Community Writing Contest

Community General Discussion
1

[This contest has concluded]

Here it is! I know that this is definitely later than originally planned however life happens and it doesn’t slow down for anyone! With that being said I’d like to say a huge thank you to all of the support and feedback the community gave me for the first contest. Your replies and inboxes have been so valuable for making this more fluid for the future.

LETS GET INTO IT!

Hello everyone and welcome to a new Halo Community Writing Contest! Wether you’re new or a veteran to these give it a try! You’ll be amazed at how creative your mind can be!

IMPORTANT NEWS
[With the lack of a badge I’ll offer up a Halo 5 HCS Skin pack to the winner!!]
For the time being, there aren’t any Forum Badges available for this contest. This is purely a fun activity for everyone in the community to get involved in. I’ll happily keep a record of winners from each contest however, that way in the future if the badge is reinstated you’ll receive it!

So let’s get started!

This contest, I really want to give everyone the opportunity to express themselves the way they’d like to. I’d like to see you create a character of your own, it can be an ODST, Spartan, Marine, AND you can also create a character within the Covenant too (Elite, Brute etc). You’re going to write about your characters hardest experience during the Human/Covenant War. This could be a battle, a memory, etc. Get creative!

Be sure to take the time to create and understand your character/s before writing. I’m looking to see how well you can execute your character/s and how well you write them into your given situation. BE CREATIVE! And good luck!

Here’s a few rules!

  • There is no need to title your story, but feel free. - Use a character YOU HAVE CREATED. - You are limited to the character limit of 7,500. - Do NOT feature other Halo characters. This is an opportunity for your characters to take centre stage. Don’t rely on other well-known characters to help your story. - The story period must be set between 2525 – 2558. - 1 entry per person - The entry must be written by the person submitting it. - Entries must be in English - Prose entries only. No poems. Sorry. - This contest will run until 23.59 PDT September 20th. - Late entries or those not in line with the listed criteria will be disqualified.
  • Remember to hook the reader at the start. Make a statement. Don’t start with pacing the room, looking out of the window or contemplation. - <strong><strong><strong><strong>Show, don’t tell. Tell has it’s place. But showing is better when starting the story.</strong></strong></strong></strong> - <strong>Don’t start your story with a load of adjective-laden description.</strong>Once again, if you have any questions or feedback feel free to reach out. It’ll only get better in the future! Thanks for your support and most importantly HAVE FUN!!

Good luck! :slight_smile:

2

[Contest winners will be posted below]

  • x N7 117 x - bottledwaltr
    Thank you to everyone who participated, congratulations to N7 who took first followed by bottledwaltr.

You’ll both receive a prize just for getting involved! Please N7 private message me regarding which available H5 HCS skin pack you would like to receive!

I’ll post a new competition within the next couple of weeks. As usual I’ll try to add a prize into the contests, and if you have any questions or anything to add please share your thoughts with me. See you guys in the next one!

3

Frostfall. Once a planet where two hundred million people called it home. Now, because of the Covenant, the planet is made up of nothing but graves. As the Covenant war machine continued to turn, they were thorough and ruthless, hunting down and slaughtering the Humans in droves. What militia they had didn’t last long, and were soon broken, scattered, lost, and confused, trying to find out who was calling the shots and if indeed there still was some sort of chain of command to give the orders.

I was eleven when the attack came. Unprovoked, unannounced, and as swift as an eagle they came from the sky, Covenant aircraft and drop pods alike, crashing into the buildings and into the ground. Anyone in the immediate area didn’t stand a chance of surviving. Thankfully, my family and I were not in the area but nobody could miss the huge bulbous front end of a Covenant cruiser hovering in the planets atmosphere, looming over the city like some monsterous bird of prey. By the time the news of the attack had reached us, we had already packed essentials and were heading to the closest evacuation point set up by those in the militia that weren’t fighting in the city. As we were queuing to get on the shuttle, I heard a sob from beside me. Looking down, I saw my younger sister clutching her overstuffed teddy bear, with silent tears running down her pink cheeks. I could only imagine what this experience was like for the mind of a six year old. I reached out, pulled her closer to me, and when she buried her face in my side, I bent over slightly to kiss her on the forehead, a sign of reassurance. It was about the only thing I could do. We had always been close, me and her. We always had to stick together if we needed to get by.

