An exploding bang from outside suddenly surged instant fright through Victor's wakening body as he sat upright on his bed in a dull, cotton white robe that lengthened to his thighs.
The outside sounds of threatening thunder rumbled slowly with an unvarying beat, the heavy tip-tap on the window beside him hinted the shower of rain that delivered an earthy odour within the air.
Victor shook his head once, glancing sideways at the room that was continuously sent into instants of blue flashes of lightning.
He wiped the fatigue from his eyes and blinked his haze away, stroking a hand through his messy hair as he swung his feet to the wooden floor with a creak from his bed, now sitting on the bed"s side. His room was in the roof, the wooden beams above lightly creaked by each gust of heavy wind that overcame the roof. He stood up from his bed under another creaking sound, hearing another bang outside, unclear to what it was through the forceful claps of thunder and the fall of rain.
He looked bewildered, turning his head to the window in suspicion, then hearing the chilling echo of tramping feet running downstairs beneath him, followed by a hard bust of the front door closing with aggression.
Something was not right.
He scuttled around in search of his leather pants since he only slept in an undergarment and a robe, spotting his leather pants folded up on a wooden chest against the wooden wall. He was almost amazed at how he could see in the gloom, navigating his way in the flashes from outside.
He snatched his leather pants and fell onto the bed in a splintering thud, hastily putting his tight pants on. He finally pulled on its waistband for comfort and tied the thin rope in front of it. A female scream sliced through the sounds of rain and thunder followed by a bellowing war-cry from what must be a juggernaut of a man. Victor shuddered at the noise. He felt threatened.
A shattering burst of windowpane downstairs echoed through the house with howling wind, Victor rushed to the trapdoor in the floor at the other side of the room, grabbing on the circular iron handle to pull it open.
As he tried to pull, it would"t open, so he took both hands and stood wide-legged, pulling about three hard tries before it swung open to send Victor stagger a few feet while holding onto the handle.
He took two steps forward in a motivating sigh, as the cold-slicing wind howled in the confines of the room below, sending drizzles of rain to scatter on the floor beneath. He looked up and jumped to grab the ladder above him, as he grabbed it, it came sliding down through the trapdoor and onto the floor beneath with a jumping thump.
In his haste, he started to climb down, only to fall on his back after a large man was thrown into the ladder by his father. A thunderclap from outside raged through the skies as people outside started screaming, running and fighting. Victor coughed a few times, grabbing the broken ladder and throwing it beside him onto the man. Harry grabbed Victor"s wrist and pulled him to his feet.
"What's happening?" Victor questioned, looking wildered and conflicted as his father ran towards the stairs behind him with Victor's wrist in his hand.
"No time to explain," his father rushed his words, quickly stepping with Victor downstairs into the room where the front door broke.
"Harry," a concerned Victoria called, meeting them at the last step, "someone else got into the house," she uneasily muttered, seeming quite disturbed.
"How?" Harry hissed, furious at the situation.
"The door broke," she replied, pointing at the open door in distress.
Victor's heart sank to his stomach in his memory of accidentally breaking the door. He was frightened.
"We must leave this village," Harry declared, trying to keep his head together in his apprehensive mind.
Harry thought fast as screams, swords, thunder, rain and banging explosions drowned any other sound in the village. Victor got terrified as his mother grabbed a long type of trench coat and pulled it over him, pulling on it to firmly comfort him, she bent onto her knees and spoke.
"You'll be okay," she comforted, with a fright of losing him distinctly in her tearful steel eyes as she gripped his shoulders.
"Victoria!" Harry called, "come, we must go," he declared, signalling her to come with his hand while standing by the door, occasionally glancing to see what's going on outside.
Victoria grabbed Victor's arm and ran towards the door.
They exited onto the soaking wet deck. They saw people running, flames burning in the rain, blood-shedding as forbidding soldiers slashed the people of the village. It was a horrible and cruel sight to see.
