Fragmented

The Saviors

Sarah and the hooded mysterious man arrive at a deserted street that was only a few blocks from her house, they walk in the darkness of the night, the girl still with her cat in her hand and shagging while he slept.

The man suddenly stops, and Sarah does the same, he turns to her and says:

- From here, you must fall into a deep sleep, or you will not be able to advance.

And Sarah, seeing that she didn't have much of a choice, just accepted.

The man approached her and touched her neck, the girl fell and passed out at the same time, however, she was already awake again, in the middle of an ornate room, that fainting was like just an instant for her.

She looks around, and sees many hooded men around the room, and in the middle of it, there was a man, a little fat, and he was also wearing a hood, Sarah stood up and stood in front of him, and the hooded and mysterious man, who had taken her there, knelt beside her and said:

- Master, this is the chosen one.

And the man looks at Sarah, and says:

- Welcome, Sarah Rushman.

Sarah greeted him back, kindly.

- I'm glad you made the decision to join our order.

Sarah kneels in respect and says:

- Sorry sir, I don't want to sound disrespectful, but I just want to get rid of one person.

- I know what you came to look for here, Miss Rushman. And we are the only ones who can guarantee that you achieve your goal.

- It is? Is that easy? I know that everything has a price.

And the man chuckled and turned to sit on a throne behind him, he sat down, looked at Sarah, and said calmly:

- The Armstrong family has been a stone in our shoes for many years, I think we have a common goal, right?

Sarah lowers her head.

- We are in favor of man's freedom, we want people to be able to do what they want, without reprisals and without anyone to bother them to say what is right. For example, I think it's fair that you want to take revenge on someone who took the greatest joy out of your life.

- Evelline... - said Sarah with a note of bitterness in her voice.

- YES! Evelline Armstrong, she is what prevents us from reaching our goals!

- What kind of service do you do?

- We only do what is necessary, what no one has the courage to do.

- Are you murderers? - Sarah asked indiscreetly.

- We are vigilantes fighting for a better world, Miss Rushman.

The young woman was quiet for a while, staring at the man, as if reflecting, and then asked:

- How will I know that you really understand my motivations?

And the man gave a smile with great pleasure, and took his right hand, literally, took his severed hand from the pocket of his cloak, and threw it on the floor in front of Sarah and said:

- I know what it's like to lose something that has a lot of value to you, what it's like to be betrayed by those you call friends.

Sarah falls on her back on the floor, startled.

- W-What is it?

- I declined the offer they made to me while I still had both hands, and it cost me one of them, what will you need to miss to accept the opportunity that can change your course, Miss Rushman?

Sarah was very scared, she looked at the footman who was still kneeling beside her, and got to her feet.

- I just don't want to be forgotten anymore, I don't want to lose everything to Evelline anymore, I don't want to be betrayed by people I call friends anymore!

The man then makes a sign, and everyone in the room starts to clap.He steps down from the throne and removes his hood, with his face now visible.Sarah looks at him, and he was an elderly man, with graying hair and beard, with his eyes fixed on Sarah.

He extends the only hand he had to Sarah and says:

- You are one of us now, we are a family, we are one.

And a footman enters the room, pushing a table with a large suitcase on top.

- Now, the ceremony of welcoming the newest member of the Saviors!

And the footman who brought the table, opened the suitcase, and inside had a katana, very long and apparently very sharp.

And the man without a hand explained:

- For you to enter, you must complete the ceremony, kill the worm that put it between us!

The footman who had taken Sarah to that place was still kneeling on the floor, in a perfect space between Sarah and the katana.

- Cut off his head, so there is no suffering. - said the man without a hand again.

Sarah went to the katana and held it, trembling, the kneeling footman removed his hood, his head was full of strange marks.

She pointed the katana at his neck, shaking a lot.And all the people in the room start singing a strange song and clapping their hands in rhythm, and once again the man without a hand presses it:

- Cut off his head, it will be bad at first, but then you will completely lose your humanity.

And the whole hall began to scream:

- CUT THE HEAD!

- CUT THE HEAD!

- CUT THE HEAD!

Sarah closed her eyes and took courage, in a movement only she lowered the katana quickly, and the man's head rolled off the floor, followed by the sound of the body hitting the carpet.

- The ritual is complete, you are one of us now. Nice to meet you, I'm Master Guist. - says the man without a hand, once again held out the only hand he had in welcome.

Sarah was shaking a lot, and was breathing hard, but the man hugs her, and says in her ear:

- You will be trained by us, at the end of it, not only will you be able to take revenge on Armstrong, but you will be able to take revenge on anyone who hurt you, this is purification.

And another footman entered the room, carrying a glass of wine on a tray:

- Drink, miss, it will be good for your current emotional state.

And she drank, very hesitantly, and almost spit, because the wine was very strong, and it tasted like blood, too.

- You drank the blood of the reaper, his skills will now be yours. - said Master Guist.

Sarah was shaking a lot, and could barely breathe, and the entire room was celebrating the arrival of the new member.

Guist explains to Sarah that he is the leader of the group, and names her:

- From now on, your name will no longer be Sarah, but VAHAN VOOHES!

And everyone in the formal room applauding, and Sarah, who was scared, suddenly smiles wickedly.