His eyes look as if it belongs to the dead. Finnley stood straight with his gaze completely stolen by the tower.
"Hey? What's wrong?"
"Jin's also not moving." Urick said.
They're in a complete daze. Not responding to any words and actions we did. We tried to shake them out of wherever their minds are, but it did nothing.
Aside from Finnley and Jin, everyone seems to be fine. All that didn't get affected by whatever happened to both Finnley and Jin gathered to have a talk.
"What do you think happened to them?" I asked.
Looking around at other players near us, we also saw some who became a statue after the tower sent the gust of wind. They didn't turn to stone, rather they just won't move nor respond to anything just like Finnley and Jin.
"It's obvious, isn't it? The tower did it," Fionn replied with a smirk on his face.
Urick nodded, "I hate this dude, but he ain't wrong."
Fionn didn't say anything back and just looked at everyone.
I scratched the back of my head, thinking about what happened.
"I know, but why only them?"
"Maybe b-because they were hit by the wind," Aran said.
Everyone has gone quiet, thinking about what the middle-aged man said. But it didn't last long when Fionn stood from the rock he was sitting at and placed both of his hands on his back before speaking.
"Some of us also got hit by the wind, useless old man," he said with a glare directed at Urick.
Urick didn't like what he heard and the look Fionn gave him. He is on the way to get near Fionn, "Again, what's your problem?"
I decided to butt in and stopped him before they began fighting again. This time it would be harder to stop them without Finnley who they both seem to respect.
Urick brushed me off like I'm a tall grass blocking his way. Aran's the one who stops him from doing anything to Fionn.
"Urick, please don't"
Urick stopped and stared at Fionn, "Next time you say something like that to Aran, I'll beat your goddamn face even you, won't recognize yourself."
Fionn just stared and have that creepy smile in response as Urick walked back to where he was seated.
I looked at Fionn with a serious face. His smirk that reached from ear to ear lessened and his face changed a bit.
"I know you provoked him on purpose."
Fionn didn't respond and just looked straight into my face. I was the only one who noticed that he was already touching his combat knife in the pocket on the back of his tactical pants.
He is ready to strike down Urick the moment he goes near him. I don't know if he forgot that killing isn't allowed at this stage or if he only plans to incapacitate Urick. I guess it's the latter.
A bit angry, I glared at Fionn with my back facing everyone else.
"Don't do that again."
He nodded once. I'm glad that he didn't decide to attack me instead.
I faced everyone else, "What should we do?"
No one has an answer. We have no clue about what we should do.
Should we wait for Jin and Finnley to get out of whatever curse they are in or should we move forward toward the tower? After a while of just going back and forth. And checking both Jin and Finnley again and again, we decided to wait for them and give them a couple of hours. It also serves as a long rest anyway.
We could see some of the other players ahead of us who became frozen as well. As I looked further, I could also see Hector taking a break. While some of the other players continued on the quest and just left those that became paralyzed.
After ten minutes of waiting and staring, Urick who couldn't handle the boredom decided to look at me and speak.
"What do you think will happen to them?"
Though a bit startled, in the past few minutes that we have rested I've also been thinking about their predicament.
Both Aran and Amelka also seem to wait for my reply. While Fionn just made glances with a smile on his face.
"Well, I can only assume two things that could happen," I said.
I told them my thoughts. The first is a bad result where both Jin and Finnley have to use their first aid pill to survive. When Urick heard it he took out his first aid pill and went to Finnley. Aran followed suit, took his first aid pill as well, and walked towards Jin.
It could work, I thought. But, no matter how hard Urick or Aran tried to open Jin or Finnley's mouth, they couldn't. Urick even exclaimed how it didn't even budge.
I was also disappointed, somehow I felt like it is what we were supposed to do and that It would work.
After a few more tries, both Urick and Aran walked back close to us and proceed to their seat.
"As I was saying..." I continued my thoughts. I told them that the worst case would be them dying because of whatever happened to them.
Fionn joined the conversation while staring at Jin and Finnley's frozen bodies,
"Highly unlikely," he said.
