Remi-niscent

Chapter 15:

As the first meathead charges at me swinging his blade, I am taken aback at the startling speed he carries his colossal size and I only just manage to narrowly duck out of the way. But now that I know what to expect, I brace my bow in front of my body and am ready for his next swipe. As calculated, when he jabs the knife towards me for a second time it catches in one of the pulleys; Glancing harmlessly away from his aimed target - Which is me. Then spinning the bow in my grip it catches on the knife, twisting it harmlessly out of the man's hand. Now that he's unarmed, I aim a deadly round house kick to his solar plexus and from the way it connects, it only takes a few seconds for the man to go down, clutching his chest and gasping for air.

Albeit I know that in a couple of minutes he'll be back on his feet angrier than ever, so I move to take him out. However I am abruptly sidetracked when a knife slices through the air next to the side of my face, so close that I can quite literally hear it whistling past. Realising that whoever just threw the knife is now weaponless, I spin around ready to fight but am instantly greeted with a fist in the face. The force behind it so strong that it throws me off my feet to the ground where I land on all fours. Head ringing and somewhat disorientated I jump back to feet, not wanting to let them take the chance of hitting me while I'm down.

Shaking my head in an attempt to clear the fog, I turn and spit out some blood. "You split my lip. Is that all you've got."

As I say this I notice that the third beefcake is back on his feet already, making me groan inwardly as my prospective chances sink even faster. Because it seems as though the remaining me have decided on a new tactic, advance and attack all at once. Dammit.

Readying myself, I cross my fingers while sending a quick prayer heavenward and hope for the best. Trading blows I can proudly say that they receive some good hits courtesy of me, but I'm also on the receiving end of some hefty blows to my ribs and face. Ducking and darting around, never staying in the same place for more than a couple of seconds, my saving grace is my speed as I try to avoid being slashed. However whether it's the frustration that I'm still on my feet they seem up the intensity of their attacks, or maybe I'm just beginning to get tired. When one turns his back to me for just a second, I launch myself at him locking my arms around his neck. His bumbling arms swinging around wildly keep the other two at bay, as they don't want to risk getting hit themselves. But the weaker he gets, the less his arms swing and suddenly I realise my critical error. Now that I'm hanging off the back of the man like a little monkey, both my arms are occupied and completely I'm unprotected from the back. I think the man I'm clinging onto turns realises this, as in a last ditch effort he turns us around so that I'm exposed and I don't even have time to react before one of the men slices his blade across my back.

A pained cry escapes my lips and my choke hold on the meathead loosens and as soon as it lets up he shakes me off his back with an angry grunt. The next one slams me onto the ground causing the air to escape my lungs and winded momentarily, I gasp for air. However the men waste no time in pinning me to the ground and a knife is held pressed firmly against my throat, making me wince.

While meathead one snarls something unintelligible at me, his spit flying on my face, the two other meatheads seem to be able to understand exactly what he's saying, nodding in agreement. Struggling in vain to free myself, it only seems to serve to antagonise the man even further and in one fluid motion he stabs his blade straight through the soft flesh of my upper arm. I can't help myself as the pained scream that escapes my lips echos across the clearing.

But the men just laugh as my misfortune and while I am unable to depend myself, another slams his steel-capped boot into my ribs. My pitiful squeak of pain only starts up another round of raucous laughter and then joining in as well, the others take turns driving their feet into my ribs, stomach, legs and head. The pain from each kick sends searing bolts of pain flashing throughout my entire body and while I try my best to protect myself by curling up into a ball, I'm already nothing more than a bloody and bruised whimpering mess on the ground. At some point I just can't take it anymore, the blows fade away into a dull numbness and as my eyes fall shut, I see bursts of light behind my closed lids and hear thuds on the ground around me and then nothing at all.