HROT: Spawn of War

Chapter 7: A Welcome Respite

Kyle, a.k.a. NK Flo, heard footsteps echoing down the hall as he sat in his dark cell. He wondered what horrors would await him today. He felt unstable, uneasy, wanting to fight, laugh, or scream at a moment's notice. The NK Flo persona had ravaged him of his sanity.

He heard the lock turn in the door. Corey was coming for him. The door swung open and Corey's bulbous figure blotted out the light. He grabbed the nude NK Flo by the arm and yanked him out of the cell. "Come on, Taylor," Corey ordered. "Pore wants you for another session."

As Corey started dragging Kyle along, the NK Flo side of him began to burn with rage and fury. Kyle couldn't control his impulsive drive to annihilate this brute. With a swift motion, he chomped on Corey's hand and bit off two of his fingers, prompting the Beast to drop him involuntarily. Before Corey could recover, Kyle pounced on him, tackled him to the ground, and dug his fingers into the fat lad's throat. His nails penetrated the thick, fatty skin, and as Kyle looked at Corey with his bloodshot eyes, he ripped his jugular clean out of his neck. As Corey gagged and his mouth filled with blood, Kyle grinned widely and said menacingly, "My name is NK Flo."

Kyle rose to his feet, his hands red and bloody. He made his way up the stairs. A guard stood watch at the top. The guard spotted Kyle and shouted, "Boys! The dog's out of his pen! Come get him!"

The guard tried to impale Kyle with his spear, but Kyle grabbed the shaft and pushed it away. Then he grabbed the guard's dagger out of his sheath and drove it into the man's gut.

As the first guard collapsed dead, Kyle stood his ground as ten more mercenaries approached him, wielding spears, swords, and bows and arrows. One of them came at him with his sword, but Kyle slashed his throat and grabbed the sword before it hit the ground.

NK Flo snickered as he gripped his new weapon, and then charged into the fray. He decapitated one guard immediately, then proceeded to turn the blade around in his hands and drive it into the man behind him.

After efficiently and brutally slaying the other seven, Kyle made his way up the next set of stairs and into the main hallway, with the exit to the castle at the end.

Guards were coming at him from both sides. Kyle didn't care. He would get out of here, no matter what. As the mercenaries got within range, he swung his sword around like a madman and butchered everyone who dared to take him on.

Once the deed was done, Kyle walked through the castle gates without a worry, stealing a t-shirt and jeans on the way out. He left his former prison behind. He had freed himself handily, thanks to NK Flo's recklessness.

For two days, the mad fugitive aimlessly roamed the land without a care in the world. He was weak and exhausted, but all that mattered was that he was free. He still couldn't comprehend this emotional and mental instability he was suffering from. It was as if another man were inside Kyle's head, causing him to do things he wouldn't ordinarily do without hesitating first. Who was this strange NK Flo trying to conquer his mind, and how the hell could he get rid of him?

Kyle reached a clearing in the woods. It was pleasant, with flowers blooming and soft grass. If he didn't feel like he was losing his mind, he might have enjoyed it.

As Kyle mumbled to himself, something moved in the corner of his eye. He turned, and thought he was in a dream. A beautiful woman of eighteen stood before him, with rather short brown hair and a voluptuous face and body. This woman was no stranger to Kyle, and he felt like he was in paradise. His mind began to clear.

The woman had a concerned look on her face. "Are you who I think you are?" she asked.

Kyle stared at her with dull eyes. "Say my name."