AN: Sorry guys, it's a short chapter but it's putting some things in motion
"I need a drink." I sighed, dragging my feet across the dead grass.
"Me too." Ban agreed. It started raining heavily, only a moment after the clouds rolled in. Everyone started running to the Boar Hat, but I continued to drag along. What did my mother do? Who did she know? She brought destruction to the village and I can't find out why.
"Lenny!" Ban shouted. I felt him pick me up and throw me over his shoulder. God he was so tall. The ground seemed so far away from my dangling arms. He let me down the second we got inside. Hawk rolled around, laughing at our drenched clothes. "Jeez guys, I guess it was a good thing I decided to stay here!"
"Pork chili sounds great with this cold weather." Meliodas chirped, ignoring Hawk's protests. The pig rolled around in terror and squeals. I walked behind the bar and found myself pouring cup after cup of ale. Each time I tried to take a sip, a different sin would swing around and say "Where's mine?"
"She was having an affair." I said out loud. "Isn't it obvious?" I felt their eyes on me, full of pity and confirmation.
Meliodas sighed as he wiped his face with his sleeve. "Yeah, we had some suspicions. They just weren't strong enough to mention to you before."
"What do you mean?" I questioned, attempting to hide anger in my voice by softening my face. Ban shrugged, seemingly trying to avoid the conversation by hiding behind his cup. I stared him down like a puppy. Poor guy probably wished he could have finished one drink before answering questions. "Well I mean she was gone all the time because Bartra sent her somewhere…or so she said."
"I sensed something from her one night." Meliodas told me. Ban gritted his teeth nervously and shot him a look. "I need to g-"
"No, you stay." Meliodas grabbed Ban and forced him back onto the bar stool.
"Hey Diane! Let's go upstairs and…" Elizabeth trailed off. She whispered something in Diane's ear and they hurried up the stairs. They didn't want to be around for this conversation just as much as Ban.
"King, I need your assistance. I would like to design new outfits for the Boar Hat poster girls. I'm quite deter-"
"Let's go." King grabbed Gowthers shoulder and followed the other two up the stairs. I poured Ban another cup of liquid courage.
Meliodas stretched his arms before speaking. "It happened around the time Ban and King started babysitting you. There was a huge festival in Liones to celebrate the harvest. Your dad had a pretty big booth selling his baked goods, and your mom suddenly disappeared. He got so busy, he just couldn't handle watching you anymore, so King stepped in and took you." He paused, distracted by Hawk's sudden snores.
"Go on." I urged.
"After a while, we took you to the courtyard so you could play with Gilthunder and Elizabeth. Mostly, Ban just wanted to get drunk and didn't want to be at fault if something happened to you,"
Ban snorted. "Dickhead."
"Anyways, your mom came in looking for you not long after. She…looked like she had been crying. But, there was some kind of aura around her."
"What kind of aura?"
"It was a protective aura, but I could tell it wasn't from her."
Suddenly Gowther appeared from the stairs, wearing his usual blank expression and twiddling with the tendrils of his hair. "We need to leave. Now."
Ban snorted. "Really? What's got your-."
"Seriously, guys we have to go!" King interrupted, pink faced and distressed. I watched him point to the curtain covered window in terror. Medliodas and Ban raced over, shoving each other out of the way so they could get a good look. Before I got up to look, Meliodas was already shouting for Hawks mom, and the ground beneath me began to shake.
"Shit, what is it?" I said into the window next to Ban. I felt his warm breath on my cheek as I watched the fog of grey in the distance. The longer I looked, the more I could make out the dark outlines of their bodies. The ashen flesh melted off their faces, revealing broken bones and ripped tendons beneath. Their expressions were lifeless, but from the movements of their bodies, I could tell they were coming for us.
"We're out of here!" I heard Meliodas. Suddenly I was jolted and I heard a shatter. My body was flying, but saved by a tight grip around the wrist.
"God damn it! Lenny, hold on!" I heard Ban scream.
I kept my eyes shut so tight, fearing that the flowing liquid on my face was blood and not rain. The cold air wrapped around my body and squeezed. I couldn't breathe, even as Ban slowly pulled me back. His hands moved from my arms to my waist, holding so tight to keep me from falling.
"Board it up!" I heard through muffled ears. Nails were swiftly pounded into boards as I carefully opened my eyes, seeing Ban hovering over with a cloth in his hand. "Shit, there's a lot of glass."
"I can pick it out." Gowther assured.
"Oh my god, Lenny!" I heard a feminine voice say, but I wasn't sure if it was Elizabeth or Diane. I stared upwards, watching Ban and Gowther move around over me. That was when I felt the searing pain in my collarbone. Carefully, I raised my finger and felt a massive shard. It stretched across my chest.
"It's not that bad, babe. It's not that bad." Ban whispered fearfully. He was lying, and I could see it all over his face. Ban's red eyes were slits, filling with fear. I gasped for air and felt the tears streaming down my face.
I was going to die.