Jason moved faster now without any form of caution or patience, he ran through the forest quickly to make it back to the riders on time.
The forest blurred as he cut through it. If anyone was following him now, he didn't care.
After a few minutes he finally slowed down and came to a stop at the mouth of the gully.
Jason crouched down brushing his fingers in the dirt. The hooves looked freshly imprinted so they couldn't have gone far just yet.
He glanced up at the sky through the narrow cut of stone. The stars were beginning to thin.
'It'll be first light in a few hours,' he thought. 'Maybe less.' Jason straightened.
And ran into the gully without hesitation.
⸻
Ryan collapsed first.
His legs finally gave out, and he hit the ground hard, a broken sound tearing from his throat. Looking back at the boy the grounder's horses slowed to a stopped.
One rider cursed and turned his mount around, trotting back toward Ryan's crumpled body.
"Up, boy." Ryan didn't move. The rider dismounted beside him for a moment then without warning he kicked Ryan hard.
David jerked against his restraints, "Leave him alone!"
The rider beside David didn't hesitate and backhanded David across the face, the blow snapping his head sideways.
"Quiet boy," the Grounder snarled, "or you'll be tied up like a sac and dragged behind the horses."
David groaned, blood pooling at the corner of his mouth as laughter drifted between the riders. The rider over Ryan grabbed him by the neck and hauled him up until their faces were inches apart.
"You are not allowed to die yet, boy," he said calmly.
"Oh no. Not after you killed several of our people with those weapons of yours."
Ryan wheezed, barely conscious as the rider shoved him back into the dirt.
"Stop wasting time," another called. " Let's move."
The rider nodded, then seized Ryan by the ankle and began dragging him back toward the horses.
They didn't see John move.
Not at first, The ropes around his wrists had loosened just enough for John to twist and surge forward. He slammed his fist into the rider's jaw.
The impact knocked the Grounder clean off the saddle. The Horse reared back at the sudden movement and one rider reacted instantly and moved to intercept John.
A dagger flashed through the air, John ran on instinct, his heart hammering in his chest, his breath ragged as he bolted toward David.
"Run John! RUN!" David shouted.
John cursed and veered sharply, sprinting deeper into the gully.
Behind him, the grounder in the floor got back up and looked to the runner. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
The rider yanked his bow free, nocked an arrow, and fired in one smooth motion.
The arrow struck John in the shoulder.
"ARGHHHHH."
He screamed, stumbling and almost fell due ti the pain, his momentum dragging him forward through the pain and blood.
Another arrow flew and this one hit his thigh.
John cried out again, legs nearly buckling as he staggered into a bushy patch of scrub and stone.
The rider nocked a third arrow.
David tried to move, tried to free himself and move. To do anything to help John escape.
But his body wouldn't obey.
So he bit down and hard.
He sank his teeth into the horse's ass — hard.
The horse screamed, panicked, rearing violently at the sudden pain from its behind.
Its sudden movement jolted the rider's aim and the arrow flew wide.
The horse's hooves kicked up, nearly throwing the rider clear as the other horses panicked too, rearing and scattering.
The rider guarding David dismounted slowly, his boots crunching against stone. David looked up at him and grinned
The Grounder's eyes narrowed. "You think that was funny?"
David didn't answer.
All of a sudden he felt a kick hitting in his chest, the kick came in hard and straight into his ribs.
Then another.
And another.
David cried out, coughing with blood spraying across the dirt as his body curled in on itself. The rider raised his foot again but a hand slammed into his chest.
"Enough."
The rider dragging Ryan stepped between them with a cold voice.
"Not yet. We bring them back alive."
The first rider spat in frustration but stepped away from David.
Ryan was dropped unceremoniously to the ground, barely conscious.
The second rider who just lost his prisoner looked down the gully, toward where John had fled.
"He couldn't have gone far," he said. "Not with those wounds. He'll collapse from the pain. Or bleed out."
David coughed again, blood streaking his chin.
