Inside the house, Henry sat on the dining chair. His expression softened, and he took a deep breath. His straw hat rested on the table.
Adelia leaned against the table and patted his back.
Just then, the front door of the house opened, and The Exalted One and Sabre stumbled inside. Their cloaks swished behind them.
Ana cried again in the bedrooms.
Adelia gasped and stammered, "Ah! She's crying again! How strange!" She hurried to the bedrooms and tended to her baby. She cooed and attempted to calm her down.
A few second later, The Exalted One and Sabre walked out of the front hallway and entered the dining room.
Henry slouched forward. His hand pressed on his forehead, and he sighed. He glanced at the two guests and queried, "What is it?"
"Do you have a bunker around here," The Exalted One inquired.
"No, why," Henry asked.
Sabre sniffed around the room. "There's an awful stench in this house. I didn't realize it before," he whispered into his brother's ear.
The Exalted One nodded and shrugged it off. He looked back at Henry. "Is there any place where we can remain hidden," he inquired and walked closer.
Henry raised an eyebrow.
As she cradled her sleeping baby, Adelia heard a commotion outside. She moved a curtain and looked out the window. Her eyes widened.
Loud gunshots blared.
"What was that," Henry sought to know and stood up. He pondered and remarked, "It sounded like a gun. More than one actually."
The Exalted One extended his hands out and pleaded, "Wait! Don't move!" He approached him and reassured, "Sit back down."
Henry gave him a confused look.
Sabre walked into the dining room and looked around. He sniffed again, and he felt the horrendous stench looming closer. He grimaced and turned around. "Why's that smell coming from her," he murmured inquisitively. Dumbfounded, his mouth hung open.
Adelia entered with Ana in her arms.
Ana was silent, and she sucked on her thumb. She stared at her mom and slowly fell asleep.
Henry turned to them and noticed his wife's expression. "What's wrong, dear," he queried thoughtfully.
Adelia's eyes, alert, darted around the room, and a bead of sweat trickled down her temple. "Why are there soldiers outside the house? Are they here for you, two," she demanded to know and glanced at the guests. Her lips tightened and curled inwards.
The Exalted One struggled to formulate a sentence.
Sabre laughed and confirmed, "Yes, they're after us. That's why we need somewhere to hide."
The Exalted One faked a chuckle and teased, "My brother's a jokester. Don't believe him." He nudged and implored, "I told you I would do the talking."
"My patience is running thin, brother. I need to feel my blood boil, and there's something that boy, Matteo, mentioned about his father," Sabre divulged and huffed. His eyes were serious, and they targeted Henry.
"Is that why you needed a place to hide? I do not want to believe it, but you must be the bad guys," Henry, frustrated, pointed out. Furious, he clenched his fists.
"Why is the military after you? What did you do," Adelia interrogated.
"They must be on the run," Henry assumed.
"That's right! The humans are after us. We destroyed multiple cities, and slaughtered many, all for power," Sabre reiterated and instigated. He sneered with arrogance.
The Exalted One shushed his brother and sighed. He looked at Henry with sincere eyes. "I have to deny everyone's accusations. We, my organization, are trying to save the world. It may not seem that way, but it's the truth. Cover for us at least. Please," he attempted to reconcile in a kind manner.
Henry frowned. They've been lied to. "Leave my house immediately! You're no longer welcomed here," he adamantly declared.
Adelia affirmed, "We finally found a peaceful place. We don't want any part in your business."
The Exalted One finally understood. With a sinister and cold stare, he muttered, "Then, there's something you should know."
Adelia got a little closer to Henry, and they looked at him in anticipation.
Suddenly, the door was forced open, and it slammed against a shelf. A vase fell to the ground and shattered.
A soldier entered and aimed his gun. "Stand down, everyone," he ordered.
The Exalted One chuckled and questioned, "How did you find us so fast?" He had a stoic and carefree expression.
The soldier growled and demanded, "Put your hands up!"
In the next moment, his weapon was yanked away, and it floated.
"What the," the soldier scrambled and reached for his gun. His gun floated towards The Exalted One's hand.
The Exalted One grasped the gun and looked at it. He smiled and commented, "Did you really bring this against us? How insulting."
"Oh, no," Henry murmured.
The soldier's knees buckled and trembled. He stared at The Exalted One, and he, terrified, fell to the ground. His bum hit the floor with a thud.
The Exalted One shot him in the head. Blood splattered on the entrance of the dining room. He made a sudden turn and aimed the gun towards Adelia and Ana with a merciless glare.
Adelia gasped. She cradled Ana close to her. She hunched her shoulders, hoping for the best outcome.
