Heroes

I Will Not Be A Coward

 "Run!" yell Natasha.

"What do you think I'm doing?" I shout back.

I leap over a log and slide abruptly backwards on a heavy carpet of green moss. Winded, but determined, I push myself back to my feet and ignore the throbbing pain in my chest. I dart after Natasha, my feet pounding against the floor and sending waves of vibrations crawling up my legs.

Natasha, Avery and I were being chased by an angry Anarin. Now an Anarin alone is something to be concerned about, but an angry anarin? Heck, we didn't stand a chance. Nevertheless, I still couldn't shake the feeling that we should fight this thing. It didn't feel right to simply run away. If there was one thing I didn't want, it was to be considered a coward. "Shouldn't we fight this thing?"

"Are you crazy?" Natasha squeaks. She and Avery show no sign of stopping. Although almost every part of me wants to continue running, I stop, and slowly turn towards the approaching fiend. Every cell in my body screams at me to run, but I refuse.

I won't be a coward. I tell myself for the hundredth time. I curl my fingers around the hilt of my sword. I inhale deeply, close my eyes and focus on the sword. "Relax." I mutter to myself. I don't know if I expected a sudden wave of energy to hit me, like in the old superhero movies where they grasp their magical weapon and are hit by newfound energy. Regardless of this fantasy, I was still just as shaky as before: I was surprised I hadn't dropped my sword, to be quite honest.

"Justin, what are you doing?" Avery cries.

"Uh...I'm gonna fight it," I choke out.

A roar of rage echoes throughout the surrounding woods and the ground vibrates beneath the heavy footsteps of the Anarin, growing closer by the second - oh crud.

"Not without me you aren't!" Avery darts back to me.

"You're gonna get yourself killed!" I warn.

"Yeah...well. I'm not about to leave you to do this on your own," He unsheathed his sword.

"What are you doing?!?" Natasha yells, her voice cracking in fear.

The Anarin crashes through the trees before us. The first thing I notice is his height; he was at least 12 feet tall. The second thing I notice is the large mace that he grips and the curved knife that rests in his belt. Warts and scars cover his hairy body. His potato-shaped head had 2 eyes, one being covered by an eye patch - thick, red scars snake out from beneath it. The other eye, a jet black shade; the whites of his eye are nearly invisible as they appear to be covered with multiple popping blood vessels. A single tooth hangs from his mouth and puss and blood oozes from the cracks of his upper lip. His body was clothed only with a loincloth.

Beside me, I could hear Avery's teeth chattering. From the corner of my eye I could see his sword shaking in his hand, "Avery, don't let your fear control you. We can do this." I don't know why I said that, I hardly believed it myself.

A toothless grin spread across the Anarin's face when he saw Avery and I standing in protest. "Prepare to die!" He shouts in a hoarse voice.

"Well, don't be disappointed when we don't!" Hopefully he couldn't sense the fact I was nearly passing out from fear.

The Anarin laughs at my statement, "You cannot beat me, no one can."

I swallow the lump in my throat and try to refocus on the reason I was here in the first place...I had a mission, and I was willing to die trying to achieve it. Dropping on the ground and rolling between the Anarin's legs, I begin to hack at the back of his calves. I was told that Anarins had thick skin, but it still surprised me when my blade barely punctured his skin. The monster laughs at my attempt and swings around, his mace coming dangerously close to decapitating me. I veer to the side in the nick of time. The Anarin roars and swing his mace towards me once more.