Pain. Someone was in horrible pain. I could feel it deep in my bones. My soul shook and cried. I searched for the horrid creature causing such pain, to stop it, however, a deep and black fog covered my vision. Suddenly, I heard a cry for help.

Air flooded into my lungs, my eyes sharply opened.  Everything was silent. The horrible, agonizing pain that was being inflicted upon that unfortunate and unknown being had dispersed.

I rose, my feet fell upon the cold wooden floor. It creaked under my weight, the sound echoed throughout my room, throughout the farm, throughout the long, flat plains still scared from the ongoing war with The Invaders. I silently sped down the stairs that led to the kitchen. Something was wrong, something felt off, I could feel it. 

I walked out onto the front porch of the farm to get a breath of fresh air. I suddenly heard a faint creak, my head spun to my left to find Omega, my father, sitting on a chair, staring into the distance ahead. His face was as still as stone, simply blank. An expression that sent shivers down my spine. His head turned, revealing the entirety of his face, half of which was splattered with red blood, not of his own. All color drained from my face, I stumbled back.

“What’s wrong?”

“Father, your face…”

“I’m sorry if this disturbs you. I forgot to wash it off.”

“What happened?”

“I had to kill someone.”

My blood went cold. His eyes narrowed.

“You’re asking a lot of questions. Maybe it’s time to have a session with The Directive?”

“No, father, I feel fine. I apologize.”

His piercing eyes watched me as I turned and re-entered the farm, shaken and disturbed.

____________

That night, I laid in bed, shivering, but not because of the cold, but because of the encounter with my father. There was a blood trail, identical to the blood splattered on my father’s face, leading to the basement, which, I was forbidden to enter. I always wondered what was inside, but never had the guts to disobey my father and find out. 

Weeks passed. Perseus, my brother, returned for a short while, he seemed different, perhaps the military, and war had changed him. It was nice to see him, for that small week. I feared he was turning into my father, his emotions lessening, face slowly forming the same expression my father always had. Omega, my father, continued to show me how to drive, I don’t enjoy it. He never congratulated me on anything anymore, no pride or love towards me. I remember times when he did care for me, and actually showed emotion, however those memories seem to be slipping away like a dream. But I worry if I ever bring any of this up, he will take me to The Directive, where they would fill my mind with knowledge. However, I don’t like their knowledge, they cause me to think, and feel differently.

The nagging feeling of going into the basement stayed, and so did the odd, half dreams of the sense that someone was in great agony and pain until I couldn’t handle it anymore. I had to discover what was in the basement. Almost three months after my odd encounter with father, I rose out of bed and silently exited my room heading towards the basement. Its large metal door prevented any sound from escaping it. Slowly, I reached out and wrapped my fingers around the handle.

Pain. The same pain I had sensed each night. Only this time, I could see who it was happening to, and what was happening to them. With the door opened just a crack, I could peer inside. The basement was a metal prison. Seven small cages lined the walls with shivering, and nearly naked Invaders, creatures similarly built like us with minor differences, trapped inside them. Near the north wall of the basement was an Invader, hanging from the ceiling by a metal chain latched to his wrists.

My father stood in front of him, a bloody hammer sat in his hands. Sweat drizzled down his forehead as he viciously swung the hammer into the Invader's broken body. A loud snap rang out as the hammer shattered one of the Invaider’s ribs, causing him to howl in pain. 

My father suddenly turned, his eyes locked onto mine. I stumbled back. He set the hammer down on a table a few feet away from himself and fully opened the basement door to face me. His expression the same as when I saw him on the porch that day.

“You know not to be down here Deacon.”

“What are you doing?”

“Serving justice. An eye for an eye. Now go back to bed.”

He turned back around and entered the basement, closing the door behind him. I stared at the metal door. Those Invaders had started this war, killed thousands of my people. However, causing this torture made us no better then them. I once more wrapped my fingers around the handle and carefully opened the door.

The screams of agony from the Invader masked any small sound I may have made as I entered the basement, and crept towards the table of torture weapons only a few feet from my father. My eyes were fixed on a power drill.

My fingers wrapped around it’s handle, it was heavy, heavier than I expected. I lifted it up, ready to plunge the tip into the back of my father’s head. Suddenly, the screaming stopped, my father dropped the hammer and checked the Invaider’s pulse. He was dead. Abruptly my father turned, his eyes met mine, and for the first time, I saw fear in his face, the last expression he would ever have. I pulled the trigger, and plunged the drill forwards.

His bloodied body fell to the floor. Drops splattered on my face and clothes, along with parts of the wall. For a moment I couldn’t believe what I had done. The drill clattered to the floor. I leaned down and grabbed the keys off my fathers body, and began to unlock the cages.

“Now that he’s dead, they’ll automate anyone nearby, you have a way out?” one of the Invaders asked me. With all the Invaders released, we quickly rushed out of the basement and I led them towards my father’s orange truck. I jumped in the driver's seat with an Invader in the passenger's seat. The rest squeezed into the cargo bed. We began driving off.

“Why did you save us?”

“You may have Invaded Earth, destroyed our lands, but that doesn’t justify the torture my father was inflicting upon you.”

He scoffed, “We didn’t invade Earth.

Suddenly, something smashed into the truck's side. We spun out of control and off the dirt road. I gripped my now bleeding forehead, and looked out the window for what hit us. Then I saw him. My brother, Perseus, exiting from his car, shotgun in hand, his eyes white. 

The Invaders were scattered along the terrain, knocked out of the cargo bed by the crash. Perseus aimed the gun at one of them and fired, killing him. 

Quickly I exited the car, charging towards him, “Perseus!”

He continued firing at them, killing another.

“Perseus stop.” 

I was only a few feet away from him when he turned and pointed the gun at me. Instinctively I grabbed the barrel of the gun and moved it just enough away so that the pellets exploding from it missed my head. I ripped the gun from his hands. He threw a punch at me, which I dodged and then hit him hard in the back with the gun. I then pointed it at his chest.

“Perseus, you don’t understand.”

He roared at me and charged forwards, instinctively I pulled the trigger. He fell to the ground, his blood gushing from his stomach. He moaned and roared in agony. I dropped the gun and rushed to his side, tears streaming from my eyes.

“Perseus, Perseus no, no.”

Suddenly, despite the awful wound in his stomach, he grabbed me, and pinned me to the floor, beginning to choke me. The Invader, who had been sitting in the passenger's seat, rushed towards me. He snatched the shotgun and smashed the hilt into Perseus’ head, knocking him off of me. I then heard the shotgun fire, and my brother’s howling stopped. I slowly sat up, my brother's black blood soaked into my shirt. I looked up at the Invader.

“What happened to him?”

“He was Automated, controlled. I don’t understand why you aren’t too.”

I slowly rose to my feet.

“I’ll take you to the nearest Airway, but that’s all I can do.”

He scoffed, “We’re not leaving Earth.”

“Haven’t you caused enough harm to us already, end this war, return home!”

“Earth is our home!”

Everything went silent.

“What are you saying?”

“We didn’t invade Earth. You did.”