Metamorphosis

Chapter Five: A Day Like Any Other Pt 2

The young man stared back at Richtofen wide-eyed as his mind frantically calculated his next move. Time ticked away whilst his mind debated over the situation he now found himself in. His heart raced as beads of sweat tricked down his temples and forehead. He began to lose control of his trembling hands as the gun barrel shook against Richtofen's chest. The bullets in the revolver ratted in the confined prison cells of the magazine - clamouring to be let out.

The doctor glared back with wild eyes from the ecstasy of the adrenaline. He drank in the young man's fear as it sustained him. His heart fluttered with excitement at the terror he could inflict without even needing to retrieve his own pistol. The danger of the situation exhilarated him yet he still remained in control. Though, at any moment, the young man could pull the trigger releasing one of the rounds directly into his heart.

The whole village watched with bated breath as the tension neared its inevitable climax. Richtofen's men stood there impotently as their faces paled with worry. Should anything happen to their commander it would be their heads which would roll. But on the other side of the battlefield; the young man's parents watched from the door of their house. His mother remained frozen in fear with the shock of her son's actions. Her husband tightened his grip of her not out of fear of his wife's escape but from worry.

Behind them, the small hands of the young man's siblings held their father's trouser leg as they peeked around the door to see what was going on. Richtofen glanced over the young man's shoulder as he watched the shock wash over their faces. There were about six or seven children of varying ages. They ranged from toddlers to teens. One of the girls, who looked no older than fourteen, tried to corral her younger siblings back into the safety of the house. Richtofen watched their terrified little faces disappear back into the house as the children were spared the sight of the standoff's conclusion.

The sands of time were quickly reducing to grains as something had to give. The doctor looked back at the young man and intensified his gaze as it bore into his flesh. Richtofen could see he was beginning to crack. He was pushing the young man to his limits. They remained locked in the confrontation before it happened. Their gazes suddenly welled up and erupted into action.

There was a flurry of distinguishable movemnent which preventing the onlookers from seeing who was who. It was not until it ended with a loud bang that they knew it was over. The ringing gunshot echoed across the village. The shockwave of the sound caused the windows of the houses to rattle in their panes and the village dogs to howl. The altercation had lasted only seconds before reaching its conclusion. But now the two men had slowed to a stop; the damage could finally be assessed.

The barrel of the revolver sizzled and smoked as the body crashed to the ground. Its limbs fell to by its side before thudding against the cobblestones. There was no sign of life as it lay there motionless. It was only then that those around came to realise what had just happened. Their eyes focused on whose body it was before fumbling upwards to the revolver - which was now held by a black gloved hand.

Each pair of eyes then darted back to the ground as they finally took in the horrific sight of the young man laying in a pool of his own blood. The crimson red blood seeped out of the young man's chest before sinking into the gaps between the cobblestones. The blood oozed from around the body as it coloured the islands of cobblestones in a sea of geometric channels of blood.

Everyone remained silent as they tried to understand how Richtofen did it. One moment the barrel of the gun was pressed against his chest yet the next he stood the victor. Their gaping jaws only served to make Richtofen smirk as he enjoyed having so many pairs of eyes fixed on him. For the unlucky few who saw his supernatural displays - the reaction was always the same. And it no doubt stoked the fires causing his terrifying reputation to take on otherworldly characteristics. A true soldier of Satan.