The Murder Story

Swords and Seagulls

"I've been looking forward to this," Giedrius said, picking up the first blade and testing its balance.

"So have I," Arturs replied, examining the second, "all I need is to kill you and a cool two million is all mine."

"I already got my money, I'm rich, I'm free and soon enough you'll be dead and I can get off this godforsaken rock you call a country."

Arturs rolled his eyes. What was with these foreign assassin's insulting Ireland? The place had crisp sandwiches for christ's sake!

"No rules, no conceding, only one of us leaves here alive," Giedrius said.

Arturs smiled, "En garde," he replied, and swung.

Giedrius was expecting the blow though, and sidestepped, jabbing his blade toward Arturs' ribs. Arturs easily deflected the blade with his own, stepped back, and they began to circle each other, just as the first seagull landed on the edge of the cliff, watching.

Neither had the advantage here. With swords, they were on even footing. There was no more talk as they launched into the fight.

Giedrius lunged and parried and blocked, while Arturs swung and danced around him, neither managing to score a blow. While seagulls slowly joined their friend along the cliff edge, gradually increasing in numbers until there was a loose circle surrounding the feuding duo. 

Arturs only noticed the seagulls when Giedrius forced him backwards with a slash of the blade, and he stepped too close to one. The seagulls promptly began to squawk and wave their feathers in sync, until Arturs stepped back inside the circle, and they fell silent again, simply watching.

"You saw that right?" Arturs asked, spinning his blade.

"Yeah, even the seagulls agree you should die."

Arturs scowled and lunged again, but Giedrius parried and smiled as an idea began to form. He slowly began to force Arturs back toward the seagulls, his attacks relentless, until the seagulls began to squawk and flap, but Giedrius still pressed forward, until Arturs' foot came a little too close to a seagull, who promptly bit his exposed ankle, causing Arturs to cry out and lose his momentum and allow Giedrius to drive his sword into his chest.

Arturs' sword clattered to the grass, the seagulls scattering around it, as his weight transferred to the sword holding him up, which, when removed from his chest, left him to crumple on the grass by the edge of the cliff. But Arturs wasn't about to go down that easily, and with the last of his remaining strength, he lunged for Giedrius, the seagulls parting like the red sea for him, and Arturs dragged Giedrius off the cliff.

They fell for only a few seconds before they smashed on the rocks below, Arturs weakened body only managing a few raspy breaths before he fell still.

Giedrius had barely even realised what was happening before he was falling and crashing. He counted a dislocated knee, broken collarbone and arm, and possibly a punctured lung with the trouble he was having breathing. But he was alive, and he managed to pull his phone from his pocket with his good hand, wincing as he moved. Add at least 6 broken ribs and internal bleeding to the list. With a bit of shaking, the phone flickered to life, the screen severely smashed, but Giedrius managed to type most of the number before the seagulls began to descend on him. Slowly they surrounded him, their eyes trained on him, and nobody moved for the longest time before Giedrius tried to press call, and the seagulls attacked.

They bit his arms and legs, tearing through his clothes, their beaks smeared with blood as they began to eat into his torso, feasting on the organs already munched up for them by the fall, and Giedrius died a painful death, eaten alive by the seagulls.

Pia and She watched from the top of the cliff, and She smiled. "Who knew seagulls could be so vicious?" She said as a combined effort of seagulls ripped Arturs' leg from his torso and flew away with it, presumably to feed their young.

A few seagulls had spotted the duo on the cliff and flew up to meet them, but retreated when Pia shot one with an arrow and it plunged to its death into the frenzy of birds, who began to eat it as well. 

The two turned and walked back to the car, climbing in and driving back toward the school. Pia just had to kill the final assassin, Jack, and then the murders were done, and they could go and live in the beautiful anarchy they created, together. Or so Pia thought.