As the queue for the shuttle slowly moved forward in an orderly manner, I could hear something on the horizon. An odd whining noise that was growing louder as though whatever was making the noise was getting closer. I lifted my head off of my younger sister and began to look around for the noise, perhaps someone had forgotten to delete their alarm on their personal pad. And then I saw them. Banshees. Five Banshees were streaking across the sky in the direction of the shuttle bay, in the direction of us! I grabbed my sisters hand as tight as I could and yelled for everyone to run, pointing at the oncoming Covenant craft with my free hand. There was instant panic. People were running in all directions, some were trying to get on the shuttle, but everyone else was running away from the shuttle pad. As I looked wildly around for our parents, gunshots rang over the noise and screams, momentarily distracting me, and I saw three people who were trying to jump onto the shuttles outer hull collapse to the floor, dead. The militia captain waved his arms, telling the pilot to get the shuttle in the air, but the Banshees were too fast for it. In no time at all, five bright green plasma bombs had been ejected from the Covenant attack craft, obliterating the shuttle and the landing pad, killing everyone. As the Banshees screamed overhead, I covered my younger sister’s ears as she too let out a scream. I looked up at the aircraft, all five of which were circling back round, ready for another attack run. Without wasting any more time, I grabbed my little sister around the waist, picked her up, and carried her to the small bunker that was not too far. I placed her down on the ground, telling her that she was to go inside and under no circumstances was to come out again unless I or mum or dad said so. She nodded, tears still streaking down her face. I gave her one last kiss on the forehead, turned around, and ran back towards the remains of the shuttle and the landing pad, both of which were now hardly recognisable because of the plasma dischage. Burned and charred corpses lay among the wreckage but there was not telling if any of the bodies were his mother and father. I hoped to God none of them were. In the heat of the moment, I had momentarily forgotten about the Banshees that were coming back around, but all of that changed when I heard the unearthly shriek of the aircraft fly over once more, firing their green plasma bombs again. Time felt as though it had slowed down and that I was watching the events unfurl in cruel slow motion. Those plasma bombs directly hit the small bunker, blowing a hole the size of a car through the roof and the surrounding area. The most haunting thing I could ever hear though above everything else was a loud, high pitched scream of pain.

4

> 2533274809226598;3:
> Frostfall. Once a planet where two hundred million people called it home. Now, because of the Covenant, the planet is made up of nothing but graves. As the Covenant war machine continued to turn, they were thorough and ruthless, hunting down and slaughtering the Humans in droves. What militia they had didn’t last long, and were soon broken, scattered, lost, and confused, trying to find out who was calling the shots and if indeed there still was some sort of chain of command to give the orders.
>
> I was eleven when the attack came. Unprovoked, unannounced, and as swift as an eagle they came from the sky, Covenant aircraft and drop pods alike, crashing into the buildings and into the ground. Anyone in the immediate area didn’t stand a chance of surviving. Thankfully, my family and I were not in the area but nobody could miss the huge bulbous front end of a Covenant cruiser hovering in the planets atmosphere, looming over the city like some monsterous bird of prey. By the time the news of the attack had reached us, we had already packed essentials and were heading to the closest evacuation point set up by those in the militia that weren’t fighting in the city. As we were queuing to get on the shuttle, I heard a sob from beside me. Looking down, I saw my younger sister clutching her overstuffed teddy bear, with silent tears running down her pink cheeks. I could only imagine what this experience was like for the mind of a six year old. I reached out, pulled her closer to me, and when she buried her face in my side, I bent over slightly to kiss her on the forehead, a sign of reassurance. It was about the only thing I could do. We had always been close, me and her. We always had to stick together if we needed to get by.
>
> As the queue for the shuttle slowly moved forward in an orderly manner, I could hear something on the horizon. An odd whining noise that was growing louder as though whatever was making the noise was getting closer. I lifted my head off of my younger sister and began to look around for the noise, perhaps someone had forgotten to delete their alarm on their personal pad. And then I saw them. Banshees. Five Banshees were streaking across the sky in the direction of the shuttle bay, in the direction of us! I grabbed my sisters hand as tight as I could and yelled for everyone to run, pointing at the oncoming Covenant craft with my free hand. There was instant panic. People were running in all directions, some were trying to get on the shuttle, but everyone else was running away from the shuttle pad. As I looked wildly around for our parents, gunshots rang over the noise and screams, momentarily distracting me, and I saw three people who were trying to jump onto the shuttles outer hull collapse to the floor, dead. The militia captain waved his arms, telling the pilot to get the shuttle in the air, but the Banshees were too fast for it. In no time at all, five bright green plasma bombs had been ejected from the Covenant attack craft, obliterating the shuttle and the landing pad, killing everyone. As the Banshees screamed overhead, I covered my younger sister’s ears as she too let out a scream. I looked up at the aircraft, all five of which were circling back round, ready for another attack run. Without wasting any more time, I grabbed my little sister around the waist, picked her up, and carried her to the small bunker that was not too far. I placed her down on the ground, telling her that she was to go inside and under no circumstances was to come out again unless I or mum or dad said so. She nodded, tears still streaking down her face. I gave her one last kiss on the forehead, turned around, and ran back towards the remains of the shuttle and the landing pad, both of which were now hardly recognisable because of the plasma dischage. Burned and charred corpses lay among the wreckage but there was not telling if any of the bodies were his mother and father. He hoped to God none of them were. In the heat of the moment, he had momentarily forgotten about the Banshees that were coming back around, but all of that changed when he heard the unearthly shriek of the aircraft fly over once more, firing their green plasma bombs again. Time felt as though it had slowed down and that I was watching the events unfurl in cruel slow motion. Those plasma bombs directly hit the small bunker, blowing a hole the size of a car through the roof and the surrounding area. The most haunting thing he could hear though above everything else was a loud, high pitched scream of pain.

