章 123: Common fate (2/2)
They had been at the southern gate since their new life began. The city felt lifeless, with almost no one on the streets. A ghost town, where even the wind seemed afraid to stir.
As the four walked toward their destination, Leif found himself contemplating the risk of sneaking away to see his family. Would they even recognize me? But the fear of being caught was enough to kill that hope quickly. The punishment would be severe, and he wasn't ready to gamble with his life—especially not now.
The others filled the silence around him, talking about the war, their situation, and the uncertainty of it all. But there was one thing they all agreed on: their leader was a ruthless bastard, someone they all thought should choke to death on dog shit.
Leif quietly abandoned the idea of seeing his family. If three men showed up at the gate instead of four, the truth would be forced out of them. And that would be the end of me.
As they approached the eastern gate, more people began to appear, most of them common folk just like them—tired, hungry, and helping the soldiers however they could.
"Hey, you four, what the fuck are you doing? Why aren't you helping the others?" A city guard strode toward them, shouting. He looked angry, like he hadn't slept in days.
"Answer me, peasants!"
"Calm down," one of the men replied, though tension laced his voice. "We're part of the group going outside to get food."
Surprisingly, the guard seemed displeased by that. His lip curled in disgust.
"You better bring back a shitload of food, or I'll cut your throat and leave you to bleed out like a pig." He spat at their feet before walking away.
What the hell was that about? they all thought, exchanging uneasy glances.
The guard's outburst had drawn unwanted attention. Soon, another soldier approached.
"You're the group heading out to gather food?" His tone was calm but serious.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. We're splitting into two groups. You two, go stand with your team over there. The rest, follow me."
Leif and another commoner joined a small group near the gate. The gathering party consisted of three other commoners and four soldiers. The sun was still low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the cold ground. Leif noticed one of the soldiers struggling to strap his shield to his arm. That's odd. Most soldiers handle their shields effortlessly. Is it the cold? he wondered.
Another soldier quickly helped him, but the unease lingered.
"Everyone ready? Got your bags? Good. Our destination is a house near the tree line. The owner kindly 'donated' all their food and livestock. We just have to collect it."
"Any questions? No? Good. Let's move." He paused, eyes narrowing. "Oh, and I'm the leader of this group. You follow my orders, understood?"
They all nodded, even the soldiers. Leif noticed how the soldiers deferred to him without hesitation, which made him nervous.
They exited the gate through a small passage and a reinforced wooden door. Once outside, the other group veered off in a different direction.
"Shields up front. You three, stay in the middle. Keep alert," the leader commanded as they moved past a few tents and dilapidated homes left behind by refugees.
"Hey, slow down! You're almost running! Keep those shields high," he barked. The frequency of his orders made Leif's stomach twist in knots. Are these soldiers even properly trained? The thought gnawed at him, feeding his growing anxiety. What if we're attacked? Can they really protect us?
They followed a dirt road until they reached the tree line. For most of the journey, they had walked through open fields, but now the dense forest loomed ahead, dark and foreboding.
Beside it was a modest wooden house with a chicken coop and a garden filled with vegetables.
"Alright, let's make this quick. Grab everything," the leader ordered.
The commoners scrambled into action. One headed for the house, another to the garden, and Leif made his way into the chicken coop.
Inside, there were two plump chickens and three scrawny ones.
"One… two…" he muttered, grabbing them by the neck and shoving them into his bag.
The chickens squawked and flapped their wings, trying to escape.
"Fuck... stop running." He lunged and grabbed another. How long has it been since I've tasted chicken? The thought made his mouth water.
A cold gust of wind blew through the coop, making him shiver. He didn't notice that the door had been pushed slightly open.
"I'm done here, I got everything," one of the others called, his voice muffled by the weight of two large sacks of vegetables slung over his shoulder.
"Stop fucking—gotcha!" Leif muttered, reaching for the last chicken, which huddled in a corner. So fat… it'll make a good meal.
As he closed in on the chicken, a shout came from outside.
"You guys won't believe what I found!" the other man said, emerging from the house, triumphantly holding bags filled with food.
Just as Leif was about to grab the last chicken, the door to the coop swung open, and the chicken bolted past him.
"Enemy! They're in the trees! Shields up!" came the sudden cry.
Leif's head snapped up. His heart pounded in his chest as he saw one of their group lying on the ground. The soldiers were already in defensive positions.
For a moment, he was frozen. Run, you idiot!
"Get back here!" the leader yelled at Leif while firing an arrow into the forest. He was the only one with a bow. The others had small spears, shields, and an ax.
Leif bolted. His legs felt like lead as he jumped over a small fence. Almost there, just a few more steps.
An arrow whistled past his ear. Then, pain exploded in his side. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, the agony too much to even scream. He could hear shouting, the frantic clatter of shields, and the sound of chickens escaping the coop.
I'm going to die...
"I don't want to die! Mom!" Leif whimpered, his voice barely a whisper.
"Shut up and keep those shields up!" the leader barked, trying to rally the group as they retreated toward the walls.
Another arrow came flying, but it was deflected by a shield.
As they reached the safety of the walls, other soldiers rushed to help.
"The enemy's in the forest!" the leader yelled. "They took down one of our men!"
"How many were there?" a soldier asked, his face pale with concern.
"Only three archers, but they didn't follow us when we fell back."
Inside the walls, the panic spread quickly. Soldiers cursed and grumbled as they realized the food-gathering mission had been a failure. Leif and another wounded man were carried to a nearby building.
The pain was unbearable. Leif lay on the bed, drenched in sweat as two clerics approached. They examined the wound, their faces grim.
"We'll have to remove the arrow. Bite down on this."
Leif took the piece of wood they offered.
"Three… two… one…"
As the cleric pulled the arrow free, Leif's scream was muffled by the wood before he passed out from the pain.
In the weeks that followed, infection set in. The wound festered, and despite their best efforts, Leif's body couldn't fight it off.
One week later, after agonizing days of suffering, Leif died. His body was buried in the cemetery, marked only by his name.
クリエイターの想い 
camera
camera https://i.imgur.com/Qd9EMmr.jpg
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット