Chapter 50: Sole Survivor
Not sensing any malice, trickery, or sarcasm behind Crow’s words, Ace struggled to remain skeptical.
His words… are genuine.
More so taken aback by Crow’s authenticity than the question itself, Ace begins stuttering, struggling to detect any reason not to trust Crow.
"I- I don't get it. Is this some sort of a trick?"
After hearing Ace’s question, Crow frowned and shifted his body to where one of his knees was sticking up while his other leg was stretched straight out. He then rests the back of his forearm against his propped-up thigh.
"Maybe you don't know what to ask. I assure you that this is no ruse. I know you have questions, and I'm an open book right now. If I were you, I'd start asking away before I end up changing my mind."
"If this is some sick scheme for your own pleasure… just like a few days ago out in the woods…"
Crow deeply inhales through his nose and closes his eyes, resting the back of his head against the cliff, "Kid… it's not."
"Then tell me why you are doing this!"
He remains silent, his eyes gradually opening back up.
Irritated, Ace’s voice raises, "I'm looking at an entirely different person from the one I was fighting just a few minutes ago! I don't know what your deal is, but if you're going to kill me, get it over with already!"
Crow leans forward, "Shut up! You don't know a damn thing!"
"Then how can I trust anything you say?!"
With that, Ace realized he had just thrown away a golden opportunity Crow had given him. Shaking his head in frustration, silence emanated between the two until Crow let out a heavy sigh.
"Maybe this will earn a little bit of your trust…"
Putting a hand up to his mask, Ace hears a click as Crow resumes speaking, "A few years back, I went through the same thing that you're undergoing right now. Fought tooth and nail for my life, and I lost count of the number of times I nearly died."
Smoke begins to seep out from the mask being removed. The sight unveiled before Ace’s eyes left him astonished, unable to breathe. Lowering the mask to his side, a quiet 'dink' echoes as Crow sets the mask on the ground.
"You're not alone in this experience, and you're also not here by mistake. I pity you; this world is a living hell, and I understand. I get what you're going through. I get what you're all going through, but that doesn't change anything. You will all die, die until there's only one left. And from my trials, I…"
Astonished at the hideous condition his face was in, Ace interrupts him, "What the hell happened to you…?"
In a way, the left half of his face is… still intact. Crow still has some facial features that an average human would have, as countless scars have permanently ruined his face. Besides the scars… Crow’s left eye, nose, and half of his mouth are normal, for the most part. His charcoal black hair is slicked back behind his gashed ears, and his forehead is littered with scratches and different shades of tan.
But it’s the mutilated right half of his face that left Ace utterly speechless. The skin on his mouth has been blown off, and Ace can see Crow’s teeth all the way up to the roof of his gums. Crow’s right eye, which appeared vastly different from his left, even with the mask on, is now revealed to be animatronic. His cheek is so ripped up that it's abnormally healed into a toasted mess that almost directly contrasts his rough, scarred outline of tan skin.
For a brief moment, Ace felt as if he now held the power and authority over Crow, standing over him as Crow revealed that which made him appear weak. But then, Ace’s insides churned as he realized these battle scars also make Crow incomprehensibly stronger than him.
Eventually, the two meet each other's gaze again, and the following words from Crow felt as genuine and authentic as they ever could be to Ace.
"I was the sole survivor.”
“You were… the sole survivor?” asks Ace, forgetting his prior vow to keep a straight face as his curiosity leaks through.
Crow gruffly chuckles, “Look who’s interested now… and I only showed you my face.”
“You said that you once experienced the same thing I’m enduring now, I- I don’t understand.”
“Just like you, I woke up with a group of people in some off-the-grid location… unable to remember anything. We were given supplies, food, weapons… the same stuff that your group was given.”
His gaze drops to the ground, breaking eye contact. Silence lingered as Ace decided to refrain from bombarding Crow with more questions. Something about Crow’s body language made Ace want to believe him, so Ace thought he might as well hear him out.
“It didn’t take too long… maybe only a few days before the first person went missing. After that, events began to snowball quickly, and people started mysteriously disappearing. I won’t bore you with the details, but our numbers were dwindling. And eventually, we found one of the people that disappeared, and they were dead.”
Ace mutters, “Only one can remain…”
Clicking his tongue, Crow adjusts his seating arrangement to make himself more comfortable, “Yep, and I was that lucky guy, the last one remaining.”