That’s a full on moment, you’ve done a great job! You really captured the emotion and helplessness of those people.

If I could offer some feedback it would be to decide wether or not the story is coming from your own point of view or a third person point of view. Eg, “I” and “him”.

Just give it a think and edit it if you’d like to, you’re always able to edit your submission as long as you don’t re-post it. I really really like the creativeness though, from the view of a civilian. A great start!

5

> 2535445608274502;4:
> > 2533274809226598;3:
> > Frostfall. Once a planet where two hundred million people called it home. Now, because of the Covenant, the planet is made up of nothing but graves. As the Covenant war machine continued to turn, they were thorough and ruthless, hunting down and slaughtering the Humans in droves. What militia they had didn’t last long, and were soon broken, scattered, lost, and confused, trying to find out who was calling the shots and if indeed there still was some sort of chain of command to give the orders.
> >
> > I was eleven when the attack came. Unprovoked, unannounced, and as swift as an eagle they came from the sky, Covenant aircraft and drop pods alike, crashing into the buildings and into the ground. Anyone in the immediate area didn’t stand a chance of surviving. Thankfully, my family and I were not in the area but nobody could miss the huge bulbous front end of a Covenant cruiser hovering in the planets atmosphere, looming over the city like some monsterous bird of prey. By the time the news of the attack had reached us, we had already packed essentials and were heading to the closest evacuation point set up by those in the militia that weren’t fighting in the city. As we were queuing to get on the shuttle, I heard a sob from beside me. Looking down, I saw my younger sister clutching her overstuffed teddy bear, with silent tears running down her pink cheeks. I could only imagine what this experience was like for the mind of a six year old. I reached out, pulled her closer to me, and when she buried her face in my side, I bent over slightly to kiss her on the forehead, a sign of reassurance. It was about the only thing I could do. We had always been close, me and her. We always had to stick together if we needed to get by.
> >
> > As the queue for the shuttle slowly moved forward in an orderly manner, I could hear something on the horizon. An odd whining noise that was growing louder as though whatever was making the noise was getting closer. I lifted my head off of my younger sister and began to look around for the noise, perhaps someone had forgotten to delete their alarm on their personal pad. And then I saw them. Banshees. Five Banshees were streaking across the sky in the direction of the shuttle bay, in the direction of us! I grabbed my sisters hand as tight as I could and yelled for everyone to run, pointing at the oncoming Covenant craft with my free hand. There was instant panic. People were running in all directions, some were trying to get on the shuttle, but everyone else was running away from the shuttle pad. As I looked wildly around for our parents, gunshots rang over the noise and screams, momentarily distracting me, and I saw three people who were trying to jump onto the shuttles outer hull collapse to the floor, dead. The militia captain waved his arms, telling the pilot to get the shuttle in the air, but the Banshees were too fast for it. In no time at all, five bright green plasma bombs had been ejected from the Covenant attack craft, obliterating the shuttle and the landing pad, killing everyone. As the Banshees screamed overhead, I covered my younger sister’s ears as she too let out a scream. I looked up at the aircraft, all five of which were circling back round, ready for another attack run. Without wasting any more time, I grabbed my little sister around the waist, picked her up, and carried her to the small bunker that was not too far. I placed her down on the ground, telling her that she was to go inside and under no circumstances was to come out again unless I or mum or dad said so. She nodded, tears still streaking down her face. I gave her one last kiss on the forehead, turned around, and ran back towards the remains of the shuttle and the landing pad, both of which were now hardly recognisable because of the plasma dischage. Burned and charred corpses lay among the wreckage but there was not telling if any of the bodies were his mother and father. He hoped to God none of them were. In the heat of the moment, he had momentarily forgotten about the Banshees that were coming back around, but all of that changed when he heard the unearthly shriek of the aircraft fly over once more, firing their green plasma bombs again. Time felt as though it had slowed down and that I was watching the events unfurl in cruel slow motion. Those plasma bombs directly hit the small bunker, blowing a hole the size of a car through the roof and the surrounding area. The most haunting thing he could hear though above everything else was a loud, high pitched scream of pain.
>
> That’s a full on moment, you’ve done a great job! You really captured the emotion and helplessness of those people.
>
> **If I could offer some feedback it would be to decide wether or not the story is coming from your own point of view or a third person point of view. Eg, “I” and “him”.**Just give it a think and edit it if you’d like to, you’re always able to edit your submission as long as you don’t re-post it. I really really like the creativeness though, from the view of a civilian. A great start!

