Duskwood: the man behind the mask

17. Just relax

Silence had taken over the room, none of us dared to speak. We were all devastated, but it was Jessy and Jake who were affected the most: she because Richy had been her best friend, and he because he blamed himself for not realizing what was happening sooner.

After a long time Phil broke the silence:

Phil: I think we should celebrate.

MC: What are you talking about now, Phil?

Phil: Well, it looks like your little mechanic is alive, so we'll be able to hold him accountable soon. How about our beloved hacker takes it upon himself to track him down while the rest of us have some fun? I have plenty of booze in the van.

MC: Stop talking nonsense, please.

Phil: Come on, honey, I escaped from a fire. Won't you toast to see me safe and sound?

Jake: MC can't drink, she's under medical treatment.

Phil: Oh yeah? What's the matter with you, sweetheart?

MC: A kidney stone. And stop calling me things, I have my name.

Phil: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just the way I talk, I promise I'll try to control it.

Gabe: Phil, you better get out there and pull the van out of the front of the house, it's too conspicuous. Take it to the back, where we have the car.

Phil got up with a smile and walked out whistling. He came back a little while later with a box in his hands, full of bottles of all kinds:

Phil: I've made a small selection, I don't know what everyone likes.

We looked at him in silence, without moving from our posts, and he rolled his eyes as his smile widened:

Phil: Oh come on! Are you seriously all that stiff? I'm not asking you to get drunk, I just want us to relax a bit. After so many problems and so much adrenaline, don't you think you deserve a break?

Jessy thought for a second, then got up and went to the kitchen to get some glasses. When she returned to us, she selected one of the bottles, filled a glass half full, and sat down again:

Jessy: You're right, I'm tired of crying and being scared. Fuck it, today I don't want to think.

And in one go he drank all the content.

Phil: That's it! What about you, Jake? I would love to toast with you. Shall we drink the cup of peace?

Jake: Sorry, I don't drink.

Phil: Come on, what I said before was a joke, not everything has to be work for you. Don't you feel like loosening up a bit? It would be good for you...

Saying the latter, he made a small gesture with his eyes, pointing at me. Jake looked at him seriously for a few seconds and turned around saying, "Thank you for your concern." Then he sat back down and took the laptop, ignoring everything else. Phil shrugged and poured a glass for himself.

Phil: Okay, you know where the drinks are. You guys drink what you want, I'm going to celebrate.

He sat apparently happily in a chair and said nothing more.

I left them alone and went out on the porch, I needed fresh air to sort my head after everything I had heard. I still had a hard time believing that it had been Richy all along, it was just too harsh. A mixture of sadness and rage grew in my chest, and I remembered again and again the images of his attack with tears in my eyes. Something inside me refused to accept it. Why, Richy?