Short Stories

Akeno

Family
I was thrown into the back of the cart; sharp spikes of pain striked throughout my bruised body. My torn clothes reaked of smoke and blood. "Hyah!" Sachihiro's voice rang out into nothing but trees. The horses galloped faster while the rocky, dirt road paid me no sympathy. I tasted salt. Was it blood or tears? Probably both. Sachihiro wasn't here to save me, quite the opposite actually. The cold night air enveloped my body, but I could still feel the fire's heat. My chest is pounding, compressing, like the only way to relieve the pressure was to stab myself in the heart.

Screaming.

"What's going on!?"
"Guards are coming down the road, where's Akeno??"

Crying.

"C'mere baby, it'll be okay."
"They're almost here!"
"Ma, why is father yelling?"
"Go to Mr. Gil's barn okay? Under no circumstances will you come out, okay?"

Running.

"Captain they're here!"
"Where's the boy?"
"We didn't see him."
"... ... Take out the torches."
"Captain!? Your own fami-"
"DO IT NOW UNLESS YOU WANT TO JOIN THEM!"
"Y-yes sir."

Burning.

I was pulled out of my daze when Sachihiro grabbed my collar and dragged me out of the wagon. We had pulled up to some old stone ruins, decorating the outskirts of a grand fortress. Sachihiro slammed me against a wall, blood rushing to my head.
His emotionless voice echoed around us, "stop crying."
"Wh-" I could barely speak.
"You do know, this is all your fault." Sachihiro glared down at me, tears threatened to burst out. "You should've hidden better. Thanks to your magical stunts, our parents are dead." Crouching down, he wiped away the dirt covering my face to show glowing, purple marks.
"Y-you think I wanted this!? I-" I started coughing up blood through my corse throat. "I didn't have a choice! You had a choice! You could've to left us alone!" Blood splattered onto Sachihiro's unchanged face.
"YOU, are a danger to humanity. I know what you are. You're the monster who disgraced our family. Soon enough, YOU would've been the one to kill mother and father. I'M just following the law."
"Now, you have no one," I said between ragged breaths. Metal softly slid out from a leather sheath.
"I certainly-- don't want you."

Warm liquid coated my torso and hands. The pain was numb. Blood dripped out my mouth again, significantly more than before. Blurred vision. I saw, Sachihiro? More pain. Huh, now Sachihiro had a sword in hand; covered in blood. Oh, he's gone. I just see, rocky dirt.

And darkness.