The Giants first appeared some one hundred years ago. Mysterious creatures that resembled humans somewhat; with hands and feet, and a face...but their skin was ugly, disgusted rotting green, and their eyes were but empty black sockets. They usually wore ragged and worn blue tee shirts with darker blue pants, and they seemed to care for nothing but the taste of human blood.

They had incredible strength, and were usually about twelve blocks tall...the size of six people stacked on top of each other. They brought Minecraftia almost to the brink of extinction, in seemingly a day. The fleeing and terrified survivors of the Giants built three huge cobble walls- Wall Maria, Rose and Sina, and huddled together inside the safe walls for a century of weary peace. And then...Wall Maria was taken over by the Giants and sent Minecraftia into panic once more...

~*~*~

People screamed and ran in all directions through the cracked and broken streets. Small fires were burning heaps of debris from broken lanterns. Houses lay either in ruins or cracked and crumbling. The stomping of Giants shook the earth all around as the large green beasts lumbered through the city, scooping up panicked humans with their rotting, dark green hands.

Farther inward, away from the crumbling outer wall, all was quiet. The houses here were not as broken and devastated as those closer to the outside, where the wall had been kicked in, but they were just as empty and solemn as former inhabitants had already fled to the nearby inner wall.

The only sound heard was the panting and footsteps of a man as he jogged through the empty streets. His red cape, marked with the face of a creeper, billowed out behind him as he trotted through the deserted town. In both arms were two young boys, one slung over his shoulder and one tucked under his arm near his hip. Both boys seemed limp, but not dead, as their faces were devastated and terrified.

The boy on the man's shoulder blinked, and whipped his head around to look at the running man. "Put us down already!" The boy cried, and struggled to free himself of the man's grip.

The man, already tired from running while lugging the two boys, came to a halt as to not drop the struggling boy. "Damnit, stop!" The man growled in annoyance.

The boy under the man's arm looked up as the first boy contiued to yell. "We could have saved her! Why didn't you fight?" He wailed in a mix of agony and frustration. "We almost had her out! Why didn't you fight? Why, Gizzy?" He struggled harder to free himself of the man's grip, almost causing him to topple over with the weight of the other boy in his other arm.

"I told you to stop!" Gizzy growled, louder this time, and threw the boy off his shoulder, who hit the ground hard with a thud.

"Adam!" The other boy cried out in alarm, and pushed the man's arm free, running towards the fallen boy. He bent down as Adam trembled on the ground. "Look..." Gizzy muttered, walking up to the two boys and kneeling down solemnly. The two boys turned around.

"There's nothing that you could have done for her, do you understand that?" Gizzy said softly. "You're just a boy, you can't fend off a Giant."

At his words, Adam's eyes widened. "You-!" "I'm worse!" Gizzy interrupted whatever Adam was about to snap at him. "I was too frightened to fight the Giant myself.. I could have been a true hero and saved your mother as well...Your mother died because I'm a damn coward!"

Adam froze, tears streaming down his face. He stared with wide eyes at Gizzy, whose blue eyes were also streaming with tears. Gizzy stared into Adam's eyes for a moment, then looked away from him, down at the ground with a regretful grimace. Gizzy stood up. He grabbed both boy's hands, and began walking on, pulling them along. "I'm sorry," The man whispered.

Adam whimpered, trying to blink back his tears, but didn't resist as he followed Gizzy. Ty solemnly walked on with Gizzy as well. He put a hand up to his forehead, and looked back at the fallen city the three were leaving behind. It's the same thing, he thought to himself. All over again.

~*~*~

The surviving people had mostly fled to the inner wall by now, where there were still some clusters of houses, but not an entire city. It was mostly a grassy field farther ahead until Wall Rose. People were clustered around a large river that ran all the way up to Wall Rose, through the grassland area. Large boats were docked and crowded with people. More crowds lined the docks, trying to frantically board a boat into the safety of Wall Rose.

Red-caped soldiers guarded the plans placed that reached from the boats to the docks, the passage for people to board the ship. "No personal belongings will be allowed on the ship!" He called, loud enough for the whole crowd of refugees to hear. "We need to make as much room as possible!"

From the docked ship, Jason stood up, looking over the edge anxiously out at the crowd.

"Jason," An elderly man said softly. "You should sit down."

