Way into madness

Join or die

'As much as I care for you Kane. You're like the father that I never had. This also applies to you. You are Wonkru. Or you're the enemy of Wonkru.' Octavia says calmly.

'Choose.' People are gathering around the two by now. Watching - some in excitement and curiosity, some in fear and some in boredom - wondering about what's going to happen next. Of what the new commander will do when she's being disobeyed. If she will really kill her father figure to prove her point.

'I believe I already have.' Kane says and fixes his posture, standing tall and looking Octavia to the eye. Octavia reaches for her sword that's lying firmly in its case against her back. She fixes her posture straightening her back, standing tall, staring Kane back into his brown eyes. When she pulls the sword out, people around them cry out, backing away from her. She looks around her to the large crowd of people - her people. She sees some people backing further away while some clearly side up with Kane and a couple even pull out weapons of their own. 

'You don't belong here! You were born Skaikru! Now shall you die as one.' A brunette grounder warrior in the crowd calls out loudly stepping forward. 

'Death to the Skygirl!' Another grounder yells. Octavia feels her heart pumping - adrenalin bursting through her veins.  In the crowd, she can see Indra's worried face, but she gives her a commanding look. She has to do this herself. 

'You're right. I was born Skaikru. They are my people.' Octavia's voice echoes in the dark hallway. 

'But so are you. All of you! We are Wonkru. And that includes all the thirteen clans.' She finishes looking at the grounder warrior to the eye. She's tall, taller than her. Brown wavy hair, pretty as a picture. Her name is Lari. Many people hate the name and pick on her for it, but O thinks it's badass. She's carrying a sword in her hand and a knife hanging by her belt. 

She suddenly, out of nowhere, attacks Octavia with her sword, trying to stab her in the chest. Octavia quickly lifts her sword up to meet hers and bends down to avoid her next swing. In the corner of her eye, she can see a tall man approaching her with a battle ax. It all happens in a matter of seconds and she doesn't have time to think. She quickly defeats Lari's swings and thrusts her sword through the other girl's stomach, grabbing the knife hanging on her belt and throwing it in the approaching warrior's chest. The man falls down to the floor and passes within seconds. 

She pulls the sword out and watches as Lari's body drops on the floor. Her brain turns off and her battle mode switches on. It all becomes fuzzy and all she can hear is the rumple of screams around her as she fixes her posture.

'You are Wonkru.' She starts pointing at the crowd with her blood dripping sword. 

'Or you are the enemy of Wonkru.' She looks in the eye of a man in front of her. She knows him. He's a Trikru. The man's eyes sharpen as he attacks her. She tackles a few hits, bends down as she avoids the sharp blade of his sword, grabs his left ankle and knocks him down on the floor. She walks above him and looks down at his hazel brown eyes. 

'Choose.' She phrases out and holds her left arm out to him in order to help him up. The man grabs her hand but instead of getting up, he shifts quickly, trying to cut into her leg. She kicks him, stares at him for half a second - even though it feels like much, much longer - and stabs her sword through his chest, the blood bursting onto her feet. 

She feels dizzy, the world feels like it's spinning. It's all blurry and fuzzy. She looks into the crowd, but she can't look at anyone specifically. She closes her eyes and inhales sharply, opens her eyes and the pain, hate, anger. It all can be seen as flames in her eyes. 

'You are Wonkru. Or you are the enemy of Wonkru. Choose.' She says raising her voice at the end of each word. A girl attacks her with a staff, but again Octavia is quicker. She grabs the shaft of the weapon and rips it from the girl with one quick movement. She sees two men approaching her, one from her left side, one from the right side, both trying to hit her with their swords. The battle sounds and screams fill the room once again.

Octavia defends herself with her sword from the other man as she bends down avoiding the other ones hit. She throws the staff into the girl's head and she drops dead on the floor, at the same time avoiding the two swords in her both sides. She grabs a knife from her pocket, throws it at a woman who's joining the fight and makes a quick 360 ° swirl, her sword slicing trough both of the mans' stomachs. 

She stills, her hands spread and she's breathing heavily. She slowly turns to face Kane. 

'You are Wonkru.' She says slowly, her voice lower than usual.

'Or you are the enemy of Wonkru.' She stares into his eyes for a moment then pointing at him with her sword, a knife in the other hand, that's reaching the other way in case someone was to attack from behind, she could quickly thrust the knife into their face. 

'Choose.' She breathes out heavily, feeling like she could fall down. The smell of blood and death makes her feel sick. 

Kane drops the battle ax from his hand and kneels down in front of Octavia, the red-blooded commander of Wonkru. Octavia looks around pointing her sword at the people in the room. 

'Choose.' She echoes herself staring at the crowd. It doesn't take long until they all bow down before her and put down their weapons. Octavia looks around and the knowledge that she can settle down, that they all stood down and kneeled before her, that she doesn't have to kill any more of them - at least for now - it makes her feel relieved, dizzy, tears dropping on her blood-covered cheeks.

There's blood floating on the floor, her face is covered in it, her hair is sticky with blood, black strands of hair stuck on her cheeks, her body stained with blood, that's mostly from the 7 people that just dropped dead by her blade, partly her own. Her own, red blood.

She hangs the knife on her belt and the sword back in its case. It's over. Finally.