After an hour we gathered at the VIGIL Hall, dressed in our standard black combat uniforms. The funeral ceremony had quickly winded up with Glen's family along with Glen's body being transported to their home district.

All Vigil's stood in four parallel lines according to their year. Dami, who was shorter than me was two students ahead of me, but that didn't stop us from chatting. "Psst! Do you think we can sneak in one of those warships?" I whispered. The final years were to be transported to the central base via the warships.

Dami shot me a flat look. "Keep your wild ideas to yourself." Kass, behind me, laughed and patted my shoulder in consolation. "Don't worry if you move forward with the plan, I will definitely join you"

As the whispers among the Vigils gradually quieted, I turned my attention forward, realizing that our Head Master had just arrived. She walked with a dignified poise, her presence commanding respect. She stepped up to the podium, each step emanating power. Her dress too was immaculate and crisp, despite the late hour and the urgency. She still hadn't changed from the funeral attire, yet she looked as if she had just donned a new dress.

Our Head Master's piercing gaze settled on the assembled Vigils as she stepped up to the podium, her aura of authority filling the room. With a graceful but commanding gesture, she motioned for silence before she began to address us.

"Vigils," our Head Master began, her voice unwavering and resolute, "tonight, we face a moment that calls upon your unwavering dedication and your steadfast loyalty to Valdia. You might be having a lot of questions, especially regarding the shocks we just faced but worry not, news about this will reach you by tomorrow. I ask you to be patient and have faith in the system."

Have faith? Ya sure. We all knew if we didn't dedicate our loyalty to the Empire, we would be a mass of burning flesh in an instant. Regardless we continued to listen to her.

She paused, her gaze sweeping the ranks of Vigils, conveying a sense of urgency and gravity. "We've always stood together in the face of danger. Our unity is our strength, and our unwavering commitment to our duty is what sets us apart. Tonight, we face a situation unlike any other. I understand that the twelve have just returned and might be feeling helpless and agitated due to the unfairness of the situation, but we are Vigils. We have been trained for this. Think of this not as a death trap, but as an opportunity. An opportunity to defend the citizens and pave the way for a better tomorrow."

She took a step forward, her words of encouragement ringing with determination. "This is not a time for fear but a time for valor, for resilience. I hope-" she shook her head and smiled. "No, I know everyone of you will make me proud and return here alive and grinning, just waiting to spill the stories." I don't know what magic she did but she looked at each one of us right in our eyes as she continued. "And Know that I will always be waiting. Will you be vigilant?"

After which we all shouted in unison. "Yes, we will!" and drew an invisible V in the air with our right fist. We would be Vigil.

She then turned to face the screen behind her and switched it on via her phone. The screen flickered to life and in the background was the emperor.

"Dear citizens of Valdia, the unexpected preponement of the drafting ceremony may have caught some by surprise, yet let it be known that this occurrence presents a unique opportunity for each of you to valiantly contribute to the defence of our beloved nation. The recent seismic disturbance in the Kratos district was, unfortunately, the result of infiltrating enemy forces from Neios. I am pleased to convey that our vigilant forces have successfully eradicated this threat, ensuring the safety of our people. Nevertheless, in the spirit of unwavering caution, we must continue to remain vigilant. Without further delay, let us proceed with the drafting process."

From the emperor, the camera panned to the capital square where people had gathered to watch the drafting process.

"From the first district – Caro– the following have been drafted from the WarLot." The news anchor announced.

One by one the names and ages along with the photograph of the drafted were announced.

Lee Cantos. Age 30.

The photograph of 30-year-old Lee flashed on the screen for a few seconds showing a scrawny man with already aging hair, before it changed to flash the details and picture of the next drafted.

After 20 minutes, it was time for my district. I hoped I did not get drafted, desperately. I did not want a fate like Glen and with Neios already gaining the upper hand according to rumours, the number of drafted that were bound to return was less.

Jet Wyse. Age 25.

The first name is from my district. But someone I didn't know very well. The photo showed a young boy with curly black hair, smiling at a distance.

Micah Holtz. Age 21.

Now that, was someone I knew. He was my next-door neighbour. I remember playing tag with him and some other kids as a child.

In his photo, he looked as if death had drained his soul.

Valeria Reez. Age 20.

I froze. A picture of me from 2 years ago flashed. A bored expression that looked as if I was glaring at the camera. I remember the day when we had to line up for an official photo. I was with my mom and my friend from my district. A super hot day spent just waiting for a picture to flash on drafting day.

Dami whipped her head behind, her eyes mirroring the dread and surprise of my own. I felt several eyes on me. It was as if everyone in the hall was staring at me. Gauging my reaction.

I took a deep breath. No big deal. Cezar and Lydia had returned alive. I could too. I would have to. Glen's face flashed in my mind momentarily but I quickly shoved him aside.

I turned to look at Cezar. Beads of sweat clung to his forehead even in the airconditioned hall. He closed his eyes and shook his head from side to side.

Don't worry.

I nodded.

A few more names flashed. Some familiar, some not.

As the announcer transitioned to the next districts, the drafting process concluded, and by the end, numerous students from Vigil had been conscripted.

"That concludes the drafting process. Valdia is forever indebted to you brave soldiers. We look forward to your service. Farewell and Goodnight." The news anchor concluded and the screen went blank.

The principal once again arrived at the podium and addressed us.

"I wish all the drafted all the best. I want you all back. And alive. You may leave today with the 4th years or tomorrow after saying farewell to your comrades and parents." She paused and conveyed something to the Vice-chancellor.

"Alright, everyone except the fourth years is dismissed." said the headmaster. "You have all had a long night. Sweet Dreams."

I huffed a sigh. I wanted to listen on too. I tried joining the fourth year's line in the back but Dami grabbed my hand and dragged me out. Cezar mouthed a bye as he watched me being dragged and looked ahead.

