Anthony and Rian stood frozen, their eyes fixed on the intoxicated Axel in front of them. They exchanged puzzled glances, trying to decipher what was wrong with him.
"What's wrong with him?" Anthony finally broke the silence, his voice barely audible as he leaned towards Rian, whispering into his ear.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Rian said, pushing Anthony away and maintaining his upright position.
"I'm not close to him, you should ask him since he's your friend," Anthony suggested, rolling his eyes.
"You should let your girlfriend do that," Rian teased with a smile, "I bet she's closer to him than I am."
"Shut up, okay?" Anthony's anger was evident in his voice, his fist clenched and ready to hit Rian.
"The food is ready, guys," Rosa and Livi announced, interrupting the two fighting friends. They immediately sat back down upon hearing the announcement.
"What's wrong with Axel?" Livi asked, dropping the tray on the floor and moving closer to Axel. She gently placed his head on her lap, while Rosa brought out the remaining food and placed it in front of the players.
And how did he get hurt? Livi asked, as she held Axel's injured hand which is still dripping with blood.
"He's just drunk," Rian replied, already diving into the mountain of food in front of him, his mouth full of chicken, He hurt his hand with that bottle, he added, pointing to the whiskey broken bottle on the floor
"How could you put his head on your lap?" Anthony's anger was evident in his tone as he glared hatefully at Axel, who appeared completely worn out.
"Spare us the drama tonight, Anthony, and just enjoy the meal in peace," Rian said, rolling his eyes.
"But-"
"Keep quiet, please," Rosa scolded as she settled down. "Here, have a chicken leg," she added, playfully hitting Anthony's mouth with the chicken leg.
"I don't need it," Anthony replied, shrugging off Rosa's hand, his gaze still filled with hatred towards Axel and Livi.
"He's burning up, What's wrong Axel?" Livi asked, with a face full of worry as she placed her hand on Axel's forehead to feel his temperature, "You're really burning up, dear."
"Oh! I'll go get cold water and a napkin," Rosa suggested and stood up, walking into one of the wards.
Get a bandage too please, Livi said as she took a quick glance at Rosa, and then back to Axel
"You never cared about me that much, Livi," Anthony said with anger laced in his voice, "You've found a new toy, right?"
"Hey, come on, Ant," Rian replied almost immediately, "You're bigger than that, man!"
"Yeah, but the big Ant has just been used and dumped by a fucking girl," said Anthony, anger evident in his voice as he fixed his gaze on Livi, who just ignored him by not paying him any attention.
"Damn it, Anthony!" Rian scolded.
"I'll surely kill them," Axel murmured in his drunken state, sadness evident in his tone. Tears rolled down his cheeks, even though his eyes were shut.
"Who is he killing?" Rosa asked, as she sat down amidst the other players after handing over the bowl of cold water and napkin to Livi, her brows raised in confusion.
"He said he's death himself," Rian replied with laughter, "Such a weird gentleman."
"Why are you so sad? Who do you want to kill so badly?" Livi asked Axel, her face full of worry, as she kept massaging his forehead with the wet napkin. "What have you been through in the modern world? Who are you, really?"
**
Axel woke up with a throbbing headache and a weak body. He struggled to get up from the hospital bed, his body covered with a blanket.
Scanning his surroundings, he noticed that he was inside a hospital ward with his hand neatly bandaged.
"How did I pass out yesterday?" Axel wondered as he made his way towards the room exit to join the other players.
In the hospital hallway, the other players were busy playing a game, completely devoted to it.
Livi was the first to spot Axel as he walked out of the room. She rushed over to help him.
"You're finally awake!" she exclaimed, a bright smile on her face. She held onto his waist, and he placed his hand on her shoulder for support.
"I'm okay, just feeling weak. My head feels heavy," Axel said as Livi helped him take a seat among the other players on the tiled floor.
"Here!" Rosa handed Axel a small bowl on a tray. He looked at her, his face filled with curiosity.
Rosa smiled and said, "Oh, it's a hangover remedy. It'll help you feel better."
"Thanks," Axel replied, taking the bowl and gulping it down.
"You really performed a lot of drama yesterday," Rian said with a smile on his face. "You should be thankful to Livi because only she was able to handle your drama."
"Thanks, Livi," Axel struggled to utter, his gaze fixed on her.
"Breakfast is ready, and everyone has already eaten. It's just you, so let me know when you're ready," Rosa said with a smile.
"Okay, thanks, Rosa," Axel replied with a smile.
With all the scenes going on between the players, Anthony remained silent the moment Axel stepped out of the hospital ward.
"What's wrong, Anthony?" Rosa asked with a worried expression.
"It's nothing!" he replied, his anger evident in his tone.
Cracks... cracks... cracks...
The thunderstorm came with heavy rainfall and wind.
"I'm just going to take a walk outside," Axel said, struggling to get up. "I just want to wet myself in the rain."
"I'll come with..."
"No need, Livi," Axel cut her off, and she complied by sitting back down. "I just want to have some time to myself. I'll be fine," he added with a smile, which she reciprocated.
Axel proceeded with his walk out of the hospital and into the lonely street.
After walking for a couple of miles, he eventually stopped, panting for breath. His hair was soaking wet, and his clothes were dripping with water.
"This feels good," he murmured, enjoying the heavy rainfall.
Clangs... clangs... clangs...
Suddenly, he heard the sound of dragging a heavy iron behind him. Turning to look, his gaze fell on Anthony, who had a rope tied to a big gas cylinder on the floor and a steel pipe in the other hand.
Axel couldn't comprehend why Anthony had such a big gas cylinder tied to a rope,or the steel pipe, or why he was following him. But one thing was clear - Anthony's face was boiling with anger, his eyes red with fury, and he had a killing intent within him.