The alarm

[FIVE MINUTES EARLIER]

Tension was high at the eastern gate. Scouts reported that the horde was minutes away from reaching the clearance surrounding the barrier. The army had been told to prepare for an attack, and they were doing just that, but with the usual uneasiness that characterized each period before a battle.

However, this wouldn't be a simple bout; a million-strong horde of thaids was marching over the city, and if things went sour, New Alexandria could even end up being wiped out.

The generals were strategizing their plan of action, knowing that the city's fate rested on their shoulders. Since they all received military training, the adult citizens were on the walls with all the other soldiers, and only the kids and the old people who couldn't fight anymore were waiting inside the city. They were not few by any means but were still less than the adults.

"The wait is killing me," Tim said.

"Me too," Frank replied.