Abattoir--by Revans Rubber Duckie, Chapter 5, Fantasy/Young Adult

(Click for full view if interested--it seems to of have cut off the side a little)
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Ethessa is a human experiment, along with hundreds of other children, given the ability to destroy and create her cells in exchange for sacrificing her memories. Put through brutal tests and unrelenting experiments, she has learned her only purpose in life is to kill and be the perfect soldier.

Her abilities and morals are put the test when she's put on an assignment--something that has never happened before with any child experiment. Tasked with escorting a noble girl, Ethessa soon finds that she is about to be thrust into the middle of a war that may very well bring everything she believes crashing down on her.
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If just the feeling of something not being right was not enough to convince everyone else, the carriage flipping over definitely was. It had to of been something either incredibly big or incredibly strong, or both, to flip over a cart with well over five hundred inside of it, not including it's own weight.

Needless to say, the four companions ended up in a jumbled mess, none of them sure what was going on, their minds ending in a maze of disarray. The only indication that the carriage was not the way it was supposed to be by the end of it all was the fact the seats were sideways and everyone was, more or less, all entangled on one side.

“What--?” Xan shut the thema up quickly with his hand once more. There was a chance whoever was attacking them could have thought the sudden throw would be enough to kill them, and was now listening for any sound of life. None dared to breathe, their hearts racing, waiting for that moment where their thought of 'we're going to die' comes true.

There was a breaking sound, like wood being split in half, and then a louder, more prominent sound, like someone—or something—punched through. It was probably their attacker breaking through the crates and barrels, looking for something to loot. Xan ground his hand into Ethi's mouth when she tried to make a sound, biting his lip when she bit down into it.

Of course she wouldn't be able to handle this. He made a mental note to go through training exercises when they got back to the institution. He could not have her panicking like this all the time. If she acted like this now, how would she act in a real crisis that demanded even more control?

Xan looked over to where the other two were, making sure they were at least alive, pressed up against the door in a rather suggestive position. Alida was pressed up against Koir, her hand clamped tightly over his mouth, much similar to how Xan had his over Ethi's, trying to stay as small as possible. Or at least stay hidden from any windows.

Then a block of wood flew by Xan's head, causing him to flinch quickly before freezing completely. Were their attackers going to rip the carriage apart? Why were they even being attacked in the first place? There was a loud grunt and a heavy exhale beside Xan's ear, not allowing any thoughts or possible scenarios to go through his head, not allowing him to consider possible escape routes.

Xan knew there was an eye scouring the inside, looking for something. Probably their bodies. There was a good possibility that whatever was after them had heard about Drek's involvement in escorting the princess, making whoever sent the assassins part of a 'royal' household. But who? Crebar and Dra'schon were out of the question, especially Crebar. Even if Nikolas Ikasa had decided to kill his daughter, no one would go through with the order, if only because Ikasa was the only house capable of running Crebar, if not because they adored their princess. Of course, if he had managed to hire someone from outside the country, that was a different story.

It would not make sense for Dra'schon to attack, either, especially if this guy really was their prince. Unless, of course, they planned to make the Young Prince king. That would require Koir's death, as dictated by Dra'schonian social structure law. If the Young Prince had managed to be the catalyst behind this entire facade, then he would without question be viewed as a hero worthy of being successor.

The other countries were not even involved with the war, making their interference, if it was theirs at all, surprising. None of them were gaining anything, besides income from the high demands for food, but exports were always in high demands even without war. Ghinji was making a decent profit, as usual, as was Jichion.

Due to Crebar's infertility and Dra'schon's constant warring efforts, the two countries could not produce the food they needed, and so depended on the other two countries for that need. In return, they both offered their services and anything else the countries would need.

The breathing was getting heavier, as though it was getting anxious about something. It did not sound human in the least, but it did not sound like a beast, either. It was something in between, and it knew they were alive. All of them waited for their impending doom, their fate; their death.

There was a whine, one similar to a wounded pup, a few thuds and the sound of something ripping through the air before another whine—much louder this time—was heard. There were many heavy footsteps, a few voices speaking a languages none of them could recognize, and then it was silent, save for a small 'click' sound.

Xan took a moment to survey the situation. He saw Alida doing the same. They were all bloody and bruised, that much was certain. He knew he himself had a split cheek and the knuckle on his left hand was bleeding, staining the seat a deeper red. Koir had a few trails of blood seeping from his temple, showing it was nothing too serious. When Alida decreed silently it was okay to move, he saw part of her dress had ripped on her arm and back, and allowing her flesh to be ripped as well.

Xan let his hand slip away from Ethi's mouth before he got a “What did we say about sticking your hand down people's throats' lecture from the princess. He scrunched his face in disgust as her slobber stuck to his hand. \Making an 'ungh' sound, he wiped it off on his pants. He scanned her over quickly, finding several bruises and a bloody nose to be the worst of her injuries.

That left one last thing to check. What happened to the driver? Obviously, he was probably dead by now, but what happened before that? Why hadn't he warned them? Being Northern, he should have managed to send a telepathic message. Even if he had not managed to 'see' or hear their attacker, he should have at least felt their presence. After all, he had been able to pick up Koir and his raptor's signature, along with several other potential threats, along the way. So, why was this time different? What had gone wrong?

