"!@#*$&^$%^"
'Huh?'
"@#$*&^%*&^"
'Speak clearly, you fool! If you're going to wake me up, at least let me know the reason.'
Just as Gareth was about to continue cursing at the speaker in his mind, it was as if the weight of his own thoughts finally hit him. His eyes fluttered awake slowly, and his body came back to life. His vision was initially blurry but quickly became focused.
When he finally became aware enough, his body shot up instantly, and he assumed a combat-ready stance. His years of military training showing off their expertise. However, just as fast as he shot up, his body came crashing down. The malnourished body could not handle the sudden strain placed on it.
Luckily for him, there seemed to be no danger around. As he collapsed onto his knees, he started coughing violently, to the point where he had to clutch his chest tightly. It seemed his situation was much worse than he had thought. Just the simple action of standing up abruptly had sent me into a coughing fit.
When his cough finally subsided, he was finally able to get a good look at his surroundings. And to be honest, there wasn't much to look at. The room he was currently in was mostly empty. Aside from a beat-up mattress in the corner, there was only a small dusty cabinet in the corner of the room.
Gareth, who was still confused, finally seemed to regain his memories. He remembered that he had just been on the battlefield and had taken a bullet to the chest. It was supposed to be fatal, and he was supposed to be dead.
Then, what the hell was this?
"Where the hell am I?" He muttered to himself. Was this the afterlife? From the life he lived, Gareth was pretty sure he wouldn't go the heaven. However, this didn't seem to be hell as well.
'Maybe it's somewhere in between. You know, for those who sinned but didn't sin enough to go to hell. That kind of stuff.' However, even Gareth didn't believe his own thoughts. Even if he was right about what kind of place this was, he wouldn't fit the criteria of this place. After all, he was a soldier who had taken the lives of many. He had definitely sinned enough to go to hell.
He stumbled over to the only window in the small room. When he peered through it, his eyes widened in shock. In his vision was a ...
However, he noticed a group of people coming towards his shed. Because it was quite a bit of distance from any other building in the area, he was able to realise pretty quickly that they were heading straight for him. Perhaps due to his malnourished body, but he couldn't see them that well.
He was, however, able to make out a few details from the leading individuals. Their style of clothing was odd, but that wasn't what caught his attention. He noticed that the men coming for him looked strong. They seemed to be walking with a purpose as well, as he noticed the glint from what one of them was holding.
If his assumption was correct, then it was a sword. From the way they were approaching and the fact that they were coming straight for him, he could only assume something bad was about to happen. His heart grew cold, and his mind raced to figure out what to do.
First things first, he needed a weapon. However, there was nothing in the room that even remotely fit into that category. His gaze shifted towards the small cabinet in the corner of the room. He could use its legs as some sort of wake shift weapon.
He quickly dragged himself towards the cabinet in order to smash it. However, he quickly realized a problem. He couldn't lift the damn thing. He gripped the edges till his knuckles turned white, but he only managed to lift the edges a little bit.
Even that little progress had to be abandoned as his body quickly ran out of energy. He dropped the cabinet, resulting in it creating a low thud. Sweat was already starting to form on his forehead, and he was gasping for air.
'Damn it. Why is a cabinet so heavy? And why is my body so weak?' He said as he stared at his arms. His arms were very pale and little more than skin and bones. He didn't have much time to ponder those questions, though, as the wooden door behind him began to creak open.
He spun around quickly, and his eyes widened in shock. While they weren't far, it still shouldn't have been possible for those people to get there so fast. However, reality was slapping him in the face as he stared at the three men who had just stepped into the shed.
Their faces were rough, and their eyes had a cruel glint to them. Gareth was finally able to confirm that the man on the left was indeed holding a sword. In fact, all three of them had weapons; only the other two kept theirs in sheaths. Just standing there, the three men gave off a feeling of danger.
Especially the man in the middle. He was a bald man with a scruffy beard. There was a scar that ran just below his left eye down to his cheek. It looked like whatever attacked him just narrowly managed to miss his eye.
However, those cruel eyes were now staring at Gareth in bewilderment. He wasn't expecting him to be alive, let alone up and walking. He exchanged a look with his two companions, who seemed equally as shocked. However, they didn't say anything.
When Gareth saw them, his body trembled slightly in fear. However, it wasn't Gareth who was afraid. His body simply seemed to be reacting on instinct. His eyes narrowed when he noticed this seemingly small and insignificant detail.
He was sure he had never met the three men before, but as soon as he saw them, he instantly recognized them. He was even able to place names to the three of them and seemed oddly familiar with them.
"Wh-" Gareth was about to ask something when a few more individuals entered the shed. Three women entered the shed one after the other, increasing the number of individuals inside the shed.
Two of the women were carrying baskets and were dressed in maid outfits. Their faces weren't anything special, but their bodies were amazing. Even the modest maid costumes that they were wearing only seemed to accentuate their shapely figures. Seeing women with such bodies would have normally made Gareth happy with glee, but the current situation didn't allow for that.
The last woman though, was different. Unlike the two maids, who were young women. This one was a middle-aged woman who seemed to have a perpetual scowl etched into her face. Her cold gaze looked at Gareth with undisguised disdain and scorn.