Recap:
Even though Thorg was loudly yelling, we both still heard a twig break in the bushes. I could tell that it had come from the bush right behind Thorg. He stupidly turned around to see what it was and I had the opportunity to kill him.
I had thought that I had killed him once, could I really do it again? I had to do it though. He tortured Tara to death, and now I am going to give him a taste of his own medicine. I cringed at the thought of Tara’s dead tortured body laying somewhere on the forest floor, desperately calling me for help.
My palms felt clammy from all the sweat that clung on to them. The handle of my sword felt heavy. My hand involuntarily trembled as I griped on the sword for dear life. I got prepared for the fatal plunge, and then…
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Hunter’s POV
I stood behind a tree waiting for anyone who dared come near the lake. It was very dark outside. I blended right in with the shadows. I was bored out of my mind. I wasted hours just counting the leaves of the tree I was under.
541
542
543
I watched as a leaf fell down, had I already counted that one?
544
545
Someone’s loud yell interrupted my counting. I knew that it was Thorg. However, instead of springing into action my feet stayed rooted to the ground. A part of me wanted to go help him, but an equally persistent part wanted me to stay.
If I stayed he might die. If he dies then I will be one step closer to winning, but I would also be partner less. With my wounded shoulder will I be able to defeat my other opponents? I know for a fact that Tara and Paul are together, making it much easier to kill me if they have too.
If I save him he might try to kill me later on. Not to mention the fact that he has no idea that my shoulder still hurts. What if he finds out about my wounded shoulder and decides to kill me himself? Maybe this is all just a test to see if I will go to help him. The idea seems a little far-fetched, but you never know what to expect with Thorg.
I decided to go see what is going on. Maybe Tara has found Paul and is seeking revenge against me. My stomach turned at the thought. Tara’s revenge would not be pretty, yet I still couldn’t help but like her even more for that very reason.
I shook my head at the thought. I need to focus on finding Thorg. His screaming continued and it was relatively easy to find him. Heck, I am surprised the whole forest hasn’t come to see what is going on yet. I stealthily hid in a bush. I can easily see everything that is going on.
Thorg is telling Paul that he killed Tara. My mind went numb at the thought. He was describing, in great detail, all the things he did to her. It is not true, it is not true, I kept telling myself, but I couldn’t calm the storm that raged within me. Did he really do that to her? No it isn’t possible, he would have told me if he did. I would have felt it. I desperately tried to convince myself that there is no way that Tara is dead, but it was no use I still feared for her life.
I mentally slapped myself, he got her dagger the day she dropped it at the lake. I can easily remember fighting with her, teasing her. I smiled at the thought.
That also meant that she was defenseless, for I had her second dagger. There was no way that she had a third. Was there?
I was so distracted I almost missed Paul shoving Thorg out of the tree. I knew that if I wanted to I could save him. I could easily help break his fall. Yet, if he killed Tara he deserved to die. If he tortured her like he said he did then he surely deserved everything that was coming to him, right? It was hard to think straight when I saw Thorg’s lifeless body on the ground. His eyes were tightly shut and his nearly bald head seemed to rest against the trees roots.
I look up to see Paul’s shocked expression. I am sure that mine mirrored his. I can’t believe that I just let someone die. Thorg trusted me to help him and I just abandoned him when he needed me most, because he tortured one of our opponents. Isn’t that what we are all here for, to kill one another? So why does it feel so horrible when we do?
I see that Paul buries Thorg’s mace. He even pocketed Tara’s dagger. However, when I looked for Thorg’s dead body, I couldn’t seem to find it. Had Paul moved it somewhere else?
After a few moments of searching for Thorg I see him with a large boulder in his hands. If looks could kill, we would all be dead by now. Paul easily dodged Thorg’s clumsy attempts at trying to hurt him. This is my second chance. I can save Thorg if I want to.
I shifted around a little, to get a better view of the fight, when a twig snapped beneath my weight. Thorg stupidly turned around, and even in the darkness of the night his eyes met mine. They begged me to help him, to save him from Paul’s wrath.
In return, my eyes held no mercy. Whether he actually did the things he said or not, his heart is as black as his soul. There was no way I was going to associate with him anymore. That is why I didn’t warn him when Paul’s sword plunged through his charcoal heart.
The amount of guilt I felt overwhelmed me. I wasn’t supposed to be this weak. Why should I feel guilty? This is my Soul Snatching, I am supposed to help kill people. Somehow, I couldn’t seem to convince myself that what I did was alright.
I heard the faintest noise coming out of Paul’s mouth, “For Tara.”
“For Tara,” I whispered to myself. I surprised myself with those words, why did she even matter so much to me, I barely even know her? My mind was baffled by the idea, but I just let it go. Was she really the reason I let Paul kill my ally?