Looking back at Ace, Crow barely smiles, and Ace finds it challenging to look past the robotic eye and disfigured mouth, “Take a seat, relax. We’re in no rush.”
Ace glances over his shoulder, locating the smooth cliff wall only a few feet away. Resting his back against the cliff, Ace’s tense leg muscles ease, thankful for a break.
Crow gestures, “Well? Feel like asking anything now?”
Dragging his right hand along the ground, Ace’s hand clenched into a fist.
“So... why are you killing us now?”
After sharply exhaling through his nose, Crow’s entire demeanor changed, and Ace recognized that his question made Crow uncomfortable.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
“That question right off the bat? Damn, kid.”
Sticking to his guns, Ace says, “I thought you said I could ask you anything.”
“That I did,” says Crow, scratching his nose.“To keep things simple for you, I’m killing because I have no choice.”
A burning rage sparks within Ace after hearing his response, unable to understand how Crow’s pathetic reasoning could justify his unethical actions.
As if he sensed Ace’s doubts, Crow backs up his response, a stern and mature tone guiding his voice, “Ace, listen carefully to what I have to say next, as this is important. I don’t have a choice. You don’t have a choice. I have no freedom. And you have no freedom. Things outside our control have simply decided this is both your fate and my fate, and our fates intertwine in a cruel battle for survival. This is not a matter of what I want to do, but it’s a matter of what I must do. Because in this world, it’s kill or be killed, both inside and outside of this trial.”
Processing what’s just been said to him, Ace quickly decides to follow up with another question, dousing any bitterness toward Crow’s previous answer.
“You said trial twice now. What do you mean by that?” asks Ace, wanting to extract as much information as he could from Crow before Crow changed his mind.
“Since you woke up here, you’ve been studied, scrutinized, assessed... all of you. They’re trying to determine who the strongest are, and from that, they decide who's the most worthy of life.”
“I’m not following, who’s they?”
That question halted their back-and-forth conversation, but after about ten seconds, Crow uttered, “That’s a question that I can’t answer just yet.”
Pissed off by the answers he’s receiving, or lack thereof, Ace angrily shouts, his voice echoing down the narrow path, “You say you’re killing us because you have to, but you’re not willing to give me the slightest reasoning or explanation behind why?!”
“Correct.”
His answer was simple and convictive, but Ace refused to back down, “So what? Are these ‘trials’ just some sort of experiment? A test, maybe? Would you care to explain why the hell we are even here?!”
“You’re here because you have to be.”
Bringing a hand up to his forehead, Ace rubbed his temple, irritated at the vagueness of Crow’s answers, “This doesn’t make any damn sense. You’re just messing with my head.”
Raising his voice, Crow shouts, “Damn it, Ace! Shut up and think for a second!”
Ace glares at him, his eyes flickering in and out of a fiery glow, “No more games, tell me the reason! Why are you killing us?!”
Scoffing, Crow replies with a roughness to his unfeigned voice, “Because I have to kid. I need to determine who the strongest are.”
Placing the back of his forearms against his thighs that Ace has brought up close to his chest, Ace shakes his head as he gazes at the other end of the pathway.
“Let me get this straight. You’re trying to find the strongest out of our group, and that is the person that will live. Considering you haven’t killed me yet, I take it that I’m a candidate. So… am I going to be the one that lives while everyone else dies? Is that the real reason you’re here and talking to me now?”
Without giving Ace anything, not even the slightest change in expression, Crow answers bluntly, “I’m not saying that... you’ve just… caught my interest, is all.”
Ace blows some air out of his mouth, flustered, “I don’t get it. I don’t get what this is, man. You tell me that I can ask you any question I want, but you refuse to give me a straight answer. Based on what you said earlier about how everything is all about this whole ‘kill or be killed’ nonsense, I assume you’re being kept on a tight leash for what you’re allowed to say, which makes the whole question part come across as a real annoying ploy of yours for the sake of a little amusement.”
As Ace goes quiet, Crow doesn’t speak. Allowing himself some time to think, Ace sorts through everything he knows. And that’s when it clicked.
“It's not that you can't talk. It's that you don't have to. I haven’t been asking the right questions, have I?”
