He ran through a patch of trees as arrows thudded deep into their bark. One had already hit him in the arm near his elbow. Blood flowed in a steady trickle down his hand leaving a crimson trail behind him. He sprinted across a small grass field in between the patches of oak trees. If he made it to the other side he knew there would be no way that they would catch him. 

His lungs burned and he felt light headed when he had finally made it to the other side. He tried not to throw up. Once he got his stomach under control he cocked his head to the side and listened for any pursuers. He heard nothing. Nothing wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He had been in the woods near here for several years with the black cat bandits; the woods were never totally quiet.

He continued to wait at maximum attention. His eyes constantly jumped from potential hiding place to potential hiding place. He listened for the quietest sound, a broken twig, a falling leaf, anything at all. He had to wait for nearly an hour before he heard the first bird begin to sing. With that sound his concentration failed him and he collapsed to the ground.

It was dark when he had finally woken up. Swarms of mosquitos buzzed lazily in the humid night air. He had fallen onto his side and nearly landed face first down in mud. Thankfully he had managed to fall on his uninjured side. He checked his wound. Apart from minor scrapes and bruises, his elbow was the only thing to suffer any damage. He moved his hand tentativley to the arrow shaft and cried out in pain. He stifled his cries of agony and took a firm hold on the shaft.

The shaft of the arrow was smooth down its length, but both ends were jagged, splintered wood. He had been running so hard that he had no idea when he had broken both ends off. With both ends broken off there was no reason to even hesitate. He jerked the shaft with all his might and removed it in one swift motion. Now he needed to act fast or there was a chance he would pass out and this time he was sure he wouldn’t wake up.

He quickly dressed his wound with the healing kit he kept in his satchel. The pain was excruciating, but it appeared that he would live long enough to find a healing saint that could patch him up. He rested against the tree and began to create his next plan of attack.

He had been part of a group of bandits that roamed the nearby highway for easy prey from far away counties. The black car gang, they called themselves. Life with them had been hard, but rewarding, until earlier today. They had raided an unexpecting caravan containing a nobleman of high esteem. At first the gang couldn’t believe the luck, but then the

Work in Progress

Spoilers

Outline: Man is a highway man that was wounded in a night raid that went bad. Fearing for his life, he runs into a cave nearby to hide.  when he gets there he sees a light that he thinks is a fire made by another survivor. He goes to check it out. When he gets close enough he sees a beautiful woman by the fire. When he sees her its too late, its a magical creature that already has him under its spell. He walks over to her and she embraces him. Once the things face is hidden the pleasant things hed seen disappear. When the hug is over he sees the horrible face of the creatures true form. Its disgusting. He dies when it eats his soul by a kiss