Into The Badlands

Colts and Clippers

"Get up!" A man yells. There are women screaming and girls sobbing. Babies crying with the sound of bones cracking and flesh being cut into. I open my eyes and see that the transport van is under attack by Nomads. Men are being slaughtered and women are taken away. Children that were boys are getting their throats slashed and babies get their necks snapped.

"Skylar!" I see my aunt besides a man with bloodstained hands. "Come here child. They won't hurt us women." Fear is laced in her voice. The man besides her smirks. "Listen girly, or she dies!" The man shouts. He raised his axe and is about slaughter my aunt.

"I'll come! I'm coming." I say and quickly approach them. The men push us ladies and stuff us inside sacks and some even trunks. There's a lot of movement and I start to get motion sickness. "Let me out before I vomit!" I shout and bang on the top of the trunk. My trunk is put down and opened slightly. Just enough for some air flow. I take a peek through the crack and see that the women are getting slaughtered one by one. I let out a slight scream and my trunk is shut all the way now.

I can hear them dragging the bodies. It made me want to cry because innocent people were slaughtered for no reason. Out of nowhere, I hear the sound of a motorbike . It comes to a halt and then there's talking. I can't make out the words but now I hear yells and screams of pain.

Again bone cracking and a blade or something cutting through flesh. It last for about 10 minutes before it becomes silent. It's silent for a couple more seconds then suddenly, a slash is heard on my trunk. I push the top to open it and it doesn't work. Another slash is heard and the lock breaks off. I open the chest not caring about who it was that just let me out. At that moment, I only cared about getting air. As I catch my breath, I see the scene before me. The men from earlier were laying dead and the leader is dead with a blade right through him. Slowly, I look up and see a man dressed in red.

"Who are you and why are you the only one kept alive?" The man said to me.

"Skylar.. and I'm not the only one alive. I'm sure of it." I look around and see all the trunks opened and the sacks bloody. "This can't be true.." I spot an unopened trunk by a tree and pull at the lock.

Footsteps approach from behind and the man pulls me back. He slashes the trunk lock and it breaks off.

Quickly, I open the trunk and see my cousin Anna Beth curled up in the trunk. "Anna Beth, wake up. Come on! Get up!" I shake her and she still didn't get up. She's cold and her lips are turning blue. "She's gone.." I sob. "Do you know this lady" The man says to me as he looked behind the tree.

I go to where he's standing and gasp. My hands cover my mouth and I collapse to the floor. Aunt Lucinda.. This can't be happening..

"Aunt Lucinda.. you can't leave me!! You're suppose to help me find my parents!! Aunt Lucinda..."

The man in red closes her eyes and starts digging a hole near by.

"What are you doing?" I ask. He looks at me for a second and continues shoveling. "Giving them a proper burial. Here" he threw a shovel next to me. "Help me dig" he says. I think about it for a minute before helping. "What's your name?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Sunny" how ironic..

An hour or so later, we finish burying everyone and I'm taken to my destination cause apparently he and the people from the transport van were wearing the same clothing. We approach a huge wall surrounded by poppyseed fields. A gate come to view and it opens as we get closer. Once passed the gate, Sunny brings us to a gigantic house. "This is where our Baron lives. Follow me"

I get off his motorbike which is taken by other men. I follow Sunny making sure he's close by but my eyes start to wander. "Who are you and why is a cog doing inside the house of a baron? Clippers!" A man said. I turn and freeze in fear looking at the man. I am now surrounded by people who wore red.

I couldn't say anything because I was terrified since the other men had their swords out pointed to me.

"She's with me" Sunny's voice said from half way down the hall. I look behind me and see Sunny so I sprint pass the so called Clippers and hide behind Sunny. "Stay quiet and let me handle this." He whispered to me. I nod and hold onto his jacket as he walks towards the man who called the Clippers on me.

"Keep a better watch on her. She shouldn't be aimlessly wandering the house." The man spoke with venom. "My apologies Ryder. I'll keep a better eye on her. I'm sorry for this mishap. If that is all, we'll be on our way." Sunny says to the man named Ryder.

Ryder said no more so Sunny took that as a cue to leave. He slightly bowed then we walked to the Baron's office. We are now standing outside the office doors. Sunny looks at me then his arm. I let go and he walks in. "Baron Quinn, I brought you a girl. She's was the only one alive from the transport." He motions for me to walk in. Slowly and hesitantly, I walk in keeping me eyes glued to the floor. "What a fine young lady. How old are you and what's your name?"

"Skylar and I'm 14." I say. Sunny clears his throat and looks at me. "Baron" I quickly add. He chuckled at me.

"Well Skylar, I'd like to see you in action." He says. "Baron Quinn, I don't think that's a good idea." Sunny butts in. Baron Quinn raised his hand to Sunny as a sign to stop talking. "Clippers!"

3 men in red came into the room again and drew their swords at me. "No weapons. Put your swords away" Baron says.

The men throw their swords aside. A man lunged at me with his fist so I quickly dodge him and kick his feet so he falls. I knew some martial arts from my father since he used to train me but I was to never use it unless I was told to by a Baron or in emergencies.

Now, the 2 other men come at me but I punch one guy in the jaw and the other I kick in the stomach. The guy I kick in the stomach gets up and throws me to the floor. I land on my back with a loud sound. A groan left my lips but I didn't give up. The other Clippers laugh at me as I lay on the floor. The clipper who threw me comes to me and is about to kick me. I spin my legs like a windmill and knock him off his feet. When his face makes contact to the ground, I bash his face to the floor multiple times before I'm yanked off of him. The Clipper I punched in the face punches me back and kicked my stomach.

"You're dead" I say to him in anger. He gets in ready position and I use it to my advantage. I sprint at him and aim to kick his left leg. He falls to the ground and I put him in a headlock. He struggles to breath so he jerks forward and flips me over. I'm on the floor again and he tries to grab me so I kick his face. The Clipper falls back while clutching his head.

Using the opportunity I had, I wrap my legs around his neck, choking him until Baron spoke. "Halt! Let him go."

I left the man go and get up to my feet. By now, I have a bruise on my right cheekbone and a cut on the at the end on my bottom lip that's starting to bleeding a bit. "Why don't you be our very first female Colt."

"What's a Colt?" I questioned. "A Clipper in training. You'll be better off in here than being a Cog, working the poppyseed field." I gave it a thought before accepting the offer. "I'll do it. Baron." I say to Baron Quinn. Sunny speaks up after a while. "I'd like take her as my Colt."

The Baron seemed quite surprised. I mean, I was too but his was more of a happy surprise. "You've never taken on a Colt before. She must be special." There was a long pause before Baron Quinn spoke up again. "Alright, Skylar will be your Colt. Hopefully, she'll be the next you, maybe even better."