Thanks for pointing that out. I didn’t realise I had done that :sweat_smile: It was around 1am when I typed this. I’ll edit it now.

6

> 2533274809226598;5:
> > 2535445608274502;4:
> > > 2533274809226598;3:
> > > Frostfall. Once a planet where two hundred million people called it home. Now, because of the Covenant, the planet is made up of nothing but graves. As the Covenant war machine continued to turn, they were thorough and ruthless, hunting down and slaughtering the Humans in droves. What militia they had didn’t last long, and were soon broken, scattered, lost, and confused, trying to find out who was calling the shots and if indeed there still was some sort of chain of command to give the orders.
> > >
> > > I was eleven when the attack came. Unprovoked, unannounced, and as swift as an eagle they came from the sky, Covenant aircraft and drop pods alike, crashing into the buildings and into the ground. Anyone in the immediate area didn’t stand a chance of surviving. Thankfully, my family and I were not in the area but nobody could miss the huge bulbous front end of a Covenant cruiser hovering in the planets atmosphere, looming over the city like some monsterous bird of prey. By the time the news of the attack had reached us, we had already packed essentials and were heading to the closest evacuation point set up by those in the militia that weren’t fighting in the city. As we were queuing to get on the shuttle, I heard a sob from beside me. Looking down, I saw my younger sister clutching her overstuffed teddy bear, with silent tears running down her pink cheeks. I could only imagine what this experience was like for the mind of a six year old. I reached out, pulled her closer to me, and when she buried her face in my side, I bent over slightly to kiss her on the forehead, a sign of reassurance. It was about the only thing I could do. We had always been close, me and her. We always had to stick together if we needed to get by.
> > >
> > > As the queue for the shuttle slowly moved forward in an orderly manner, I could hear something on the horizon. An odd whining noise that was growing louder as though whatever was making the noise was getting closer. I lifted my head off of my younger sister and began to look around for the noise, perhaps someone had forgotten to delete their alarm on their personal pad. And then I saw them. Banshees. Five Banshees were streaking across the sky in the direction of the shuttle bay, in the direction of us! I grabbed my sisters hand as tight as I could and yelled for everyone to run, pointing at the oncoming Covenant craft with my free hand. There was instant panic. People were running in all directions, some were trying to get on the shuttle, but everyone else was running away from the shuttle pad. As I looked wildly around for our parents, gunshots rang over the noise and screams, momentarily distracting me, and I saw three people who were trying to jump onto the shuttles outer hull collapse to the floor, dead. The militia captain waved his arms, telling the pilot to get the shuttle in the air, but the Banshees were too fast for it. In no time at all, five bright green plasma bombs had been ejected from the Covenant attack craft, obliterating the shuttle and the landing pad, killing everyone. As the Banshees screamed overhead, I covered my younger sister’s ears as she too let out a scream. I looked up at the aircraft, all five of which were circling back round, ready for another attack run. Without wasting any more time, I grabbed my little sister around the waist, picked her up, and carried her to the small bunker that was not too far. I placed her down on the ground, telling her that she was to go inside and under no circumstances was to come out again unless I or mum or dad said so. She nodded, tears still streaking down her face. I gave her one last kiss on the forehead, turned around, and ran back towards the remains of the shuttle and the landing pad, both of which were now hardly recognisable because of the plasma dischage. Burned and charred corpses lay among the wreckage but there was not telling if any of the bodies were his mother and father. He hoped to God none of them were. In the heat of the moment, he had momentarily forgotten about the Banshees that were coming back around, but all of that changed when he heard the unearthly shriek of the aircraft fly over once more, firing their green plasma bombs again. Time felt as though it had slowed down and that I was watching the events unfurl in cruel slow motion. Those plasma bombs directly hit the small bunker, blowing a hole the size of a car through the roof and the surrounding area. The most haunting thing he could hear though above everything else was a loud, high pitched scream of pain.
> >
> > That’s a full on moment, you’ve done a great job! You really captured the emotion and helplessness of those people.
> >
> > **If I could offer some feedback it would be to decide wether or not the story is coming from your own point of view or a third person point of view. Eg, “I” and “him”.**Just give it a think and edit it if you’d like to, you’re always able to edit your submission as long as you don’t re-post it. I really really like the creativeness though, from the view of a civilian. A great start!
>
> Thanks for pointing that out. I didn’t realise I had done that :sweat_smile: It was around 1am when I typed this. I’ll edit it now.