Several cadets walked past us. Some stopped to give me a hug or a pat on the back, whispering condolences and passing on words of courage and encouragement.

Dami enveloped me in a big hug.

"You are gonna make it alive. I don't care if you run away. I don't care how many you kill. I don't care who you kill. Heck I will come with you to kill the Emper– "

I laughed. I laughed so hard tears burst from my eyes. "Yes yes, I get it. I don't want to be killed twice by you. Once is enough."

Dami whacked the top of my head. "Idiot."

I pulled out my phone which I always keep on silent. 10 missed calls from my mom and dad each. Right. They had watched the drafting announcement too.

I quickly called them back. I was flooded with questions about my health, my condition, when I would be returning, what happened next etc. I calmly answered the questions one by one, careful to not let my emotions get the better of me. I would take the Maglev train the following day to visit them and say my goodbyes. The call lasted almost an hour, ending only after I told them I had to sleep to catch the train the next day.

After the call, we waited outside the hall for the last years to bid them our final adieu. It didn't take long. More like my call had lasted too long.

After a few minutes, we saw the seniors streaming out of the hall. Spotting Cezar and Lydia, we waved at them. Their sombre faces split into a grin as they made their way over.

Lydia raised an eyebrow at our presence. "Still loitering, ladies?" Lydia was loitering herself. Unlike Cezar, she was a third-year cadet like us. She looked at me and nodded. A silent sign of encouragement.

"We are here to say goodbye you know," Dami says.

Cezar, put a hand to his chest, pretending to be deeply moved. "A goodbye? My heart can't take it. I'll need to cherish your faces now. Who knows, the next time I see you, it might be in a coffin, wrapped in Valdia's colors." We all laughed, appreciating the bittersweet humour as we shared our final moments together.

Cezar looked at me his face solemn. "Reez." He calls out my last name.

"I know you won't need any good lucks. You are a force to be reckoned with on the field. Let's work together once again." He pulled me into a hug and patted my hair. Unlike Dami, hugging Cezar felt like I was hugging a big burly polar bear.

As we got ready to depart to our dorms, I surprised Cezar with a back hug. "Come back alive or I will track down your soul in the fiery depths of hell and make hell even more hellish."

Cezar chuckled a hint of amusement in his eyes. "I could say the same to you." He turned and punched me lightly. "You've got a deal, Reez. Hell will have to wait a bit longer to get my company."

With that, we once again headed to our dorms. On the way, we met Kass and the others from our block and made crude jokes about our drafting– Kass was drafted too– and continued with small talk about the earthquake and Glen before saying our goodbyes and entering our rooms.

"I clicked my phone open. It was already one. Opening the texting messenger, I typed a quick message to my parents describing what happened in brief and asking if they were alright and also not to worry about me too much. They lived in a different district, close to the sea, away from the borders of the two nations— Maj and Neios. Vigil was located in the Kratos district, close to the borders of Maaj as well as the walls of one of the destroyed districts. It was this way so that we could monitor any suspicious movements from Maaj.

VEIN (Valdian Education Institute of Nursing) — the medical college— was located in the nearby district. Laos. The medical college too was responsible for sending students to the border but were exempt from enlisting via the WarLot. Instead each year they were required to send their top talents to work as medics at the border or central forces. After working a few years on site they could continue working in military hospitals or join the research wing of Valdia. Vigils too like Veins could join the research wing funded by the Emperor himself directly after graduation but were not exempt from enlistment.

Apart from VIGIL and VEIN — the top academies— there exist independent academies that include only basic military or medical training in their courses. Sure other medical academies also existed wherein students worked in civilian hospitals upon graduation but they were not exempt from enlistment.

As I closed my texting app, I noticed an unusual app that I never remembered downloading. It had a red icon of a notebook and was named 'Diery'. My first instinct was to uninstall it immediately. Only a fool would open an unknown app on their device. But the app wouldn't disappear even after pressing the uninstall button thrice. I frowned, growing more curious about the mysterious app. Reluctantly, I decided to run an antivirus scan to check on it but to my surprise, the scan results showed that there was no such app present on my device.

"Val, what are you looking at?" Dami asks peering into my phone.

"This app, I never installed it and now I can't seem to uninstall it."

"Diery? As in Die-"

"Yes pretty ominous I know."

"Careful, maybe it's one of those spy apps. Who knows." She says as she kicks off her shoes and changes into her night clothes. "By the way Kass, Lydia and the others are having a sleepover. You coming?" We– me, Kass and some others who were drafted– had decided to leave for our hometowns tomorrow and then directly meet at the capital for our drafting ceremony a day later.

"Yeah. Let me just run this app in safe mode. I'll join you guys later." I connected my phone to my laptop and waited for it to boot up.

"See ya soon!" Dami waved goodbye as she closed our room door.

On clicking open the Diery app in the sandbox mode on my laptop, I was presented with a log of entries starting from tomorrow's date. Confused, I clicked open the first entry, which displayed a lengthy text:

12th December

If someone told me a month ago that I would be fighting zombies, I would have ignored them. Maybe they still hadn't woken up from their dream. Who would have thought I would be living in their very nightmare? We had just been back from a rescue mission. Nothing more than a cover story.

I feel disgusted at the thought of what we are made to do. Killing innocents that's essentially what we are doing. Mayra advised me to start writing to escape. As if keeping a record of our wrongful acts would help. But here I am, writing down my sins and I have to admit, it does help, if only a little.

Wait what? Zombies? Was this some kind of novel? The further ahead I read, the more confusing it got. By the time I reached halfway through the entries my eyelids grew heavier and sleep finally claimed me. My plans for the sleepover, a distant dream.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of fists pounding on my dorm room door.