Suspense Short Story – RULE OF THE TIGER’S
Photo credit: natnat from morguefile.com
The clouds crackled with thunder, lightning strokes as bright as the day bleached the moonless night, winds howling across the landscape tearing down trees of antique with absolute ease, even through this god forsaken weather- a howl of a lone dog was unmistakable.
The convoy of soldiers, who made their way through the valley in this storm came to a sudden stop. A sense of foreboding swept the captain at the head of the convoy. Just outside his line of sight stood a hooded figure, etched against the momentarily bright sky light up by a flash. Just as it was there the figure vanished by the second flash.
The cold wind sent chill current up the spine, the soldiers were restless and murmuring to one and another, the captain cursed his fellow-mates as their murmuring would mask any movement by anything other than themselves. Deep down he knew they were sitting duck; under any other circumstances, he would have scrambled his men, but he could not do that now that would mean disobeying explicit orders, more over the captive they were escorting across the border was said to be a traitor. The captive was handed over to them in mask and chains with orders to execute him on banks of vaigai.
The Captive showed no signs of fear or his mask covered them, the captain was not sure. But, one thing he was sure of was the captive seemed to be of royal birth as he moved with elegance befitting a king.
“Rudra!” called the Captain,”come here”.
A soldier of a lesser rank rushed near the Captain. Just as he reached him, the captain lifted his hand signalling him to stop, the bush by the roadside few meters away from them rustled.
“TO ARMS” bellowed the Captain, as a man pounced at them from the bush. But he wasn’t the only one, by a lightning’s delay the entire road around them stood hooded people brandishing their weapons at the convoy. They had been ambushed the entire convoy fell within a minute, as if stroke by lightning itself!
Just as the captain’s head thudded the ground, the hooded people un-masked the captive. The Captain let out a gasp of terror on seeing his captive’s face. The attacker then slit the captains throat. A minute ago where eight men stood now lay seven corpses. The next thunder brought along with it a shower of rain, and took along with it the captive and the hooded men.
– To be Continued
(Knight)
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