“Hey, um, Xan?” Koir broke the silence, peering around, “Are you bleeding lots anywhere?”

“No. Why?”

“'Cause there's a puddle, and I don't think it's either me or Alida.”

Xan wanted to smack the boy. How could you not tell if you were bleeding profoundly or not? But, realizing that if it wasn't any of them, it had to be Ethessa, he quickly turned her over, a small wave of panic taking over. His fears came true when he found a large amount of blood staining her clothes, forming a pool at the corner of the carriage. He moved her cloak and the shreds of her shirt out of the way, brushing his hand lightly over where the wound would most likely be. He got no reaction.

“Idiot,” he breathed out, and pulled his hand back.

The nobles looked at him in disbelief. Who would leave their partner to die like that? Koir looked almost offended by the idea, while Alida looked like she was trying to piece something together, though the disbelief was still clearly written over her face. Xan sighed inwardly. At least she had enough sense to know the girl was not dead or dying.

He placed a hand over the initial area of the wound, “It's here. Can you feel it?”

“Mhm,” Ethi replied, “it's warm.”

“Hurry up. We need to move.”

Alida continued to look on in fascination, understanding what was going on immediately. She was curious how this worked. Was there a glow? Scars? As there anything that indicated the girl was sacrificing a memory? Alida had not gotten the chance to watch the last time due to the circumstances, but now she was definitely ready to figure out this puzzle.

“What's going on?” Koir's whisper brought the woman out of her thoughts.

She shook her head in response, “Watch.”

He did. For a few seconds, nothing happened. He was about to ask what, exactly, he was looking for, but Ethi suddenly freezing as though she had been shot answered his question. It was like her nervous system had suddenly failed and all her muscles had tensed up. This part only lasted for a fraction of a second, there were still a few signs showing she was still in the middle of finishing off her task. The most obvious one was her pupils dilating to near slits.

Xan didn't bother to wait for her to finish. Their attacker would most likely be making another round soon, and their group could not be here when they came back. He kicked what remained of the rear, now side, window out, using his hand to wipe away any stray shards.

“You're just going to leave her like that?”

Xan wanted to punch the stupid noble boy in the face, “Yes. Is there a problem?”

“She's injured.”

“Was.”

He did not bother explaining. Not that it would matter, the idiot wouldn't understand anyways. Instead, he started to climb out of the wreckage and helped a hesitant Alida along the way. After a few seconds, Koir followed suit. Ethi was practically on his heels.

As thought, the driver was indeed dead. His body was torn into several pieces, entrails and blood leading from one piece to the other. His torso looked like something had tried to claw at it, and upon closer inspection, teeth marks surrounded the gaping hole that had once been his stomach. Bones protruded in random areas and at different angles. The face was nothing but a mixed puddle of skin flaps, bone, and blood. The horses were nowhere in sight.

Alida nearly vomited at the sight. Was this what would have happened to them? Was this how far they would go to exterminate them? She wanted to close her eyes, but every time she did so, the image only burned in front of her eye sockets. She could only settle for looking away.

Koir had seen just as much, if not worse, on the battlefield. It was still gruesome, and made his stomach uneasy, but it wasn't enough to cause an upchucking reflex. Then he saw Alida.

“You alright?” he asked, genuinely concerned.

Koir's voice only help to make the reality all too real. Far too real. This was going to be them. This was going to be the reason why their silly war was never going to end. Crebar would blame Dra'Schon for Alida's death, even if all evidence said it was not that country at all, and vise versa for Koir's death. They had to move, and now. There was no time to waste, not even a second. If word got to the capital before them, Dra'schon would definitely send an army without hesitation.

“Y-yes. I am fine, thank you. I believe your capital is near, correct?”

“Not too far. We should make it in a day or two.”

Xan and Ethi had ignored the two and, at Xan's command, began to scavenge the wreckage, pulling out what supplies they could. With all the broken and splintered wood lying around, it was impossible to tell if the attackers had broken any of the barrels and crates, or if they had taken them with them. There were a few food rations left, extra blankets, and an emergency stay kit, which consisted of three fire starters, a small shelter, and a multi-tool.

Should be enough, if we do this right, Xan thought. Once they reached the capital, they could buy whatever other supplies they would need.

“We're not taking the path,” Xan informed the group as he finished packing their supplies in a small bag. It looked like it was ready to burst at any second. “They'll be expecting that. We have a better chance of getting there unharmed by rounding the area, and coming through the west or north entrance.”

“And who put you in charge?” Koir challenged.

Ethi face-palmed. Alida considered doing the same.

Xan turned, his larger frame looking down at Koir, “I'd love to hear your better idea. Except, you're an idiot.” he turned on his heel and started walking, “And I am legally in charge of this mission. You are all under my jurisdiction.”

“Don't question Xan. He'll feed you to a duck,” Ethi whispered as she passed by.

Koir was not sure if he should be laughing at that or not. Taking Xan's personality into consideration, he probably had a flesh-eating duck somewhere. He could see it now. 'The Prince, ate alive by a psychotic duck.'

He decided that following Xan's orders was more favourable than being ate by a duck.