EXPLODE

twenty three

Trigger warning for some; character death

Immediately, I was ushered into the remnants of a building towards the center of the camp. I was surprised it was still standing; the bricks were losing its puddy, the windows were shattered, a fire had licked up the side of the house.

But when I stepped inside, it was remarkably different from the outside.

It had an open floor plan-- it appeared to be a home that belonged to a wealthy person back in the Dark Ages. Not much was left, of course, but you could tell that the gold trimmings remaining etched into the wallpaper and the scarred baby grand hinted towards wealth.

Liam, Ralph, and some of his minions lead me to a backroom, separated by a thin, red curtain. Ralph pulls the curtain back, revealing a woman sitting behind a large table, nude except for the robe wrapped around her thin body.

"Calliat!" Ralph exclaims. She stands up, the robe falling to her shoulders and revealing her very plump breasts. Ralph presses a quick kiss to her lips, then turns to us.

Liam looks slightly disgusted by the situation, but I expected nothing less.

I enjoyed watching 'gangster' movies as a teenager, and was familiar with the idea of women, drinking, and drugs for the antagonist-- in this case being Ralph.

"Who are these people?" Calliat asks, shrugging her robe back onto her shoulders to cover her up a bit more. Ralph shakes his head, gesturing for her to take a seat once more. We all sit down, but the tension was thick.

"Let's get down to business." Ralph laughs. "Leo!"

A guard rushes forward, and Ralph whispers something in his ear. The guard nods before leaving the room and returning moments later with a small revolver in his hand. A shiver goes down my spine at the sight of the deadly weapon; someone was going to die.

"Should we test it?" Calliat asks, laying a hand on Ralph's shoulder.

"Good idea," Ralph says, and before anyone could utter a word, Ralph shoots the gun through a wall, leaving a small hole and rubble around it where the clean slate once stood. Everyone blinks in shock before Ralph starts laughing. "Already scared of a little gunshot?"

"No." Liam and I answer at the same time. He gives me a small smile, wrapping his hand around mine once more. My breathing becomes more even, despite Ralph's evil laugh sounding again.

"Let's start. Leo, go fetch the fugitives and get them to play too. Make it a little more fun," Ralph commands, and Leo rushes out of the room.

We sit around the table and watch as Ralph brings bullets out of a drawer next to him, slowly filling three out of the six slots.

"Why three?" I ask, knowing the chances were high of being shot for the person to begin.

"There will be four more people playing including the four of us. You have a small chance of being shot," Liam whispers into my ear as Ralph stares coldly at me. I nod, but the anxiety doesn't leave my body. That was still so close to death.

Leo enters the room with the 'fugitives', and my eyes widen as I recognize the faces of the missing guards, gone from the kingdom for over three months after a secret mission.

Although I'm sure they were out of the loop, their eyes widen also, their slouching positions suddenly becoming straighter, but I can see the effort it takes-- and the bones sticking out.

"You're torturing them?" Liam hisses at Ralph. I sneak a peek out of the corner of my eye at Ralph, not wanting to miss anything with the guards, but I notice a simple shrug.