Haha no worries. I appreciate the story, especially at 1am, that shows commitment!

7

// Lt. Finley reporting. 2552, 2 hours after the destruction of the Ark. Location: Unknown.
I am currently in a Type-26 ground support aircraft, or a Banshee. Call it what you want. I would say I was lucky to make it out alive, but some dude said that luck is a myth. So let’s just say I’m awesome and incredibly talented. For a marine.
Status report: 3 or 4 hours ago, I was on the ark. You know, shooting aliens and popping flood and what not. I was left behind by my squad, though. They must’ve thought I was dead. Sigh, Well, I guess It was for good reason. I mean, seriously, It must’ve looked like I was… actually let’s not get into those details. Think of the children. Let’s just say I was knocked unconscious by a exploded chunk of a flying anti-air Wraith.
I woke up to a massive bloody bruise on my forehead, and everything around me being obliterated. I kid you not: the floor, the buildings, the ocean, my mind, was all blowing up. Bits and pieces of structures and aliens alike were being blown sky high. It was awesome, except for that I was in the midst of it. Fortunately, there was a very generous brute that I shot in the leg (and is probably dead now) who let me have his banshee, which I am currently in. He was a nice brute.
Nonetheless, I am so grateful that my squad made it out alive. Except for Charles. I hate that guy. I hope you enjoy your ride on the Shadow of Intent, team.

// Lt. Finley reporting. 2552, 17 hours after the destruction of the Ark. Location: Unknown.
I am still in a Banshee, flying to the I-don’t-know-where-I-am solar system. Navigation system’s broken, I just now realized. Took me a while to realize how hungry and thirsty I was. This gash on my forehead is also starting to become a problem. I also miss my dog back on Earth, so that’s also a problem. Without her, I might go insane-o.
I haven’t been able to sleep; I’m worried that the banshee might crash into some asteroid or something of the like. It’s really uncomfortable in here, obviously these things were not designed for humans. I’m surprised that Chief can fly these things without having to reposition himself every 5 minutes.
Welp, no food, no water, gash on forehead without any tools to heal it, a banshee with a broken navigation system, and the inability to sleep. Either the lack of sleep, starvation, or this stupid gash on my forehead is going to kill me first.

