CC123 was just getting used to her new lifestyle. She learned how to use the musket, she bettered herself on her Armsel Striker, and she even mastered the art of camouflage. She was a perfect warrior. CC97 could not have asked for a more skilled daughter. She was proud of CC123.
CC123 was sharpening her throwing knives on an average day when her mother came out. She looked worried. She looked as if she’d seen a ghost. CC123 dropped her throwing knives and wiped her hand off on the towel. She lifted the cloak of her hood as she cautiously asked, “What’s wrong mother?”
A crystal colored tear dropped from her eye. She was at a loss for words. She didn’t know how to break such terrible news to her daughter. CC123 gave up on trying to talk to her mother, and she returned to her tools. She thought that she needed to strengthen herself as a warrior, because an attack could have hit her at any moment in time.
Her mother fell to the ground. CC123 was flabbergasted. She had never seen her mother get so emotional. CC123 shoved each throwing knife in its designated pouch and walked towards her mother. Her mother looked up into her daughter’s blank stare. She felt powerless and vulnerable.
CC123 kneeled down and grabbed her mother’s chin. She tilted her mother’s head to face her, and to look her in the eyes. CC123 asked, “Are you going to tell me what has gotten into you or not?”
Her mother yanked her chin away from her daughter. Never in her life had she felt so disrespected. Never in her life had she felt so proud of a fellow Crimson Cloak. CC123 helped her mother from the damp ground and dusted her off. CC97 slowly said, “CC123. It’s time for us to go to your first Sacrifice Ceremony.”
CC123 furrowed her eyebrow in confusion. Just trying to say the words caused a puzzling feeling in her head. She asked, “What is that?”
CC97 wiped her nose. She was not ready to explain to her eight year old daughter what a Sacrificial Ceremony was. She knew that she had to, so she forced herself to explain it. She shivered as she whispered, “A Sacrificial Ceremony is a lottery where one name gets picked out and one punishment gets picked out of two separate boxes. The woman who was picked must endure the punishment until she dies. That is what we sacrifice to the gods to keep us in good fortune.”
CC123 had never heard of such an absurd celebration. But then, she had only lived for a few short years, and she hadn’t heard much at all. CC97 grabbed her daughter’s wrist causing CC123 to look into her mother’s eyes. Her mother said, “If I happen to be chosen, then you will be left without a mother and you will become the president of Faisa. Do you understand what I am telling you?”
CC123 was about to answer her mother, but then an alarm pierced her young, fragile eardrums. She reached for her ears. Her mother grabbed one hand and dragged her to the town labyrinth. It was time for the Sacrificial Ceremony to begin. All of the other women were already at the labyrinth, waiting with panic-stricken facial expressions.
CC97 was dragged up to the stage by her mother. Since she was the president’s daughter, she had to endure the punishment of watching all the women wait in fear. Her mother set her down on a hard, uncomfortable metal chair. CC123 put up no arguments or fights. She was ready to get out of there as fast as she could. She realized what her mother was so worried about.
Her mother approached the podium with a limp. She was dreading this time of the year. She always did. She tapped the microphone. Everybody froze in their already-silent state. With an uneasy tone CC97 said, “It is time to commence the annual Sacrificial Ceremony.”
Various noises were made from the crowd. Weeping, cries, and even a few prayers were a few of the noises that could be heard. CC123 crossed her legs and looked down at the cold wooden stage. She didn’t want to see her mother’s face, when she picked the unfortunate woman’s name out of the box.
Her mother pulled out the first box. It was silver with diamonds encrusted on it. It looked very expensive and lavish. Her mother opened the box and a sea of punishments was revealed. She stuck her shaking hand into the box and let it sit there for a while. She pretended that she was fishing for a good punishment, when in reality she was prolonging everyone else’s suffering, including her own. She pulled one out and closed the box. She pushed the box back under the podium. She unfolded the punishment and breathlessly said, “The chosen sacrifice must endure electrocution.”
