Blood and Water: An 'Into the Badlands' Fanfiction (ON HIATUS)

Chapter 5: The Twilight Zone

Chapter 5: The Twilight Zone

"It may be said with a degree of assurance that not everything that meets the eye is as it appears."

― Rod Serling, The Twilight Zone: Complete Stories

Antigone felt a jolt of fear run up her spine. Something about the setting made her uneasy.

Perhaps she just felt guilty for interrupting the Widow herself during what seemed to be an intense training session.

"I-I'm sorry, Minerva," she stuttered.

Minerva turned around, smiling. "Oh don't be sorry," she said. "I don't realize how loud my swords can be when I practice, especially in the middle of the night. I apologize if I woke you."

"No, no. I was already awake. I'm a...light sleeper."

"Mm. Nightmares?"

Antigone fell silent. "Yes," she admitted.

Minerva sheathed her swords. "I get those, too. We all do. It's just part of being in the Badlands, I suppose. We all have our own scary stories to tell."

Antigone frowned. "Yeah. Unfortunately."

Minerva walked forward. "Would you like me to show you a few moves?"

Antigone was not quite sure how to respond to that. "A few moves?"

"Yes," Minerva replied. "Do you know how to use a sword?"

Antigone shrugged. "I do, but only as a last resort. My daggers are what I use most of the time. My dad taught me how to fight with them."

"They seem like very resourceful weapons."

"They are."

"Would you care to show me how you use them? I'm interested."

"Oh." Antigone was caught off-guard. "I...don't have them with me right now."

Minerva smiled. "Oh, that's all right. I can show you how to use my swords instead. It's a bit different than using your daggers because swords are much longer and larger." She held up her swords. "See, your movements with your daggers must be quicker and you can throw them longer distances. Using swords gives you the liberty to be more fluid and graceful. Treat it like a dance."

Antigone watched attentively, tracking Minerva's movements as she swung her swords slowly, each move carefully calculated as she moved her body gracefully in time with her movements. She stopped and held her swords out for Antigone to take. "Would you like to try?"

Antigone looked at the swords, wide-eyed. "Are you sure?"

"Certainly." Minerva smiled. "Only if you want to though."

"I would love to," Antigone said, but for some reason, she felt compelled to say it.

Minerva held out her swords for Antigone to take and Antigone accepted them, slowly taking them in each hand and trying to imitate the movements that she saw Minerva do previously. She was moving a little too fast, for she was used to doing short and quick movements with her daggers.

Minerva smiled, pleased. "You're very good. Just try to go a little slower or you'll poke your own eye out."

Antigone slowed her movements, embarrassed, and found herself stumbling slightly. She could certainly use a sword, but it was not her forte. Sword fighting was Erastos's department. Fighting with two swords was even more difficult.

Still, Antigone tried, and she apparently did well enough, because Minerva seemed pleased.

"Very good, Antigone," she said.