1 Ice Painting

"You are fired." I listened as those words left his mouth.

"B-But, I was doing a good work." Despair escaped from my mouth.

"The board of directors —including me— have decided to lay off a certain number of employees and that unfortunately included you. Can you please go out now?" He placed his hand on his cheek as he leaned on his table.

I could see a small smirk forming on his face as I thought about my family especially my son. I had finally managed to get a job after my Undergraduate major became almost useless and now this—

"Can you get out now? I have work to do."

"Ok," I walked out as my footsteps echoed throughout the room. Giving a last glance to his office, I saw him smirking. My hands clenched as my nails almost pierced my palm.

I am gonna come back.

***

Late at night, I am standing in front of a luxurious-looking house. Any normal person would have given a second thought to this but, I have made my resolve.

I skilfully jump the wall using a rope and a hook. Arriving at the door,I opened a toolbox and started lockpicking— something I learned in hopes of getting any job back in those days.

The door was easily unlocked and I made my way to the room that had its lights turned off the last.

This might be a problem. The lock was that of a newer model, one that I had low experience picking.

Fiddling with the lock, I made a little noise. I can only hope he hasn't woken up. I am too far gone to go back now.

I opened the door and almost immediately a sharp and pointy knife passed in front of me, making a sizable dent on the wooden door.

So, he is awake.

"Who are you?" The man's voice was as sharp as ever.

"Your death," I replied. The lights were turned on now.

"You think this is a movie or something?" The man snickered.

"Shut up, you bastard." I walked forward after making sure he didn't have any throwable weapon. Well… he had a weapon—A cleaver in his hand.

"Aren't you the guy who I fired today? Seeing that you have come this far, let me tell you something… You being fired wasn't the decision of the board but my own decision." My eyes widened but he paid it no mind as he continued.

"I looked into your family and their situation was too miserable. And, I was getting bored, so I decided to have some fun by looking at your face as you get fired." listening to his excited voice, My anger became palpable. 

I picked up the knife from my belt and got ready to kill this bastard.

"Angry already? I was just gonna praise the face you made then too."

I swung the knife towards his neck but he backed up and ducked, aiming his cleaver for my leg probably the femoral artery. I quickly backed up and he stood up and pulled his lamp throwing it at my face. The lamp blocked most of my vision and I felt a slight sting at my right hand.

My right hand was bloodied, now unusable. His cleaver had cut most of my right hand. But for him, it wasn't enough as another punch came to my through from my left. I was frozen looking at my left arm and the throat punch pushed me back towards the door.

"I thought you would be better at this." The man cracked his neck and looked down upon me.

I couldn't feel most of the pain in my right hand—probably because of adrenaline. But I still had one last card remaining.

The bastard pulled back his arm to swing this cleaver towards my left shoulder but my left hand had already reached my left hip and aimed the object towards his face.

For the first time, the man's eyes widened.

"You brought A gu—" Before he could finish his sentence, I blasted his head.

I quickly ran towards my toolbox and pulled a tourniquet. Before fighting this bastard, I had decided to kill myself and leave the insurance money for my family but I have realized that I really didn't want to die.

I would rather live as a crippled prisoner than as a dead father and husband.

***

My head and cheeks hurt. I tried to open my eyes as I saw a woman trying to protect me and a mob of villagers with various weapons aimed at me and the women.

My thoughts went back to that guy. Just when things were starting to get interesting, that guy pulled out a gun and killed me. Well that's interesting too I guess but not as interesting as this.

"Dear, everyone, we have always lived in this village. I promise we won't use our bloodline from now on!" The women screamed. I was trying to analyze my situation as my heart was beating fast and I was taking deep breaths.

"You demons don't have a place in my heart or this village!" The man exclaimed with tears filling his eyes.

"Yeah! You demons should just die." A voice among the mob screamed and the bandwagon started.

"Yeah! Die demons!"

"Die demons!"

My heart was beating fast. This was a feeling I experienced a moment before I died— fear.

A mob couldn't usually scare me so this must be the feelings of this body. And, most important of all, looks like I am alive again too.

I couldn't keep my monologue going as the husband of the woman, who I guessed to be this body's father, pierced a sickle in the woman's right chest.

The snow was painted red.

He then faced me, looking at me hatefully. I had just started getting control of this body.

" Kill the demon's spawn too." tears had filled his eyes and his voice had cracked.

My heart was beating fast looks like this body was really scared. It would be wrong to say that I wasn't scared too.

I ran in the snow barely keeping my lead from the huge mob of people. They hurled sickle, Knives, Swords, and even kunai at me.

I barely managed to dodge those untrained projectiles. But alas, they caught up to me.

Looks like this is the end… again. I put my shaky hand in snow giving up.

But induced by my own and the body's fear, A blue glow started to form on my hand and Ice spikes began to form from my hand.

I started to feel that something was being drawn from me. 

The ice spike reached the now shocked mob as the pierced each of the villagers and killed them.

Before my eyes closed from exhaustion, I could see the ice painted red.