Bound By Vows, Torn By Hate

"Get him!" The leader of the bullies exclaimed in anger as he commanded his companions to hunt down Jayden who fled the scene with all his might. The sky was shrouded in darkness, and a powerful gust of wind blew through the forest, rustling the trees as if threatening to unleash a storm. Presently, Jayden footsteps collide with the parched leaves in the ground while his heart rises and falls in fright. The footsteps of his bullies were getting closer and that warranted Jayden to slightly turn around to see if they would soon catch up with him. "Your fate is sealed!" One of the bullies snarled, his lips curling into a sinister smirk as he uttered the chilling words. Beads of sweat trickled from Jayden's forehead, cascading down his face and stinging his eyelashes with a burning sensation, blurring his vision. 'Wh... why is this happening to me?' Jayden mused within himself as tears threatened to escape his eyes. In a sudden fit of anxiety, he sniffed and bit his lower lip. Just then, a stick came flying, smacking the back of his head with a sickening thwack. At first, Jayden tried to ignore the stick that was being thrown at him, but surprisingly, more thick stick were launched towards his entire body, leaving Jayden to conclude that his bullies had been holding the stick in their hands for a while now. The impact was so agonising, but Jayden willed himself to keep running. Jayden had been the victim of relentless bullying ever since his first day at Glamorous Boarding Academy, where he was made a punching bag. 'I can't stop running. If I do, they'll beat me until I pass out," Jayden thought within himself as his legs carried him further away from those who were after him. He knew that stopping was never an option. But then... A big Stone was suddenly launched onto Jayden legs. 'Boom!' The sound of the stone landing on Jayden's legs was so loud that he tumbled onto the ground while the tears that was threatening to fall suddenly flowed down from his eyes as it kissed his cheek. “Arrrrrghhh!” Jayden whimpered in pain, reaching his hands onto his legs to give it a gentle caress. “You better stay right there!” One of the bullies commanded, but strangely, his words urge Jayden to rise up. Swiftly, Jayden tried to lift himself up from the ground but the footsteps behind were getting closer. The bullies leader sneered, "Looks like you've run out of strength." His taunting words pierced the air as Jayden, now sprawled on the ground, turned to face the advancing bullies who were no longer running but were walking towards him. Instantly, Jayden became numb and for a moment, time seemed to freeze as Jayden held his breath, unable to move his body. Suddenly, one of the bullies loomed over Jayden, his shadow casting a sinister shroud. "And where were you planning to go?" he seethed, as his knuckles became tightened around a thick branch clutched in his hand. ‘Gulped!’ Jayden gulped down his saliva as he sniffed his nose, his eyes extremely lit up in horror. 'I... I..." Before Jayden could complete his sentence, a heavy slap landed on his cheek. "Who the f**k gave you permission to speak?" "I..." "Our leader gave you an order, and you had the audacity to do a half-baked job. Do you really think you can get away with that?" The bully spat out the words with a sickening air of entitlement, his voice rising with each syllable. "I... I was sick," Jayden stammered, his voice quavering but his excuse was met with a scoff from the young bully. "Sick? More like sick in the head. You think that's an excuse for disobeying our leader?" "I… I..." "Quite!" The leader of the bullies suddenly chipped in, commanding everyone present to keep quiet, and following his statement, the entire place became as quiet as a graveyard. The only sound heard was the menacing roar of thunder, which was causing an ominous lightening in the sky. Jayden swallowed hard, his throat tight with fear. As the leader approached, each step measured and deliberate, Jayden's heart thudded in his chest, the sound ringing in his ears. Jayden held his breath, gulping down his saliva even more while his entire body trembled in fright. And then, the leader of the bullies stood still in front of Jayden, his hands dug deep inside his trouser pocket. "Didn't you learn your lesson from the last time?" He inquired, his voice was low and dangerous as his words dripping with disdain. "You thought you could defy me and get away with it? You're just a pathetic little worm." Jayden opened his shaking lips but words were unable to roll out of his mouth. "I warned you before, yet you continue to defy me. You're not just slow, you're an i***t!" The leader spat, his eyes gleaming with malicious intent. "Tonight, you'll learn a lesson that you will never forget." Before Jayden could even defend himself, the leader of the bullies nod his head slightly. At the leader's signal, his minions descended upon Jayden, kicking and punching him with rage. “Arrgh!” Jayden cried in pain. He uses his hands to cover his face while quivering in fright as he whimpers silently. "You stinking thing!" "If only you try to be a good boy, then we won't punish you," "You are such a lowlife!" "You are ugly and useless!" "Why don't you go and kill yourself!" "Pathetic loser!" The more they all launch their fist and legs at Jayden, the more they howl insults at him. Jayden instinctively brought his hands up to shield his face from the relentless blows, when all of a sudden, the sound of a young man who had just stepped on a dry branch was suddenly heard. *Halt!* Everyone present suddenly froze as they shifted their gaze towards where the sound had just come from but became stunned by the person who stood before them. It was Ryan Caden, the notorious bad boy whose name was whispered with fear and reverence throughout the school. His presence was like a storm, his gaze icy and uncompromising. Ryan halted, averting his gaze towards Jayden as a scoff rolled out of his mouth. “Ryan we didn’t mean to hit him-“ Before one of the bullies could complete his sentence, Ryan smacked his lips while rolling his eyes at the scene before him. "Do whatever you want," Ryan sneered, his gaze lingering for a moment before he turned and stalked away. In his wake, the bullies let out a collective sigh of relief, their shoulders relaxing Jayden gasped in surprise as he stared at Ryan. They used to be childhood friends but after an incident that happened years back, their friendship ended. Despite the fact that they are no longer close, Jayden had expected Ryan to help, but he was met with the opposite of his expectations. “Everyone! Make sure you teach Jayden a lesson for messing with me.” The leader of the bullies uttered. His words warranted his companions to launch themselves on Jayden, making sure that they beat him to the brick of death. And then, a mighty rain began to fall, almost as if the sky was angry at the action of Jayden bullies. “Ryan… I’ll hunt you and all this bullies until my last breath,” Jayden mused within himself.