The Second Journal Pages
That was it. I was the leader. But my rise to power, was not welcomed. Warriors that were still loyal to my father, his wife who will no doubt speak against me and holds the location of my father's cache between her fingers, and his best friend who is a person with much respect in our tribe...they all must be dealt with. One by one.
If they will not give me their loyalty, or I cannot buy it from them...then death is the only way. While leaders cannot be replaced once they earn their place in power by winning the fight in the arena...they can always be killed by rebellious soldiers. It's happened before.
I know they will try it towards me...maybe not now, but definitely by the end of my reign. But I must take preparation just in case. If not to stop it from happening already, then to prevent it from happening in the near future.
People will look back on my period of power...they may not think I was a nice leader...
...But I'm the leader that this tribe needs to survive.
(the next pages detailed what happened afterwards)
Hank walked through the tribe's base, as if he was looking for someone.
"Have you seen Mary? I need to talk to her." Hank said to one of his fellow tribals, who had his attention towards sharpening his sword. He scraped the sharpening stone across the blade's edge over and over again.
"She's in your father's room...most likely mourning. Or laughing. I don't know how that whore truly felt about your father." He said. When Hank was about to walk up the stairs to go talk to her, the tribal got up. "Stop. Before you go to speak to her...me and a few friends would like to talk to you about...what you are claiming that you're going to do." He said.
Hank sighed, and turned back around. There were several of them, and they were all behind the tribal who was sharpening his sword.
"We were your father's best warriors...we fought by his honor. What you have been talking about doing with his tribe...our tribe...it would shame your father's honor while his ashes are still warm..." He said. He was the main rebel of the group.
"We won't allow it. We cannot get a new leader, but we can always kill the newly placed one, so the event has to be redid, so a new better candidate would win power." One of the other rebel tribals said.
"I am sorry, that I have put the impression of shaming my father's honor into your minds..." Hank said, taking a few steps back towards them.
"Please. We all know that you aren't sincere when you say that." The third rebel said.
"No shit. But if I can't get you to get past your anger towards me...then I'll just have to blank your minds. Death." Hank said.
They all exchanged looks with each other, and then laughed.
"Now, not only have you shamed your father, but you've insulted all of us by claiming that you'd be able of defeating any one of us. We are the best warriors your father had. We are many, you are but one inferior spoiled whelp. You really think you can kill all of us?" The main rebel asked. Hank scanned them, quickly before they acted. There were five of them...obviously not all of them, but if you kill the ringleaders, the others will lose hope, and eventually disband, and if they don't, they'll just meet the same fate. They were all wearing the armor that most of the elite soldiers wore. It was part metal armor, but you could still see some leather in spots. It had spikes as well.
"I don't think I can. I am." Hank said. He pulled the spear off of his back, and threw it right through one of them. He fell to the ground, dead, and with a spear right through his torso. He grabbed his knife from his pocket, and ran right for the main rebel. He ran the knife across his neck in one quick motion, slitting his throat easily. He then threw the knife right into the third rebel's face, killing him.
"Jesus Christ. What type of leader slaughters his own warriors for doubt?" One of the remaining rebels asked.
"The strong kind. One that isn't weak." Hank said.
"Your father wasn't weak!" The other remaining rebel yelled.
"He wasn't weak? Then why did he die? Maybe if you use your brain and think, you'll see it my way. He allowed his own killers walk through our land, and even went to greet them. He allowed them to kill himself. A fitting end, to a bad leader. As now our tribe is shrinking, and we are on the verge of collapse. A rebellion, isn't what this tribe needs. What it needs, is a strong, and heartless leader. By the time I am dead, the tribe won't like me...but it'll be the strongest." Hank said.
"Mercy isn't weakness!" One of them said. The other followed up by yelling, "You will be dead by your own tribe's hand!"
"I give you a choice. An act of mercy, if that's really what you want. You can rebel, and you'll end up like your friends on the floor and not only that, your families will end up like this too. Or, you can swear your loyalty to me forever. But know this...if you turn on me again, I won't even give your families a quick death. No, they will be given pain for the rest of their lives, or until I allow them to rip each other apart. Survival, is a nasty thing. When forced, even a family could turn on each other for it." Hank said.
"You're...you're a monster. One day, you'll regret this. You'll regret everything!" One of the rebels screamed.
"Which one is it going to be? Life, or death?" Hank asked.
"...I swear, my loyalty." One of them said, with rage in their voice.
"You...you would swear to follow him?" The other rebel said, outraged.
