Remnant Saga S1: by Nick Venom (read after txt) 📕

man stabbed in the knee with the bolt, remained on the ground, unable to move. Even so, the other men continued onward. They headed towards the bushes, getting in the driver’s line of sight.

Lutz, using the lack of a barrel in his face, aimed down the sights and pressed the trigger, hitting one of the men in the knees and bringing them down. He repeated this twice, collapsing the other men before aiming at the last one. However, the driver quickly proved to be a difficult target as he didn’t stand still and even began firing into the bushes without worrying about friendly fire. 

Lutz scrambled out of the bushes as the bullets ricocheted off the surroundings and nicked him several times. Once he was out of the bushes, he dove to the ground and pointed the barrel at the driver, who hadn’t expected him to dive out of the bushes, and fired into his knees. The driver crumbled as the pistol flew from his hands, landing some distance from him.

“Damn you, kid!” The driver shouted as he held onto the semi-large bullet wound in his knee. “Go to hell!”

Lutz ignored him, grabbing the pistol and taking it with him. He took the bolt he dropped and whatever he had on him before departing, not paying the driver or any of the other men any attention. He took on a brisk pace as worries and doubts began entering his mind, being reinforced once he arrived at his house. The front door was beaten and wide open. There were several signs of a struggle, most of them being bullet cases from the pistol Lutz had given Emerald before he left. 

He approached the house, entering the living room. More signs of struggles were apparent. “What happened?” He muttered as he closed the door, locking it to the best of his ability as the locking mechanism had been destroyed. 

“Brother?” He heard Sila’s voice from upstairs. His eyes widened before he turned around, sprinting upstairs. There, he found his mother on the ground and Sila sobbing by her side. 

“Mom!” He shouted as he helped her back to her bed. He rested her on the mattress, comforting her quiet sobs. He then glanced at Sila, who was wiping tears off her face. “What happened?”

“T-They took… They took them.” She said.

“Who?” Lutz asked.

“T-The people o-outside.”

Lutz gritted his teeth. Those damn bandits took Emerald and Teo. He thought before he felt his mother grab his arm. She was stifling a sob as she spoke. “T-They took the neighbor’s children. Bandits from outside.”

Lutz nodded. “Don’t speak too much, I’ll take care of this.” He told her. 

She nodded. “Please save them.”

Lutz nodded his head in acknowledgment. “Don’t worry Mom.” He said as he rose. He handed the bag of medication to Sila before reloading his crossbow and hunting rifle. Once he chambered a round in the rifle, he turned away from his mother. “I’ll be back. They hurt my family… I’ll make sure they pay. I’ll open the doors to hell.”

 

TBC…

Episode Nine "I Promise"

Lutz headed downstairs, rushing towards the front door. He quickly reached it, opening it and about to take a step outside before something tugged at him. Your family’s safety? A voice in the back of his head told him. Leave them undefended? Lutz listened to the voice. He turned around, biting his lip in the process, and headed back into his home. He holstered the rifle and began building crude defenses using the furniture in the house. He propped the kitchen table against the backdoor and double-checked that the doors were locked before calling Sila down. 

While he waited for her, he quickly disinfected and bandaged his wounds. After that, he decided to move the couch as close as it could get to the door while leaving space for him to leave comfortably. “That should be good… now…” He thought out loud, brandishing the rifle. “I’m ready.” He muttered before hearing the sounds of Sila going down the staircase and entering the living room. She looked at him with her worries painted on her face. Her lips pointed downward but attempted to curl up.

Lutz smiled at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll be okay.” He told her. She nodded, half-confident in his words. He shook his head playfully, approaching her. He crouched down, pointing the rifle away from her, and patted her head. He stared into her eyes. “I’ll be right back with them.”

“You promise?” She whispered.

Lutz nodded. “I promise.” He said as he stuck out his pinkie. She shot him a small smile before linking her pinkie with his, officiating the promise. It was now set in stone.

Lutz, now finished with officiating the promise, stood up and turned away from Sila. “Make sure to protect Mom while I’m gone.” He told her as he approached the door, slipping out before turning around. “Push the couch with all of your might against the door, okay?” He told her. She nodded before approaching the couch. She pushed at it lightly before throwing more of her weight at it, shifting the somewhat light couch towards the door. She continued to push it against the door until it fully closed, locking Lutz outside.

“Protect Mom,” He told her from the other side of the door. “I know you can do it.”

“Okay,” Her answer didn’t sound as elated as Lutz would’ve hoped, but it was enough to satisfy him. He pressed onward, away from the house and towards the sounds of bandits clashing against citizens a few blocks down from him, which was the same block he engaged the driver and his men on his way home. 

