“Felt like fighting a sloth.”

The insult from the gang leader was instead followed by everyone's concern for nothing but yet another ambush, as they remained alert to their surroundings, though still giving their boss a way to get closer to Daniel… The boy who was coughing in pain while lying prone on the ground, right when a liquid spilled from within his backpack that felt like it had frozen its path on his skin, dripping to the ground from the tip of his chin… For this was probably something beyond Daniel's preparation, so he reflexively straightened his posture.

Fumbled and pressed the bag using his left hand to keep it from moving too much, as if that really would prevent the amount of alcohol in the two bottles from spilling any more than what was already spilled… So he convinced himself that the bag and all of its contents were no longer useful for carrying out his backup plans, hence why it would be necessary for Daniel to get it off his back. And only then did he swiftly squeeze through the gap between two people behind him as quickly as he stood up, intending to forgo any of his plan and instead run away without caring whether it was actually possible to do so or not.

With the answer came in the form of an empty alcohol bottle which was hurled and shattered on the back of his head, sending him crashing to the ground before being dragged back by two people to the side of the campfire while boos rang out from everyone around Daniel, calling him prey ready to be eaten.

~~~~~

“That was a good throw, boss! But… About the smell of gasoline I previously said, shouldn't we all be worried if he comes with someone else?”

“Huh? Yeah, I guess you’re right. Then I want some of you to go look around the camp! And someone please get my little brother here right now… Hate to say this, but I do recognize this little fool's face, now that I look at him closely.”

The subordinate that had previously saved his leader’s neck owing to his screams, appeared proud a little bit too much of himself, since now his suggestion has also been acknowledged by the man who was tugging Daniel's hair, to ensure that the boy's face really belonged to the same person as he thought he was… So when his younger brother approached, he tilted Daniel’s head in his palm for him to look at as well and only then he said, "Don't tell me you've forgotten this boy's face, lil bro."

“Is- Isn’t he…”

“Now you see?! I told you not to hesitate to kill everyone I tell you to kill, before it ends up being the one who kills you in your sleep!”

“S- Sorry big bro…”

“Well, if it's you who dies, then I wouldn't be nagging anyone like this. The problem is that it's not you, but me, who almost died because of your own mistake!”

“I said I’m sorry!”

The man appeared taken aback by the shout he had just heard in return. But this time, instead of being outraged, he simply sighed.

“Don’t yell at me, you dumbass… Just draw your blade out.”

“Oh… Yeah, right… I got it.”

With a serious look, the younger brother nodded. Seemed to understand the plan that the man in front of him intended for him to carry out… Only slowly, such a sense of confidence faded as he observed how his older brother likewise took out his sword and stuck it into the ground, directly in front of Daniel's face. For then he stood up and took a few steps back, instructing Daniel to do the same and said, “Be on your feet, prey. If you can kill my brother, I will allow you to choose between leaving this place safely without anyone getting hurt, or joining my crowd to replace the man you killed.”

“Wha- Big bro!?”

“Enough with the big bro stuff, you little sissy… I'm sick of your cowardice and you know it’s coming, so shut the fuck up already! Just survive this first before the next time you dare use your mouth against my order, you understand!? Now come here and show us what you got!”

Everyone cheered the notion, save for the leader’s own little brother with his sword lowered to the ground, head turned to and fro… Begging for a parley.

But of course, there are no words that anyone wants to hear from someone they've long discreetly despised, especially when a compelling spectacle will be the exchange of it. So in the end, nothing the man said ever altered anything, as the duel would nonetheless take place between him and the boy who was already dying before the fight even started.

~~~~~

“Alright. Now that I have given it some thought, perhaps I mistakenly expected too much from this kiddo… I mean, he can't even lift my sword off the ground!”

The gang leader grumbled, yet still patiently watching Daniel's two hands struggle with the weight of the blade the boy was meant to wield… Until suddenly, someone from behind called him about things he just discovered near the campfire.

“There's a whole bottle of vodka in his backpack, boss!” The guy kneeling on the ground, frantically trying to confirm, “Isn't this very expensive?”

“The fuck? You really think that shit is expensive? You're so embarrassing… You've never bought any kind of vodka before, huh?”

“No, but just look at the glass... I've never seen anything this beautiful before– Ah, it’s supposed to be two bottles! This dumbass shattered one of them… What a shame.”

The man then squatted down as well, all just to check something that matched his own expectations, that it wasn't something as valuable as his subordinates had always thought it was… So the gang leader began to whine but yet managed to patiently explain his little understanding about booze to him, saying, "Nah… This is nothing. You can even find one at the liquor store next to our regular dumpling shop… You know that one, right? It's at the end of Sutomo Street, near–”

The discourse abruptly came to a halt, just right when a severed head bounced once before rolling on the ground, and blood spurted out onto the face of the guy being lectured by the one who had just lost his life. All due to a swing of his own sword which was in someone else's grasp; Daniel's shaking hand and no one else.

Creating a loud silence in all corners… That even the man whose boots were now brushing his own boss's head appeared to be in a horrible trauma before dragging himself away, leaving Daniel alone to watch as the sword in both of his hands slowly faded into bits, which lost all their brightness when striking ground dust below his own feet… Until the person who first uttered his voice, now attracted everyone's attention, as he called, "Big bro?"

Yet Daniel just pulled the still intact bottle of vodka out of his backpack to be his only response. And perhaps that is also precisely why the cowardly felon is now slowly approaching the boy with his blade pointing straight ahead.

“You killed him… You just killed my brother! You… You’ll pay, asshole… You’re dead, you hear!? You’re dead!”

The man then started to speed up his steps to get closer to Daniel, the boy at present was holding his vodka high as if he was aiming for a throw. But unfortunately the thing failed to reach the face that was meant to be its target, since the bottle had already shattered after being struck by a swing of a sword. Which instead splattered its contents all over the body of the poor guy, still not losing the slightest focus on his revenge against Daniel… Causing the boy to now seem increasingly nervous in his rush towards the campfire, seeking for a piece of burning wood he can use at least as a means of self-defense, for only a moment after he found one that fit perfectly in his hand, a blade was already sunk deep into his chest.

A stab right in the heart, pushed him to clench his teeth now realizing how his body was starting to ache and weaken… Begging to just fall, but the man in front was strangling Daniel to keep him locked at the same eye level as his.

Staring at how the pair of eyes slowly lost their light and asphyxia made the pupils dilate, without any more falsehoods to the boy that seemed capable of making himself believe he would be able to survive like many times before… So he decided to put everything into the final resort that hadn't yet slipped out of his hands, all until almost in an instant, the man in front of Daniel was engulfed in blue flames that crawled from his jeans, up to the face and hair. Causing him to let go of the boy's neck and the grip on his own sword… For himself then took a few steps back till the man stumbled and fell as he was crying out in pain, but somehow managed to get back up and run aimlessly into the woods. Perhaps in the hope that catching up with the wind would put out the fire on his flesh while Daniel, who he left behind, just laid silently on the surface of his own cold pool of blood. Waiting for nothing more than death to come and take him without any fear and regrets remained for the boy to fight for… Just a deafening silence in the darkness as his soul was ripped out and his breath then stopped expelling the warmth.

~~~~~