IT IS PAYBACK TIME

He aimed at the back of Abu, where the arrow could strike through the ribcage and penetrate the heart. Killing him instantly, washing away the shame he had wrecked on his group of bandits.

Buluhani remembered all the lessons he heard ever received from his late father on archery before he enlisted in the army.

He felt the chilly late evening wind and calculated how to mitigate its effect on the arrow hitting the demon Abu having considered the weight of the arrowhead.

All the arrows in Buluhani s possession were having hooked arrowheads. They did the maximum damage to skin tissue, very few people hit by them could survive.

This reminded him of when the coward Faraj his type of hooked arrows and the damage they delivered, he also acquired a spear with a hooked spearhead and had never gone back to an ordinary spear ever since.

Now the demon Abu had the spear, the thought of it being used against him, sent shivers down Buluhani's spine.

He aimed, confirmed his target, and then released the overstrung bow.

The arrow arched in the darkening night sky, headed towards the demon Abu Bin Zayyid.

Buluhani did not wait for it to reach the designated target.

He had begun fleeing away from this failed ambush using the cover of trees and the darkness of the approaching night.

****

"THE DEADLIEST PREDATOR IS THE ONE YOU CAN NOT SEE."

-Connor Kenway

ASSASSIN'S CREED

Abu was toying around with the injured bandit Zamilu. With the injured shoulder, the bandit was in extreme pain with the movement he made with the other hand, Abu could see it and he enjoyed it. Initially, he had wanted to finish off this bandit quickly but seeing the way he had been insulted, he was going to make him suffer a bit for he killed him before he searched for their colleague who was hiding in the trees. Several arrows that had narrowly missed him came from that side, it was too bad that the current threat was more life-threatening so he had no time to think about hidden enemies.

Suddenly, Abu got a bad foreboding feeling, that there was danger coming for him from behind.

But he could not look away from the bandit Zamilu as he swung his club towards his face, he ducked dodging the club.

"What!!!" Abu shouted when he felt a deep stabbing pain in his back from the left shoulder, excoriating pain assailed him as he had never felt in a long while. He turned to look backward from where the pain originated from.

Shock gripped him when he saw an elongated arrow shaft sticking from his back. Quickly he shifted his eyes to follow the path of the arrow to the front, and he saw; that a barbaric-looking hooked arrowhead had partially penetrated his left chest muscles, having grazed his ribcage, coming out from the front. The arrowhead had also pierced through the robe at the front, soon enough as he looked at the exit area. Blood has begun to slowly seep out.

"Hahahaha!!" Zamilu saw how Abu Bin Zayyid had been stuck with the arrow and laughed.

"Look at you, 'one arrow, one kill' has finally got to you square for what you have done to us, hahahaha," Zamilu smirked and mocked him.

Hearing such words from this bandit, angered Abu, he shouted, "Shut up your foolish mouth!"

Gritting his teeth in pain, Abu shifted the spear from his right hand to his left hand. The mere action caused hot pain to flare up from the back, rib area, and chest area.

This is when Abu realized that he had played with his prey for too long and made the most fatal mistake of turning his back on an enemy. Had he not ducked to evade the club Zamilu had aimed at him, this arrow could have struck his heart.

Braving the pain, and the blood seeping out of the wound, with an arrow sticking from his back. He put on a brave face and walked to Zamilu. Seeing him approaching, Zamilu smiled because he saw that his demon was no longer at his best.

Zamilu swung the club at Abu with all the strength he could harness in his one hand. Abu raised the spear shaft and parried the club away. The club had a lot of force behind it, he felt the force of the strike when the spear parried it away, it momentarily pushed him back, and the force of the strike vibrated his spear into his arm and his chest. Inflaming the already wounded area badly. Abu almost dropped to the ground in pain, however, he gritted his teeth.

As if not to give him breathing space, Zamilu followed up the earlier strike with another one headed for Abu's knees. It was too close, Abu poured energy into his knees and leaped up, the club swept where he was just standing previously. Before Zamilu recovered from this strike; Abu kicked him with all the strength in his legs and the kick connected with Zamilu's wounded shoulder. It flung him backward, he lost balance and fell on his back. The club fell from Zamilu's hand.

Abu landed back on his two feet and threw the spear at Zamilu.

Zamilu saw the wicked spear slicing through the air, heading towards him as he was on his back before he could think of a way to evade it. It stuck in the stomach with great force and pinned him to the ground like a rabbit.

He tried to pry the wicked spear from his stomach to stand up and fight back, but he was tightly pinned, and only one of his hands was properly working. Failing to pull out the spear, Zamilu looked where his club had fallen to defend himself. Unfortunately for him, the club is out of arm's length.

Defeated, Zamilu lays back and looks at the demon Abu. Waiting for him to come and kill him. Zamilu resolves in his heart not to beg for mercy or cry out in pain to give this demon any satisfaction.

Abu walks back to his bag which he had thrown on the ground when he was ambushed earlier.

With his uninjured hand, he picked two daggers from the bag. Gripped them tightly in both hands, and walks to the bandit Zamilu pinned to the ground.

It's time for payback.

**

Abu landed back on his two feet and threw the spear at Zamilu with all the force he could manage despite the throbbing pain from the arrow wound.

Zamilu saw the wicked spear slicing through the air, heading towards him as he was on his back before he could think of a way to evade it. It struck him in the stomach with great force, penetrated through his stomach and cut apart some internal organs, and pinned him to the ground like a rabbit.

He tried to forcefully pry the wicked spear from his stomach with one working hand, to stand up and fight back, but he was tightly pinned to the ground. Fiery pain like he had never experienced before blossomed from the spear wound, coursing through his intestines, and lower limbs. Fear like he had never known, welled up in the pit of his stomach, and Zamilu remembered all those people he used to enjoy torturing before he killed them off; did they go through a similar state he was in right now?

Failing to pull out the spear, Zamilu looked to where his club had fallen, he could pick it up and defend himself. In vain, he stretches his fingers and tries shifting his posture in the mud so that he can get close to pick it up. Unfortunately for him, the club is out of arm's length.

Defeated, Zamilu lays back and looks at the demon Abu. Waiting for him to come and kill him. Zamilu resolves in his heart not to beg for mercy or cry out in pain to give this demon any satisfaction. Hopefully, it may be a quick death of a warrior even if he knows deep down, that he does not deserve it.

Abu Bin Zayyid walks back to his bag which he had thrown on the ground when he was ambushed earlier.

With his uninjured hand, he picked two daggers from the bag. Gripped them tightly in both hands, and walks to the bandit Zamilu pinned to the ground.

It's time for payback.

Abu Bin Zayyid slowly and painfully walked to the bandit Zamilu who by now was pined to the muddy ground, bleeding out from the shoulder and stomach wound. The arrow stuck in his back and left chest was killing him.

Only the desire for vengeance gave him the will to carry on, Abu bit his lips, gritted his teeth, and knelt next to the bandit Zamilu.

Without remorse, Abu Bin Zayyid plunged one dagger into his shoulder wound. Slowly he exerted pressure on the dagger, feeling it slice through the muscles, and sink into the fresh wound, releasing a fountain of blood from the newly raptured veins. All the while looking at the bandit Zamilu deeply in his brown eyes. Abu Bin Zayyid saw a trace of terror in those pupils and some pleading for mercy but the stubborn bandit kept his mouth shut.