideout and lets just say they are no longer there.”

“Whoa!” Stick gasped and held the gun out as if it had suddenly turned into a snake.

“It’s not going to bite.” Wolf chuckled and pointed at a small button near the barrel of the gun. “Aim at your target then press that button and watch your enemies disappear!”

The mood was playful and full of wonder until it was struck through by a dark thought spoken out loud and the two boys grabbed as many weapons as they could carry then hurtled out of the room to set up for the siege. The chosen spot was a touch of high ground, giving them an advantage and a slight disadvantage. Tall grasses, giving them shelter yet obscuring their sight, surrounded it. They quickly unloaded their weapons near the back of the rise, chose their weapons and slithered into their respected places.

The sky began to cloud with dark clouds by the time the soldiers reached the edge of the clearing. They milled around restlessly until they were ordered into an orderly attack formation then they marched upon the small building with raised weapons.

“Wait for them to reach that large rock and open fire on them. Try to strike in the middle since you have the gun with the terrific bite.” Wolf instructed in a whisper and glanced at Stick to catch his nod.

The soldiers drew closer toward the designated rock with complete unawares of that they had become the hunted. The soldier in the lead called a halt just feet away from the rock and immediately the other soldiers crouched down then aimed their guns on the abandoned hideout. The furious pounding of gunfire filled the air as the soldiers unloaded their bullets at the building.

Wolf cocked his gun and quickly turned to Stick then ordered. “Now!”

Within seconds, the soldiers down below were being cut down by the barrage from Wolf or blown apart by Stick’s explosive gun. Shouts echoed in the air as the soldiers died or lay on the ground with terrible injuries.

We might actually win this little war. Wolf thought with a spark of happiness. His gun then began to click so he threw it on the ground and crawled toward the stockpile of weapons then crawled back with another rifle clutched in his right hand.

“They know where we are now so they quickly hid in the woods.” Stick shouted at him over the gunfire and explosions. He flinched when a bullet whizzed past his head and struck the ground. “Be careful for we don’t have that much shelter.”

“Great.” Wolf growled in response and set to firing at the trees whenever one of the soldiers revealed himself to take a shot at him or Stick.

Thunder rumbled in the sky as the dark clouds hovered over the battle and rain cascaded down as lightening forked across the nearly black sky. The brief flash of a gun firing lit up the area and was quickly answered by the opposite side. The gunfire ceased as the visibility shot down to just above none. Dark silhouettes shifted amongst the trees while Wolf and Stick remained motionless atop the high ground.

“We have to go before they raid our hiding spot and they will do that while the advantage is still there.” Wolf said as he slowly scooted closer to his friend so they could better hear each other.

Author's Note

This is not finished and there needs to be a lot of improvement for what I have right now. Honest review please and I would like to hear what you guys think should be added or deleted. Also, there are no chapters because I kept on writing and forgot to pause and move on to a new chapter.