As jaw-dropping as the scene before him, Specter's eyes were fixated on Rasha and the chubby-cheeked jumpsuited bloke who couldn't even get into his car due to being scared witless, absolutely terror-stricken, especially when Rasha brought her sleek menacing dagger to his view. As it had rain cats and dogs yesterday, the environment was not that droughty as Rasha mentioned, just adding the right amount of salt to season her intimidation.
"I...i...i haven't done anything, i haven't done anything wrong please, i beg-"
But Rasha cut in on his words, saying
"I have been punished too for a thing i haven't done. It brought me pain worst than death. It made me the most unloved person in everyone's heart and the hate has become too chronic that all i have for humankind is ill-wish. Do you understand?"
"Y...yess.. yes i do, i do, i understand"
The bloke answered quickly but she did not stop approaching him with the menacing silvery dagger nor did he stop taking steps backwards.
"No, i don't think you understand. Men fear nothing, do they?"
Rasha found great pleasure in killing people with fear without actually killing them. The sweet-sounding sounds of weakness, the lyrical implores, gorgeous terror-stricken eyes...
"We..we have fear. Men are-"
"Are you a man?"
With the question came the stop of their steps. The bloke flashed a look of surprise in his fear-reddened eyes when he heard her question. It was as plain as a pikestaff that he was a man out and out, wasn't he?
"A coward, say you are a coward" Specter could no longer hold himself back. He understood what Rasha was trying to do, as in if the bloke was to admit that he was a man, then it meant all men are as unmanly as that bloke which included him, who unlike the bloke withstood her, a woman's intimidation with manly pride.
The bloke's eyes traveled between Rasha and Specter. What wrong deed did he do this morning to deserve meeting these two people.
Evidently, he was a thing of amusement to this lady whose face still maintained its mystery behind her dark locks. And the man looked like he would feast on his blood and flesh as breakfast if he dared to admit being a man.
"I..i am a coward but still a man"
Rasha laughed heartily and threw Specter her sarcastic-styled words
"Amazing isn't it? the lizard has fallen from the tree"
"Can i..can i go now? please?" the bloke wanted to get far away from there for their presence was making it challenging for his lungs to share the same breathing air with them. For a moment, he almost let out a sigh of relief when Rasha said
"Hmm, sure"
Until the following words which came forth like a curse in his ears
"I think it is time we leave. Leave the boot of your car opened"
She uttered commandingly as if it was her car and the jumpsuited bloke was her chauffeur. It went without saying that they wanted to use his car to get to their destination. But the thought of the possibility that they may attempt to lay him out in lavender brought goose bumps to his skin, after all he had seen the tattooed man's face and heard the lady's voice.
"I don't mind handing you the car keys, please just let me go. You may have the car, its all yours" -The bloke. But what he got from Rasha were questions. She asked,
"What is your name? from where to where"
"Rayan. Rayan is my name. I visited a relative in Zorro county and heading back to Naria Town"
"Mm. Are there checkpoints ahead?"
"Yes, there is one. Police checkpoint"
"OK. For the sake of maintaining the clean appearance of my dagger, i hope we will be siblings for the rest of the journey. Hmm?"
Rayan's eyes nearly watered but he managed to control the urge to cry and concur
"Yes, yes"
"Good to know that you have a pinch of common sense"