To which I agreed. If what happened to them would kill them, why paralyze them like that first? It is more logical to think that the purpose of the second wave is to slow players down.
"They might unfreeze when another gust of wind happens," I said.
Amelka, Aran, and Urick nod their head in agreement. Seeing their satisfied expression about my explanation somehow gave me a boost in confidence and pride.
Still, something kept lingering in my head. I couldn't piece it together but, there was this feeling that I might've not considered something. If I were a moderator of this stage, what would I have done to make it more entertaining?
"You're really very smart, Gray," Aran said with a smile on his face. Like a proud parent looking at his child.
As someone who never met his parents, grew up in an orphanage, and was a stray in the streets of Manila, I have never heard someone say those words to me combined with such a genuine smile.
"Yeah right, smart guy!", "Smartass!", "You think you know it all?", growing up, these are the words I commonly hear from adults and peers around me. I've learned to tone it down. Be someone who only knows enough when asked, and just keep to myself whatever knowledge I still have.
I could feel the heat around my eyes and held back the forming tears. How long have I been longing for a parent figure to be proud of me to be this emotional over something simple?
"So we wait?" Urick said as he leaned back and sigh.
"You guys feel decent, why are you here?" he continued and looked at us one by one.
Hesitant, no one answered what Urick asked. He smiled and let out a chuckle.
"Okay, I'ma be real and start this."
Urick began to say the reason why he ended up on death row. He said he was once the best detective in New York. When everyone heard him, Urick felt the wary eyes even Aran made.
"No cap! I'm street smart, okay?!"
At the age of twenty-three, Urick said he became a detective and has been in the service for almost two decades.
"Wait, how old are you?" I asked.
"I'm forty-two."
"Oh... I thought you were only a bit older than me."
He laughed and started saying that he often hears it from other people. I guess his good body also contributed to making him appear younger.
Urick continued his story. He said that after a long time, he started to become wary of something wrong happening in his department involving most of those in higher positions. Injustice killing, accepting bribes, and other unlawful acts are hidden from most of them.
"I couldn't be part of those asshole's scandal."
So he did what he thought was right. He swallowed his pride and tried to snitch to the commissioner. But what he didn't know back then is that even the mayor is part of their scheme. And before he knew it, he became the sole suspect in a murder of a cop.
He tried to explain it to the judge, his lawyer, and everyone else. Even saying that he come to know that the mayor is part of Thisember. With such an accusation, a thorough investigation happened. Yet, with no evidence and the footprints he followed disappearing, nothing was found against the mayor.
Even people he knew that were part of it, disappeared without trace. And all his words became nothing but lies to whoever heard them.
Listening to Urick's story made me visualize the viewers outside. The loud boos and shouts. People who call him a liar, a murderer, and those screaming for him to die and go to hell. As well as the mayor and his goons laughing and jeering at him, if they're watching.
Strange how only last year I was one of those who listens to the player's story on the other side of the screen. I pitied them. But like those people that I imagined, I don't believe almost everything the players say. Yet now, being on the other side and knowing that I was not supposed to be here, I believe Urick.
"Kay, so what about you guys?" Urick said.
Aside from Jin, only Urick and Fionn didn't know my story. I told them what I'd said before. My story of waking up in a scene of murder without recollection of how it happened.
"Maybe you have multiple personalities," Fionn said followed by a grin.
"No, I don't think so..."
Surprised about what Fionn said, I thought "Do I?" That could explain a lot of things about my situation. Did I kill him? No, I don't believe it, I do not want to believe it. There are no blanks in my memory from the day of my trial up to this day. And there are a lot of people capable of doing what they've done to me.
True, I couldn't remember anything about the murder, but it is because I was hit by someone who knocked me unconscious. Was I wrong?
After listening to Urick's and my story, Aran also told his. He already told me his story and after being hit with the possibility of having someone different inside of my head I couldn't focus on listening to Aran's voice.
Decided not to think further about what Fionn said, I managed my breathing and told myself that in my situation I must not be lost in my thoughts. How can I function properly if I do not trust myself? As a last remark ending my doubts, I am innocent! I told to myself.