𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 -𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖

☘︎︎ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧

𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑠

Khadijah avoided every person kneeling on the ground, begging or lightly tugging on her pants as they moaned for food, begging for change. She ignored their desperate glances, bottom lip caught between her teeth as she stormed the streets of the 'dirtiest' place in Balbadd; coming from a kingdom, it was natural they'd have a higher quantity of the poor-but her expectations were surpassed.

"Pl..ease, d-do you have food?"

Continuing to walk, Khadijah flickered her gaze through the adults and children. they all resembled skeletons, cheeks sunken in as their bones showed through the skin. However, when she came across a home filled with children and women, Khadijah stepped inside, gagging at the smell of decay.

Whether this was a hospital, morgue or an orphanage, Khadijah could only tear her eyes away from the corpses in the corner with the wailing mass of children. She turned over to the women who were glaring, hate and envy etched into their eyes as they continued to sneer at her. "If you think i'm one of those bastards, then you're wrong." She snapped her mask off. "Khadijah Bhaad. Who's your leader?"

"Why do you wanna know?" An elder, perhaps the oldest in the group, looked her up and down. Khadijah ignored the blatant disrespect, ignored the anger in her when they continued to exhibit such behavior. "We heard of you, violet eyes. You're the one who killed-"

"I'll cut off your tongue if you continue that rumor." Khadijah's eyes glowed within the dark room. The sun had long since gone down and the roof that was nonexistent, boarded with rotten blanks of wood, provided not a speck of light. "I'm just a girl who survived the arsonist who destroyed my village," she gave her a tight smile. "Now tell me, who's in charge of taking care of you all?"

"Why." The woman sat up from her seat, stepping up to Khadijah as she growled in anger. Noses barely apart as she spoke. "Do you want to know?"

Snapping her hand over to her throat, Khadijah proceeded to drag the struggling woman out to the streets, throwing her on the ground. Before she could've moved to soothe the sudden attack, Khadijah placed her foot on the woman's throat, pressing down on it as she glanced around the clearing. "It's funny. We come from the same origins as mere worms on the streets, yet it seems im the only one who prances around with their head held high." Jumping away from the attack, Khadijah smiled at the look in the woman's eye; it was full of anger and determination, the dagger she held was in rusted condition yet her grip never shook. "I don't take to kindly to those who show me disrespect."

"D- disrespect?" the woman, who was now clutching her throat and coughing, stammered out her response. "they.. they're the only ones who take care of us.. you understand us worms, no one cares for us. the troupe are the only ones who care for us who have NOTHING! you should know why no one would suddenly answer a nobody who comes asking for them!"

khadijah deadpanned, taking notice of another woman approaching her from behind. with a small grunt, her right leg had stretched out behind her, eyes wide before slamming it down once she noticed the babe hanging off her shoulders.

"we smell it on you! you have food!" the mother clutched the small dagger in her hand, holding her baby close to her as she continued screaming obscenities.

"you motherfucker!" alicia snapped her eyes over to the boys hiding behind the trashcans before locking eyes with a businessman who held out a load of chinese takeout. he wanted her to beg for it before he gave it to her. "you scrawny piece of shit loser! this is why your wife hates you! why your child loathes you! you're a good for nothing BANK! believe me when i say when you'll die, no one will remember your sorry ass."

"at least i have money," he chuckled, kicking her down. "i don't care about my family. they're there to uphold my reputation. they can go fuck themselves though, being nuisances and gobbling up my hard-earned money." his mouth curled up into a grin, rubbing off the nonexistent dirt off his shoulder pads. "everyone will remember me. but who cares about the homeless orphans on the street? NO ONE!"

alicia montgomery, with her unfocused eyes and the pain swirling around her chest, punched the bastard in the groin before grabbing the food as he fell onto his knees. without a missed beat, she quickly tossed the food to the boys before slamming her head against the mans chin, running away when he began to scream for help.

"the group behind you," khadijah mumbled, gritting her teeth. "where are you planning to go? or do you carry weapons around everywhere and spread killing-intent?"

"wh-what?"

"i'm asking what piggy we're going to skin tonight."

"-!"

(ง'̀-'́)ง

khadijah wrapped her arm around the woman who still held onto her child, jumping back from masrur's tree attack. whistling at the sheer prowess he showed off, khadijah used her free arm to point to the tall man.

"i'm going to kiss you later!"

"khadijah no-"

hearing some bastard shout about 'useless guards,' khadijah snapped her eyes over to the bastard peering out of his window, his arm around two women as he waved around a chicken leg. from the corner of her eye, she watched the woman glance down to her babe, immediately falling to her knees as she begged for his food. he cackled at their misery -the others following the woman's actions- as he took a bite from his food. "you're all so disgusting to look at," he sneered down at them, waving the luxury in his hand. "here. take it and leave it, you're all an eyesore."

when he'd taken an unnecessary huge bite, khadijah grew still when the bone touched the ground, all the women, children and men who followed her launching themselves towards the empty thing. her eyes gleamed menacingly, letting sinbad stop the people from touching it before she launched over to the greedy shit, knocking him unconscious with a closed fist towards the nose.

now then. her feet danced around the hallways, dodging anything that was a threat and dealing with them swiftly-a single hit to either the stomach or neck had knocked them out; sinbad hadn't wanted her to kill anyone, and who was she to refuse the word of a king?

"wai-wait!"

"open the doors," she kept her dagger on his throat, flickering her gaze to the guards that surrounded her. "and you and your adorable friends won't have to die."

he, with his trembling hands and fingers followed her commands. as soon as those doors had opened, khadijah watched as all the people stormed inside, towards the direction their nose led them.

glancing up at the night sky, she could only grin excitedly-her change to grow would soon be here, and when the fog had rolled in, khadijah welcomed the crisp air, a deranged look in her eyes; there would be a bloodbath tonight.