// Lt. Finley reporting. 2552, 36 hours after the destruction of the Ark. Location: Unknown
If you guessed that I was still in a Banshee, then you got it right. Not only the navigation system in this piece of junk is broken, the stupid thing stopped flying. Controls, broken. Stabilizers, broken. Autopilot, I actually don’t know whether this thing has autopilot or not, so I’m just going to say it’s broken.
Without the controls, I can’t prevent myself from crashing into something. That’s a shame. I wonder how long it’ll be before this thing runs outta oxygen. Eh, maybe not. If Covenant tech can make grenades out of literal plasma (I don’t know how they make 'em stick), then maybe they already got around limited oxygen.
There’s one good thing about no flight controls. If I’m going to crash into something anyway, there’s nothing I can do. I might can get some rest now.
Only thing missing is a doggie to snuggle with.

// Lt. Finley reporting. 2552, 54 hours after the destruction of the Ark. Location: Unknown
I can tell the Banshee is running out of power drastically. Every minute it gets colder. Not to mention, the oxygen. I don’t know if the Banshee is running out of it, or the cold is making it harder to breath. I feel like my forehead is on fire. Which is ironic, because of how cold it is in here.
Speaking of Banshees, I’ve gone 50-something hours without food or water. My stomach is as upset as I am. And you know, I’m glad my dog isn’t here. I might’ve straight stick eaten her then used her fur coat as a blanket. It’s a dark thought, I know, but man… desperation like, really sucks.

// Lt. Finley reporting. Maybe 2552, ?? hours after the destruction of the Ark. Location: Unknown
I have officially lost my sense of humor. I want to eat. I want to drink. I want to be at home. I want my dog. I want to be on Earth. I want to be out of this forsaken spaceship. There’s a lot of stuff that I want, but I can’t have it. Maybe going out to space and getting it over with is a better idea than staying in here and dying slowly.
I still can’t bring myself to do it. Or anything. I’m tired. Hopeless. If you can come up with any negative feeling, I can assure you, I have that feeling as of now.
I’ll pray for a miracle, and go to sleep, and hopefully not have to wake up again. Sorry team… I’ll see you on the other side. If you ever find this.
Charles - give my dog a wholesome hug for me, would ya?

// Lt. Finley reporting. [], [] hours after the destruction of the Ark. Location: Unknown

I am currently piloting a Type-52 troop carrier, or in UNSC terms, a Phantom. My Banshee is lodged in the hangar door as I speak. I am as well-nourished as I am rested. My forehead is healing and feels better already. I have no idea what kind of food the Covenant species eat, but it does the trick. Food nipple, as I discovered, is very good thirst quencher.
Status report: I have no idea what time it is, or how long it’s been sense the ark was destroyed. I’m going to guess 3 or 4 days to a week. When my Banshee crashed, I had thought I was finally going to die. I didn’t, just in case you couldn’t tell. My Banshee happened to get itself lodged in the side of a Phantom that was drifting about, much like I was.
I got out through the front of the Banshee. There was a hole in the front that I was able to expand until I got through. The dim light hurt my eyes, seeing as the only light I have seen for the past week or so has been the stars, and the occasional chunk of the ark.
There was food and water (or at least something like it) that I was able to feed myself with, and I mended to my forehead. I was hesitant at first, but it must be fine, seeing as I’m still alive.
Give me a couple more hours of resting, and I’ll have my sense of humor back in no time.

// Lt. Finley reporting. [], [] hours after the destruction of the Ark. Location: Unknown
Something I didn’t think of to check for was other humans (or covenant) aboard the carrier. I didn’t find anything. At this point, finding a savage covenant being hellbent on killing me would be nice change from the solitude.
I still miss my team and my dog. And Earth, also. Being in the Phantom alone isn’t my favorite, but it beats the hell out of that Banshee.
Navigation systems work properly, I think. It’s hard to tell with the alien tech. I don’t know if my supplies will get me to Earth, or at least a planet. It’ll definitely buy me some time.

