Halo: Magicka

Suddenly, I heard the opening of the door and smiled, 'Oh Dad, I always loved your sense of timing.'

The Covenant weren't going to wait around, and the clock was ticking.

I glanced over at the door again, but my father hadn't stepped inside yet. That was when I heard the muffled sounds of footsteps from outside—fast, purposeful, and too heavy to be ordinary civilians.

"Mom, we need to move now," I said, my voice firm as I rushed to grab the bag I'd stashed away some time ago. The reinforced bag held some of my emergency gear, but it wasn't much. A couple of changes of clothes, food rations, another phone, and a few tools. It wasn't nearly enough for what was coming, but it would have to do.

Boom!

I shot a glance at the window and saw the faintest glimmer of movement. The purple ships that were hovering, had now started deploying pods down to the planet.

"Dad," I called louder this time, my throat tight. "Hurry up..."

The door creaked open fully, and I looked up just in time to see him stride into the room, his usual calm demeanour replaced with something more serious. His brow furrowed as he caught sight of me, then my mom, and at which point I saw the blood that was covering his hands.

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice sharp with concern, but there was no panic in it. This was my dad, surely he had a good explanation.

"The world goes to shit and suddenly everyone becomes a bandit, don't worry, I took care of it," He reassured. I smiled.

Reaching down, I grabbed my phone from my pocket and sent a quick message to J.

"I'll be there in five minutes. Stay safe. I'll get everyone."

Seeing my mum had now strapped my little brother to her front in a baby carrier, I nodded to myself.

"Dad, you already have a plan right?" I asked.

"We're going to need an extraction, now the UNSC base in this city seems to be exactly below the covenant ships meaning there is no chance of survival in this city. We need to go to the next one over, or just wait until the UNSC deploys Spartan teams at which point they can guide us to an evac point," He said calmly, "either way, staying on the move is key. We've got everything so let's go."

I stopped him for one second,

"First of all, we need to rendezvous with Jameson's family, I told him we'd be there in five minutes. Second of all, I'll explain everything later Mum."

My mum nodded which caused my dad to cock an eyebrow. He agreed to meet the Locke at theirs so we loaded the Hog.

The engine of the Warthog roared to life, the familiar hum of the machine grounding me as we barreled down the empty streets. The city was chaos now, the distant sound of sirens mingling with the deep, unsettling hum of the Covenant ships hovering overhead. I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. The pressure in my chest tightened, and for a moment, I forgot to breathe.

We were close to Jameson's house now. I gripped the edge of the hog a little tighter, my eyes scanning the streets for any sign of trouble. The Covenant wouldn't be patient for much longer. I knew this was just the beginning of their scouting, but that didn't make it any less terrifying.

"which turn was it again?" My dad's voice broke through my thoughts.

"the next left, stop at the front of the road - don't go too far down," I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through me, "They'll be ready. I just hope they don't run into any trouble on the way."

I glanced in the rearview mirror, where my mom held my little brother close. She looked calm, but I could see the tension in her posture. Her eyes kept darting to the window, as though she expected an explosion or a Covenant soldier to appear at any moment.

"Remember," my dad said, voice low, "we need to move quickly once we meet up with Jameson's family. No stopping, no hesitation. We get in, we get out, and we head for the next city. The UNSC will be our only hope."

I nodded, not needing to hear it again. The plan was clear. We were running out of time. The longer we stayed in this city, the more likely it was that we'd get caught. We had to make it to safety.

As we turned the final corner, Jameson's house came into view. The sight of it made my heart race even faster. We weren't just running from the Covenant—we were running from an entire invasion, and now we had other families relying on us to get them out too.

"Stay sharp," I muttered, slowing the Warthog as we neared the driveway, "Let's make this quick."

I pulled up to the front of the house, my mind already racing through the steps of what we needed to do. My dad was the first to jump out, ready to go. My mum stayed in the vehicle, cradling my brother against her chest. I quickly followed, scanning the area as we approached the door.

Jameson's dad, a tall and stocky man with a no-nonsense attitude, opened the door almost immediately, his face set in grim determination.

"Good timing," he said, stepping aside to let us in, "We were just about to head out too."

Jameson, his face pale but focused, appeared behind his dad, along with his mom.

"We've got a plan to head over to the next city, this one's doomed," Dad said quickly, looking between Jameson and his parents, "The Covenant's already hovering above the only UNSC base in this city. We don't have time to wait. We need to move."

Jameson's dad didn't hesitate, "Got it. We're ready."

With the two families now united, we packed into the Warthog once more, Jameson sitting on his mother's lap. There was no time for pleasantries. Every second counted. The engine roared as Dad slammed the pedal to the floor, and we sped off into the night, praying that the Covenant wouldn't catch us before we reached safety.

In the sky, I saw the first few flashes of enemy fire—purple beams of light illuminating the skyline, making it clear that the battle had already begun. The Covenant were here, and they were closing in fast.

"We're not out of the woods yet," my dad said, his voice grim.

"We just need to keep moving," I replied, my hand gripping the door with renewed determination.

This was only the beginning. We couldn't stop. Not until we were safe. And even then, we knew the war was far from over.