Logan was walking aimlessly with blood dripping from his knuckles to the sandy floor. Feeling out of fashion, and with everything going wrong, he decided to head back to his camp.

As he looked to the night sky, he thought about his actions with not too much consideration for the stranger. He thought, the stranger deserved such harsh violence and he didn’t regret it. He was proud and satisfied with the results. The feeling of the stranger’s nose crunching against his knuckles was enough to relieve his pain and seeing him sat on floor had Logan laughing in his head.

A sudden voice shouted from the forest and Logan’s thoughts stopped instantly. He was staring at the outline of the forest, beginning to think he had someone to rob, so he started to walk into the dark, imposing forest.

Tree branches brushed past him as he moved further through. The shouts became clearer, and he knew it was only one guy. So, as he arrived nearer to the shouting, he saw a homestead and instantly began to celebrate in his head. He just hoped he didn’t have to deal with many people. However, he thought the odds had always been against him. Logan liked the fact he was the underdog. It kept him alone and that’s what he wanted. He wouldn’t want it any other way.

A sound suddenly put him on edge but it was a little girl that was shouting, “Father, come quick,” and Logan’s stomach sank to the ground. He knew he couldn’t rob the homestead. Surly, he asked? But it was far too good of a chance to just walk away. He needed it and it seemed simple, he thought.

A feeling of sadness swept on him. He walked towards the father and little girl.

The father and little girl laughed together as he pulled his bandana over his mouth. The little girl pulled her father’s arm and tried to pull him to their house as he readied his pistol. The father hugged his daughter and agreed with her as Logan aimed his deadly pistol at the father.

The little girl’s scream could break glass as she seen his silver, shiny pistol that remained on the surprisingly calm father. Yet, the father’s face came with an accepting sadness too but that didn’t deter Logan who started walking further towards them. And as he slowly walked with his pistol leading him, he began to speak to them, “ya better listen to me! Or this will be the day you die.”

The father complied, grabbed his daughter and followed Logan’s pistol that pointed to the family’s homestead. Logan followed the father and thought about his actions as his pistol did the talking.

He was thinking his actions had led him down a dark path. He couldn’t believe his actions was leading him to rob a desperate family. A family that looked so innocent. But he had to, he thought, no one cared when he was desperate and had lost everything. He had to take every opportunity. No matter what?

Before they could get in the homestead, a scream came from inside. The father looked like he had heard it a thousand times before, so Logan acted naturally as his pistol guided them inside. The homestead felt like a prison as he entered.

He silently ordered the father and daughter to sit on the floor. Logan was surprised when they listened without complaints, it was almost like he could do what he wanted with them. He was also surprised that the timid daughter hadn’t screamed when they reached the house and he was glad for it. He needed it to be easy. No one should live alone so young, he thought.

Suddenly, a crying, rough women was walking into the room where Logan had her family at gunpoint. A man abruptly followed the women with a gun to her head. Logan was confused and began to drown in sweat. As Logan seen the man’s eyes, he knew the rough man was a born killer. The rough man didn’t say anything as he stayed pointing his gun.

Logan quickly asked, “what the fuck’s going on?” He continued pointing his silver pistol at the father and pursued with his questions but the family put their heads to the floor, showing no confidence.

Yet, the rough man abruptly laughed and said, “watch out,” and Logan felt a cold stony object behind his head. He felt the floor vibrate as he dropped like a sack of potatoes. The last thing he heard was a group of people laughing.

Logan eyes were hazy. He tried to open his mouth but his lips spilt and cracked. He dreamed of water. He looked down to his wrists that was tied with rough rope, and he didn’t dare move a single inch as they felt ever so tighter. His confused and scared state had gotten too much as he sat trapped. He needed help.

His eyes wondered to the dirty walls. He thought he was in the homestead and wondered what their plan was? Logan hated himself for getting captured. Suddenly, the door bursts open, crashing against the wall. The impact made Logan’s heart jump out of his chest, and he roared to them. He wanted answers.

The two men, who didn’t give him answers, was walking with an intent to kill. Logan cleared his throat and mind. He straightened his back as he calmly pleaded for his live. One of the two men instantly said, “I don’t think ya know what’s gunna happen to ya, do ya?” Logan’s eyebrows pointed downwards while the rough man continued to speak. “Well, don’t worry we won’t kill ya yet…” Logan was happy to hear that sentence.

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As the rough man turned to the other bandit, Logan methodically moved both his wrists and continued to watch the rough man. They whispered to one another, back and forth as Logan continued to carefully shifts his wrists.

The other bandit instantly left and the rough man strolled towards Logan with an evil grin. “I’ll be straight up with ya. You’re either dying here like the little bitch you are… or you can work for our gang?”

