Get Out Of the Way

Ignoring the pounding in his head and the excruciating pain from his middle-section, Lukas flew down the stairs and hurriedly informed Mike of what he had learned.

Mike reacted in the same way. He dropped what he was doing and urged Lukas to move faster.

With no time to prepare, the duo ran out of the mansion and made a beeline for the hospital.

They couldn't stop. They wouldn't stop.

The dull scenery blurred around them. Their running figures made the townsfolk point and stare, but so what? What they looked like to outsiders was none of their concern.

The greenery of the forest appeared in their line of sight. Jumping over roots and ducking under branches, the two weaved in and out of the obstacles the forest lay out for them.

With the pace they were running at, they'd probably arrive within 20 minutes.

*Swish*

"Watch out!"

Mike pulled Lukas back, allowing him to just narrowly dodge the bat that targeted his skull.

Before they knew it, they were surrounded by a mob of twenty or more.

Three men came to the front. The ring leader was a snobby looking thing.

The boys had no time for this.

"Move."

The snobbish man laughed.

"Where d'you think you're going?"

His buddies spoke up after him.

"Think you're so good just because you're a little attractive."

"Don't get ahead of yourself!"

Lukas held down the anger bubbling in the pits of his body.

"Move."

The leader smirked and signaled for his men to attack.

Lukas and Mike had no choice but to retaliate.

The forest rumbled with the shrieks of pain and cries of rage. The men's boots shook the ground beneath them, overturning the earth and sending mud splattering everywhere.

Mike quickly dodged from an oncoming fist and aimed a powerful kick at the opponent's jaw. The kick connected and the man was sent crashing to the ground howling in pain.

Another man swung a fist at Lukas's head. Lukas ducked and tripped the man up. When the man stumbled to the ground, Lukas jumped on him, thoroughly crushing his bones underneath him.

The pair, Lukas and Mike, were slowly gaining an advantage. The men were not as skilled as they had thought and, even better, they didn't seem to own any guns.

The opponents staggered away in pain, one by one, the blows too heavy for them to bear. They cared more for their life than the money awarded for doing this.

The amount of men left in the forest thinned.

The leader, angered by how things were turning out, ran straight for Lukas, an object tightly clasped in his hands.

"Die!"

He tried to get out of the way, but it was too late. The knife plunged straight into his abdomen, almost as if his stomach was made from butter.

"!"

A sharp pain assaulted him, canceling out all other senses.

He grunted as he pulled the cold object out from his side. Its blade glinted crimson.

Blood. His blood.

Nausea hit him.

Fresh hot liquid spilled from his side and splashed on the ground beneath him. He tried to staunch it with his shirt but the red soaked into it in seconds.

He glanced around, Mike didn't seem to have noticed.

He quickly cut his shirt into long thin strips with the knife and wrapped it around his stomach. He zipped up his jacket, hiding the impromptu bandages.

He kicked at the man coming towards him who was intending to take advantage of his injury. The kick placed immense pressure on the wound. More blood oozed from it.

'Ah... F*ck.'

It wasn't as if it was his first time. He was used to this. He had great practice in the past...

"Ha...Hahahahahahahahahaha!"

His sudden outburst froze everyone around him, including Mike.

Everything began to annoy him.

He rushed to the thug closest to him and stabbed the knife deeply into the depths of his chest. He twisted it as he pulled it out.

Lukas smirked as his blood mixed with the enemy's.

He moved on to the next one.

Mike didn't have time to be surprised. He decided to do the same. He grabbed a knife from an incoming thug with his hand, slicing it, and plunged it into the thug's skull. He slid it out and the bloody cycle continued.

Blood bubbled from his right hand and slid down his arm.

It hurt.

But just that much wasn't going to make him give up. A little pain was necessary for some things.

In a matter of minutes, everything was finally still.

The ravens soared above them, crows circled around and round. Their sharp cries pierced the human ears.

They stared at the space below them with their bleak beady eyes.

Below them stood two humans standing in a vivid red painting. Blossoms of red bloomed around them and the paint seeped into the earth's surface. Mother Gaia screamed and her fury bit at their figures, tearing into their flesh.

Still, the humans did not move.

They stood panting in horror.

The crows cackled above.

What had they done?

It was too late to regret their actions.

Lukas turned to Mike and asked,

"You're not hurt, right?"

Blood trickled from Mike's hand. Droplets fell, drop by drop...

"No. You?"

A dark stain seeped into Lukas's jacket. His forehead shimmered with sweat.

"No."

Both boys stood, with determination, firmly. Neither was willing to give up.

"Then, shall we?"

"Let's go."