Jason turned his tead in the direction of the man. "I know, I'm just looking out for my friends." He turned his attention back to the crowds. He caught a glimpse of two boys standing in front of the red-caped guards, waiting to board the ship. "There they are! H..." He exclaimed, and was about to call out to them until he saw the devastated and shocked expressions on their faces. "Adam..." Jason muttered. Adam seemed much more shaken than Ty.

"You might not want to call out just now," The old man advised Jason. His blue eyes, the same color as that of the boy, were fixed solemnly on the ground. "God only knows what they've just been through." Jason said nothing, just watched his two friends worriedly.

~*~*~

"Come on! Get through the gate!" A red-caped soldier hollered as people ran past him, screaming. He and several other soldiers were standing outside the inner wall, behind the arching opening that allowed people to pass through. Cannons were lined up to shoot at any Giant that decided to approach the gate through. There was only so much time before they ran out of ammunition to hold the Giants back.

Adam and Ty sat on a crowded boat on the other side of the wall, which was getting ready to leave towards Wall Rose. Around them sat frightened peple, whimpering and muttering to themselves.

"This isn't real, this is a nightmare..."

"It's all over, it's all over, it's all over..."

"We're all gonna die..."

The two boys looked up in surprise as screaming was heard from the dock. The two red-caped soldiers were pulling up the plank to let people cross on board, and the crowds were screaming in protest.

"We're sorry, but this ship has reached full capacity!" One of the soldiers exclaimed."Please! At least let our children on board!" A woman cried from the midst of the crowd. "We're sorry!" The soldier repeated. He looked over at the ship. "Push off, now!" He called.

The ship began to move, and people wailed in protest. One or two people actually jumped off the docks, attempting to reach the boat.Adam and Ty sat on the moving boat, Ignoring the cries of the crowds behind them.

Meanwhile, the soldiers at the cannons were still firing frantically at the Giants. Behind them, a low creaking was heard as the gate began to close.

Inside a small building connected to the walls, soilders were beginning to turn the large lever that was closing the gates. "Are you out of your minds!?" Gizzy exclaimed. "There's still people out there, give them a chance!"

"We can't!" The green dinosaur hybrid he had just been drinking with earlier replied helplessly. "The Giants might get in sooner or later! We don't have enough supplies for everyone in Wall Rose, anyways!"

"Listen to yourself!" Gizzy exclaimed. "We're soldiers, we can't stand around and let people die!"

Behind him, two soldiers ran through the doorway to the small room. "What are you waiting for?!" One exclaimed. "The Giants are closing the gap!"

The green dinosaur gasped. "That does it, close the gates!" He exclaimed.

"No!" Gizzy exclaimed, but paused when a huge thudding sound was heard.

Across the wall on the moving ship, Adam and Ty looked up with wide eyes as they heard the noise as well.

The thudding grew closer, and the soldiers standing outside the wall with the cannons froze in shock.

An unusually large Giant walked out from behind a house and stared at the gate. It was at least twenty-five to thirty blocks tall, and instead of the usual ragged tee and pants...it was wearing diamond armor.

The soldiers stared at in in shock. "What the hell...?" One breathed.

The armored Giant bent down, putting one foot in front of the other, staring straight at the wall. It looked as if the beast was getting into...a stance?

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The Giant broke out into a run. Its huge feet pounded the ground with every stride.

Thud Thud Thud

The Giant picked up speed.

ThudThudThud

"Close the gates!" The soldiers exclaimed. "Retreat!"

The Giant collided with the wall. The pounding nouse was as loud as an explosion. Flying chunks of stone flew in all directions, along with cannons and shocked soldiers. Dust and smoke filled the air. When it cleared, everyone stared in shock as the armored Giant stood, now on the oher side of the wall. Behind him lay a huge, gaping hole in the cobble. He had ran through the wall.

The passengers on the boat just watched helplessly as they traveled up to wall Rose.

~*~*~

It's gone, Adam thought weakly to himself from the boat. The sky was getting darker now. It was dusk. Our house. It's all gone. Forever...

He blinked away his tears. Why didn't I just listen to her? Why was I such a brat? Why did I...Why didn't I tell her I loved her!? I'll never get to...ever...

"There's nothing that you could have done for her, do you understand that?" Gizzy said softly. "You're just a boy, you can't fend off a Giant." The scene flashed back in Adam's mind.

Adam stood up and walked over to the edge of the boat. Ty watched him go, surprised. "Adam?"

