Thanks to .number.12 for following my content, I appreciate it.
I'll give a warning here before we start; again, I know this story is already rated M for Horror, but this chapter has some pretty bad levels of violence in it. Just be cautioned. I like to try giving these warnings as much as I can so that people enjoy what they like and avoid what makes them uncomfortable.
Anyway, chapter 4. Enjoy.
Ludwig's training didn't seem to get any more unusual than that day with the skulls. It was often very exhausting training, but he knew he was getting used to it. So far he'd learned a lot of basic combat, maneuvering, and his stamina had increased. It was at the cost of lots of bruises, but Ludwig wasn't too unfamiliar with getting a beating now and then. Not to mention Anselma had secretly placed a first-aid kit in his room to help him.
He got up at six-o'clock sharp, the scheduled time for training. He put his uniform on and went outside immediately. Ludwig learned to adapt to having no breakfast rather quickly. Nations don't necessarily need to eat, and Viktor seemed to be exploiting this as much as possible. Just dinner was all he was given.
Dinner of a chosen vegetable with water…
"At least I only have to be here for a year. I can take a year." He thought, approaching Viktor and kneeling.
"Guten Tag, Commander."
"Good morning, Ludwig. Today's training will be a little different."
Ludwig felt anxiousness seeping out from the corners of his mind.
"I will be right back, Ludwig. Stay here please."
"What is he doing? What does he plan to do?" His mind raced.
He forced himself to stay calm as he blocked the questions out of his mind.
He came walking back, but Ludwig's eyes narrowed as he heard three feet.
The other foot was struggling, and he could hear frightened gasps.
"Ludwig, lift your head." He orders.
"Yes si-"
Ludwig froze.
A young girl in rags, 12 years old at most, was being held by the wrist and gagged.
And Viktor had her at gunpoint.
"Sir-"
"This girl has a problem with her leg. She was flawed from birth." He said in a casual tone.
Ludwig's eyes darted down towards the artificial, metal limb, quickly looking back to Viktor.
"Her disability weighs down the society she lives in, costing the hard working, healthy people their earned livings."
Ludwig's eyes narrowed at Viktor nervously, not understanding where he was going with this.
"In order for the society to thrive, we must eliminate the weak links."
"No no, sir, don't do this…"
The girl's eyes shut tight and she squirmed in his arms, terrified at Viktor's strong grip.
"Kill her."
Ludwig stayed silent for a moment.
"What?"
"Focus on your target and method."
"Sir, I fail to understand what you expect me to do here." Ludwig said, keeping his tone calm and urgent, trying hard not to raise his voice.
"Nations… they have a power… one that allows them to pick out the weaker, liabilities of their populations and destroy them."
Ludwig only stared, having a slightly defensive look on his face.
"Focus on her and kill her."
"Sir, she hasn't committed any-"
"Do it!" He hissed.
Ludwig saw the girl stare at him with pleading blue eyes, mirroring his own, and he felt his heart sink.
His eyes narrowed at Viktor, and Ludwig felt himself reaching for his combat knife and he approached the girl.
She gave a muffled cry as she tried to squirm away.
"Good, Ludwig." Viktor praised.
Ludwig focused on the girl's pleading eyes, noticing every detail of her irises, her scared expression, and how all they seemed to ask of him was to let her live-
Immediately, the blonde slashed Viktor's arm, and Ludwig elbowed his shoulder, causing him to drop the girl. She fell on the ground, and attempted to drag herself away, unable to walk without her prosthetic.
Viktor wrestled with his student, the 17 year old swiftly attempting to disarm him, and then holding him in a full nelson.
"Run!" Ludwig yelled to her in a desperate tone, as she could only continue to crawl. "Run! Please… please, please…"
Ludwig hopelessly stared at her, knowing she couldn't run too far.
But he kept his master in check, hoping, praying that she would get to safety.
Viktor gritted his teeth angrily at his student's actions, as he pulled at Ludwig's fingers, unhinging them from his grasp. He pulled at Ludwig's arm and painfully held it behind his back as he kicked him to the ground, dislocating it from his shoulder.
