EPT
I'll be turning this into an Action Fantasy (if there's enough interest) due to the poll.
I hope you guys enjoy. Remember, it's just the Prologue.
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Prologue
12 Years Earlier
Rough, strong hands grabbed my shoulders from behind.
"No!" I cried out, flailing my arms in a useless frenzy. Tears defiled my face as they endlessly streamed from my eyes.
This is it. It's over. I can't believe it.
My mother let out a piercing shriek several feet behind me. I immediately turned my head over my shoulder. She was surrounded by two men, one of which had his fingers entrenched in her beautiful long black hair. The monster tugged at her locks in an attempt to drag her across the room and into another. She didn't budge. Her fragile hands were locked around his forearm, nails dug deep into his skin; both feet were pressed against the carpeted floor with her toes desperately trying to cling onto any bit of fiber.
"Don't struggle!"
It was the second man who was standing before her. He wasted no time at all before slamming his oversized knuckles into my mother's solar plexus.
"MOM!" I cried out in disbelief.
My mother's body hunched forward as all air was knocked straight out of her. Her figure reminded me of a popped balloon--one moment, she was full of life, and the next, her limbs seemingly collapsed into her frame as she lost all strength. The two men exchanged smirks before hauling my mother's dead weight into her bedroom and locking the door behind them.
What are they going to do to her?
In a daring attempt to break free, I clamped my teeth down upon my capturer's right hand which remained firmly planted upon my shoulder.
"Gah!" The man let out a brief yelp and drew the bitten hand back. His left hand, as if compensating for the strength released from its counterpart, strengthened its hold upon my left shoulder. I let out a painful scream.
"You little shit!"
He swung his free fist straight into my face. The full power of a grown man was just too much for a 10-year-old boy. My hearing gave out and my vision blurred as my body spun towards the ground.
Thump.
My body hit the floor. My eyes were still wide with disbelief, and through the blurriness I recognized the outline of a figure before me. It was my father's head, detached from his body a yard or so away. His eyes stared directly into my soul. A puddle of blood had formed around his severed head and the stench of death enveloped my senses before I subsequently blacked out.
Yet, through the darkness, my mother's resumed screams echoed loud and clear...
Present Day
THUNK.
A frying pan comes shooting down and smacks me straight in the forehead.
"Wake up, idiot!" a squeaky, loud voice rings out.
"AGH!"
My body immediately springs up with both hands rubbing the red protruding bump on my forehead furiously. I glance down towards the figure beside my bed; blonde locks drape the pouty cheeks of a small 10-year-old girl.
"Vivi! How many times do I have to tell you to wake me up more peacefully!?"
The young girl's soft blue eyes glow with an intense ferocity as they beam up at me.
"And how many times do I have to tell you to clean up your toys!?"
She points at a pile at the edge of my bed with her frying pan. A gun and sword lay in plain sight on top of some dirty laundry on the floor. It was a common sight to see for anyone who often ventured into my room.
"They're fine where they are! Just don't touch them."
"Hmph, you're so messy. No wonder you don't have a girlfriend."
I grin. What a feisty little girl.
"Vivi, you sure you should be talking to a grown man like that?"
I reach out my arms in her direction before subsequently pinching both of her cheeks and stretching them out in a teasing manner. Her cheeks turn beat red, whether out of embarrassment or because of my pinching, I have no clue.
"Grown man my ass! You're only 25 and not even married!" Vivi retorts before slapping me across the face with the frying pan.
Eck, I forgot about that. Defeated, I let go of her cheeks.
"Now hurry up! Breakfast is ready. We're all waiting for you."
"Okay, okay."
I slip out of bed and follow suit behind Vivi to a much larger, more spacious room. It was just one huge room with lots of space and served many purposes. At one end was an area designated for dining, which we were headed towards. Here there were a few tables lined up against each other: a rectangular (and longest) table was surrounded by a smaller, square table on one side and a circular table on the other. It may have looked awkward, but it served its purpose, so no one ever complained. On the contrary, we were quite grateful to have it. Vivi dubbed it the "penis table." Really, that girl has such a foul mouth for being so young. She never gets too out of hand, though, so it's all good fun. I took my seat at the Head, which was the name for the square table.
"Ah, Vij! You're late again!"
A voice shot out from the other end of the table. It was a boy we called Patches, named after the eye-patch draped across his left eye.
"Sorry," I said with a silly smile.
"Vij!" a soft voice called out to me from the side. It was Anna, a 4-year-old girl who joined our peculiar group not too long ago. She was the most adorable thing. Her long brown hair was ruffled, signifying that she had woken up not too long ago as well. Her light brown eyes peered up at me, gleaming in wonderment, while she had both arms wrapped around a tattered stuffed bunny.
"Anna," I said with a big smile. I scooped her up and propped her onto my lap and gave her a big hug.
"Anna, don't spoil this pervert."
Of course, it was Vivi.
"Eh? I'm the one being spoiled? Wait, why the hell am I a pervert!?"
"How are you not!? Corrupting a young girl with your filthy hands! Oh~!" Vivi said in the most dramatic tone she could muster. "Anna, come take a seat by me."
Anna shook her head and dug her face into my chest. Vivi looked disappointed. I shot Vivi a taunting grin.
"Oh, Anna, how I fear for your future~" said Vivi in her dramatic tone once more while placing her face in her palms and feigning a sob.
I could hear an innocent giggle not too far away. It was Tris's. Tris is the equivalent of everyone's mother, although she is younger than me at 19 years of age. She placed a few dishes in the middle of the table and took her seat in the middle. Scrambled eggs and pancakes. For as rundown as this entire place was, at least our meals were top-notch. This was thanks to Tris, a magnificent cook, and Hat, the second oldest member of our group behind me and the one responsible for supplying us with jobs. His name is self-explanatory.
In total, there are currently eight of us. Hat was away with the twins, Peanut and Jelly, named after their infatuation with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You could tell they were gone--there were no sandwiches on the table.
This is a typical morning at Base. A straight-forward name, isn't it? It lies on the outstretches of civilization, a few miles away from a city called Darwin.
But night is a different story.
There are no secrets between us. Everyone knows each other's past, and everyone shares the same present and future. They know the kinds of things I do, but no one bats an eye because our survival is the most important thing on our minds. Yet, survival is not all of it.
No, not even close.
To be continued...