Another rider, the one without any prisoner dismounted and moved toward the bend in the gully without a word.
⸻
Blood was everywhere, on the dirt, on the leaves and smeared across the stone.
The Grounder grunted softly and advanced, senses sharp.
Then he heard ragged breathing.
He turned around slowly to the right and saw John.
John was slumped against a tree, barely upright. Blood soaked his shoulder and leg, dark and sticky. His hands trembled with sweat drenched his clothes. His breaths came in shallow, broken pulls.
The Grounder smiled.
"There you are… there's is no escape for you."
John coughed violently.
Then, despite everything, he laughed.
The sound was weak and broken.
The Grounder paused. "What's funny?"
John lifted his head just enough to look at him. "You are."
That did it.
The Grounder's amusement vanished. He drew a dagger slowly.
"We already have two of your friends," he said, voice low and cruel. "I can tell them I never found you."
John's eyes flicked to the blade and fear flashed there.
"Wait," he rasped.
"Wait—wait—"
The Grounder hesitated and John swallowed, struggling for breath.
"I lied," he said between gasps.
"About what?"
John smiled a bloody, exhausted and unafraid smile.
"What's funny?."
The Grounder frowned.
John chuckled weakly. "He's behind you."
The Grounder turned but it was too late as a steel flashed followed by what sounded likea wet, violent sound.
The Grounder's body collapsed before his mind even caught up.
John slid down the tree as the world spun
And darkness took him but the last thing he saw was someone walking towards him.
⸻
They exchanged looks as one of them cursed. "Why is he talking too long"
"I'll check it."
He moved down the gully, hand on his weapon as he took caution steps forward.
The other two stayed with the horses as well their prisoners.
For a moment there was silence apart from David whimpering on the floor and Ryan breathing like a dying man.
One of the riders turned to look around when suddenly something came down from above, from the wall of the gully.
The shock startled the horses again and David lifted his head one a sight that made him give a bloody smile. It was Jason, he dropped like a falling blade, both feet slamming into the rider's shoulders. The impact crushed him into the ground with a sickening crack.
Before the second rider could react, Jason jumped and grabbed the horse's reins, twisted, and yanked it hard.
The animal reared violently, kicking the rider with so much force it flung him.
Jason caught him mid-air and threw him into the gully wall. The man hit stone so hard his body folded in the wrong way.
He was dead before he even touched the ground.
The last Grounder ran back, eyes wide at what he saw. The dead body of the rider that had gone off after John.
Seeing the scene infront of him he immediately brought up his spear just as jason turned and rushed towards him covered in blood that wasn't his own.
The Grounder screamed and thrust.
Jason dodged by ducking low before stepping inside the man's reach and drove his elbow into the rider's throat, the rider dropped his spear while choking from the sudden hit.
Jason leaned down, grabbing him by the collar and slammed his head into the dirt with just enough force to daze the grounder and make his vision swim.
Jason straightened.
Behind him, two bodies lay twisted and broken. The Horses had bolted into the trees a while ago.
The Grounder coughed, gasping as he looked back at the man known as the smiling butcher with unfocused eyes.
Jason looked down at him with a small smile.
"Run."
The Grounder didn't wait.
He scrambled to his feet and fled into the forest, terror carrying him faster than any command ever could.
——————————-
After a while Jason brought John back to the others and tilted his head.
"So," he said dryly, "on a scale from terrible idea to actively suicidal which part of that escape plan were you improvising?"
John coughed, wincing. "I—I thought—"
"Yeah," Jason cut in, crouching as he started cutting their restraints. "That was your first mistake."
He moved to David next, slicing the rope with practiced ease before moving to Ryan.
"And you," Jason added, glancing down at Ryan, "next time you feel like playing dead, try doing it after I get here. Saves me the cardio."
Ryan let out a breath too tired to even respond and David gave out what might've been a laugh. "Yeah well, we weren't expecting you to pay us a visit at all Jason"
Jason stood, already scanning the trees.
"Only when you idiots give me a reason."
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