GLORY AND GORE ━━ F. ODAIR

19.

CHAPTER NINETEEN
saving grace

" would you kill someone you love to spare them the pain? "

   "Fuck," I groaned, my eyes darting from Lana to the two boys who stood further up the shore, Carter and Tiberius, watching us. Who knows how long they'd been there for.

There was a quiet whizz in the air, I turned to the side to see a metal spear lodged into the river bank.

"Hey Ladies," Tiberius screamed, throwing his arms up as he walked towards us. He had an axe in his hand, an an odd choice. He looked the most clean out of all four of us, with minor cuts and bruising on his face.

Lana squirmed under my grip, "Do you want to fucking die or not?"

Carter was behind him, a second spear in his hand and hatred in his eyes. There was a purple bruise on her temple where I had hit him the first time I saw him. Time was running out.

I leant down to Lana, "Listen to me, we kill them or we both die."

"Is that you're way of asking for help," she asked, a smirk tugging at her lip.

"Don't think I won't do it," I stared into her eyes, my sword still digging into her neck.

"Fine, okay."

I pulled back, sweeping my hair out of my face before extending my hand to Lana. She paused for a few seconds before she grabbed ahold of my hand, her grip was significantly weaker. I helped to pull her up. She turned and spat out the blood pooling in her mouth into the water and grabbed her trident, spinning it around in her hand. We glanced at each other once more, unsure of whether to smile or nod.

"The power of friendship, it's adorable," Carter laughed, scraping the tip of his spear in the rock as he walked forward menacingly.

"How's that bruise Carter?" His smile faltered as he brought a hand up to cover the side of his face.

The two careers didn't say a word as they began to walk toward us, kicking the water beneath their boots as they did so. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and gripped my sword in front of me with two unsteady hands, adjusting my feet in the river bed.

Carter began to drift over to my side, Tiberius to Lana's. He lept of the small ledge and waded his way towards me, there was a cocky grin planted on his face. I brushed my knotted hair out of my face one last time, even whilst hearting grunts and blades clanging from beside me I kept my focus on Carter.

"Something wrong?" He stopped a few feet in front of me with his knees slightly bent as he bounced on his toes; the tip of his spear pointed right at my abdomen.

"Not at all."

Going against what I thought was right, I advanced first. First I swung from the right, then the left, and overhead, each swing putting more power into my attack. I didn't stop, forcing Carter back as fast as I could leaving no room for him to strike back.

He stopped for a moment and dropped to the floor, there was a strong impact on my ankle and before I could register what had happened I was already halfway in the water. There was a searing pain in my thigh, the water around me became a stained red as I clambered my way back, my muscles aching as they went against the water.