"Hmm, you're our hostages, now. We could have prevented this, couldn't we," The Exalted One asserted and smirked.
Sabre proudly stood beside his brother.
Enraged, Henry clenched his teeth. "You are the bad guys! You deceived us," he exclaimed in a blinding rage. "Release my wife and daughter this instant," he demanded and stepped forward.
The Exalted One refused by shaking his head. "Hold on, now. Don't come closer, or I'll pull the trigger," he threatened.
Henry halted and gritted his teeth. His face twitched with anger.
"Just don't harm my baby," Adelia begged and wept reluctantly. Her breath came in jagged, uneven gasps. Her eyes grew impossibly wide, fixed on the gun, and became unable to blink. Her legs were frozen to the floor. Any wrong movement could be hers or her baby's last.
"Don't worry. I'll shoot you first," The Exalted One reassured and paused. He tilted his head downwards in an intimidating manner. "I need to you to do something for us, and we'll leave peacefully. Do you understand," he intimidated and glared.
Adelia swallowed hard and nodded. Her chest heaved.
"Well then, go outside, and get the military to leave. Tell them we left or something like that," The Exalted One, unfazed, suggested and added, "No one else has to get hurt."
"I... I can't do that. I can't help evil people like you," Adelia sniffled and proclaimed. "Let us just live in peace. Please. We won't tell anyone," she insisted with watery eyes. She glanced across the room and subtly nodded.
The Exalted One, speechless, groaned in frustration, and he reminded, "You're not in a position to negotiate. You leave me no choice." However, his eyes widened in shock.
As it fired, the gun was knocked out of his hand by Henry.
At close range, Adelia weaved out of the way of the bullet.
Henry, using his martial arts, swiftly attacked The Exalted One with a combination of palm strikes. He grabbed his cloak and threw him into the wall.
The Exalted One slammed against the wall and fell to the floor.
The wall crumbled.
Sabre shouted and charged at Henry. He elbowed him in the back of the head and tackled him to the floor. He sat on top and punched him in the face, repeatedly.
Henry pushed against his adversary's jaw with his hands.
Sabre swatted his hands away. Relentless, he punched more ferociously than before. "So, you're the strongest in The Sacred Forest? You're nothing but a pathetic runt," he insulted.
Small spasms of energy spread throughout the dining room. Trembles of plates and utensils followed.
Henry's head bounced off the floor many times, and the floor cracked farther and farther apart. Blood dripped down his shriveled hair.
With one hand, Adelia quickly grasped a pan and smacked Sabre in the head. "Stop it," she demanded. She glanced at the dent in her pan.
Sabre growled for a second and pushed her away.
Adelia flew into a bookshelf, and her red headband fell out. She kept her hold on her baby, and she stumbled on her feet. From the collapsing bookshelf, books fell down on her.
Ana woke up and looked around.
Adelia noticed and weakly smiled at her. Her hair fell over her shoulders, and blood trickled down her forehead. "Hey there, cutie. You're awake," she cooed.
Ana grasped her hair and giggled.
"Wait. Don't," Adelia whispered in a panic.
Ana let go and clapped her hands.
Adelia sighed, and her bleeding oddly stopped. She looked back at The Exalted One and Sabre with a serious expression and a downturned mouth.
The Exalted One got up and dusted himself off.
With a crazed look, Sabre picked Henry up and sneered. He leaned back and held him in a chokehold.
Lifted off the floor, Henry wheezed for a breath. Blood and bruises covered his face. His arms were in the air, and he struggled to get free.
The Exalted One glared at him. "It seems you're dumb enough to try and challenge me," he muttered.
Henry suddenly elbowed Sabre's gut.
Sabre grunted and warned, "You're done. Stop resisting." His fingers transformed into claws, ready to puncture Henry's chest.
"Don't kill him," Adelia yelled with a frantic look.
"You don't tell me what to do," Sabre scoffed.
"Don't, Sabre. Not yet. We still need him," The Exalted One asserted.
"Please, don't," Adelia cried and begged.
Sabre relented and locked Henry's arms in place. "I'm going to freeze you and your precious family. All of you will be added to my trophy collection back home," he whispered into his ear in a menacing manner.
Henry grunted and struggled. "I promised to deal with our guests if they turned out bad. Have I failed," he mumbled.
Henry, The Sacred Forest's strongest warrior, was beaten and caught in a submission hold by Sabre. With his threats towards Adelia failing, what was The Exalted One's next plan to force the family to bend their knee to him? With the true colors of their sinister guests revealed, will The Fisher Family survive such circumstances?