The balancing point Chapter 1
Each step I took was precise and calculated. Even after being on this island for so long, I still was not used to being hunted by large animals and eaten by insects. I couldn't let anything distract me right now. Not with the task that I had been given by Citra. I had been told that I could finally get revenge against the man who kidnapped my friends and me. Finally I could kill the man who had taken my brother, Grant, away from me. A boiling rage like adrenaline was coursing through my veins like a volcano. It pushed me forward, past the thick jungle, along the dirt road, into the pirate camp where my foe awaited me. Even though most of the men where in celebration over my 'death'. I knew that Vaas would be waiting for me. He always seemed to know when and where I was. Calculating my advances and making his move to counter me.
It was a never ending game of chess between us. I would run and he would give chase, lazily firing bullets into the air. Vaas would catch me and I would struggle. He would monologue and taunt and I would yell and swear. But when the tables turned and I went chasing him, he did the opposite of what I thought he would do. The pirate didn't even attempt to hide from me. Maybe that's why I was so mad. I knew he was insane, but even a crazy person knows when to fear death. Now he's just sitting in his main camp, probably out in the open, getting drunk from 'killing me'. Maybe lady luck will finally smile at me and let this be quick. Maybe I'll catch him passed out and I can end his rule swiftly and silently.
"Peek a boo, mother fucker."
I should have known better then to think killing Vaas would be easy. I should have known that he would be waiting for me when I made my way to his shack. I should have known that he would get the drop on me. But I didn't. One minute, I was poised to gut that bastard and the next; I had a blade protruding out of my chest. The dagger was buried deep in my shoulder causing my whole left side to become numb with pain. Luckily my anger overpowered my embarrassment otherwise I would have berated myself on how foolish I was. Gritting my teeth in anticipation, I gripped the weapon tightly and with a swift tug, removed the blade from my torso. The dagger made a wet sound as it came out leaving a large gaping wound in my shoulder. It really fucking hurt. Holding the blade up in examination, I was surprised to find myself gripping nothing but thin air. Wait what?
The weapon had suddenly just disappeared. Now I wasn't an expert on ancient looking blades but even I knew that they didn't just go 'poof' and vanish. Looking down in case I dropped it proved to be a bad idea as an overwhelming feeling of vertigo took hold of my senses. I almost dropped me to my knees right there from my light headedness. Whoa, what the hell was happening to me? The large shotgun I had been carrying had slipped from my fingers, disappearing from view. It seemed to disappear just like the dagger did earlier. I wasn't given the chance to question this as thinking just seemed to make the room spin. Where was Vaas? Dammit, did it matter? I was practically bleeding out and I didn't even get to fire off one shot. Is this how it's going to end?
The small fragments of lights around the shack slowly dimmed until I had to squint my eyes to be able to focus on anything. Colors faded and bled into one, making it hard to differentiate what was what. Pain formed in my head almost like a construction crew was jack hammering my brain. The buzzing was driving me crazy, insane even. It was ironic how I could fight through deadly animals and pirates and stay sane but one bad migraine had me wanting to shoot myself.
Suddenly I was falling. It felt like my body was being pulled through the floor, piercing the surface as if it was water. The only difference was that the water was boiling hot almost like I had fallen into a pit of lava. The oxygen was forced out of my lung and I felt myself taking shallow breaths just to keep myself from overheating. The pain soon faded however and I felt myself being lulled to sleep by the vertigo. My eyes rolled back into my skull and I was surrounded but nothing but an endless void of black.
"Jason, Jason, Jason… did you really think for a second that you were going to win? Amigo, I've been in this game a lot longer then you realize."
Kneeling down before the wounded man, Vaas clicked his tongue in amusement. He gripped a handful of the American's brown locks and lifted his head so he could get a better look at his face. The tribal blade was lying forgotten beside him coated in blood. The pirate picked it up with his free hand and pressed the flat slide against the crook of Jason's neck. Vaas gave the young man a critical once over. Covered in sweat and dirt, Jason's eyes were scrunched up in pain. Whether it was from the initial wound or the drugs didn't matter, the results were both the same. The blade had left quite the deep gouge on his shoulder that was slowly bleeding out. The crimson liquid was covering his neck and head in a halo of crimson. He would die if he didn't get any help and Vaas knew this. He had planned this after all. To finally cut the throat of the one problem he'd been having on the island. The drugged blade was just an afterthought. If the wound doesn't kill him at least the drugs will screw with his mind. After all, he had technically killed the 'warrior' numerous times and yet he still lived. But now, victory over the American was assured. He had won and he had all the right to gloat.
"You think that you are a warrior? You think that carrying a gun and being marked by the tribe makes you like me? I rule this fucking kingdom, Jason. And you? You are nothing but an infant. A child."
Vaas released his hold on the unconscious man and held his hand out in front of him, like he was cradling a baby. Laughing at his own joke, the crazed pirate watched Jason's pained expression crucially. Yes, this was a moment to enjoy. The American had been a thorn in his side for a while and watching him squirm in obvious agony was worth every second of waiting.