Into the Badlands
Heads Will Roll
My heart sinks as I reach out for the stone to grab onto. I look down and see nothing but sharp rocks but flat land is extremely close, I can taste it. I pull myself up and it takes all I can. The wound on my stomach is almost unbearable, I can feel it rip open with each stretch. I drive the ax into the ice, snow mixture and pull myself up with all the strength I have. I reach for the ledge, toss my leg over it and roll to safety. I look up at the sky, it's grey and full of horror. I get to my feet and look towards the hill where the tail of the plane was. The red light is still blinking. I can see the small village to my left, the man that tried to kill me is heading up the mountain, probably to investigate the light. I quickly get going, I need to get there before him. I want to run but the snow is too deep, it's almost to my knees. As the mountain gets steeper, I have to use the trees for support. I rest against one then reach for another in front of me. I can see the blinking light better now, there's also a small fire near it. I finally make it and see nothing. I enter the tail and stumble upon a girl. I roll her over and see bite marks on her neck, arms, face. She was mauled by a wolf...or a bear.
I walk back out and the man stands there, breathing in the fresh air. His back is turned towards me which gives me an advantage. I sneak up on him and shove the ax into his back. He screams and twists around, knocking me down with his arm. I roll into the back and smash against a few boxes. I quickly hide behind a few boxes and wait for him to find me. I can hear his boots drag across the floor. I pull and arrow out of my bag and hold it tight in my hand. I jump out from my hiding place and stab it into his neck. He pulls it out and slices it across my face. I quickly roll between his legs, but I'm grabbed and tossed out into the snow. He leaps into the air and lands a few feet from my face, before I can get up, his hands wrap around my neck and begin to get tight. Thoughts rush through my mind, my father, my mother, my whole family. Something in my brain tells me I cannot give up. I feel the area beside me, my ax is there and I can barely reach it but I do just before I black out. I grab it tight and swing it at the side of his head. It enters like butter and the blood sprays like a hose. I push him off of me and pin him to the ground. He's holding the wound, trying to keep the blood from pouring out. I get to my knees and grab the ax with both hands then drive into the top of his head over and over until I can't hear him breathing anymore.
I stand up and look at the blood covering my jacket. I can't believe what I just done but I have to think, it was either him or me. I know what I have to do, I need to send a message. I look at the man and then slice at his neck until it is severed. I grab out one of my arrows and shove it into the bottom of his head and then I make my way back down the mountain...to the village. I pass the plane and stand right outside the small shantytown. I see Arashi walking towards me and then three more people appear at her side. I expose the arrow from behind my back and hold it up high in the air. She stops and signals the rest of the group to stop as well. I pull the head off and toss it towards her. She looks down as it rolls to her feet, she looks up to the sky and screams, a blue light shooting from her mouth. She's getting weaker. I turn around and start to walk back up to the tail but I have to let her know who's she's messing with.
"This is warning!" I yell. "If you send the rest of your men after me, they will all end up like him!" I point to the severed head at her feet.
I head up the mountain, I can feel her eyes on my back. I know she will send them after me, but I do not know when. I finally reach the tail end of the plane and gather some wood for the barely lit fire. I wash my hands off with snow that I have boiled over the fire. I'm not too sure what I'm getting myself into but I need to kill her group to weaken her enough for me to get close and cut her head off. I find a large piece of metal and put it over the fire. My ax is good, but a blade is better. I have to prepare for what's to come. I look into the fire and remember a time when I was thirteen, my father was teaching me how to fight. He knew what had to be done to protect our lives. He started when my mother died, I was seven and a group of men broke into our house and demanded money. My father fought them off but one of them got away, killing my mom. The night of my seventeenth birthday, that man found us and killed my dad. I shot him. Now I'm twenty and I've been around the world, searching for new adventures. If my father had never taught me how to survive...I'd be dead.
I walk back out and the man stands there, breathing in the fresh air. His back is turned towards me which gives me an advantage. I sneak up on him and shove the ax into his back. He screams and twists around, knocking me down with his arm. I roll into the back and smash against a few boxes. I quickly hide behind a few boxes and wait for him to find me. I can hear his boots drag across the floor. I pull and arrow out of my bag and hold it tight in my hand. I jump out from my hiding place and stab it into his neck. He pulls it out and slices it across my face. I quickly roll between his legs, but I'm grabbed and tossed out into the snow. He leaps into the air and lands a few feet from my face, before I can get up, his hands wrap around my neck and begin to get tight. Thoughts rush through my mind, my father, my mother, my whole family. Something in my brain tells me I cannot give up. I feel the area beside me, my ax is there and I can barely reach it but I do just before I black out. I grab it tight and swing it at the side of his head. It enters like butter and the blood sprays like a hose. I push him off of me and pin him to the ground. He's holding the wound, trying to keep the blood from pouring out. I get to my knees and grab the ax with both hands then drive into the top of his head over and over until I can't hear him breathing anymore.
I stand up and look at the blood covering my jacket. I can't believe what I just done but I have to think, it was either him or me. I know what I have to do, I need to send a message. I look at the man and then slice at his neck until it is severed. I grab out one of my arrows and shove it into the bottom of his head and then I make my way back down the mountain...to the village. I pass the plane and stand right outside the small shantytown. I see Arashi walking towards me and then three more people appear at her side. I expose the arrow from behind my back and hold it up high in the air. She stops and signals the rest of the group to stop as well. I pull the head off and toss it towards her. She looks down as it rolls to her feet, she looks up to the sky and screams, a blue light shooting from her mouth. She's getting weaker. I turn around and start to walk back up to the tail but I have to let her know who's she's messing with.
"This is warning!" I yell. "If you send the rest of your men after me, they will all end up like him!" I point to the severed head at her feet.
I head up the mountain, I can feel her eyes on my back. I know she will send them after me, but I do not know when. I finally reach the tail end of the plane and gather some wood for the barely lit fire. I wash my hands off with snow that I have boiled over the fire. I'm not too sure what I'm getting myself into but I need to kill her group to weaken her enough for me to get close and cut her head off. I find a large piece of metal and put it over the fire. My ax is good, but a blade is better. I have to prepare for what's to come. I look into the fire and remember a time when I was thirteen, my father was teaching me how to fight. He knew what had to be done to protect our lives. He started when my mother died, I was seven and a group of men broke into our house and demanded money. My father fought them off but one of them got away, killing my mom. The night of my seventeenth birthday, that man found us and killed my dad. I shot him. Now I'm twenty and I've been around the world, searching for new adventures. If my father had never taught me how to survive...I'd be dead.