Two women pulled out electrical cords and placed them on the ground. One was jolting around like a fish out of water, and that freaked CC123 out. She closed her eyes and plugged her ears, trying to block out the fear that was emanating from everybody else.
Her mother pulled out another box from under the podium. This one was gold and decorated with the finest rubies. CC123 thought that it was more expensive than the last. Her mother opened the box and several folded strips of paper were revealed. Once her mother pushed her hand into the box, CC123 began to hold her breath.
Her mother pulled out a name. She didn’t even put away the box before opening the small slip of paper. Her eyes welled up with tears and she approached the microphone. She threw the piece of paper and said, “The sacrifice is CC97.”
CC123 jumped up in shock and ran for her mother. A Crimson Cloak grabbed CC123 and dragged her to the side of the stage. From there she was locked in a metal cage that was placed under the stage.
She could hear the cries from the other Crimson Cloaks as her mother began her punishment. CC123 covered her face and shot the door with her right arm. It didn’t cause that much of a ruckus, but it did do the trick.
CC123 jumped out of the holding cell and ran on to the stage. She got there just in time to see a butterfly knife penetrate her mother’s skull from the back, and another to penetrate her mother’s skull from the front. CC123 looked around for the culprit, while the other Crimson Cloaks caused a riot about not doing the sacrifice correctly.
CC123 noticed a Turquoise Tunic hunched up in a tree. She was cackling. C123 lifted her gun and shot it out of the tree. She ran to meet the Turquoise Tunic as it dropped to the ground. Blood was spilling from its mouth, and its heartbeat was softening quickly. CC123 slapped the ugly being across the face and yelled, “Why?”
Before the Turquoise Tunic gave in to the light, she whispered, “Deus, familia, et ignoscentia.”
The heartbeat of the Turquoise Tunic died and CC123 was left stunned. She was wondering, “What does that mean?”
She looked into the distant sunset and saw a small army of Turquoise Tunics approaching slowly. She got up and ran back to the town labyrinth. Everybody was still there causing a scene over the incorrect sacrifice.
CC123 pulled herself on the stage and found the microphone. She tapped it and it replied, signaling that it was on. Everybody looked up at her and she pointed behind her. As teardrops streamed down her face, she yelled, “Ambush!”
Every woman gathered herself together and fled the scene. They were all taking their designated spot for battle. CC123 stared as the Turquoise Tunics approached closer and closer. Their bodies became larger with every step they took.
CC123 found a trap door on the stage and opened it. She jumped down the trap door, realizing that it was built as a panic room. She closed the hatch and loaded her musket. If anyone tried to attack her from above, she would have the element of surprise.
As they grew closer, she heard them chanting something. It sounded like, “Deus, familia, et ignoscentia.”
That was the same thing that the dead Turquoise Tunic had whispered to her before its death. The chant shot around her head like an endless pinball game. She wanted to know what those words meant. Maybe they were a code to something great, but she didn’t know and she didn’t have the time to find out. The chanting stopped and so did the marching. She cupped her hand over her mouth so that she could muffle her breathing sounds.
One Turquoise Tunic walked onto the stage. CC123 readied her musket. She aimed at the roof. She was ready to win back her town or die trying. The Turquoise Tunic spoke with a voice that only could be compared to that of a witch. I t said, “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”
A shadow appeared over the holes in the panic room. CC123 knew that she had no time to waste. She took her musket and shot the behemoth that was right above her. She heard a loud thud sound on the top of the stage and then she heard a woman yell, “Attack!”
CC123 peeked out from her panic room and saw the person she shot. She had blown her head right off of her body. CC123 did a small celebratory dance for herself before ducking back down into the panic room. She heard gunshots and screams through the holes in the panic room. She wanted to go out and help, but she was afraid of death.
CC123 kicked the side of the panic room and a door swung open. It was a secret tunnel. She entered the secret tunnel and closed the secret door behind her. It was dimly lit, but she didn’t care. As long as it led her to safety, she was fine.
