Ok how the hell do I make it out of this situation? I have only a day of prep time, and unless I can convince "Father" to postpone teaching me hunting, most of the day will be spent outside. I could possibly try sneaking out at night, but then what? I'm a child and its the dead of winter out there. No way I can survive by camping outside. Maybe I can wait for the soldiers to leave and then move back into this cabin? I guess I'll have to just try it.
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The day progresses as normal. I still can't hit the rabbit, but the arrow is flying a bit more straight. We return home and eat our meal. Night encroaches, time to move. First problem is that "Sister" is a clingy sleeper, luckily they seem to be sleeping particularly well this night. I manage to slip out without causing a fuss. There was a moment where I swore her eyes twitched that almost gave me a heart attack, but she remained in slumber.
Second problem, putting on the winter gear. The gear is all in a pile, one wrong move and a loud bang will surely awake the others. At that point I wouldn't be able to pass it off as needing to use the bathroom...I move slowly. I stifle my breathing. Every small rustle a deafening roar. My exploding heart tries it's damnedest to betray our actions. Thankfully the buttons on the coat use a cloth loop to close it instead of the buttons that pop.
Everything is on, but I sit for a moment. The minute I step out, I can't rest until the soldiers leave. Sitting or laying down in the snow would mean getting my clothes wet. Wet clothes in this weather means losing at least an appendage. It'll be hard enough to survive here alone, much less doing so down a few fingers or a foot. A few hours pass like that, then I take the leap.
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It was the coldest hours of my life. I kept moving to stay warm, to stay alive. I made absolutely sure to cover my tracks. My foolish little body cried out in rebellion, demanding rest. It did not realize that such an act surely means death. Despite my body's protest and my uncontrollable shivers, I managed to endure, the once white forest, now black, changed colors once again to a shade of orange. Morning came and I camped just outside the house. Its already in a commotion even before the killers arrive.
The man who'd call himself my father steps out of the cabin panicked and is immediately met with the two soldiers. Before the armed men can even get a word out the man asks,
"You two! Have you seen a boy out here roughly wee high and with brown hair?! He's my son and has gone missing this morning!"
The soldier's response is immediate and over the top,
"Do not touch me Cur!"
A slash rings out and the man falls limp for the third time. The killers proceed into the house and the sounds of death leak out. I wait for them to leave, but they don't. They exit seemingly looking for something, but eventually give up and go back inside. After waiting for them to leave again for awhile, I creep closer to a window to see if I can listen in.
"Damn, I guess they weren't lying when they said the boy went missing. Not even any tracks."
"What are we going to do? Commander said to leave none alive. Any fuck up would kill our chance at a promotion."
"Its just a little kid. Even experienced campers would have trouble in this weather without some kind of artifact. We can just wait here for a few days. If the boy comes back we can just off him and if he doesn't, we can assume he's dead."
Gee, thanks a lot "Dad". Just had to make sure we all died horrible deaths didn't ya...
Should I just give in and try again? If I did, how would I get here without that guy tipping off the guards? I could leave a note, but can my "family" even read? Even if they can read, would they listen to my note? This whole hypothetical also leaves out the possibility that the guards already know about my existence before being brought up. Is the only way out of this scenario to fight and win against the guards?
There is obviously something deeper here. This killing isn't just a case of overly blood thirst soldiers or draconian laws. Their commander explicitly stated to leave "none" alive. What does that entail? Leave none of the family alive? That would imply that the family has some kind of significance. No maybe it refers to a greater group... Am I dealing with a genocide or something? Perhaps that's too broad, Maybe a war between political factions. I doubt the soldiers are from a different country considering how "Father" treated them. Why would some political power want this family dead? Aren't they just poor hunters in bum-fuck nowhere?
I'm operating with far too little information. I'm in a catch-22. To get more information I need more time to move, but to get more time I need more information. Haaaaaah... I'll focus on trying to kill them for now. I don't need to see the whole chess board to know that killing those two will at least buy me time.
The question is how? I need a weapon. There is the hunting bow, but I'm unsure if that would be able to peirce the soldiers' chainmail. That means I'd need a head shot to actually cause damage and I don't have the skill to do that. A gun would work wonders, but I don't have the time or resources to make one. Considering the soldiers are using swords and chainmail, I highly doubt I could buy or steal a gun either.
I peek through the window again and catch a glimpse at the knights' swords. Surely they'll have to sleep right? Sleeping in all that chainmail must be sooooooo difficult. Why wouldn't they take it off? I mean, what would they have to fear? A child? Nonsense! The plan would be so so so easy, but there is a problem. Can I stay up? I'm exhausted enough as it is. I need a place to rest. There is a shed nearby. I skulk over to it. I hide myself under a rack holding a bag of grain. Sleep comes quickly.
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I awake to surrounded by rushing rapids. Once again I was plunged into the river. Once again I am beaten and battered. Once again a hook sinks into flesh. Once again I awake to straw, a threadbare blanket, and a girl. Bastards got me in my sleep didn't they?