After walking for several moments, he reached the aftermath of the fighting. A bandit had wounded a man, but not severely. The damage was enough to stop the man from attacking him while he raided the house, but not enough to destroy his legs. 

The bandit proceeded to raid the house, only taking a handful of food and water. The man shouted at the bandit, pleading to not take the baby formula or hurt his daughters. Fortunately for the man, the bandit responded “I’ve been given orders to not hurt anybody. Plus, I’m not straight.” The man, somewhat satisfied with the bandit’s response, relaxed. He didn’t enjoy watching half of his supplies being taken away, but it wouldn’t hold a candle to what they could’ve done to his daughters. 

Lutz passed by the man, approaching the bandit. He pointed the barrel at the man. “Where is your leader?”

The bandit froze, turning to face him. His eyes widened as he noticed the rifle in Lutz’s hands. “Aye, I didn’t hurt anybody. I just took some food and water. You don’t need to kill me or anything.” He blurted out. “I was just recruited since I needed money. I haven’t done any crimes or wronged anybody. I didn’t kill the man and I made sure to not hit him anywhere fatal - or any veins to cripple his legs.”

Lutz ignored the man’s rants, asking him a simple question. “Where is your headquarters?”

“H-Headquarters?” The man questioned. “I don’t know-” He started before, at Lutz’s insistence, changing his answer. “It’s at the Grand Mansion several blocks from here. It’s a fenced-in mansion with many guards, some of them armed with guns. You can’t stroll in easily.”

Lutz shook his head. “I intend on strolling it… with you to help me.” He thrust the barrel towards the man, frightening him. 

“Aye man, why are you doing this to me? I’m a nobody, just stuck in this life. You don’t gotta threaten me or anything.”

Lutz furrowed his brows. Why am I doing this? It’s not like Emerald and Teo are part of my family, right? Yeah, I could turn around and go home… But what will Mom and Sila say? Won’t they be mad at me for abandoning them? Damn, what would dad do in this situation? Would he save them or leave them behind… Damn, I wish he was here… I already knew what he would do. He thought to himself, fighting an internal battle before a victor was chosen. He took a step forward, approaching the man and ordering him to turn around. “Take me to your headquarters… I will shoot if you lead me to the wrong place.” He threatened. 

The man cursed at Lutz but trudged forward. He led Lutz towards the headquarters, ten blocks from their position. Once there, the man turned around and looked at Lutz as if to say, Am I done here? However, he was still of worth to Lutz, who quickly shot down the question.

They were now at the headquarters, but Lutz was on the outside. He needed to get inside and the man in front of him was the answer. 

“Tell them to let me in.” He told the man, who cursed at him before turning to face the guards that were approaching them. 

“Hey, he wants to see the leaders.” The man said, pointing over his shoulder at Lutz. 

The guards that approached them were armed with pistols, raising them as soon as they sighted Lutz’s rifle. “Hey, lower the weapon!” One of the guards shouted. 

“I’ll lower it once I get my fam… friends back.” Lutz declared. The guards looked at each other, both stunned at his statement, before one of them turned around to pass the message to their leaders; the Washingtons. 

Several minutes later, the guard returned and motioned for Lutz and the man he held captive to follow him inside. Lutz listened and barked at the man to keep moving, keeping an eye on the other guard that had been waiting with them. 

He entered the building and approached the front porch of the mansion, noticing a woman, slightly older than him, waiting for him. She held an assault rifle in her hands, high enough to shoot but low enough to defuse tension. 

“What do you want?” She asked.

“My friends. One of your men took them.” Lutz told her.

The woman shook her head disapprovingly. “One of our men took some people against our order, but we don’t have to return them. This is not a charity. What are you going to give us?” She demanded.

Lutz was taken aback. They kidnapped my friends and are now asking for a ransom? These bastards! He thought as he raised the rifle higher, getting a reaction from the woman and the several guards around them. 

The woman smirked. “Kill him!” 

***

 

 

Sam needed a live Taken citizen for the scientists, arriving at a random neighborhood. He looked at the front door, seeing it nearly caved in by brute force and a blunt weapon. He shook his head disapprovingly. Now I have a Hulk roaming around, breaking doors. He thought to himself as he approached the door. He noticed several bullet holes in the front door’s window and through the door itself. 

From inside, he heard the sounds of a girl inside, talking to herself. A little girl? She reminds me of my… She should be good enough for those scientists. He reached the door, his hand on the doorknob. He turned it. 

TBC...