"Haaa...Haaa...Haaa…"
Jericho leaned beside a tree. His body was bloody and his eyes unfocused.
"Everyone...I'm sorry…"
Jericho gritted his teeth as he got up and walked deeper into the forest. He was all alone, all his companions were gone. They sacrificed themselves so that he would survive, live and maybe one day…
avenge them.
---------------------------------------------------------
(5 hours ago)
"We can't hold out anymore!" Said by a Projector soldier. He was bloody and was gasping for air yet he still fired a wind slice towards the enemy.
The soldiers had already entered the forest. They managed to leave behind the enemies but sadly not all of them made it. There were casualties along the way and some sacrificed themselves to let the other escape. Those who sacrificed themselves were those who were already heavily injured from the start. They knew they wouldn't make it so they stayed behind to hold of the enemy. But they weren't able to outrun the enemies for long and now they are engaged in battle once more.
The enemies didn't have it easy as there were also casualties on their side.
"Just a bit more! We have to hold on! There's a deep gorge ahead! We can use the bridge to make it to the other side and then destroy the bridge!"
Said Jericho as he looked at the distance.
A few kilometres away from them was a deep gorge separating this forest from the rest of the mountain range. And connecting the two sides was an old bridge that seems to be made out of wood. It looked dilapidated and abandoned but it should still be able to support them.
The soldiers looked at each other and then looked at Jericho, they then nodded their heads.
Seeing this, Jericho thought that they had agreed and didn't give up.
After a few more minutes they were already near the bridge.
"Commander you should go first!"
"No! I'll hold them off you guys go first!"
"Go Commander you're more injured than us! Don't worry we'll be right behind you!"
Jericho looked at his companions and nodded. He then with all his might ran to the otherside of the bridge!
But when he looked back…
BOOM!
The other side of the bridge was destroyed!
"W-WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!!"
Jericho shouted anxiously as he saw his companions destroying the bridge!
"commander...you have to live.."
It was faint but he was still able to hear it from the other side.
The soldiers once more engaged the enemy without holding back. They managed to kill some but all of them fell.
Jericho was able to witness this! His eyes moistened as tears rolled down his cheeks.
Those soldiers who gave up their lives for him weren't just mere subordinates. They were his brothers who experienced life and death moments with him. He was prepared to die for them as they were prepared to die for him!
Jericho stared at the hooded figures with hatred as he backed away and retreated!
---------------------------------------------------------
(Present)
It's already been 5 days since he managed to escape. He was barely hanging on right now. He survived by foraging fruits, catching small games and drinking from puddles of water he saw along the way.
His hunger and thirst was taken care off but his injuries were another matter. Small cuts and bruises have already healed but the injuries in his internal organs are too severe. And add to that the newly opened wound on his back that was caused by a massive gorilla.
A few hours ago he unknowingly entered its territory and since that type of gorilla was very territorial it immediately attacked him. He managed to scare off the beast but it cost him greatly. He had to use blood burning despite his already weakened state.
He barely slept these past few days because of the threat of wild beasts and those hooded figures. They might catch up to him if he stayed in one area for too long. So he only rested for a couple of minutes before departing again. And now he was barely able to stand.
Still, he couldn't give up! He has too much on his shoulders to just give up and surrender to death. His life wasn't only his anymore. He has to live for his comrades! For the lives that were lost so he could live. And also to hunt down those who caused all of this.
Yet no matter what he does, no matter how much he struggled he couldn't change the current predicament that he's in.
While he struggled to walk his consciousness started to slowly fade away. He felt dizzy and his vision became clouded.
'I..can't stop...here..' He thought.
He was only a few kilometers away from the territory of the gorilla so it might return any minute. Also wild beasts will definitely be attracted to the smell of his blood. He doesn't have the power anymore to fight those wild beasts and being surrounded by them, his end would not be pretty.
He then suddenly tripped!
Thud!
'Fu-ck…' He cursed as he bagan to crawl towards a tall bush.
When he reached it, contrary to his expectation there was actually a downward slope at the other side of the bush. The sudden change caught him off guard as he lost control of his body. It began rolling down the slope and when he reached the bottom, he didn't feel the hard ground or rocky exterior. Instead his body sank into a stream of water.
'Ugh!' He struggled to swim upward but he couldn't find the strength to because of the strong current.
*grulguluu*
Water entered his lungs as his body sank deeper into the water. He lost his consciousness as he couldn't breathe any longer. The strong currents then dragged his body away until it reached a point where the water was a little bit calmer. His body then began floating upward until it reached the surface. Hours passed as his body drifted away without control. The river carried his body downstream like a piece of log. His body silently floated on the river and it began collecting debris along the way until it got stuck on some rocks.
After a few minutes his body was suddenly pulled out of the water by something that looks to be a green transparent snake…
It flipped his body over and then…
Bang!
It smashed its head against his chest causing the water inside his lungs to be expelled forcefully.
PUH!
*Cough!*Cough*!
"HAA...HAA...HAA…." Jericho suddenly sat up and clutched his chest. He greedily sucked in mouthfuls of air.
'W-What happened?!' He asked himself.
'Last thing I remember was falling downhill'
'And my chest..ugh! Why does it hurt so much?' Jericho thought as he clutched his chest.
"Hey~" a melodious voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked around and found the source of the voice.
"Who? Wha-" Jericho stared speechless.
"Me? I'm Sarah. What's your name?"