FicWad

Penance

Chapter One

Fight or Flight

The smell of sulfur filled the air as the buildings around me burned. I looked on unbelievingly at the chaos before me, all around me businesses and homes burned. I watched as the advancing party attacking our village were stabbed with swords and shot with firearms and yet they did not fall.

I turned to my right and saw my parent’s home, in front of their door they already lay dead. In front of them, their servant Gaston was begging to be spared.

Before him stood a tall man, with black hair, he appeared to be dressed in a British Military Uniform, if not for the fact instead of red and blue it was black and gold.

The man stood before Gaston laughing, he gestured toward my parents. “These two have a pair of sons; if you can tell me where they are, perhaps I will spare you your miserable existence.”

Gaston cried, as loyal as he was to my family, his own sense of self-preservation won out and he choked out between his tears, “Their eldest son lives just on the outskirts of town, in the house on the hill, and Master Evan is at the school in the town. Please I have done as you asked, please let me go.”

The larger man smiled, “I said I would spare you your existence, I never said I would let you go.” And then he jerked Gaston’s head to the side, opened his mouth, and bit down into his neck.

After seeing this I did the only sensible thing I could think of.

I ran.

I could tell you I ran to find my wife.

I could tell you I ran to find my brother.

But the truth is I ran, because I was scared.

Seeing men and women I had known my whole life be slaughtered, I cut through houses and alleys watching them be drained of their blood by these monsters, chaos descended around me, it was sure to haunt me for till my dying day. I didn’t stop once or even really focus on anyone’s plight, fearing for my own survival. I ran for what felt like days until finally I could run no more.

I had ducked into an alleyway, hoping to be able to slow down just for a moment.

One moment to think, one moment to process the destruction around me.

As I wondered down the quiet alcove, I saw that it had been blocked off by falling debris. I turned to retreat back the way I had come, and then I realized I was cornered by a pair of men, one of considerable size, and the other decidedly smaller.

“Why what have we here?” the one on the left, a big burly black man with long dreadlocks, sneered at me.

“Looks like a fresh meal to me.” The other one said, an older man very distinguished with stark white hair.

My head swam with thoughts; this cannot be the way I die, I needed to find to my wife.

I looked around frantic seeking an escape; I didn’t know what to do. To my left was a wall; to my right was the backdoor to Andean’s blacksmith shop.

Seeing my only chance I rushed through the door and stumbled over my own feet into the training room, searching for something to defend myself with. I found a pair of swords and steeled my resolve. If I was going to die, I would die fighting.

I pulled the swords out of their scabbards as the two large men sauntered in behind me, smirking.

“Surely he jests,” the smaller gentleman laughed “you cannot hope to best the two of us sir, would it not be better to just accept your fate?”

“Quiet! You know I enjoy playing with my food.” The larger man protested drawing his own sword.

Then they attacked. Their movements so fast I could barely keep pace. I spent most of my time parrying attacks, ducking and dodging as blades came at me from both directions. Each blow I managed to block hit with such force, if I’d of had a lighter grip on my swords they would have flew from my hands. I kept looking for an opening, somewhere I could go on the offensive, but there were none.

I was growing weary as the battle raged on. A stalemate between me and my two faster and stronger opponents, I did not know how much longer I could maintain this pace.

I knew soon I would surely die.

In a moment of desperation, I blocked the latest thrust from the larger of the two men and ignoring my other, smaller foe. I charged forward driving him backward, my sword piercing through his chest and continuing to push forward, into the wall behind him.

I had known I hadn’t dispatched my foe, but they seemed to think I believed I had. The large man and his comrade began to laugh, the fighting momentarily stopped, giving me a chance to catch my breath.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to do more than that, if you wish me dead my friend.” The large man boasted gleefully.

I feigned shock, I realized it was a success as they both laughed continuous and uproariously.

In an instant the shock on my face turned to rage, bringing my other sword up, I lashed out at the pinned man, cleaving his head from his body in one fluid motion. His body went limp, he was dead.

I then took the sword from the headless man’s hand, leaving his body pinned against the wall, and I turned to the gentleman still standing. He stared at me shocked, I had actually managed to kill his friend, “Who are you?” he asked.

With rage bubbling in my chest, I said nothing and just lifted the blades in my hands yet again prepared to continue fighting until I could no longer stand.

The gentleman spoke again “Discretion is the better part of valor. If you could best my friend, surely you could easily best me.” And then he disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving me alone.

I stood silently contemplating; I knew how to kill those who seemed unable to be killed. Unfortunately based on the sheer numbers I saw in the street, there were too many. Even if the whole town were able to stand and fight, for us to be able to win the day would be unattainable.

This left only one option, to run. With that in mind I threw away the dead man’s blade deciding instead to retrieve my own from his carcass.

My next move was to try and find my brother and wife to escape the colonies tonight.

I realized as I exited the shop, that in my haste running away I had run in the opposite direction of my home. Knowing the school was not far, just a few roads down, I decided it would be my first destination as I headed into the night.

I only hoped that I was not too late.

Instead of lurking in the alleys, I burst into the streets, knowing I might not have much time. I did not run at full speed, I loped down the roads, knowing at full speed it would be easier to be taken by surprise. Adrenalin coursing through my system I was hyper aware of my surroundings, and on the fringe of town, the main thing I noticed was other than burning buildings and dead bodies the streets were abandoned.

As I neared the school, I began to hear the sounds of children screaming, I increased my speed so that if needed I could immediately jump into the fray. As the school entered my point of view, I was relieved to find no dead children. Unfortunately there were a few scattered men with, blood streaked faces and ragged clothing, trying to force their way in.

To my horror, when they realized they would not gain entrance into the school, they began to flaming bottles of alcohol at the walls of the school. I knew I would not have time to have a drawn out battle with these men, and save the children. My only hope would be, to be able to take by surprise.

Never slowing down, I drew my blades into a full battle stance. As I neared the group of feral men, I drew my right hand back and then drove it forward severing the first man’s head. Spinning, I swung my left hand forward slicing the second man’s head off his shoulders; as I stabbed the last man through his torso. As I brought my sword up to cut of his head I heard him ask “What are you?”

With my foes fallen, I rushed forward toward the doors of the school. Pounding my fists against the doors, I screamed “Evan! If you can hear my voice, open the doors!”

All I heard in response was silence.