Crow says, “Seems I should be giving you more credit. Here… I’ll tell ya what, kid. Out here, I’m not bound by any law keeping me quiet. As long as I fulfill my duty, I’ll be just fine. However, what you’re asking for is information, information that only I retain. And this knowledge of mine is power. You see, Ace, you’re asking for something that belongs to me, and I’m not getting anything in return… not even a smile or thank you. Quite the one-sided deal, wouldn’t you agree?”
Ace cocks a brow, suppressing his irritation, “As if a thank you will provide something of equal substance. Spill it. What do I need to do to make good on this deal?”
“Kill. I want you to kill somebody. Only after doing that will I know that I can trust you,” answers Crow, a chilling shiver shooting down Ace’s spine.
Stunned, dumbfounded, astounded, a single word wouldn’t do Ace’s non-responsive self any justice as he gnashed my teeth, curled his toes, and clenched his fists. Taking a deep breath, Ace attempts to gather himself; however, as Ace is about to promptly reject Crow’s proposal, he once more makes an effort to reel Ace into his deal.
“And once I’m confident I can trust you, I will reveal what you desire to know the most.”
His interest piqued, and like the sucker he is, Ace once more fell for the bait like a rabbit having a carrot dangled in front of its face, “You’ll tell me what I desire to know the most?”
Thrusting his hand out, Crow lifts a finger in the air, his voice fluttering in wicked elation, “Your name, who you are, your past, I’ll tell you everything. All you have to do is take a single life. Just one.”
Remembering his sudden powers, Ace asks, “And what about these fire abilities?”
“That too. You’re special, Ace. I’ll tell you everything if you just take one life.”
Hook, line, and sinker. Crow’s got him, and Ace knows that because he keeps repeating to himself that this is something he can’t refuse. He feels it in his bones. Ace must know who he is.
Of course, I won’t actually kill anybody; I just have to play along until he lowers his guard, and then I’ll have the upper hand. It might take a while, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Kill or be killed. To hunt or be hunted. As he said, this is also merely a matter of survival.
Wiping his hands on the back of his pants, Ace is snapped out of his thoughts as he notices that Crow has begun walking toward him. As he arrives, Crow extends a hand.
“I know this is an offer you can’t turn down.”
Staring at Crow’s hand, Ace realizes he can’t move his arm. Although he just told himself to take the deal and doublecross Crow, he hesitates. Crow raises a brow, his mouth creasing as he leans forward.
“Because if you refuse, I’ll kill you here and now.”
Straight away, Ace’s senses hone while Crow's body mirages away in front of his eyes.
Reappearing next to the weapons that he tossed off to the side earlier, Crow throws a dagger rapidly, just narrowly missing Ace’s nose as it lodges itself into the wall behind him. Ace quickly refocuses on where Crow is standing, or… was standing... because now, he’s nowhere to be seen.
As Crow bursts in front of Ace, the sudden gust brushes Ace’s hair back, and he feels his chest compress. Wincing, Ace can’t breathe, can’t move… he can only wait as Crow crouches down, holding the razor-sharp edge of his dagger against the delicate skin on Ace’s neck. They stare at one another for a few seconds, Crow’s robotic eye swirling about as his expression remains nonchalant.
Taking his time, Crow eventually removed the dagger from Ace's neck. Tossing it up in the air, Crow clutched it by the handle once more before holding his right hand out to Ace again, “What do you say? Do we have ourselves a deal?”
Glaring daggers at him, Ace takes Crow’s hand, ensuring his grip exhibits his amounting fury at this ordeal, “As if I have a choice.”
After helping Ace to his feet, Crow puts his mask back on.
Glancing at him, Ace asks, “So, what now?”
Looking toward the end of the path he previously blocked, Crow says, “Now… we get started. You or me?”
Feeling a power coursing through him, Ace’s body powers back up, “I got it.”
Snapping his fingers, Ace conjures a compressed sphere of sizzling flames and launches it toward the rock wall, the booming impact creating an opening large enough to pass through to the other side.
Stepping through the gap Ace just made, Crow proceeds onward. Following close behind, Ace asks, “Where to?”
“Just follow my lead. Fall behind, and you’re dead.”
As the view of the forest that Ace ventured through not long ago comes into view, Ace curses under his breath.
He really wasn't lying about 'it' starting now…
Taking off into the forest, there's only one thing on Ace’s mind.
The hunt... has already begun.