“You betrayed me,” it was so faint that I wasn’t sure I heard right, but even in the darkness I could see the confusion on Paul’s face. I don’t think he realized that Thorg was talking to me.
I could kill him now if I really wanted to, but something in me protested. I think one death is enough for the day. Besides, I really need to go find Tara, to make sure that she is alright. I internally groaned in frustration. Why do I care so much!
I should just go to sleep…
A blissful and peaceful sleep…
Paul’s POV
I got prepared for the fatal plunge, and then…
I killed him.
My sword went right through his pitch black heart. His brown beady eyes met mine. The amount of hatred in them was unfathomable.
“For Tara,” I whispered, knowing that he would hear me, hoping that he would regret torturing her. I involuntarily shuddered. My skin tingled with goosebumps. I just killed a person. Paul White is a murderer.
He started stuttering, as if he was trying to say something. Blood gushed out of his chest. I was surprised he wasn’t screaming in pain.
“You betrayed me,” he barely managed to mutter out as he fell back to the floor. How in the world did I betray him? We were never friends in the first place.
I shook those thoughts away as I looked at his cold lifeless body on the ground. Tears unwillingly gushed out of my eyes. He was dead and it was all my fault. What if he had a family that loved him? What if he was an only child and his parents depended on him to win? Suddenly, logic intervened my pity session. What if he killed you first?
I did what I had to do, for Tara, for myself. Right? This is what I have been training for my whole life, how to kill people. So why is it suddenly so difficult?
Not even a second later, my body filled with blissful happiness. I feel as if I can do anything. Imagine every happy thought you have ever had rolled up into one. My hands tingled, but in the good kind of way. I sighed in relief. I feel as if I can climb up mountains and wrestle bears.
Then, as soon as it came it disappeared. A feeling of emptiness took over. I craved that feeling of completeness; luckily some of it still remained inside of me, deep within the depths of my soul. If it was lighter outside I would have checked my eyes, to see how much brighter they had gotten. Would they sparkle like my mothers?
The realization hit me like a ton of bricks, Thorg was dead. His death is what caused my happiness. Why is the world so cruel? Why is it making me crave the thirst for more blood shed, just for an ounce more of that happiness.
My legs felt numb beneath me. I sat down, and pulled the sword out of Thorg’s chest. It was covered in blood, I guess I would just have to clean it later.
Any previous fatigue I felt earlier was gone. Even though I miss the warmth of the overwhelming happiness I felt earlier, a small portion of it still lingered. I could practically feel my soul heal a portion of itself, even though I knew that was impossible.
My worry for Tara grew every passing second. Feelings of hope for her survival returned. There was no way that she was dead, I would have surely felt it. She could still be on the brink of dying, a rational part of my brain told me, but I pushed it aside.
I would have to find her. There was no way I was going to let her go through this night all by herself.
Tara’s POV
I wake up to the feeling of pure bliss. Happiness surrounds me. I feel as if everything in the world is right. I can’t help but smile, for what? I will never know. At this moment ever single thing is perfect.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. That is when I felt empty and hallow, a small piece of that happiness still lingered within me, in the depths of my soul. The amount of happiness from before was almost tangible. I sighed; I wish I could feel like that again.
One hour later
I spent the whole hour thinking about who might have died. What if it was Paul? What if he had died trying to find me? I mentally slapped myself, why would Paul White ever care about a girl like me. We were just partners, nothing else. Even though I wish that we were something more.
How would I ever know who it was that died? It could be anybody. It could even be that other girl whose name I keep forgetting. Maybe it was Hunter? I suddenly had the need to vomit. Why did I care so much if it was him? I barely even knew the guy and every time I met him he has tried to kill me.
I was sick with worry. I really can’t deny the fact that it was for both Paul and Hunter. I really hope that both of them are okay.
My constant thoughts about the two boys was interrupted when someone tackled me to the ground. I had no weapon in which to stab this person with. I desperately struggled underneath him.
“Tara, I am so glad that you are alive!”
My mouth was frozen shut. I can’t believe that Paul actually cared enough to find me. He really does care about me! My excitement could be contained. I looked up into his sea blue eyes, even in the darkness I could still detect more of a spark within them. I guess killing someone really did affect your eyes.
We were both unusually silent. My face became beet red when I realized that he was still straddling me. He didn’t seem to be showing any signs of letting go. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if we stayed like this forever, gazing at each other’s eyes.
His face was approaching mine rapidly, closing the already small distance between us. My gaze fell onto his perfectly luscious lips. His face came closer and closer to mine until…
He stops.
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Let’s all take a moment to cheer for Thorg’s death! XD
Anyways, I was going to leave it at until, but I guess I just wanted to leave you guys with only a small cliffhanger. :D
I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, what do you think of Hunter, Paul, Thorg, and Tara?
By the way, I am probably going to be writing in Tara’s POV for a while now. Unless, a lot of my readers want me to write in someone else’s POV.
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