This World Belongs to Us

13: Sumita

It was later.

They had been allowed to leave the tent, as per the deal. Sumita had to guide Azarial by the hand as they walked to the shed and climbed down the ladder to the basement. He lit up the place as they went past the statues and furniture.

Sumita thought she caught a glimpse of something moving in the basement, but she knew her perspective was likely skewed after what just happened. She dismissed the glimpse and moved to the ladder on the other side. Upon climbing to the closet, she stared out the open door and saw a machete dangling in front of her face. This was probably a trap used by Kivar. There was no blood on the machete, so it must have been unsuccessful. She helped Azarial up to the first floor of the cabin.

Finding Kivar was a simple task. They stepped over the body at the bottom of the stairs, followed the trail of blood, pausing just before reaching the second floor. They called out to Kivar, and told him not to attack. They heard him say "ok", and then stepped into the hallway. He was lounging at the end, underneath the broken window. They watched him casually toss his knife into the wall, and then lean forward to retrieve it.

Sumita couldn't help but notice that his face was more vacant that usual. This could be one of the many signs that he was on his drugs, but something felt different. They all moved down to the first floor, which was starting to smell terrible.

Kivar mentioned how there was a secret doorway hidden in the kitchen. They quickly found it, carried the body outside and dumped it near the front of the house. The humans can deal with it. They seemed to like transactions with death.

Back inside, they found the mechanism for the secret doorway and broke it. To be extra safe they used some furniture from upstairs to barricade the entrance. They also blocked up the broken window. It didn't look like the humans had a ladder, but they were trying to be as safe as possible. They pulled statues in front of the basement door that led to the shed. Soon, every entrance to the cabin was blocked off.

They all met in the kitchen area and sat in chairs around the dining table.

They were safe here until the next morning, as long as the humans kept their promise. They probably would. If there was one thing not hypocritical about Richard, it was how he didn't lie. Every other aspect of his personality was buried in denial and dogmatic beliefs.

Richard was also the kind of man who would shoot his own daughter.

It was impossible to let go of that image. It was a large caliber revolver. The kind that makes a mess when you shoot someone with it. Especially if that someone is a five-year-old girl. At least she hadn't been awake. At least her death was quick. Her head just broke apart like a doll. Her limbs twitched. Her blood, bones, and brain matter splattered against the back wall of the tent-

Sumita blinked. She cast her Vi Athenemate on herself and conjured an image of a frog on the table. It was small. Bright green. It hopped back and forth. It looked nice. Very alive.

She felt Azarial and Kivar's confusion as they stared at her and then glanced down at the empty table. She tried to smile at them but her facial muscles seemed unwilling.

Finally, Kivar felt prompted to ask them what was happening. His voice was soft, like someone calling out to you from a different room. They told him everything. When the story was done, Kivar focused his attention on Azarial.

"It wasn't your fault," said Kivar. "You know that. Richard is insane. He's a crazy man who forced you to make a crazy decision. And you gave us a chance to survive."

Azarial got up from the table, headed to the liquor cabinet, and returned with a large bottle of vodka. He placed three glasses on the table and poured some for the group, though his glass was significantly more full.