Alpha Instinct-Chapter 31: "The Ghost Town" (Part 2)

After running a few meters and getting away from the brute, he found Mia's house. Leo entered the ruins and huddled in the corner, assessing his ribs.

An excruciating pain took over his breathing. "I think it's broken..." Leo thought.

Leo hid in the shadows, resting and awaiting his fate. He heard footsteps approaching, cautious and calculated. It was the leader, and he wasn't alone.

"He's around here," said the leader, his voice a low growl. "I can practically taste his fear."

Leo braced himself for the final confrontation. He knew he couldn't beat them in a fair fight. Not in that condition. He needed to use his intelligence and his cunning.

He saw the leader approaching, followed closely by the two henchmen.

One of them was his previous opponent.

This time, his arms were gleaming in the moonlight like polished steel. The other was a smaller girl, but she moved with frightening agility, able to slip through the shadows like a snake.

Suddenly, the leader stopped and turned, looking directly at Leo's hiding place. A cruel smile spread across his face. The sinister eyepatch seemed to gleam in the darkness.

Leo felt a shiver run down his spine. "How'd he find me?"

"I know you're there, runt," he sneered. "Come out and play."

Leo didn't move.

He could feel the leader's power probing his mind, trying to invade his thoughts. He concentrated, erecting a mental barrier as Roland had taught him. But it was difficult. The pressure was intense, and he felt his mind fragmenting, his thoughts becoming muddled and confused.

"Enough screwing around," said the leader, impatient. "Waste him."

The henchman with the steel arms advanced, a sadistic grin on his face. Leo waited until the last second and then jumped to the side, dodging the attack.

The henchman, caught off guard, lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground.

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Leo didn't waste any time. He ran towards the leader with swords drawn.

"Just one more time... Please..."

Leo's eyes flashed.

In slow motion, he assessed everything. He had already seen the leader's personality, strength, and ability. He calculated every possibility and found that it was useless.

In five moves at most, the leader would overpower him.

Leonard feinted, one sword a blur near the bandit leader's eyes, the other a sudden, upward strike.

"Too fast!" Leo thought as the bandit leader barely managed to dodge.

But his arm was caught in a vice-like grip, twisted agonizingly. A sharp crack echoed in his ears as his elbow gave way.

He cried out, falling to his knees, one sword slipping from his grasp.

"You're weak," said the leader, his voice full of contempt. "Inexperienced. You're in way over your head, kid."

He reached down and grabbed Leo's head, forcing him to look up. Leo felt the leader's power invade his mind, horrific images of his loved ones being killed repeatedly in various ways.

He saw Mia having her bones ripped out while still alive. His mother being melted by acid, and his father drinking liquid metal. He tried to break free, to scream, but it was useless. The pain was excruciating, and the images were terrifying.

"Now," the leader said with a cruel smile. "You'll serve as an example. A training session!"

He turned to the looters. "I want you to play with him for a bit. Test your skills. But don't kill him yet. I want him to suffer."

One by one, the henchmen approached. They were already at the edge of the platform, Lake Zafir roaring beneath them, the wind announcing that a storm was coming.

The leader's voice echoed in their sick minds. The first to attack was the agile girl, moving like a shadow. She lunged at Leo with a series of quick strikes.

Leo grabbed his fallen sword and, despite being injured and in pain, managed to dodge most of them. Still, one of the blows hit him squarely, tearing his armor and opening a deep gash in his chest.

"Not so fast, kid," the woman sneered.

Leo staggered back, feeling the blood flowing down his chest. He knew he wouldn't last long. He needed a miracle. His hands and legs were shaking. Leo closed his eyes and thought, "It's kill or be killed."

He continued activating his ELEV without worrying about the consequences.

The swift henchwoman renewed her assault on Leonard, who stood with closed eyes, seemingly oblivious. But in the split second before her blade could reach him, he dodged.

A sudden, violent spin took him out of the path of her attack. He retaliated instantly, his sword arcing sideways with brutal force, impacting the henchwoman's neck. The sound was wet and sharp—like splitting wood.

Her body fell heavily to the ground, devoid of life. Three distinct spurts of blood gushed from the open wound, momentarily hanging in the air like crimson blossoms before falling.

Her head, completely severed, bounced off the edge of the platform.

"No!" roared the brute with steel skin, enraged by the sight. He charged, delivering powerful blows with his hardened forearms.

Leo defended himself with difficulty, using "Absolution" to parry the blows, but the force of the impact rattled him to the bone. He felt his ribs crack under the pressure, and the pain that was already present became unbearable.

"Give up, kid," growled the brute. "You ain't got a chance."

Leo didn't answer. He was too weak to speak—too weak even to think. He could only focus on staying alive, one blow at a time.

Still with his cognition active, nearly without energy. Leo saw an opening.

He thrust "Smiling" into the brute's feet as he attacked Leo, who was already kneeling. The sword pierced the bandit's foot that fell on his back, howling in pain, clutching his foot that was gushing blood.

The leader, seeing all this macabre theater, was enraged and used his psychic ability.

"Mo-Mother?" he stammered, his voice failing.

The illusion of Leah approached, reaching out to him. Leo hesitated, wanting to believe but knowing it was a lie. He closed his eyes, trying to push the image away, but it persisted.

"Leo," the illusion whispered, her voice identical to Leah's. "Come with me. Let's go home."

Leo sheathed his swords and extended his hand to Leah.

He felt a tear roll down his cheek. He knew it was an illusion, a cruel trick, but still, a part of him wanted to believe. He wanted to go home, to her arms, to the life he had lost.

"No!" he shouted, finally finding the strength to fight the illusion. "You're not her! She's gone!"

The image of Leah dissolved, replaced by the mocking face of the leader. "Too bad," he said. "Looked like you were gonna buy that."

Before Leo could react, the leader of the bandits moved quickly and grabbed his arms from behind, immobilizing him. "No more games," he said, his voice cold and ruthless. "Now it's my turn."

He raised his free hand and struck.

Leo's side hurt like hell, like something was ripping through his flesh from the inside out. When he screamed, the leader's hand covering his mouth muffled the sound.

He could feel the blood flowing from the wound, warm and sticky. The leader had plunged an ice pick into his right flank. A deep wound made to bleed slowly, prolonging the suffering.

"That," said the leader with a cruel smile. "That's to teach you not to mess with us."

He let go of Leo, who fell to the ground, helpless. The pain was unbearable, and he felt his consciousness slipping away. He knew he was going to die there, alone, in the ruins of his former home.

"Now," said the leader, addressing the two remaining henchmen, "finish him off. Nice and slow."

The two approached, grinning. One with a steel club raised his fist, ready to crush Leo's skull. The other drew a knife, ready to slit his throat.

Leo closed his eyes, waiting for the end. "It's not enough to lose your life to monsters; there are still horrible humans like this?" The thought echoed in his mind, a final bitter reflection.

A torrential rain began to fall, making the scene even more grim.

"What a shitty life..." Leo murmured as he clutched his side wound; he looked back and took a few small steps in that direction.

"You first," he challenged, spitting blood on the ground, staring at the brute with the steel club. A final act of defiance, even in the face of certain death.

The man with the club lunged, bringing it down with a roar. Leonard closed his eyes and, with one step forward, anticipated the attack, making him miss wildly.

Leo grabbed him and pulled him into the raging waters of Lake Zafir. Leonard closed his eyes in peace as the bandit's scream was swallowed by the crashing waves.