Tales from Drunswick

[Yukki Kazuto]

Once on the roof, I went to the edge that was closest to where the bandits were coming into the town. I wasn’t the only town member on their roof armed with a rifle, either. Most of the town was running around in a frenzied panic. We had been told before, several times by our mayor, that we were not to fire at anyone unless they did something that warranted it, such as attacking someone or a building, or stealing something from a person.


I watched as five bandits rode in on horses. I aimed through the sight at the one in the lead, and watched him pull out a cavalry sword. He swung it down, slicing off the head of one of the town’s citizens. The unarmed female’s head flew through the air, and her body collapsed into a heap on the sand.


Immediately shots rang out, from myself and my other rooftop comrades. In that instant, five rounds of varying calibers struck the leaders chest, sending him flying off of his horse. His body collapsed into a pile on the sand, and his horse began to run away. It was soon shot by another of the rooftop marksmen.


The remaining bandits began to scatter, running through crowds, some killing people, some just stealing things from people’s homes. A few of the smart ones got off of their horse and began to mix with the crowd. The ones that didn’t were quickly shot.


I saw one of the bandits enter a house and pass by a window that was pointing out away from the street, at an angle that only I could see what was happening inside of the house. The man forcibly grabbed a woman who was hiding under the bed, and began tying her hands with some rope. It wasn’t uncommon for bandits to steal women, presumably to use them for pleasure and then execute them when all the bandits had a chance to enjoy her. If they got this woman out of this town, it was likely we would never see a trace of her again.


Aiming through the rifle’s scope, I placed the crosshair on the bandit’s head. I felt the gun shaking. I was about to take a life. I mentally prepared myself for it. I was ready. If I didn’t do this, she would die. I had to save her. I fired the rifle.


Time seemed to slow down. The crack of the rifle echoed through the chaos,  as did the sound of the bullet shattering the glass of the building’s window. I blinked and saw that the bandit had disappeared, leaving only the woman lying on her bed, with a red pool on her chest, which was slowly spreading as she laid there. I began to realize what I had done. I hadn’t shot the bandit. I had shot the woman I was trying to save…


It didn’t take long for the town to put me on trial after the bandits had all left. The town was in ruin, there were dead bodies everywhere, and they felt the need to try me for murder. The case was pretty open and shut, and a jury of five people found me guilty, 4 to 1.


I was allowed one minute to speak to my family, but my grandfather had died in the bandit raid. With no other family, my execution was set for noon. Noon came quickly, and I soon found myself standing before a hanging noose.


The town sheriff stood before me as the hooded executioner placed the rope around my neck. “You have committed crimes against Drunswick and her people.” I nodded in understanding as the executioner moved to a lever off to my right. “Do you have any last words?”


I thought for a moment, and said “Pull the damn lever.” My request was obliged. The floor beneath me collapsed, leading me to choke on the rope that was digging into my neck. In under a minute, I was a hanging corpse, completely absent of life.

All because I wanted to save a life.