// Lt. Finley reporting. [], [] hours after the destruction of the Ark. Location: Unknown
I found a planet. It’s hard to describe my joy with my findings! In words, anyway. I’ll just say that I jumped around a lot and went “woo-hoo”! And the planet is beautiful, not to mention. It looks like a Halo ring, but shaped like a planet!
I’ve made the decision to stay here for the time being. I don’t know when (or if, worst case) I’ll be found, but it’s a risk I’m willing to make. After all, it’s less risky than trying to find Earth with so little supplies.
I’m going to miss my team, no doubt about it. Seriously… I love you guys. But I love my dog more, just sayin’.
Speaking of which… I think I’ll name her Amelia.

8

> 2533274809226598;3:
> Frostfall. Once a planet where two hundred million people called it home. Now, because of the Covenant, the planet is made up of nothing but graves. As the Covenant war machine continued to turn, they were thorough and ruthless, hunting down and slaughtering the Humans in droves. What militia they had didn’t last long, and were soon broken, scattered, lost, and confused, trying to find out who was calling the shots and if indeed there still was some sort of chain of command to give the orders.
>
> I was eleven when the attack came. Unprovoked, unannounced, and as swift as an eagle they came from the sky, Covenant aircraft and drop pods alike, crashing into the buildings and into the ground. Anyone in the immediate area didn’t stand a chance of surviving. Thankfully, my family and I were not in the area but nobody could miss the huge bulbous front end of a Covenant cruiser hovering in the planets atmosphere, looming over the city like some monsterous bird of prey. By the time the news of the attack had reached us, we had already packed essentials and were heading to the closest evacuation point set up by those in the militia that weren’t fighting in the city. As we were queuing to get on the shuttle, I heard a sob from beside me. Looking down, I saw my younger sister clutching her overstuffed teddy bear, with silent tears running down her pink cheeks. I could only imagine what this experience was like for the mind of a six year old. I reached out, pulled her closer to me, and when she buried her face in my side, I bent over slightly to kiss her on the forehead, a sign of reassurance. It was about the only thing I could do. We had always been close, me and her. We always had to stick together if we needed to get by.
>
> As the queue for the shuttle slowly moved forward in an orderly manner, I could hear something on the horizon. An odd whining noise that was growing louder as though whatever was making the noise was getting closer. I lifted my head off of my younger sister and began to look around for the noise, perhaps someone had forgotten to delete their alarm on their personal pad. And then I saw them. Banshees. Five Banshees were streaking across the sky in the direction of the shuttle bay, in the direction of us! I grabbed my sisters hand as tight as I could and yelled for everyone to run, pointing at the oncoming Covenant craft with my free hand. There was instant panic. People were running in all directions, some were trying to get on the shuttle, but everyone else was running away from the shuttle pad. As I looked wildly around for our parents, gunshots rang over the noise and screams, momentarily distracting me, and I saw three people who were trying to jump onto the shuttles outer hull collapse to the floor, dead. The militia captain waved his arms, telling the pilot to get the shuttle in the air, but the Banshees were too fast for it. In no time at all, five bright green plasma bombs had been ejected from the Covenant attack craft, obliterating the shuttle and the landing pad, killing everyone. As the Banshees screamed overhead, I covered my younger sister’s ears as she too let out a scream. I looked up at the aircraft, all five of which were circling back round, ready for another attack run. Without wasting any more time, I grabbed my little sister around the waist, picked her up, and carried her to the small bunker that was not too far. I placed her down on the ground, telling her that she was to go inside and under no circumstances was to come out again unless I or mum or dad said so. She nodded, tears still streaking down her face. I gave her one last kiss on the forehead, turned around, and ran back towards the remains of the shuttle and the landing pad, both of which were now hardly recognisable because of the plasma dischage. Burned and charred corpses lay among the wreckage but there was not telling if any of the bodies were his mother and father. I hoped to God none of them were. In the heat of the moment, I had momentarily forgotten about the Banshees that were coming back around, but all of that changed when I heard the unearthly shriek of the aircraft fly over once more, firing their green plasma bombs again. Time felt as though it had slowed down and that I was watching the events unfurl in cruel slow motion. Those plasma bombs directly hit the small bunker, blowing a hole the size of a car through the roof and the surrounding area. The most haunting thing I could ever hear though above everything else was a loud, high pitched scream of pain.

Wow this is really great! I’ll buy any book you publish!

9

Wish I saw this earlier, I would have loved to enter.

10

> 2533274807993125;9:
> Wish I saw this earlier, I would have loved to enter.

I will be creating another contest within the coming days!