A World of Tears

The colour of the sky was like blood as the sun set over the forest.

The trees were smouldering and the village in tatters and flames while the body of a frail-looking young woman who seemed to be in her late 20s laid dishevelled in a pool of blood.

Her body was covered in bruises, her clothes were ripped asunder around her and her naked frame laid sprawled in the dirt while her hair lay matted with blood across her face.

What was once a beauty was now nothing but a cold corpse with a young boy kneeling in front her, his face filled with tears, snivelling as he called out to her…

”Mamma…? Mamma…, MAMMA !! ”

The young boy shook her dead body with all the strength his 4-year-old body could muster, not knowing how to process everything that was happening around him…

BANG!

A kick landed in the side of the 4-year-old boy sending him flying through the air as he landed amongst the mixture of dirt and blood-soaked mud.

Rolling to a stop, the boy wheezed as he tried to breathe, the air knocked right out of his small body. His tear-filled gaze still focused on the body of his mother as the village was further engulfed by the flames.

”I found another one! ” A voice was heard between the crackles and roaring of the flames.

His arm outstretched as his tiny fingers reach for his mother from across the mucky and dirt-filled pathway.

His body was covered in blood and grime…

”Mamma… ” he gasped between breaths full of despair.

The boy cried amongst the flames and blood as these strangers raided his home.

The aunties and uncles of the village ran only to be cut down, only the meek and weak-willed survived. Snivelling and shivering on the floor huddled together with chains around their arms and feet binding them together as well as a strangely mottled grey bangle-looking crown around their heads.

A leg suddenly blocked his view of what was happening and as he looked up he saw a towering figure of a man, bearded and covered in scars with a sneer on his face.

”Hmm? ” The bearded man cocked his to a side as he then looked back to his compatriots.

”BOSS! This one looks like a mongrel! Is he still profitable?! ” as he shouted over by where the other villagers were being kept.

Shortly after a loud shout was heard back, ” Kill Him! ”

The bearded man looked towards the boy with a cynical sneer as he raised his blade preparing to strike him dead.

As the blade swung down. . .

”STOP!! ”

An emaciated white-haired elder of the village jumped ahead as he shielded the young child with his own body, as a strong fresh smell of iron filled the air . . .

”What The Fuck!!? ” The bearded man cursed as the blood splattered on him.

”Granddaddy!! ” The boy felt pure fear as he saw his grandfather die right in front of him.

The old mans body lay draped over the 4-year-old boy as if he exchanged all the rest of years of his life for this last moment of strength to save his only grandchild…

” I couldn save Xiao Binghe but now that I saved you, I can die in peace and be able to face her on the other side… Don cry LingYue ” His blood-covered hand rested on the young boys cheek. ” Live well and be. . . come . . . strong. ”

LingYues eyes were wide with shock as the reflection of the flames danced in his eyes and his voice trembled as he couldn make any coherent sounds.

*Bang!*

” You piece of shit! ” The bearded man was furious as he repeatedly stepped on the elders body.

As he finished venting most of his rage he looked to his side to see LingYue rooted to the floor in shock as the blood pooled around him.

The blade was raised yet again as the bearded man grimaced trying to finally end this godforsaken piece of trash.

”STOP!! We killed enough of the cargo, any more and it won be profitable! Some profit is better than no profit, even if hes a mutt! ”

The boss walked out of a hut as he dragged a young village girl around the age of 11 behind him, her ivory hair dishevelled as tears silently flowed down her cheeks, her rosy bottom lip folded and bitten as she choked back all her grievances and she squeezed the hem of her dress until her fingers bled.

She looked at the Boss of these slave traders in blame and hatred knowing that her innocence was gone and she couldn understand what she did that the gods would punish her like this.

The bearded man looked at the Boss and swung the blade towards LingYues head…

*Slice*

I gash cut from one side of LingYues face to the next as he screamed while clutching his face, lood poured out the diagonal slash on the young boys face, as he rolled in the mud in pain. Luckily as if by the grace of God that slash didn take his eyes.

The bearded man chuckled and he looked to his boss, ”This mongrel won sell well to those sects who need furnaces, they like their furnaces pure… we can sell him to a spirit mine, his face won matter there…heh heh..or his life.. ”

The boss shrugged as he made his way over to the slaves, tugging the chain in his hand which connected to the cuff around the young girls neck.

The boss was a fat older man in his late 40s to early 50s, darkened yellow skin with the waist of a tiger and a stomach like a barrel.

His gold earring hoops jingled as he walked while his hair was sparsed and combed backwards.

To look younger he kept himself clean-shaven and had quite a fetish for prepubescent girls therefore anytime he raided villagers he always made sure to bring back 1 or 2 to have his way with before selling them as inferior goods.

His name was renowned in this small area of the Barbaric South as he was called Jin LaoHu, The Smiling Tiger.

His fat rippled as he chuckled and licked his lips while looking over the remaining villagers which were now mostly females…

”Boys it seems we made.. ”

” A Killing… ”