It All Falls Down (Part 2)

Delmo felt a strong grip on his arm once again as the townsman pulled him and ran. They started running as fast as their legs would carry them, heading towards the forest behind the village.

All the while, Delmo could hear people crying out for help or calling out names as they were brutally murdered one after another. Some of them were frozen in terror while others tried desperately to run away from their attackers only to be met with violent ends for their efforts. Not knowing which direction led anywhere safer; most took off heading north whilst those closest together went westward instead.

"This way!" the townsman shouted at Delmo, looking for a safe path through the forest into its depths. 

The trees stood tall in rows and columns on either side of them as they continued sprinting for their lives. Eventually, they came to a stop under a large tree trunk. The man forced Delmo down onto his knees with both hands still gripping firmly onto his shirt.

"Stay quiet," he whispered sternly while pointing his finger towards Delmo's face. "If you make a peep, I'll cut your tongue out and feed it to you."

Delmo could see how frightened the man was but, was too frightened himself to say anything in response.

Suddenly, a loud crash came from behind them accompanied by shouts and screams of agony before they abruptly ended.

The townsman turned around quickly to find a bandit standing just behind him with a raised fist. He had just enough time to raise his arm before the bandit slammed into him, sending him crashing to the ground in pain. He had stopped moving. 

The bandit kicked the townsman in the side, then turned to Delmo.

"Now what's wrong little brat?" The bandit asked menacingly while keeping his sword pointed directly at Delmo's head.

"Are you scared? Is that it? Don't worry, you won't die too quickly." The bandit smiled wickedly. 

He walked over towards Delmo with a murderous look in his eyes, stopping right before Delmo's face. He leaned over him until their noses were almost touching. 

 "I'm going to kill you slowly," he growled with an evil smile on his face, his breath reeking with an overpowering stench of alcohol mixed with blood. "I'm going to peel you like an onion and laugh while I do it."

The townsman lying on the ground saw his chance and made his move. He quickly grabbed a knife from his belt and plunged it into the bandit's leg below the knee. It caused him to drop his sword and fall to one knee in agony. Blood gushed from his wound.

The bandit looked at the townsman with pure rage as his eyes started to glow with an intense amber light.

"Die." 

A spike grew from the ground and was thrust straight through the man's chest causing him to let out an agonized scream. 

"Now, let me teach you how to die properly." 

The bandit reached for his sword, but Delmo acted fast. He kicked him square in the chin and knocking him backwards onto the ground. While the bandit was still stunned on the ground, Delmo picked up his fallen sword. 

The young boy raised it above his head with a determined look in his eyes as he charged towards the bandit, ready to kill him for his crimes. He was going to give this man the death he deserved for killing innocent people without any hesitation.

"H-hey! Wait!" the impaled townsman yelled out to warn Delmo as a rock spike emerged from the ground. It grazed Delmo's shoulder, tearing a hole through his shirt before embedding itself into the tree behind him.

Delmo let out an involuntary cry of pain from the unexpected attack but didn't stop his charge towards the bandit. With a savage slash of his blade, he sliced through the bandit's arm causing him to lose control of his magic.

"Grrrr..." The bandit let out a blood-curdling scream as several smaller spikes suddenly shot forward through the bandit's body impaling him. By sheer luck or skill, Delmo had dodged through the spikes.

Using the momentum of his blade, Delmo mustered all the strength he had to strike at the bandit again. Striking through most of the spikes, his blade dug deep into the man's chest. However, one of the spikes managed to strike Delmo's thigh, causing him to grunt before he finally pulled his leg out.

A loud thud followed by a moan of pain came from the bandit lying on the ground as he lay motionless in place. Blood poured out from underneath the bandit onto the ground as he took his last breath.

Delmo dropped to his knees in anguish, holding onto his sword and screaming out in agony. His entire left thigh burned as though it was on fire and throbbed with intense pain. He could feel the pain burning up through his entire body as tears filled his eyes and fell down his cheeks. 

"Leave me. Run.", the townsman said, gradually falling into unconsciousness.

Briefly, Delmo could hear his mother's voice in his head, urging him to stay strong and not give up hope. Delmo grit his teeth and ripped off the bandit's hood, wrapping it around his wounded thigh before rushing further into the forest. He could hear faint cries and shouts of others behind him as he ran for his life, hoping that he could flee from the chaos around him.

Delmo was unsure of how long he ran or where he had gone but he finally reached a clearing. After running through dense undergrowth and forest for what felt like hours, he couldn't keep running any further. His body was trembling from exhaustion and all of his muscles ached terribly from his efforts to get away.

His legs buckled beneath him as he collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily and sweating profusely. The smell of blood, sweat and tears filled his nostrils, making him feel nauseous.

Delmo rolled onto his side and tried to push himself off the ground, but his arms gave way under the strain. With a loud grunt, he fell back to the ground, hitting his head on a large rock.

There was no one around him, no sounds, no sights, no smell. Everything around him was dead silent except for the occasional rustling of leaves from the breeze blowing past.

It was almost as if the whole world had ceased to exist except for him.

After struggling for a few minutes, Delmo finally managed to pull himself up to a sitting position. He rested his head on the tree trunk behind him, breathing heavily and trying to calm down his racing heart.

He couldn't even move his arms anymore because his muscles had gone completely numb.

Delmo stared blankly at the horizon ahead, watching the sun begin to peek above the mountains in the distance.

He glanced down towards his leg and saw that blood had seeped through the makeshift bandage wrapped around his thigh, forming a large crimson stain on his pants.

"Is this it?", he mumbled quietly to himself. "Am I really going to die here all alone?"

He shivered at the thought.

A sudden wave of pain coursed through him, causing him to clutch at his side with a grimace. He could feel his insides writhing as if trying to break free from their confinement.

"I... I can't...", Delmo stuttered weakly as a tear rolled down his cheek. He wiped it away with his sleeve before forcing himself onto his feet. His entire body trembled from the effort, but somehow he remained standing.

He limped forward slowly, taking short and shaky steps as he went. His vision began to blur, and everything started spinning. He knew he had to keep moving, or he would faint and never wake up. Not a single person would be there to save him.

 So, Delmo clenched his teeth and kept walking.

Eventually, his legs became heavier, and soon Delmo found himself dragging his feet along the ground. He had lost track of time and direction, but it didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was staying conscious.

The only sounds heard were his ragged breaths and the occasional snap of a twig underfoot. The rest of the world was silent, as if everyone else had disappeared overnight. It was eerie and unsettling, almost unnatural.

But he had no choice. Delmo continued his march through the forest with determination, still holding the bloodied sword in his hand. He refused to give up now after surviving this long.

Delmo had no idea how far away from civilization he was, but judging by the position of the sun above, he guessed it was close to noon already.

He stumbled forward blindly, not paying attention to where he was going or how long it had taken him to get there. 

One foot in front of another kept bringing him forward and each step felt like an eternity.