Ludwig gave a choked cry as he lay there fallen to the floor.
He struggled to get up, desperately straining his arm, I have to get up, she's-
A gunshot cracked through the air.
Ludwig's heart stopped and his eyes widened.
His world went silent and he felt as if his time stopped as he looked at the girl with a red wound blooming out of her back.
Tiny droplets of water started to fall from the sky, raining down on her corpse, wetting her brown hair and mixing with the tears on her face…
Her pale blue eyes wide with terror.
No… No, please…
His reality shattered as his master held him up by his collar.
"What did you think you were doing…" He growled at the boy.
Ludwig's eyes narrowed angrily at his master, and he didn't respond to the question.
"Did you think you were going to save her? She deserved to be saved, like an angel, did she?!"
Ludwig's features sharpened on his face, and he ripped out of his master's hold, only to be kicked to the ground again.
He grabbed Ludwig's chin and yanked it upwards to face him.
"Your actions would never create a proper country. Such behaviour will not be tolerated here. Understood?" He hissed.
Ludwig still didn't answer him.
"Fine." He growled, throwing him into the mud. "We have ways of dealing with insubordination here. Take off your jacket."
Ludwig was still unwilling.
"It would be nice if someone would actually do things themselves here."
He seized Ludwig's hair and ripped his uniform jacket and shirt off, throwing them into the mud, leaving him with only his undershirt.
Viktor unsheathes his knife, grabs the wrist of Ludwig's good arm, and turned him around so he could face his back.
Ludwig's eyes widen, realizing what his master planned to do with the knife.
Viktor digs the sharp, thick blade into the center of his back and makes sure to pull it very slowly into a horizontal cut.
He let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"You think this is some 'save the innocent game?' No! You have to show the rest of them how strong you are and if you want to do that, no weakness can be tolerated!" He yelled.
Ludwig clenched his teeth in frustration.
"You are weak and you are going to stay that way if you don't realize that."
He finally pulls the knife out of the blonde's back and pushes him into the mud.
He walked away, shaking his head sadly.
Ludwig lay there in that spot, letting the rain sting the gash on his back, exhausted and frustrated with his own failure.
But then he remembered the girl's corpse, her body lying there in the rain.
He brought himself to his feet and ran towards the girl on the ground, sliding onto his knees next to her.
His stomach immediately lurched at the sight.
He picked her up and looked at her frozen blue eyes, damp with rain and tears. He took off his gloves and wiped them away and brought his hand up to close her eyes, not realizing his how his hand shook.
How pathetic…
She was right in front of you…
He's right…
You are weak.
"Ludwig!"
Petra was running out to where he was, holding bandages and an umbrella.
But Ludwig's eyes were locked on the little girl.
"Ludwig, thank goodness." She held the umbrella over the two of them as she pulled out the bandages. "I heard you scream from the clinic and-" She gasped as she saw the little girl in his arms.
"D-did he…"
He looked up at her and slowly nodded his head.
Suddenly Petra's face changed, and Ludwig never thought he saw her look so sad.
"Ludwig…"
She kneeled down next to him and held his head in her hands, startling Ludwig as she brushed something off his face…
Ludwig didn't realize he had been crying.
Petra wrapped her arms around the injured boy, but he felt something snap in his heart when he felt her kind arms enveloping him.
He winced at the comfort, pushing her away, and he shielded his face with his hand, his head down.
Petra stayed silent for a few seconds.
"It's not your fault Ludwig."
But Ludwig completely disregarded her, feeling a weight dragging him down.
"Right." Ludwig said blankly.
"Come on then. We need to get that cut treated."
She held her hand out to him.
"Wait."
"What is it?"
Ludwig looked back at the girl.
"Can we… Can we bury her?"
She looked back to the clinic, then at him again.
"If we hurry."
He nodded and she helped him up.
"Thank you, Petra."
"Don't mention it."
"I was wrong.
I'll be lucky if I survive another day here."