Vin's eyes gleamed with a cruel satisfaction, his voice low but sharp, cutting through the silence like a knife.
"I'm going to kill them. I don't care what you say. It's the only way."
'"The only way"....I'm sick of hearing that!' Evan thought to himself.
"You can't. You promised, Victor."
His voice was frantic, desperation leaking into every syllable, but his words caught in the tightness of his throat.
"They're innocent. They'pre just people trying to survive in a cruel world, just like them."
His gaze flicked to Victor, who stood a few steps away, his face unreadable, but his hands twitching at his sides.
He had sworn to Evan that no harm would come to the couple if they followed the plan.
But now... now, the promise was slipping through Evan's fingers like sand.
"You told me they would be safe. That we wouldn't hurt them." Evan spat in vexation.
Victor's expression tightened, a pained look flashing in his eyes.
"I did, but Evan... it's them or us." His voice was strained, as if it physically hurt him to say the words, but they still slipped out, cold and final.
"No!" Evan exclaimed, regardless of who might be listening.
"We don't just take lives like that. You can't be serious."
'This wasn't right. This wasn't what I signed up for. Letting them die would just be...wrong.' He thought inwardly.
Victor's face darkened, his eyes flicking toward Vin as if seeking support.
"Evan, listen to me. If we don't take the food, we won't survive. We need it, or we'll starve."
"And what about them?!" Evan shot back, his voice rising in volume.
Victor's jaw clenched, and he shook his head.
"You don't understand. It's already too late for them. The food we took from them is all we have. There's nothing left to give."
"There has to be another way. We can ration the food. We can—"
"It's not enough." Victor snapped, his voice cutting through Evan's words.
"It's enough for us, but not for them. If we divide it, we all starve." Victor added.
Evan's heart sank as the weight of the situation hit him. The harsh reality of their choices loomed over him like a dark cloud, suffocating him.
He could feel his stomach twist in knots, his mind screaming at him to find a solution, any solution, but all he saw was a dead end.
'I promised them no harm would come to them. I can't let Vin kill them.' Evan thought.
"No." Evan said, shaking his head, the words coming out as a breathless whisper.
"We'll take what we need. We'll let them go. That's the deal. That's what we promised."
Victor's eyes hardened, and he stepped closer to Evan, his voice cold.
"And what happens after that? They'll take the food, and what then? They'll starve in the wilderness, or worse, they'll be slaughtered by that damn bear roaming these woods."
Evan's mouth went dry at the mention of the beast.
His thoughts spiraled as the image of the monstrous creature, its claws and fangs gleaming in his mind, took shape. If the couple was left behind, they would surely die.
'Regardless. There has to be another way.'
"And even if they survive the bear," Victor continued, his voice sharp,
"they'll be caught by the knights. They'll rat us out to save their own lives. And what then, Evan? We'll all eventually end up in chains again, and back to being slaughtered like sheep."
The choice seemed impossible. No matter what, someone had to die. But he couldn't—he wouldn't—let that be the couple.
"They're innocent," Evan murmured, almost to himself.
"I gave them my word."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"And I'm telling you that this is the only way. It's them or us."
Vin laughed softly, almost mocking Evan with his glareas he glanced at the couple.
"All right, kid, let's settle this. There's three of us. Majority rules."
Evan's eyes darted between the two men, his chest tightening as he watched Vin raise his hand, followed by Victor's reluctant gesture. But Evan... Evan's gaze stayed locked on Victor's, pleading, desperate, but the older man's eyes were unyielding.
"You promised," Evan whispered, his voice barely a breath, filled with disbelief.
"I did," Victor replied quietly, his voice heavy with regret.
"But it's them or us. I choose us."
Vin stepped forward, his smile widening, gleaming with malice.
As he moved toward Henry and Susan, Evan couldn't stop him. His body felt as if it were trapped in place, frozen by the unbearable weight of the situation.
"No!" Evan screamed aloud as he lunged forward, attempting with all he had in himself to stop Vin.
But Victor was faster. His strong hands wrapped around Evan's arm, yanking him back, slammed him to the ground.
Evan struggled, his fists pounding against the earth as he fought against Victor's iron grip.
"Let me go!" Evan cried out, but his struggles were in vain. Victor's weight pressed down on him, holding him still. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything.
"I'm sorry Kid. It's the only way."
But Evan didn't stop.
"No! Stop! It's not right! It's not right!"
Through the blur of his rage and panic, Evan saw Vin step closer to Henry and Susan, his knife gleaming in the dim light.
"Please. I have money. I can pay you. I can make you rich." Henry's voice trembled, fear flooding his words, but it was too late.
Vin wasted no time. Ignoring Henry's please, he lunged forward, the blade sinking into Henry's abdomen with a sickening thud.
The man gasped, blood spilling from the wound as he stumbled back, his hand clutching his stomach.
"Stop! Please!" Evan's voice was raw, breaking as he struggled against Victor, but the screams of the couple drowned him out. The air around them seemed to pulse with the sound of the knife slashing through flesh, each strike a reminder of how far they had fallen.
"Shut up!" Vin snapped, his voice cutting through Evan's pleading like a whip. He twisted the blade, and reciprocated with several other incisions to Henry's gut and slowly, Henry's screams faded into silence.
Evan could hardly breathe. His eyes were locked on the scene, his mind refusing to believe what he was seeing.
"Vin, that monster, was enjoying it."
His twisted grin was unmistakable, his eyes gleaming with a sick pleasure as he killed the couple before them.
Evan's stomach churned, bile rising in his throat as he turned his head away, but even then, he couldn't escape the sound. The sound of the knife digging into flesh. The sound of a life slipping away.
Then, as if in slow motion, he heard the final scream. The last cry of Susan as the blade pierced her chest, silencing her forever.
And then... silence.
The forest was still. Dead. As cold as the lifeless bodies before them.
Evan's gaze turned back to Henry, whose eyes were wide and filled with disbelief.
The man's vacant stare met his, and Evan couldn't look away. There was no shock, no anger, just a strange acceptance.
And then Henry's eyes closed, his body slack, the life drained from him in an instant.
Evan couldn't move. Couldn't speak. All he could do was stare at the carnage in front of him, the horrific reality of the world they lived in sinking in.
"What...What...What have you done?" he muttered under his breath in disbelief.
And right then, the system's notification chimed once more as it appeared infront of Evan, displaying a message with sent chills down Evan's spines, along with a ray of confusion.
[System Notification]
[Congratulations, Player! You have qualified for the Trial of Courage.]
[Task 1: Survive]
[Progress:Completed]