Logan didn’t trust his word and even if he did, he wouldn’t work for them. Death would suit him better. Yet, he was confused. He instantly said, “what do ya mean gang? Are the family apart of the gang?”

The rough man smiled while leaving a long and awkward pause. He kept his eyes off Logan for a second and when his eyes returned, he innocently said, “sort off.” The rough man went straight back to business and said, “you’ll never be paid a cent from us, you’ll be a slave.” This laugh was the loudest, Logan thought.

Logan’s face remained reluctant, especially when he heard the word slave. He hated slavery, even if it was done to other people. His life had shown him that we all bleed the same colour.

The rough man spoke, “it’s either this or ya going to die, buddy.” Logan knew what would happen if he disagreed. So, he prepared himself by taking a few breathes and played coy with him. He just hoped time was on his side because he knew death would be torturous and heart-rending.

“I’ll play along, but what’s with this gang?”

The rough man stood straight and told the history of his gang. He was telling it as if he was so proud of their efforts to build the gang, and Logan could agree; the gang started out like a normal gang. Yet, Logan wondered why they had a family with them and why they were at the family’s farm, he asked himself?

The rough man confidently and proudly continued. He said they had been in town for a year and were now living in the family’s homestead due to conflict with another gang, and Logan stopped his thoughts and his heart rate took over his mind. As the rough man finished his story, Logan thought he was right by being worried. He couldn’t believe the family had been enslaved by the gang.

Logan’s words blurted out, “you are evil.”

The rough man casually replied, “it’s not that bad. The father hated it at first, especially his wife but he learned to accept it.” Logan felt sick to his stomach as the evil man flaunted his gang, “this was a good farm, believe it or not. They still take good care of us though and I mean good care.” Logan was shocked by how careless the rough man spoke about doing such ungodly things. He had no words.

Yet, as the evil man turned around, Logan, once again, moved his wrists. He couldn’t think about the tragedy; although, the evil teared his heart open and poured for the rough Mother and the innocent child. Logan began to hate the father. It was too hard to ignore but he refused to be trapped to the dreaded chair.

Logan wrists suddenly stopped as the evil man eyed him up and down. “What are ya doing there?”

“What do ya mean?”

The man walked closer. Logan could hear his own heartbeat, knowing the man’s intentions was to go for the jugular, yet he was confident and was ready to be brave. Nothing would stop him in his life. He would say when it was over as his hands flattened.

The evil man got into Logan’s face as he slid his hands backwards. He spoke with an evil intent, “you’re fucked.”

Finally, he was free. He pushed his forehead straight into the evil man’s nose, forcing him to step back and cover his nose that was pouring with blood. Logan didn’t stop for him to rest and sarcastically laughed at them for not binding his legs together. He pushed himself up from the chair like he had been there for years. The man continued to stand with his back hunched and with his hands housing his nose as Logan ferociously ran towards the rough man.

The bottom of his boot was flying towards the man’s stomach. His boot connected like a horse had kicked him. Logan felt desperate, yet it helped him. The needed rage, his legs would be jelly otherwise and he snarly laughed as the man fell to the floor.

Logan dived on top of the man as he aimed both his hands towards the man’s throat. His hands wrapped around the man’s neck and he squeezed it like the neck was a bottle. The feeling of freedom was increasing as the man’s face was turning purple.

The man’s attempt at words turned to choking as his hand was slowly falling to the floor. Logan was clenching harder at the man’s neck, knowing the man’s eyes were about to fade. He released his hands as the man’s body went limp, forcing his soul underneath the earth. He leapt away from the man as he rested with his hands on the floor.

He looked down at the musty floor and thought how much he hated being at rock bottom all his life. He thought being rock bottom had gotten so many people killed, innocent and evil. All had gotten in his way because he had been at rock bottom. He hated to take a life, yet he loved to take a dark soul and put it into the abyss.

His eyes met the door as he desperately pushed himself up.

He left the forsaken room, got to the hallway and saw the exit. All he could feel was freedom as he gazed at the door. Yet a feeling of dread and guilt crept in. He ignored it as he began walking to the door.

But his feet suddenly stopped and he his skin turned red hot. He couldn’t leave the family with them. The evil that surrounded the family had to be put to an end. A family that are slaves had to be rescued, he thought.

Yet, he wanted to be free. He needed to be free. The chances of getting captured and turned into a slave was too much for his courage to handle. He needed to run. As much as his heart wanted it, he just had to listen to his mind.

As he ran towards the door, a bandit shouted him to, “stop or die!” Logan ignored every word as bullets ran past him. He barged through the old door and stayed on his feet, which he was very impressed with.

The fresh air hit his face like a bright light, yet he could indulge as they continued to shoot at him. He flew through the woods, wishing he had done more while pistols were going off behind him.