Shadowstrider

Prologue

He was sitting in the closet. His mom and dad were fighting again. This had been going on for three weeks now and every time his dad was becoming more and more violent. This time he had decided to keep and small knife on him just in case. He didn't understand anything they were saying. It was making him jump every time their voices raised.

He heard a fist go into the wall and he clenched the knife tighter. His mom screamed and his knuckles went white. His dad was hurting her. He had to stop it. He opened the closet door silently, looking to get a good view of his parents without them seeing him. His mom screamed again and a vase crashed to the floor, shattering. A plate flew past his head and broke on the closet door. He crept around the corner and saw his dad hit his mom. He lost all control and charged his dad.

The knife raised, he screamed. Both parents turned and a look of fear ran through both. His dad recovered quicker than he ran and brought his arm up and knocked the knife away. "What's your problem, boy?" his dad yelled, face now a bright red in anger.

"You are!" he yelled back. His dad brought up his fist and punched him in the stomach. His mom screamed when he slumped to the ground. His dad slapped her hard across the face and she stumbled back.

"Shut up woman," he told her. He picked the boy up and slammed him into the wall. "So you think you're a man now? Is that it boy? You have no idea what it's like to be a man. You want to take me, get up and fight. Get up now boy." His dad released him and he slid down the wall to his feet. He regained his balance and stood straight, looking his father in the eyes.

"I'm going to kill you if you lay one more finger on me," the boy said, voice deadly calm.

"You're going to kill me? You're going to kill me!" his dad laughed. "I would love to see that." his dad slapped him in the face but instead of moving, the boy stood there and took it.

The boy wasn't phased. He rushed his dad and dove under his legs when his dad kicked at him. The boy punched him under the knee and he tripped. The boy jumped on his back, grabbed his head and twisted. He heard his dad's neck snap and he stopped moving. The boy stood up and looked his mom in the face.

"What have you done?" she cried. "Get out of this house and never come back." She rushed over to his dad and cradled him in her arms. "I will not have a murderer in my house."

"He was beating you and tried to beat me and you still defend him?" the boy asked. "I killed him to make your life better and you're kicking me out. Fine I'll leave." The boy turned and ran out of his house.

"Good, you always were trouble, Aktheme," his mom said when he left. She turned back to the body on the floor and never turned back to her son.