Chapter 9; Bandits

Xiumin releases a loud groan as he stares at his grime covered boots. “We’ve been walking around aimlessly for days, do you even know where we’re going?” he asks, glaring at the back of Su Min’s head. An exasperated sigh escapes her lips because once again, her leadership skills are being tested. And if one thing’s for sure, she is not going to be challenged by these weaklings.

“Of course,” she lies, “we’re almost there.”

Kyungsoo drops to the ground, crossing his legs and letting a pout form on his lips. “I’m hungry,” he announces. Xiumin stands beside him, and the two of them proceed to stare at Su Min. She pauses and turns around, sending disdainful looks at them. “Lets just eat, and then keep searching afterwards, hm?” he suggests. A low growl starts at the bottom of , but she says nothing as she sits down.

The trio have to ration their food. Most of their meals consist of just rice, maybe a meek vegetable or some kimchi. But even simple things such as those are rare. Meat is saved for every once in awhile, as a special treat. The rice finishes cooking, and as soon as she’s handed a bowl, she takes a spoonful and stuffs it into . Kyungsoo hands Xiumin his bowl before indulging himself. Compared to Su Min’s manly and pig-like style of eating, the boys are more refined.

After a good 30 minutes of eating, the group continues on their voyage, heading back into the woods. Kyungsoo whines every so often about how his feet hurt, and Xiumin says nothing, he only smiles. “Don’t encourage him!” Su Min snaps, sending a pointed look towards Xiumin. But even as she yells at them, nothing changes, and the boys continue to pester their female companion.

Hours pass like years, and soon enough, even Su Min feels like she’s about to die. And then they see it, a small dog-like creature with canines the size of a pinky finger. Drawing her sword, she sneaks up behind the animal, careful so as to not make a sound. It sniffs the air, and then whips around, growling at her ferociously. “This’ll be quick,” she promises before lunging at the dog, driving the shiny blade through it’s chest.

Kyungsoo’s brow furrows and he frowns, staring at her incredulously. “How can you just kill it?”

“You’re naive,” she begins, aggravated. “In this world, it’s kill or be killed.” Pulling her sword out of the animal, she wipes the leftover blood on the black part of her garments. She steps over it, her eyes averted, and continues on. Xiumin follows, casting an uneasy look down at the dog-like creature before continuing on. And, finally, Kyungsoo steps forward. His gaze lingers on the dead carcass of the animal, but he quickly looks away as a wave of nausea approaches.

Just past the edge of the treeline, lay a destroyed town. The houses are crumbled and a thick layer of dust and ash covers the entirety of it. Bones are scattered here and there, the gory remains of a fire that destroyed the lives of the residents of this town. Of maybe, it was a bandit attack like the one that killed her parents all those years ago, the attack that left her orphaned.

Su Min grimaces and leans down, rubbing a pinch of ashes between her two fingers. “What happened?” Xiumin asks, speaking up for the first time in a few hours. Standing up, she paces around the area, keeping an eye out for any movement. The two boys stare at her, becoming nervous at seeing her act so antsy and afraid, a first for her.

“I don’t like this,” she confesses. “We shouldn’t stay here, bad omens.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, looking slightly spiteful. “I disagree. You killing that thing was a bad omen!” he announces, sounding as confident as ever. Su Min opens to speak, but it snaps shut with a snap. Taking that as a yes, he pads forward, looking for an “unoccupied” building. Su Min follows from a few yards behind, looking disgusted as they walk past the charred remains of children. “Here should be good.” Kyungsoo says, nodding.

The house is in better shape than most of the other ones, with most of the walls intact, and half the roof still standing. The remnants of furniture and family portraits hang on the walls, Su Min shakes her head. “No,” she begins, “Hell no. I am not staying in a house, that’s ed up.” she growls, abandoning the two of them and standing outside. Her skin feels hot and sticky, her head pounds with an all too familiar ache.

Leaning her head up against the house, she stares up at the darkening sky, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm herself down. It’s just one night, she thinks. It’ll be fine. But part of her, that unwaning, annoying voice screams the opposite. Your death is inevitable, go ahead, stay here. Maybe your parents spirits still linger around towns like this. This time, she speaks out loud, her tone gravelly and vengeful, “Shut the up.”

- - -

Night comes in a cascade of darkness and stars, very visible with the lack of lights. Kyungsoo and Xiumin have already gone to sleep, their snores can be heard from Su Min’s perch on top of a high wall. Glancing around she watches in awe as small pixies, spirits of light, dance around atop the trees. Among all the bad monsters and the evil beings, there are creatures like them, good ones.

The longer she waits out there, with the quiet consuming her, she begins to feel the effects of drowsiness dragging her down. Begging her to fall into a deep sleep. But Su Min is too afraid, for once, to fall asleep amidst this place of death. And that voice, as always, occupies any empty spot in her mind. You’ll fail, it coos. Just quit now, MinMin. Her new nickname, MinMin, or rather, a returning one. It was the name her father called her, it was sweet back then--but now, it stands as a bitter reminder of a family she no longer has.

A pixie lands on her shoulder, leaning closer and closer to her ear, until it whispers something in a honey-like voice. “Oh, zip it, you!” Su Min snaps before flicking it off her shoulder. The creature emits a loud huffing sound before flying off. A trace of golden power lies on her shoulder, and she picks it up, staring at it with surprisingly gentle interest. And then, sleeps comes, like a water-logged blanket, it weighs down on her. But it isn’t peaceful, it’s restless and tiresome, almost tedious.

“Umma!” a young Su Min cries, her round eyes red from tears. She reaches for her mom, her arms outstretched and her hands reaching out. “Umma!” she screams, trying to ignore the sounds of slaughter coming from outside her window. Blood covers the exterior of the house, like red paint, and the dead bodies of her friends and neighbors litter the ground.

Her mother leans down, ash and tears staining her formerly porcelain face. “Shh, baby girl, you gotta be quiet for MaMa.” she requests. Su Min nods, suppressing a painful sob. Her family is the only one left, but there is no hope for them to survive. Bandits, ugly creatures with ghastly purple skin and pig-like features. Except, they stand on two feet and they carry scarily sharp blades. And they surround the circumference of the town, others search each and every house, killing the residents before burning the house down.

“They’re coming!” her father whispers, his tone feverish.

A hatch in the floor is opened by her mother, and an area big enough for Su Min to fit is revealed. She sits inside, staring around with round eyes. “Umma!” she says frantically. “Aren’t you coming?” she asks. Her mother, a beautiful young woman, chokes down a sob.

“No, honey, mommy is--” she begins, but is cut off by the sound of something approaching. Her mother pushes her head down, lets out a soft cry, and waves to her daughter before shutting the hatch. And Su Min listens in horror as her parents are slaughtered by those beasts. Savages.

Su Min sits upright, realizing that she nearly fell ofs the wall, and then hops down from her perch. She lands in a crouching position, and looks up at the early morning sun. “Morning,” she breathes, “thank God.” Her male companions are still fast asleep, nearly laying on top of each other. Su Min frowns and paces around the perimeter, happy to see that nothing dangerous is around. But as the events of last night resurface in her memory, she begins to hyperventilate.

“I’ll avenge them,” she vows. “my parents.”

Author's Note;

► Hey! New chapter~ I would like to thank all of my new subscribers, and also, mindashii for commenting consistently and recommending me! So, yeah, thanks~ <3 Anyways, I really like this chapter, for some reason. Anyways, remember to comment, subscribe, and upvote!

► Peyton