Fiction. My first story.

it was dark, not a soul in sight. the leader walked upfront, followed by three of his trusted soldiers. they dragged their feet along the beaten path, knowing that their ordeal was far from over. they were still miles away from home. their only hope lay in their leader.

they couldnt have known. their leader was at the end of his nerves himself. O Lord! please end it here. we can't take it anymore! he thought. but fate, it seemed, would have it otherwise.

they had just neared the next clearing when, suddenly the leader stopped short. he stared straight ahead in horror. the other three stopped too, paralyzed by fear. they had prayed all along, that it would not come to this. but it had.

blocking their path stood their most formidable enemy of all; the enemies they had feared since time began. the Redlinks. two of them stood side by side, their deep red eyes glowing in the dark. he knew that the two were more than a match for him and his soldiers. but the leader was not one to falter. he had been in situations like this before. that was why he was chosen. so be it. he thought

they took up their positions, as they had been trained to do. It was a sort of 'V' formation, covering both the reds on either side. their hearts began to beat faster. suddenly, both the redlinks moved in opposite directions with lightning speed, attacking the two at the extremes. they all just stood, startled for a second. the leader immediately pounced on the one to the right. he grabbed him at the neck with all the force he could muster. but with three days of continuous travel, this was not enough. he held on. the other went for the legs, and pulled at them from one side. but the redlink would not move. they persisted. no effect. what is this guy made of! he thought, as he held on. slowly, as he starved for air, the redlink began to give way. his legs buckled and the two were on top of him, crushing him with renewed energy. in a matter of minutes, the redlink was dead, the two soldiers exhausted, from fear and exertion. the leader looked back to see how the other two were faring. not good. they had been pinned down by the redlink. the leader lunged forward in an attempt to get at the neck. suddenly, there was a crushing blow on his head, sending him reeling into the bushes. he felt himself, receding farther and farther away into an endless oblivion. outcold.

he didnt know for how long he lay there. now as he came to, he could see his soldiers being crushed mercilessly by the enormous redlink. Its now or never! he rushed towards the redlink, and made one final attempt at his throat. this time he found his mark. together, all four pulled the redlink down, but much more painfully. after a full minute, the redlink lay there in front of them, dead.

they sat there in the darkness, without an ounce of energy left within. they had lost all sense of time and direction. after a few moments the leader stood up. "Lets go. We dont have much time." Nobody moved. "C'mon! We havent come all this way, just to be killed in this filthy place! We are going home tonight, and we are going home in oe piece." They moved, not out of emotion or respect or anything for that matter, but out of habit. Soldiers.

for two days and two nights, they dragged on relentlessly. Far beyond the point of exhaustion, each one followed the one in front, each in a private world of his own, each with only one aim, to put one more foot forward. suddenly, their leader screamed. they all looked up, dull interest in their eyes. "Home!!!!!" Their eyes lit up, and tears began to flow. straight ahead, lay a huge mound, an anthill. Home sweet home!