Free Planet Chimera by Brian Nyaude Page B

guess,” I groaned,
realizing my own folly. “You have all forced me to take arms
against your kind, so don’t complain when I send you to the
abyss.”
    Pulling my arms back, the tendons in my body
strained, I managed to free myself, and planted a vicious kick into
one of the chimeras’ stomach. It spewed blood, its head facing the
ground, trembling. I picked up the beast by the head and flung it
against the tree, bashing its brain out. Twisting back, blood in my
hands, I lunged for the other chimera, tearing off its ears with
all my might. The creature howled when I grabbed its tail,
struggling with all its might to get free, and fell to the ground
the moment my dagger sunk into its back.
    “I want more blood,” I screamed, throwing
the blade down, looking at the full moon. “Come at me, all of you,
and I will show you pain.”
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    7
     
    The bloodlust, the
darkness, the insatiable appetite for destruction—it was all too
much. This place, this stinking planet, was stirring me further
into the darkness. The power of my immortality, I knew, was this
raging madness, but I chose to overlook it, only choosing to
embrace the idea of a long, youthful life. I have to control my impulses , I
thought, I need to get myself under
control.
    “Hold your ground,” the bear hissed,
plodding forwards, the axe held firmly in both of its hand. “He is
mine, so I will finish him off.”
    I straightened up, my right hand over my
face, my head throbbing, and exhaled deeply. The cold weather, the
strong winds blowing in every direction, only made my inexplicable
condition much worse. Holding firmly my rifle, I rocked my body
forward, the pain in my leg killing me. The bear and I stood in the
middle, facing each other off, both of our weapons in front of us,
ready to strike. The wind whirled, the snowflakes brushing coldly
against my face, and the ground snow wrapped around my boots.
    “Die,” the chimera roared, swinging down its
axe in a vertical motion, aiming to cut me in half.
    Unable to react quickly, I raised my dagger
and rifle up, placing them in front of me, parrying away most of
the axe’s power. The barrel of the gun broke in two, the blade
bending inwards, as the axe broke through my defense, barely
grazing my right shoulder. Pulling back the axe, it raised its
right leg, planting a hard kick into my chest, and felling me to
the ground. I gasped, spitting out blood, and stood halfway up, my
whole body wearing out.
    “This is the end, human,” it roared,
charging at me, the axe angled above its head.
    This is
it , I thought, I
can’t move my body anymore . I watched the
axe coming down at me, in slow motion, like time was moving in a
gradual manner, and I held my breath in. And within a meter from
me, something exploded in the ground next to me, killing four
chimeras on the spot. Another explosion occurred, taking the lives
of six more mutant chimeras— the source of the noise was coming
from the outpost building. It was the cannons. Someone was
operation them. The bear, distracted and angry, stopped its attack,
turning its large head towards the outpost.
    “Who is doing that?” it boomed, pointing at
the building, the back of its head towards me. “Stop them,
now!”
    Realizing the open opportunity before me, I
took my dagger, straightened the crooked spine a little, and made a
hasty run for the bear chimera. I took a giant leap, stomping my
foot on its back, and planting the knife deep into the back of its
neck. It growled in pain, moving around, attempting to throw me off
its back, but I wrapped my hands around its neck like my life
depended on it. For the next ten seconds, it swung the axe around,
growling, attacking its own allies in the process. A cannon shell,
to its chest, rocked the foul beast, bringing down the creature to
its knees. Once I felt the creature’s power leave its body, I
released myself from its neck, landing on the ground beside it. Its
bloody axe laid