Ghost Du Hongmo

The Death Of The Innocent Du Hongmo

Du Hongmo stood ankle deep in blood as the pile of corpse laid out in front of her house.  She had left early that morning to go hunting for her family in preparation for winter.  She had left early in the morning, before the sun had risen and was able to kill a young buck.  Hefting the buck onto her horse, Wisdom, Hongmo walked home quickly as the sun began to set.  

Upon seeing the smoke come from her village, she runs towards the village where her friends and family would be.  In the burning chaos, in front of her house, laid a pile of dead friends, neighbors and family.  Hongmo dug into the pile of corpses and tried to pull her foster mother out from under the bodies.  Tears run down her face as the horror of their dead bodies haunt her.  

Her panic stricken state of mind didn't pay attention to her surroundings as the group of soldiers walked behind her.  A set of familiar arms wrap around her, bringing her close to his body, pulling her away from her mother's lifeless body.  

"Hongmo."  He shouted into her ear, bringing her back to the present.  

"Vladis!"  Hongmo cried out as she turned into his embrace.  "They're all dead."  

Vladis carried her out of the burning village and into the forest.  

"My parents!"  She cried as she tried to fight his hold off of her.  

"They're dead!  They're all dead!"  She cried again. "How! How did it come to this!  Who would hurt them?  We're nothing but farmers!  We have nothing valuable!" 

Vladis held on to her tightly as he confessed his sins.  

"We killed them.  And we're the ones who burned the village down."  

"What!"  Hongmo shouted as she tried to pull away from him.  

The dark forest became darker as the sun began to set, a sliver of light could hardly be seen as Hongmo tried to free herself from the man she fell in love with. 

"I'm not who you think I am."  Vladis admitted.  "I'll tell you the truth since this will be your last moments alive."  

Vladis caressed her cheek as tears fall down her eyes.  And fear grip onto her heart, freezing her in his arms.  

"My name is Vladis.  That parts true.  But everything else about me is false.  I'm not some poor traveler who's on an adventure.  I'm an elite soldier from Bido Kingdom.  My mission is my business, but to accomplish it, I used you as a cover.  Every word I told you was a lie and now that my mission is complete, there will be no traces of our presence here. Your death is a means to an end."  Vladis tells her.  "Don't blame me for your death, it's just business."  

"No!!!  You MONSTER!" Hongmo shouted as she tried to fight back.  Her arms swung wildly at his chest.  

Vladis slaps her face before ripping her clothes off of her and throws  her down to the ground.  Her legs and arms were pried apart and held down with the help of the other soldiers who stood by laughing at her as she cried out for help.  She felt her world rip apart as he forces himself inside of her.  Ripping her innocence away from her.    

Hongmo's cries for help are unanswered as one man after another takes their turn on top of her.  Her eyes gazes into the sky as she pleads with the Gods to help her.  To make them stop. To take the pain away. To take her life.  

Once they finish, Vladis spits on her glaze-over face and sticks his sword straight through her stomach.  Blood seeps out of her as her still body doesn't even move as he pulls the sword out of her.  

"Lets go."  Vladis said as he wipes his sword clean.  

"She's not dead yet."  Another soldier said.  

"She will die.  There's no one here to save her.  How will she live?"  Vladis said as he kicked the limp body.  "See, she won't cause us trouble."  

"She's dying, not dead."  The same soldier said unwilling to leave until the girl was truly dead.  

"And I'm the Captain here, not you!  So I'll remind you to shut your mouth and remember your place when I didn't ask for your advice!"  Vladis shouted as he punched the soldier.  "Move out!"

Vladis kicked Hongmo once more before leaving.  He and the soldiers completed their scouting mission and was able to get the sensitive information needed for the boarder skirmish between Yukah Kingdom and Bido Kingdom.  Once he reports his findings, he would be up for a promotion.  

All Hongmo was to him was a cover for him while he investigated the small army stationed two villages over.  He told her pretty lies to win her trust and love.  And while he lusted after her, he had no intentions of marrying her.  Her soft, silky red hair that attracted to him in the first place.  Her deep blue eyes that yearned for attention and love believed all his lies.  Her smooth sun-kissed skin, to her kissable pink lips, to her calloused hands, attracted him greatly.   Her easily trusting nature was her down fall. 

Hongmo laid on her side in pain.  Her mind lost within itself.  Her prayers never answered as she watched her village burn into ashes.  Her eyes closed, ready to accept the death that fluttered withing the edges of her grasp.  

Hongmo heard a soft womanly laugh from behind her.  The laughter came closer and closer as a light wind surrounded her.  

"The world never wanted you. You have a cursed fate. The world brought you into this world unwanted and now the world wants to throw you away without even a chance to fight for yourself." The Goryo whispered into her ear. "Meeting me is your fate bringing us together. Du Hongmo, do you know what your name means? It means Poison Iris. And before I became a Goryo, I was a poison expert. I'll impart on to you my knowledge so you'll have a fighting chance in this cursed world. And in return, you'll feed me the souls of those you killed." 

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New Story!  Its a slow start for now and it will pick up soon.  Please remember and forgive me for any grammar mistakes, I will be going back to edit the chapters when I can.  Thanks again for all the love and support! -ptd