Kill

I sat in the groping darkness looking for a means of escape. My fading strength and growing anxiety only made things worse. My brain started clouding and my thought process became slower, the first sign of impending death. I heard a low grumble from somewhere under me. The predator was fast approaching and I had no idea on how to face it.

“Don’t run! It will spot your foot falls with ease”, one of my brain warned.

“If you don’t run now, you will be hunted down sooner or later”, the other part countered.

The grumble transformed into a scream of vigour and anger. It was close approaching. I had to do something immediately to save my life. Then, the scream ceased and I spotted something lurking in the shadows behind me. My instincts to survive over powered everything and I broke into a run. Fuelled by pure adrenaline I run across the darkened wide hallway. As I ran, blind with fear, I felt wetness on my dry lips. It tasted like iron. My nose was bleeding from the exertion. But I did not have time to stop. Rest would mean death to me at this point of time. As the screaming of my hunter drowned away, my knees faltered and I collapsed, face down. My legs ached terribly from the strain and my head was spinning. The whole world was a blur of colours to me at that moment. Why was I here? Why was I being hunted down like this? Questions began to swarm my brain as I started breathing though my mouth to supply more oxygen to my aching heart. Life had not been easy for me defending myself from the demons that tried to conquer my world. But I always fought, never trying for a compromise with the demons. I lost everyone and everything in the process. My loved ones, people who fought for me and people who fought with me. Why was I running now? When all that I could live for has been reduced to a pile of rubble? I was selfish. I wanted to save my own life when so many others could give their life for mine. What would I achieve from survival?

I heard footfalls approaching in my direction. The time has come, death was approaching and I had two options. Run and survive like a prisoner for the rest of my life. Fight and die like a hero, just like my brothers who fought for freedom till their very last breath. I felt a seething anger rise within me. My muscles tensed and a low roar rocked the insides of my body. Fear was replaced with recklessness, a recklessness that made my entire body numb and made the pain a nonentity. I looked around and found my sword hanging from the door. I smiled to myself as a shaft of moon light made it glitter. I was almost as if it was joining hands with me, for the cause of destroying the enemy. I lifted the sword and felt a wave of emotion pass within me. My brain felt light and clear. It had a single thought. KILL OR GET KILLED! The door unhinged with a loud crack and the predator came inside. It raised itself on its hind legs and opened its mouth, showing razor sharp glistening white teeth with saliva dripping from them. It was hungry and didn’t look in a mood to wait. It moved forward with lightning quick speed and pounced onto me with its full strong paws opening. I stood there, unmoving waiting for it to come. I flattened myself on the ground just as it was about to strike me on the face. The demon took a while to come to rest, its heavy frame finding it difficult to lose momentum. Meanwhile, I brought myself back to my full height and launched myself onto the demon. I caught hold of its rough scaly back and dg my sword deep into its back. The whole room shook as the demon fell to the ground letting out a scream of agony and pain. My vision blurred as the demon shook violently to get rid of me. I held firmly onto its back sinking my sword deeper and holding on tight to the hilt. It recovered soon enough and got back onto its full height. I pulled with all my energies and the sword which was stuck deep came out, bringing a blob of green sticky fluid along with it. I rolled onto the floor as the demon spun back with blinding speed and struck me in the ribs almost crushing them with the impact. I saw the living daylights being knocked out me as the pan began to spread through me. I landed a few hundred feet away, sprawled across the floor, blood issuing from my mouth and head. The demon was sure that it had me dead. It started running across the hall growling in anticipation for the tasty meal that lay in front of it. I had only one chance. The sword was still in my hand. I could still move it though I was not sure if it was in a single piece. As the demon ran to me, I saw everything slow down and my vision could focus on nothing but the moving shape. The demon that destroyed my world, the demon that destroyed my family, the demon that made took away my happiness. I felt desperate. Was I to die in its hands? I lifted myself just as it was about to pounce on me. It caught the demon surprised and without time to stop. I raised the sword and stuck it deep into its throat. It dropped to the ground with a dull thud, dying instantly, more out of shock. I stood there, swaying for a second. My heart filled with contentment. The moon looked brighter than it ever did in my entire life, before everything blackened out permanently.