Are We Alive?

Sixteen: Rhododendron

Rhododendron–Danger, Beware

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Rin woke up in an unfamiliar place. It was moving and when he looked up, he could see trees blurring by through a dirty window. A vehicle? His group only had one truck that they'd been stocking up on gas for. This wasn't that truck and the four unknown men sitting around him confirmed that even further.

He went to wipe the grit from his eyes after sleeping so long and found his hands bound together by thick ropes. He stopped and assessed the situation–he felt shaky and still tired and his feet were also bound by ropes. They'd taken his boots, his jacket, and his shirt. One guy was rummaging through the small bag he'd brought with him when he went hunting. Another was examining his katana while the third and fourth guys were talking about how nice and sharp his ax was.

In a second, Rin pulled his legs up so he was nearly folded in half. He rocked upward and got to his knees. One guy tried to grab him and got headbutted. It hurt, but it gave him the advantage he needed.

He elbowed the guy with his sword in the nose and somehow was able to grasp the hilt with his elbows, swinging it so the blade was pointed at the other two guys. He squatted at the back doors of the vehicle and held the sword like that for a moment before getting steadily into a good enough crouch to jam his back into the doors and tumble out the back of the vehicle. He quickly let go of the sword as he tumbled.

He stopped rolling, scrambled to his feet, grabbed his katana, swing it down to saw at the ropes around his ankles, jumped up, and started running the opposite way of the vehicle. Rin's vision tilted and he cursed his luck. He wasn't at 100% because of the storm he'd gotten caught in after his meltdown(ha), so he wasn't steady on his feet. Still, he ran as far as he could.

Unfortunately for him, he soon figured out he was outnumbered in very unfair odds as a knife stuck in the back of his thigh and he fell to the dirt. He gritted his teeth as the knife was yanked out of his leg and he was rolled over to face the sky and the assholes kidnapping him. "I can't believe I actually stuck him!" One marveled, seeming very proud of himself. "You can stick that knife up your dick, fuckhole!" Rin snarled in Japanese. "Ooh, Oriental! Shoulda figured something as pretty as you would know how to get away from guys like us." Another man chuckled. Before Rin could retort, something solid hot him in the temple and he blacked out again.

When he woke up, he was back in the  vehicle. Again, he got ahold of the katana and just as he did, the vehicle stopped, braking hard. Rin pitched forward and the hilt was jammed into his stomach while the blade sliced across and through the first guy's stomach, up into his diaphragm and out his back.

Rin laid there, gasping for air and now covered in fresh blood as the back doors opened. The two guys that had been in front weren't even alarmed at their dying friend. One actually laughed and said something about getting bested by a pretty Oriental boy with his hands and feet tied up.

Then, he was yanked out and the blunt end of a gun hit his head, effectively knocking him out again. Rin's last thought was that he might sustain brain damage from all these injuries he'd acquired within such a short time.

§~•~§~•~§

"I'm sure he's fine! It was a big storm, he probably just camped out somewhere to wait it out! I'll go check for him, maybe he scored a deer and is just taking a while to haul it back." Marshal told her sister. Chelsea looked worried, but nodded. "Okay. Just be really careful. I know there's no power in the power lines anymore, but there are still plenty of bad consequences from storms like that, not counting the displaced walking corpses that ended up on our lawn." She told her twin firmly.