Jason came up to Adam cautiously. "What's wrong? Do you see something?" Adam ignored him, and grippe the edge of the boat. "I'm gonna stop all of this madness," Adam muttered, looking out at the water fiercely. "Every Giant will die...Every last one...!"

Jason watched Adam with concerned eyes. "Adam..."

In frantic panic, the government declared that Wall Maria was a lost cause. All of the refugees were to head to Wall Rose. It was estimated that about ten thousand lives had been lost that day.

~*~*~

The dark forest was filled with the wails of a boy. It was nighttime. All Adam could see was blurred and fast images of the treetops above him, and a figure crouched over him. Adam couldn't move-he was on the ground, pinned and struggling.
"Stop it, Adam!" The voice of the figure growled impatiently, and he recognized the voice as his father's. "Stay still, the quicker we can do this-" Adam caught a glimpse of his father's eyes. They were wide and frustrated, and... seemingly insane.
"No! Stop!" Adam cried out. "You're insane!" But no matter how he struggled he couldn't free himself. He saw his father take out a needle. The image changed and a different image flashed through his mind-an amulet, with a golden ring and an amethyst in the center.
Adam bolted upright, snapping out of his dream. He looked around. He was in an old and abandoned warehouse, sleeping on a pile of hay. Ty was standing not far away. "Dream again?" He asked Adam. Adam nodded. "Yeah. It's nothing."
Ty turned away towards the exit. "Come on- they're handing out food rations by the gate."
Adam rose to his feet, but paused when he felt a weight around his neck. He looked down to see the amulet in his dream now hanging from his neck. He stared at it in surprise, then tucked it under his shirt and followed Ty.
"I think that this was where they used to just store their regular food," Ty explained as they walked out into the clearing. "Now it's just where they give food to the refugees..." Adam looked out at the clearing.
There was quiet murmuring among the refugees in the clearing. They all wore grim expressions, some wearing hoods. A couple of soldiers dotted the clearing as well. There were small booths where soldiers stood, handing out portions of food to long lines of refugees. Two men were fighting nearby, yelling something about hardly eating.
"It's not exactly dignified around here..." Ty said.
"Hey, guys!" Jason's voice called as he trotted up to the two boys happily. In his arms he carried three small baguettes. "Here-Grandpa got a little extra food by telling the soldiers he had kids," He explained, passing a baguette to each of his friends.
"That was very nice of him," Ty said with a small grin.
Adam looked up as he noticed a soldier standing behind Jason to stare down at the three boys. He narrowed his eyes upon Adam's gaze and walked away.
"What's wrong with that guy?" Adam asked, frowning.
"Just ignore him," Jason said quietly. "There's a food shortage, the man's just probably hungry." He looked down at the baguette in Adam's hand. "By the way, you should make that last. There was already a famine before we got here, and now that they have to share their food with us refugees..." Adam nodded in grim understanding.
"I can't believe we have to share our food with these animals," The soldier from before complained loudly to another soldier. "I guess it's not so bad- Eat up everyone, the Giants like a little meat on their bones!" He called to the people with a smug grin.
Adam, Jason and Ty gasped in surprise. Adam frowned, and confidently walked up to the soldier. "Adam!" Jason called.
"We outta put you all in cages," The soldier was saying, quieter now. "Throw you out to the front lines..."
"You cowards!" Adam exclaimed. "Don't you care at all for these people? Don't you know what they've been through?"
"What did you call us?" The soldier asked, outraged, and punched Adam across the face. Adam stumbled to the right, to be kicked back by the other soldier. He fell to the ground, bruised, but turned around on the floor to look back up at the soldiers. "Can't you just show some respect for these people?!" Adam continued. "We need to eat, too! I bet your house wasn't destroyed by Giants!"
The soldier stepped forward. "Why you little-" "He's sorry!" Jason cried, running in between the soldier and Adam.
"He didn't mean it-he's just hungry, like all of us! F-forgive him, please."
The soldier looked at Jason in shock. Behind him, Ty was helping Adam get to his feet.
"Yeah, well...keep in mind who's giving up their share so you can eat," The soldier growled, and walked away.
Later, the three boys stood by one of the buildings in the clearing, away from the crowds seeking food.
"I'm going to go back," Adam said, looking at the ground. "To wall Maria. We have to get revenge on the Giants..."
"H-hey now!" Jason said with a weak smile. "You're not serious, it's just your stomach talking."
"No, it's not." Adam said sternly, looking up to glare at Jason. "The soldiers here are all just ungrateful cowards-they're not gonna ever try and fight back, so we're the ones that will!" He stared at the uneaten baguette in his hand. "We don't need them here!" He angrily threw the baguette, and Jason quickly reached to catch it. "So what are you gonna do, starve?!" He exclaimed.
"I'm sick of them treating us like livestock!" Adam exclaimed. "We should learn to stand on our own too feet, not sit around and wait for food to be handed to us."
"Stand on our own feet to do what, to get killed by Giants?" Jason asked, staring at Adam with wide eyes. "Maybe our future isn't outside the walls at all-we might just not be able to kill Giants like this!"
"So we're just going to run away into the walls and let ourselves be the prey?" Adam retorted.
"What choice do we have here?!" Jason exclaimed.
"If you wanna sit around and take their charity then do as you want!" Adam rambled angrily. "That's your thing, but I'm not a parasite!"
Ty's fist shot out and punched Adam hard. Adam stumbled to the ground again.
"Ty..." Jason said faintly.
"Haven't you noticed?" Ty said, looking down at Adam. "We're all parasites. We couldn't run from the Giants without help-we can't be independent all the time! Don't take your hunger out on Jason."
Adam got into sitting position, and looked up at Ty, who went on.
"We can't even find food without help!" Ty exclaimed. "We can't help it! Giants are at the top of the food chain, not us. We have to do what we can to survive. Your mom didn't tell us to fight back. She told us to live."
Adam looked down. "I...I'm sorry."
Ty took Adam's baguette from Jason's surprised hands, and threw it into Adam's. "Eat it!" He said forcefully. "We need to stay alive. You can't let her down now."
Adam took the bread with tears in his eyes, and began to eat.

