I looked up at the sky, the sky that turned darker than earlier, but not quite enough, but enough to entice some people to turn on their lights. We shuffled quietly, but conspicuously down the street to the unknown location. I probably should've paid careful attention to which streets we went down, but I was too busy absentmindedly watching the sky with the soft but comforting blue tones that were also seemingly harsh, and gazing at the innocent stars, and watching the lights from that individual rooms blurred into a gigantic glowing mess.
I was suddenly jolted from my transfixed state when he grabbed my arm to stop me from advancing forward.
"What's hap-"
"Shh, be quiet" he said.
My eyes struggled to see what was happening in the dim light. I strained and strained, but I couldn't make out anything. I tried asking him again what he was looking at, but that earned me a firm hand to the mouth. We stayed like this for a long time. He finally released me from his grip, and I felt the cold air slowly steal the heat from where his hand was placed on my lips. I didn't have the volition to talk or move.
"Don't tell me you're backing out now, now of all times!?"
That shocked me from my trance. "What? No, of course not"
"Then hurry up and come along. Sorry, I don't mean to sound so harsh, but, it is desperately important that you don't back out now, or ever for that matter."
"What you mean 'ever'?"
He sighed, "I mean that once I show you the place, there's no turning back. These people can be brutal if you betray them, but they're your family if you're you loyal. This is some serious shit, and if they found out that you backed out halfway like this, they would still probably come for you anyway, so it's not like you're safe anyway anymore."
"My God! What you mean that I'm not safe anymore? I never agreed to for this"
"Yes, yes you did"
"No, I was just following some trickle of curiosity. You can just tell someone to meet me outside after the meeting like that and not expect them to follow! I certainly didn't expect to be told that I'm not safe anymore."
He grabbed my shoulders and dragged out his words "Listen, I just need you to call me down. First off, I should have said that, I'm sorry. This is something extremely important."
I could feel his grip turn into something more or condolence as he continued speaking
"This is something-" he started to choke out "larger than us, something worth sacrificing for. Please, just let me show you what it stands for and you'll see why loyalty is generously we rewarded, and the betrayal is condemned and brutishly punished."
He then looked me in the eyes. "This is your best option. There's no other way to say it, no other way to explain it, you just need to take my word for it, because that's the only way you will survive this mess."
"Do you understand what you're telling me, what you're asking me, right? I mean, looking at for my point of view: some stranger I just met just telling me that I might get killed just from meeting them in front for restaurant. It sounds ludicrous."
"I know, just" I couldn't really hear the desperation in his voice now, "please, please listen to me."
I could fight back anymore; his pleading had worn me down.
"Fine, okay, I'll continue following you. On the way you need to explain exactly what the hell is going on here, got it?"
"I'm sorry but I can't promise that."
I was fuming again at this point, I shrugged his hands off my shoulders. "What do you mean that you can't promise me that!? I can't just go of nothing."
"Yes ,you can, like I did"
"I'm not you!" That made him go silent.
"What, you don't have a response to that?" I barked.
He stayed silent, unmoving, wearing a face of someone who has just been betrayed.
"Well!?" I shouted at him.
His body and voice suddenly stiffened and hardened. "Come on, there's still more to go before we lose the last light." And just like that, he continued walking.
