Steel clashed once more as the boss pivoted, but the boy was already in motion again feet snapping, fists flying. He delivered a rising knee to the boss's midsection, followed by a spinning heel strike that sent the larger man to one knee. Dust swirled around him.
"You've got skill, boy," the boss panted, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip. "But skill alone won't carry you here."
The boy tilted his head, smirk still intact. "I don't need skill alone. I fight smart. And I fight hard."
A final flurry of strikes met the boss's blade palm, elbow, kick, knee and with one precise push, the boy sent the boss sprawling backward onto the cracked asphalt. The curved sword skidded from his grip, clanging against the rocks.
The street went dead silent.
The boy stood tall, chest rising and falling with calm control, looking down at the defeated boss. Not a scratch on his own face, not a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
"Next time," the boy said quietly, "think twice before you attack me."
The boss gritted his teeth but managed a strained laugh. "Impressive… very impressive. You are not a child, are you? You are something else entirely."
The boy stepped back toward his motorcycle, pulling it upright. "Something else… maybe," he said, voice low and calm, "but today… I leave. And you think about who you've crossed."
He revved the engine, the sound echoing down the ruined street. The dust lifted around him as he rode away, leaving ten unconscious men and a defeated boss behind.
The Deadlands were harsh. Brutal. Unforgiving. And he was only beginning his journey.
"Hey! Help me! Please help me!"A lone boy waved desperately from the side of the road.
Sunny slowed down his bike, dust kicking up as the engine hummed into a soft purr. He didn't get off. He didn't move closer. He simply stared at the kid from a short distance, his expression unreadable behind the dirt and sunlight.
The moment the boy saw Sunny looking directly at him, he panicked. His eyes widened then he turned and bolted toward the forest, sprinting as fast as his legs would carry him.
Sunny sighed.
"Really? You're gonna run?"" You were the one who asked for help?"
He picked up a pebble from the ground, tossed it into the air lightly, then jumped. With a sharp kick midair, his foot struck the stone. It shot across the space like a bullet and smacked the boy at the back of the head.
THUD.
The kid collapsed instantly, unconscious before he touched the ground.
Sunny landed calmly, shaking his head in mild amusement. "You thought you could run away from me? Heh. I've been there before."
He slung the boy over his shoulder and walked back toward the overturned truck and scattered corpses the Raz kids he was supposed to escort safely home.
Sunny's smirk faded. His eyes softened just a little.
"Well… let's go back and bury these corpses. Sis always says you have to respect the dead."
Sunny spent nearly an hour burying each body properly. He dug through dry, cracked soil, dirt sticking to his boots, dust coating his hands. He planted crude markers from broken wood. He covered their eyes, whispered a small prayer he barely remembered, and pushed the last bit of soil over their graves.
When he was done, he sat on his bike and leaned back, letting out a long breath. "Damn… lifting corpses after fighting really wears you out."
He rested with his eyes closed… until he heard rustling.
The kid he had knocked out earlier had woken up. And the moment he noticed Sunny's eyes were closed, he slowly very slowly began creeping backward, preparing to run.
Sunny didn't open his eyes.
"There's no need for that, kid," Sunny said calmly. "There's nowhere to go. Even if you run, you won't escape me so just sit."
The boy froze.
Sunny finally opened one eye."You want to tell me how all this happened?" He pointed toward the graves toward the kids he had failed to save.
The boy swallowed hard.
"I… I got lucky."
WHSSSH!
A dart flew past the boy's cheek, slicing a strand of his hair as it stuck into a tree behind him. Just a millimeter more and it would've pierced his skull.
Sunny didn't need to throw another one. The message was clear.
"We're in the middle of nowhere," Sunny said, voice quieter, colder. "And you know I'm not lying when I say this: lying to me is a very bad idea especially after I saved your life."
Sunny leaned forward slightly on the bike.
"So speak. While I'm still being nice."
The boy shook with fear. He knew the next lie would be his last.
"Fine…" he whispered. "…fine. When I was their captive… I overheard them talking. They said someone some lady paid them to ambush the cargo and find me. They called her… The Viper."
Sunny's expression did not change.
"Very well."
The boy's voice trembled.
"H-Hey… I told you the truth. Now can you tell me what you're going to do to me?"
"What do you think?"
"Aren't you going to kill me? Or take me to the person who wants me dead?"
Sunny snorted.
"Nah. I'm taking you back to my side. You were supposed to be part of the group we were picking up. And I can't return empty-handed."
"Why can't you just turn a blind eye and let me go?"
Sunny raised an eyebrow."Sorry, but like I said… there's nothing out there for you. If you're lucky, you'd die before nightfall. If you're unlucky… well, worse things live out there than Drifters."
The boy clenched his fists."I'll take my chances."
Sunny sighed loudly."You don't listen, do you? It's not up for debate. Get that straight into your skull."
Sunny kicked the stand on his bike, preparing to ride."So… you got a name? Or are you just another Drifter kid?"
"If I tell you mine, will you tell me yours?" the kid muttered.
"Sure," Sunny said. "My name is Sunny. Just Sunny."