Fury Road

"I don't give a damn. Anyone standing in my way will die" said Karl, his calloused fingers tracing the rim of a half-empty glass. "Oh God. You are bleeding !" said Florentina. She seemed to unravel bit by bit after witnessing someone protect her. She kept glancing at Karl's muscular arms, his daring eyes and his lips. It was as if she started caring for him more, and his wounds hurt her more than they did him. "Its nothing to worry about. I get this shit all the time," replied Karl Vindictus. The blood on his arms and knuckles told the same story. 

"Please let me..." Florentina stepped forward. She tore apart a strip from her ragged dress and began to wrap the bleeding hand of the man who protected her. "Oh come on.." Karl protested.

"Don't move now, or it will hurt. You see I was a nurse before I became a slave. I can't simply turn my eyes away from someone in need." Karl was a stoic man, who had never entangled himself with love. But there was something pious in her-something so magnetic in her eyes, her pale snowhite face and gentle voice- that he couldn't stop himself from blushing. " Al... Alright. Do whatever..."

"It's rare to find brave men like you, son," said Damvel patting Karl's back. "The way you fought reminded me of my youth-though we weren't strong as you'd think."

"Yea old man, i get it. Now, you don't need to be that cozy..." Karl grunted. "But where are you from? You don't seem to be from here. And that blade... It would slice an elephant!! Where in the world did you get it" Andrew pressed as he interrupted Karl.

"Enough questions kid. Just know one thing: I'm the one who will slay your stupid king."

The door slammed open. A young woman—Maria—stormed in, her eyes petrified. "They took my brother, Damvel," she said, her voice cracking "the..The Corlette Gang. Help me" she collapsed to the ground, sobbing.

"Oh Lord! Not them again.." Damvel cried. Andrew got hold of Maria, easing her into a chair and sprinkling water on her face. "Karl, please help us get Alex back," Andrew pleaded. "With you, we stand a chance" 

Karl didn't look up. "Not my fight."

"Please, I know we may sound greedy, but Alex is just a kid. He doesn't deserve this" Andrew pleaded again.

Karl rose, his bulk looming like a wolf's- with whom no one should mess. He caught Andrew by his throat, slamming him against the wall, nearly choking him. "Listen Mr. Goodguy. If you care so much, go and figure out yourself, how to get him back. You play the hero. And stop acting like we are friend, asshole"

Andrew's fists clenched "So you'll just let them kill him?" He gathered the courage to speak up to him. He knew Alex for a long time. He couldn't just stand there all by himself. "If that's what you want", said Andrew, "I'll take them on myself". He pushed Karl away and marched out of the tavern.

"Funny little guy," Karl muttered. He tossed a gold coin onto the bar as he took a whiskey bottle from the table, "See you later folks."

Florentina and Damvel stood there speechless as they saw their protagonist leave.

Rain fell in sheets, soaking through Karl's cloak as he wandered the labyrinth of crooked alleys. The country's rotting stench clung into the air—blood, urine, decaying corpses. He tried to numb himself with the whiskey's burn, but Maria's plea echoed. "Not my fight. Not my fight." He repeated in his mind. All those past memories clawed at him, haunting him again.

Then he heard it—a scream.

Sharp. Human.

His sprinted towards the sound like an eagle. Down the narrow passage of the alley, he saw four figures. They cornered a young woman, her back pressed against a wall. One of them, a hulking brute pinned her wrists against the wall. The woman was helpless and in agonizing pain. The rest of them laughed like mad hunters looking to tear away their prey.

"Pretty thing isn't so loud now, huh?" the brute sneered. A short, lean, ugly man with spectacles fumbled with his pants. "Cute thing will get my sonny now, hehe," he slurred. The helpless woman got numb from fear. She couldn't gather the courage to shout for help. It was the Corlette Gang who caught her, she knew that it was her end.

Karl's vision blurred. A memory flashed—his sister's voice, screaming his name as men dragged her into the dark corner, 5 years ago. It was wound that never closed and turned him into the monster he is now. He remembered the face of the demon who ordered those men. His veins swelled up in rage, as the memory of the man, who once he called a friend, became more vivid than anything else. The whiskey bottle shattered in his grip.

The gang turned and saw the enraged Karl Vindictus. The brute grinned, "This lad wants a show!"

Another drunk guy, scratching his head pointed his crotch at him and said, "Let's have him too, ha-ha!"

What happened next was not a fight. It was a storm. Karl moved like a man possessed. He sprang forward in the shadow and swung first. The brute tried to duck but the huge sword went through his legs. The man's scream drowned in the rain. Another gang member lunged with a knife, but Karl caught his wrist, twisting it until bones snapped. He burst out in agonizing pain as his hands shatter. Third guy jumped at Karl from behind, but a fist to the throat left him choking on his own blood. The fourth guy threw the woman aside and drew his sword in panic. "Don't, don't you dare come close."

Karl looked at him like a wolf hunting down a prey. "You fools did it. Thanks to you, that painful memory, the damn thing that started it all, everything is coming back again." He put up his huge sword in the air like a tower and then within seconds it fell down on the man, slicing him in half. Blood scattered all over as the rain fell heavily, and the thunderous lightning amplified the otherworldly event that just happened.

The woman curled into herself, trembling. She was afraid of the monster in dark cloak standing in front of her. Karl reached out, but she flinched. His hand froze, streaked with blood and rain. "Thank you," she whispered.