"I cannot let my family suffer for the actions of myself...I...I'll hate myself till my death because of this, but I have to." The surrendered rebel said.
"You...you're...right. I cannot let my wife and my daughter suffer, after this asshole kills me because of my words. I...I swear...loyalty to you." The second one said, surrendering.
"Good. All I would ask of you, is obedience. You already gave your loyalty...at least, I hope. For you and your families' sake." Hank said.
Hank grabbed his spear out of the dead rebel, and walked up the stairs. There was a black haired woman, sitting in his father's room, reading a book.
"Ah...Hank. I heard about your rise to power..." She laughed.
"Save it. The cache. I know my father told you where it was. I need it." Hank said.
"Straight to the point...just like your father...I'll give you it, on one condition. You have to do what your father always used to do." She laughed.
Hank had already knew what she was talking about. She was demented if she was thinking he was going to do that, with her.
"I'm not." Hank said.
"I'm not your mother." She said.
"And that makes it better in any way? Look, I'll do...that, if you tell me the location of that cache." Hank said.
"Hmm...okay. It's hidden away in a secret room of the cave that your father always used to speak of. I don't remember the name-" Hank interrupted her almost immediately.
"Of course he would hide it there. I already know the location of the cave." Hank said, about to walk away.
"Wait. What about what you said?" She said.
"I'm sorry, I don't sleep with trash that my father scavenged out of some dumpster in pre-war ruins." Hank said.
"You...you tricked me!" She said.
"Which is a nod to the low level of pre-war trash's intellect because you actually believed me." Hank said.
"I'll...I'll get them to take you down, you lying asshole!" She yelled, angry.
"Right. Everyone knows that you were just my father's plaything. Nothing more. Not to mention I just killed three of my father's elite soldiers who didn't care for me, so one lump of talking pre-war trash isn't going to affect my standing in the tribe." Hank said, about to walk down the stairs. A knife flew right through the air, and it ended up slightly cutting Hank's right side of his face. It landed on one of the bottom stairs. Hank turned around, and there was a deep line of blood, now on his face.
"Not only are you not smart, pre-war trash, but you have bad aim. I, however, have good aim." Hank said, pulling the spear off of his back, and launching it right for Mary, the widow of his father. The spear went right through her torso, killing her instantly.
He grabbed his spear, and walked down the stairs, not even looking back at her still warm corpse.
The dead bodies from earlier had attracted attention to one of his father's most loyal supporter, his best friend. He had no hair, and he wore the same type armor that the elite soldiers did.
"These...these were good men. They would have died for your father, and you killed them." He said.
"Well...they just died, and my father has been dead for days. Sounds like to me that they were failures. Though, I suppose they did die for his ghost. His memory, which...means nothing now." Hank said.
"They opposed you, but they would have eventually listened to reason if you had earned their respect!" He yelled.
"...You knew that they opposed me? Let me guess...you hoped that they would succeed." Hank said.
"What are you going to do? Kill anyone who opposes you? Take on the other tribes? Attempt to take the whole state? Fight EVERYBODY?" He yelled.
"...Those who are too stubborn to see past their resentment of me, and the weak, will be the only ones I kill in my own tribe. The other tribes can be allowed to exist, but they will not have power over us. The state, will eventually be ours, once I make this tribe strong enough to take it. And if everybody wants to fight me...then they can. I never told these soldiers that they weren't allowed to rebel against me. They challenged me, so I challenged them back, and I killed them. The two that I spared for their loyalty, I never said they can't not dislike me, or resent me...but if they stand in my way? They'll be broken, and thrown in the same pit these men, and that bitch up there will." Hank said. "You know me, you know when I say I can make this tribe strong, it's true. Will you side with me, or will you end up like them? Too stubborn to get a long with the change that the tides of death bring?" Hank asked.
"...I will side with you, when you show that you're worthy of leading. Just belief isn't good enough. Blind faith, will get us nowhere." He said.
"...Good, we agree on something. I will be back...I'm going to get my father's cache he left for the leader after him." Hank said, about to walk towards the door of the base.
"...alone?" He asked.
"Yes...you can consider it, a pilgrimage to start my rule. See you later, Jero." Hank said, walking away.
End of The Second Journal Pages
Another chapter wrote, and posted. Deeper into Hank's past. Obviously...not that much of a friendly leader.
Also, ironically, the word count of ANDoM after the last chapter was 21,666 words.
Funny, that.
Adios, and review if you want to. God knows I won't stop ya. Criticism is always welcomed, if it isn't obviously and blatantly disguised as an insult. Not...that any of you would do such a thing. At least, hope not.
~TGG333