Just before Harry could exit, the large man grabbed the hood of his coat and threw him backwards onto the wooden floor before the table with a wooden crack in his impact. The large man approached him, intimidating by each heavy step as Harry crawled backwards on his back with a rambled mind, his eyes searched for a weapon to fight the steel-armoured juggernaut. He found nothing.
"No!" Victoria cried, running into the door to save her husband, leaving Victor vulnerable on the deck.
Before she halted, the large man aggressively turned around and slapped her hard on the chest, sending her onto the wooden floor with a loud creak, while Harry quickly came to his feet with a groan.
There was no light whatsoever in the room, only whistling wind and gales of rain that aggressively tensed the sinister moment.
Victor stood outside on the deck, glaring with horror into the room as his father battled the baleful man. Victoria stood up, taking the strain from her acute pain as Harry got overpowered by the soldier who drew his long, bloody sword from its scabbard with slow, ominous intent. Harry was pinned against the staircase by the man forcing his left hand against his chest.
"No!" Harry cried in defeat, struggling harshly to keep the sworded hand away from him while kicking and gasping, "Victoria, run!" he bellowed, with his last tears in his eyes.
Victoria urged not to go, but she had a child who stood vulnerable on the deck. For a brief, longing moment, she stared deeply into Harry's eyes as the sword approached his chest, Harry saw the love in her eyes, the desperation to save him and the yearning need to be with him forever. Harry smiled lovingly before he released his last breath after the sword gored through his chest.
At that moment, Victoria turned around and ran out of the door to grab Victor and run into the ominous night.
All around, people got battered and murdered. The village was littered with bodies, gore and wounded people. Red, khaki and grey were the new colours of what was once a serene, fishing village that has now become the stage of a terrible battle.
Victoria and Victor scrambled onwards, dodging and jumping over dead bodies and constant battles while they got drenched in the showering rain.
The air that would normally be rich in scents of food, fresh fish and new brews was now deafening loud, the sound of thunder, rain, screams, bellows and steel drowned any other sound in the vicinity.
An army fought for control of the area, villagers fought for survival, some children ran about cryingly, but it became clear to Victoria's terrified eyes which side will win. The dead and wounded of the losing side were spread around the village and the faces of the villagers were grim with gloom and pain, their spirit will soon be broken.
Before swooping around the corner of a ruined building, a horrified child about Victor's age rain into them around the corner, falling into the wet mud. Victoria constantly gasped as the boy helped her up, followed by Victor standing up from the thick mud.
"Damian?" Victor recognised, the boy's voice known to Victor's ears.
"Yes. Come, we must go," Damian responded, his voice hard between the bellows of soldiers and thunder.
Victoria grabbed Victor once again as people were constantly slashed around them, blood spraying and voices screaming as the rain was still heavy.
They ran ahead, drenched in mud and rain. They ran towards the forest, being only moments away. Victoria started to feel relief at the sense of knowing it will all be over soon.
Horses came running by, their muscled haunches flexing and bunching by each quick step in their haste. As they passed by, an indistinct soldier swung his sword at Victoria, slicing a devastating slit in her stomach before running away in the roar of thunder from above.
Victoria fell to her knees, gasping from the pain through her lungs. Victor was frozen to the core of his soul as his mother accepted her fate and tumbled onto her back while bleeding out, laying on the grimy and wet ground.
Victor fell onto his knees beside her, crying at the thought of losing the only family he had left. The rain tipping and tapping on the ground in masses.
Damian grabbed Victor, pulling on him to save him from the sinister soldiers that approached them.
"No!" Victor cried as Damian kept tugging at him. Empathetically.
"Victor it"s hopeless!" Damian yelled, feeling a pang of guilt as to drag him away from his dying mother.
Damian had it, it"s either his life or his friend.
Damian aggressively tugged him to his feet with slight regret, causing Victor to stagger on the mud.
He grabbed Victor"s arm and ran towards the gloomy forest.
Victor halted before disappearing into the treeline, taking a longing glance at his mother. She gave him a forgiving smile.
She understood their predicament.
Damian grabbed his arm and escaped away into the treeline.