Duskwood Legends [English Version]

Cracked in a thousand pieces.

The rest of the group remained completely still, frozen in the same position where they stopped as soon as they heard Richy's voice. They are paralyzed, also in an absolute denial of reality.

I cross my gaze with Jake's.
His eyes are wide, so full of sadness that they leave me with no breath in my lungs. I understand what he is feeling; it is the same sorrow he shares with me. The pain and grief felt by those you love ends up becoming your own as well, getting into your bones. He is totally devastated to see me in this condition; he would like to run towards me to hug me, but he doesn't dare to move. His whole body is tense, ready to act quickly if needed. His gun has been raised in midair the whole time, pointed at Richy's figure.

And the same goes for Phil, with his side pressed against Jake's as he assumes his own guard position; even for him, it must have been difficult to ignore his sister's suffering and remain focused on the goal. And it is he who finally takes the floor, breaking the stalemate that had been created.

"Richy, we have two guns and you only one." He affirms. He deliberately uses a high and firm tone of voice, so as to show himself fully confident. He tries to reason with him, pointing to our position of preeminence in terms of weapons. Then he raises the barrel of the gun, directing it toward Richy's head, to intimidate him. "Let us leave this place. If you do, I promise you that we will forget about this unpleasant encounter and won't mention it to anyone." He concludes, gritting his teeth and speaking through clenched lips, in a hiss, "We're in clear advantage, this is the best choice you could ever take."

What happens next has the same effect for me as a stab straight to the heart.

Richy immediately bends over from laughter, clapping a hand against his thigh several times, as if externalizing some sort of ostentatious hilarity. He continues to laugh in a feigned, exaggerated way, simply to mock Phil's words. In a sudden change of expression, he becomes serious again in half a second. "Believe me, that's not the case." He darkens his face, sketching a sadistic smile on his lips. "It would only be a shitty choice to let you run away." He snorts and rolls his eyes, only to shrug his shoulders. "You know, I'm not afraid of dying at all, and before I do, I'll make sure I take some of you with me to hell."

He starts walking, taking a few long steps and sliding the gun toward each of us. "Who will be the lucky one?" He laughs like a fool as he asks us this terrible question. He stops the barrel in Phil's face. "Will it be you?" Then, with a lightning-fast gesture of his arm, he immediately moves it to me. "Or you?" Overcome by the terror of suddenly finding a revolver pointed at me, I fall backward, sitting on the ground. I see Jake jerk in my direction, only to stop a few steps from me, interrupted by Richy's voice. "Or maybe you?" In a flash, he directs the scope of the firearm toward Jake's chest. "Take one more step Hacker, just one, and I guarantee I'll kill her first, then you."

Witnessing this horrible scene, of Richy threatening Jake to death with the gun aimed at his heart, chills the blood in my veins. I immediately panic, starting to scream: "I beg you, put that gun down!" I drop to my knees, keeping my gaze down to stare at the floor as I sob desperately. I have never in all my life experienced such fear. Seeing the person you love with a gun pointed at your chest is something that drains your soul and saturates your mind with terror.

It's all a bluff, intended solely to frighten us and contrived in order to not spoil his plans; just as I'm sure it's a Poker face, that merciless and cruel expression etched on his face.

But anxiety and dismay have taken over my being.

Richy shifts his eyes to me. I could swear I saw his mouth tremble, although the whole thing lasted only a split second. He bites hard on his lower lip, injuring himself. I notice a small drop of blood staining his lips. "Ahh, our little MC. You finally showed yourself for what you really are: a weakling. Where did you leave your tough mask?" He laughs, never shifting his aim from Jake. "Tell me, what hurts the most? Seeing your love one step away from death, or realizing that you screwed up big time, believing in me? How does it taste, realizing that you put all your trust in a mean person like me? Defeat has a bitter taste, doesn't it?"