~*~*~

A few days later, hoards of starved refugees were given the task to try and plow unused fields as a last effort to get more food. But with winter coming, nothing could be grown. The following year, the refugees old enough to serve the military were to help reclaim wall Maria.
"Don't worry, Jason," The gray-haired man chided. "I'll be back for you, okay? Adam and Ty, too." He took out his treasured blue space helmet. Jason's grandfather was an astronomer-although he had never been to space, he loved the stars, and the helmet had been a keepsake. He held it out to Jason, who took it silently, staring down at the helmet. The brilliant orange glass reflected his grim and tired face. Jason's grandfather patted his grandson's shoulder reassuringly, then turned around and followed the other refugees out the gate.
Out of the 250,000 refugees sent, almost 20% of the remaining population, not even 200 made it back. While their attacks did nothing to drive back the Giants, their sacrifices did lessen the effects of famine.
Jason sat down against the side of the warehouse, looking down at the helmet once more. Adam and Ty stood nearby, silent. It was nighttime, and a light was cast down on the three by a single lamp overhead.
Jason's blue eyes began to fill with tears, and he looked down, holding the helmet closer. His shoulders shook with his quiet sobs.
Adam sat down next to Jason, looking straight ahead with a distant look.
"That's it," He said quietly. "Next year, I'll be applying to join the military."
Jason looked up in surprise. Ty closed his eyes and sighed, but didn't say anything. "I want to fight back," Adam explained.
Jason looked at Adam, then his gaze traveled back down to the helmet. "...Me too," He said.
Adam looked over in surprise. "You don't have to-" "I do!" Jason insisted.
"So do I," Ty said, and Adam looked to him in shock as well. "Guys, I'm not trying to drag you in!" He explained. "There's no point in following me to my death!" Ty blinked calmly. "Yeah. And if I can help it, it won't be your death."
"...Alright," Adam agreed. "Together, then."

~*~*~

"Stand up straight for once, you spineless maggots!" A booming voice echoed through the training camp. "Your military training starts now!"
A man in a dark green jacket stood in front of the rows and rows of new trainees, standing before him with straight shoulders and expressionless faces.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Commander Jeb and you will grow to hate me! Your training will be your new hell, and if I've done my job right you all will be waking up with a cold sweat every night with memories of this place for the rest of your miserable lives!"
"Right now you're nothing. You're sheep in a field, defenseless against a wolf or player of any kind! But over the next three years of soul-crushing training, you'll all be able to fight back for once in your pathetic lives! Remember this moment when you first start your training, and ask yourself...am I a fighter, or am I food? Am I gonna be the hunted, or am I gonna be the one to hunt?!"
Oh, I'm going to be the hunter, Adam thought to himself as he stood stiffly among the trainees. The Giants will grow to hate me more than I hate them.