She followed the pathway and came upon a booth. Sunlight poured into the booth. It was a small hiding spot for the president and the officials during a time of battle or war. CC123 peeked out of the booth and saw a Turquoise Tunic stumbling around. It was mumbling that same stupid chant that all of them had been mumbling. CC123 had reached for her throwing knives just as the injured Turquoise Tunic turned to face her. It yelled, “No! Please don’t!”
CC123 grabbed her first throwing knife and threw it at the Turquoise Tunic’s shin. It fell to the ground in agony. CC123 popped out from the booth and ran to the side of the injured Turquoise Tunic. She looked at the still living face of the Turquoise Tunic and nothing but hatred arose inside of CC123. She grabbed for her dagger and the woman yelled, “No!”
CC123 yanked the dagger from her tool belt and thrust it across the neck of her enemy. Its head came clean off. Blood spattered on her face and she licked her lips. The taste of blood was like adding gasoline to her fiery hatred for the Turquoise Tunics. She took the head of her dead enemy and ran back into the booth. So many thoughts were rushing through her head. She heard someone yell, “Retreat!”
CC123 looked up from her booth and saw the person that was yelling. They were standing within shooting distance of the booth. The person cupped their hands around their mouth and CC123 quickly acted. She reloaded her musket and aimed for the woman’s heart. CC123 took in a deep breath before pulling the trigger.
Once she heard the shot, her eyes popped back open. They opened just in time to see the woman flying back towards the forest. Guts splattered all over a once-beautiful tree, and blood stained the dark green grass. The woman laid still and dead. CC123 ran out from her booth and an idea rushed to her brain.
She detached the katana from both of her dead enemies. She laughed as she detached the second one, and she even said, “I guess you won’t be needing this anymore.”
CC123 took the two katana’s that were in her hands, and quickly taped them together with some of the tape that the Turquoise Tunics used to attach throwing knives to their legs. She had made a new exotic throwing weapon that looked like it could kill two people if it was thrown at the right angle.
CC123 saw her chance to actually test her new weapon. She heard distant voices coming from the forest. She looked around and followed the voices. She tiptoed through the bloodstained grass and finally saw who was being so loud. Two Turquoise Tunics were planning on how to kill the mayor’s daughter. She scoffed and yelled, “Hey ladies! You’re a little late!”
Their heads perked up just as CC123 hurled the weapon in their direction. The weapon penetrated the neck of the woman on the left and the chest of the woman on the right. They fell to the ground, gasping. CC123 ran to fetch her new weapon. The women were still gasping when CC123 got to them so she decided to push down on the blade. The head of the left woman popped off easily, and everything from the breasts up detached themselves from the woman on the right.
CC123 picked up her blade and wiped it off on the grass. She looked at her reflection in the blade and saw a powerful woman staring back at her. She was trying to admire her reflection, but she heard screams coming from the opposite side of the stage. She peeked over the stage and saw the Turquoise Tunics running into the deep forest. It looks like a good seven or eight people were missing from that army.
CC123 heard celebrations coming from the other side of the stage. All the Crimson Cloaks had gathered back into the labyrinth. It looks like a good six Crimson Cloaks were laid to rest as well. Two Crimson Cloak officials rushed behind CC123 and congratulated her. The women in the labyrinth all began to yell, “Speech! Speech! Speech!”
CC123 turned around to face the two officials. She didn’t know what to do. One of the officials softly said, “They want to hear some words from the new president.”
CC123 turned around and faced the silent crowd of Crimson Cloaks. She looked out to the horizon and saw blood, guts, and many bodies. There were bodies of Crimson Cloaks and Turquoise Tunics. She was proud of the crimson Cloaks, but they hadn’t won. She cleared her throat like her mother used to do. All of the Crimson Cloaks turned to face her. She said, “Don’t let it get to your head. We may have won the battle, but the war has just begun.”