Bound and Broken: An Isekai Adventure Dark Fantasy (Melas Book 1) V.A. Lewis (feel good books to read .TXT) 📖

jumped on. Someone screamed as more Abominations poured out of the alleys, and I turned to run across the street.

I turned left at an intersection, then ducked into a small alley. I ran through it, and burst out next to a burning building. I looked up at the fire, then at the people gathered around it. They were only shadows in the fire’s light, but I could tell that they were slaves.

Men and women, all with chains around their necks, were standing around a pile of dead bodies. All of them were bloodied, and a few were still beating at the corpses on the ground. They were yelling and chanting to each other.

"If we die, we die free!" A man raised a fist.

Then, as though it were some sort of cue, the first Abomination bounded at them. The slaves picked up arms, and fought back against the coming death.

I only stopped to watch this happen for a second; I turned tails and ran away from it. I could hear fighting in the distance: screams and shouts filled the air; gunfire echoing in the distance; and explosions occasionally shaking the earth.

But I continued to run.

I found myself at another junction, and looked around. Straight ahead, dead bodies littered the ground with Abominations roaming about. And to the left, a small caravan of people were being assaulted by Abominations from all sides. I looked to the right, and saw no Abominations.

So I turned right.

I ran down the street, following it as it slowly narrowed. There was a dead end with only a left turn, so I took it. I continued down the path, before finally reaching the end of it.

I looked up and saw a large structure before me. One of the biggest in all of Bys. A massive jewel shaped amphitheater stood rising up hundreds of feet off the ground. And it was desolate.

The corpses of city guards were strewn about the base of the stadium. I froze, and turned to run—

Then I realized I was alone; I did not know when that happened. I turned around and stared at the dark streets all around me, each one of them possibly holding horrors unimaginable.

I’m going to die—

"Hey, kid!"

I snapped my head to the source of the voice. A woman looking to be in her late twenties or early thirties stood with a large group of people. They were all armed, and the woman had a spear rest on her shoulder.

She approached me, and I backed up.

"There’s no need to be scared. You’re a slave, right?" She raised her hands placatingly, then pointed a thumb back at herself. "We’re all slaves too. Gladiators, actually. But same thing y’know?"

Slaves? Did they kill all these guards? I shook my head. There was no time for this! They were coming! Those creatures were—

The woman continued, and I realized I wasn’t talking.

"We don’t know what’s going on, we just heard the city bells go off and thought it was time to break out. There’s more of us still in there,"— she nodded at the stadium— "but we can take you in."

I couldn’t speak. Why couldn’t I speak? I was breathing too heavily. My throat hurt too much. I— I was catatonic?

"Hey Em, I don’t think she can talk. Maybe she’s mute or something?" another woman piped up from behind her.

"Oh? Well it’s fine—" Em was halfway speaking when an inhuman screech came from the distance. "What was—"

I picked myself up, and ran.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?! You’ll be safer with us!"

I ignored her, and bolted out of there. As I did, Abominations poured out of the shadows and assaulted the gladiators.

"Sacred piss! What are these things—"

I continued to run, panting heavily as the air left my lungs. My legs burned! I wanted to collapse. I wanted to…

I was limping.

I steadied myself on a wall as I limped down a street. I just wanted to get away from all this: it was too much for me.

I continued to make my way to… somewhere. And eventually found myself in a large plaza. There was a large statue in the center of the square, and a massive clocktower just behind it.

Dead bodies were piled up all around me, and I paused and stared at one of them; there was a small yellow protrusion growing out of it, and it almost looked like the core of the Abominations. But it was tiny, smaller than my fists, and neither was it glowing. However, it was still there.

And all the bodies had them.

I collapsed next to the statue, and sat there for a moment. Only a moment. Because a group of Abominations ran out of the shadows, with millions of chittering noises echoing in the background.

I got up in a panic, as they charged like mindless beasts towards me!

No!

I wanted them all to go away. I don’t know why; whether it was instinct or out of panic. But I raised my hand, and swiped in their direction.

And then, a blue bolt of energy flew out like a baseball. A magic circle rested on the palm of my hand, as I continued to flail at the Abominations in a frenzy as they approached. Bolts of magic flew almost naturally, striking the Abominations down.

Only three of them fell, but there were hundreds more! One got close to me, and I covered my face in a panic. A small bolt of fire flew out and knocked the Abomination back. It laid on the ground, burning and screaming as it slowly died. But still, it tried to get up.

But still, it tried to move.

It began crawling, and I screamed once more. I threw another ball of fire at it, killing it this time. I heaved a sigh of relief, then realized there were many