Looking For Group

Part 25

tw: blood, mild torture/body horror

***

Twilight's dominant arm was broken. At least two of his ribs were badly bruised. His head felt like it was full of cotton and the lack of food was making it difficult to concentrate. He was in no condition to fight.

He had no choice. With his right arm, he pulled the Master Sword from her scabbard. She felt foreign in his right hand.

In response of him pulling the sword, the Yiga members opened their jackets, grabbing handguns from holsters around their torsos. They pointed them down to the ground. The threat was clear enough.

"Put it down, Twilight," said Charles. "We have guns. Not even a mystical sword can stop bullets."

Charles said that with confidence but his fellow Yiga members gave each other uneasy looks. It wasn't well known how powerful the Master Sword was or what it was truly capable of. Twilight and his companions had no problem using that to their full advantage.

"Wild," Twilight whispered. "When I give the signal, you run."

"What?" Wild said. "I'm not leaving you behind!"

"I can't protect us both and you're not trained yet. Run, get help."

"They'll shoot you before I can take a single step."

"I can block bullets."

Maybe. If he was at full strength he could block them but at the moment he struggled to hold the sword straight. If he was quick enough he could cut down at least three of these Yiga bastards before the rest riddled his body with gunfire.

Wild shook his head. "I don't believe you." With that he ran in front of Twilight, throwing up his hands in surrender. "Don't shoot! We'll go peacefully!"

"Wild! Get out of the way!"

"Don't shoot!" Over his shoulder, Wild yelled at him, "Put the sword down!"

Twilight wanted to scream at him, call him an idiot, demand he run. Did he not understand what was happening here? A kidnapper only takes you to a different location if they have plans to kill you. Twilight would not let that happen to Wild. No.

"Please," Wild begged him. "Put it down."

Every breath was torturous. Every second longer than the next. Twilight's arm trembled, and then like a deflating balloon, all the fight left him. His arm dropped, the Master Sword clattering to the asphalt.

***

They forced them to sit in metal chairs, tying their hands behind their backs, securing their wrists to the back legs. Twilight was hunched over, every breath a rattling in his chest. Sweat dripped off his nose. His left arm gave him no relief. It burned constantly like someone held a heated oven coil to it. His head was swimming and his throat was parched.

Wild was bound in the chair next to him. "Twilight, man, talk to me. Are you conscious?"

He had to take a few breaths before speaking. "I'm... still... kicking..."

Wild turned to their guard standing by the door. "Please, he needs water."

Charles had his arms crossed his chest. There was a single naked light bulb in the room, obscuring his face with shadows. "He's a Hero. He can handle it."

"C'mon!" Wild urged. He gestured with a jerk of his chin towards the table in the middle of the room. "There's bottles right there! Look... he's unarmed. He's not going to hurt anyone. What harm could this bring?"

That little nugget of wisdom seemed to get through. Charles frowned, then he stepped forward, grabbing a bottle of Lake Hylia Water and twisting off the cap. He came over to Twilight, pressing the opening to his lips.

Twilight drank. Water dribbled down his bloody chin, wetting his collar. He didn't stop till the bottle was a third empty. "Thank... you," he said once he was done.

Charles grunted and placed the bottle back down. "You don't need to be polite. I know exactly what you must think of me."

"And what... do I... think... of you?"

"Don't patronize me," Charles hissed at him. "What a failure. What an idiot. The man couldn't become a Hero so he becomes the villain, how original."

"I wasn't... thinking... that."

"Please. It's not like I wanted this to fucking happen. I had plans, you know. But once I came home with a burnt hand and a police warrant on my head, I had no where else to go. The Yiga were the only ones who understood what happened to me, what bullshit it is that I, a grown adult, was turned down but you allowed a fourteen year old kid to join."

"Are you kidding me?" Wild said. "You got rejected, so you decide your next step was to join the mafia?"

"You shut the hell up before I make you shut up."

"You killed that cab driver!"

Charles flinched. He took a step back, and he stared down at the floor, unable to deny it.

"Did you even call an ambulance before you hauled us away?" Wild demanded. "You stand there, moaning and whining about how unfair the Heroes were to you-"

"Shut up."

"-but let's face it, if this is how you react when life doesn't go your way-"

"Shut. Up."

"-it's no damn wonder the sword deemed you unworthy!"

"SHUT UP!"

Charles slammed his heavily scarred fist across Wild's face, knocking him and the chair to the floor.

"Stop!" Twilight protested. He jerked forward, and his body was quick to remind he still had several broken bones. He gasped and curled in on himself, trembling.

On the floor, Wild spat out blood. He groaned. "Beating up a teenager. Great."

"If you don't stop talking I swear I'll-"

A new voice entered the conversation. "Stop. That's enough, Charles. Step back."

Like a dog following the command of his master, Charles immediately moved away. He left Wild on the floor as is.

"I apologize for Charles," said the new person. "But passion is a quality I find rather enduring. I'm sure you Heroes understand."

"Who..." Twilight said. "Are... you...?"

The man stepped into the light. He grinned widely, showing off teeth. "My name is Kohga."