He didn't speak to anyone after the meeting. A feeling of unease and guilt sat heavy in his stomach, so he ignored Dahlia's worried glance and took off as soon as he was able. Doing work was the last thing on his mind, so he ended up heading home. Everyone else in the village seemed to agree, as all the shops he passed were closed. All he wanted to do was rest and take a break, but it seems his body had other ideas. There was no entertainment here, no books or television, and he never handled boredom well, his body constantly on the move, whether it be searching for food or a warm place to spend the night, or moving from job to job. Sleep was also a foreign concept; his mind never slipped into a peaceful doze. If he did manage to get sleep, it was usually nightmare after nightmare, uneasy and waking him up every hour or so. Only when utterly exhausted was he able to finally get rest.
It was just after midday, and another failed attempt at a nap, that a knock sounded at his door. He wasn't expecting any company, and the windows weren't at the correct angle to reveal who it was that knocked. Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that vampires couldn't come out during the day and slowly swung it open. Before he even had the chance to blink, a figure dashed into his house. He froze, turning slightly to see who exactly had walked in and found Dahlia pacing by the fireplace. Taking another breath to calm himself, he shut the door and studied her figure. She was on edge, her hair sticking up at wild angles as if she constantly ran her hands through it, and her lips were cracked and bleeding from biting them.
"Is something…wrong?" He asked her hesitantly.
"Yes? No? Argh! Everything has gone wrong since we got here, and I've had enough." She huffs, throwing herself into a chair. Moving slowly, he lowers himself into the other chair, sitting carefully on the edge. How was he supposed to answer that? There wasn't much need for speculation, however, as she seemed to blink back into awareness and started apologizing profusely.
"Oh my god that was so rude of me, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I did that! I'm usually more polite, I swear, all this stress has been getting to me." She groans, rubbing her head.
"It's fine, I get it…" He comforts, but it was a bit awkward. Sighing, Dahlia sinks into the chair more, pulling up her knees and burying her face in them.
"I, uh, I wanted to come here to talk about what was happening tonight. I guess I got a little worked up on the way over, hehe." She chuckles awkwardly.
"As I said, it's fine. Just uhm, don't do it again, I guess." He tells her, and she nods enthusiastically.
"Right, won't happen again. Scouts honor." She chuckles, putting up a hand with three fingers.
"Were you in a scout troop?" He questions.
"No, but one of my sisters was. God, she was annoying about it, too. She would lord it over all of us like she was better just because she could tie a knot and sell cookies. I started doing it back to her, and it'd make her so angry, her face would scrunch up, and she'd tell our parents, but they wouldn't do anything since it's not like I was doing anything bad." She laughs, but then it turns into sniffles until she's crying into her hands.
"S-sorry, I just…I guess I miss them more than I thought." She chokes out, trying to wipe away the tears and snot that kept streaming down her face.
"...Your family?" He asks hesitantly, tilting his head.
"Mm, I wasn't that close with them, but being in a situation like this has made me rethink a few things. I can't stop thinking about their different quirks, the way my older sister snorts when she laughs. The way my younger sister pleads with us when she wants something. And my baby brother, I could never hate him. I need to get out of here, if only for him." She smiles bitterly.
"Hey, if I don't make it, could you tell them what happened to me? I don't just want them thinking I ran off and abandoned them." She gazes at him, her eyes pleading. He doesn't mention that it was likely neither of them would make it; instead, he nods.
"Sure, I'll tell them." If it was a white lie, nobody had to know.
"I think I'm going to go now. Ugh, I didn't even discuss what I came here for in the first place. Whatever, I need a break, see you tonight?" She asks.
"Mhm." He confirms. He watches as she leaves, only getting up to lock the door after a few minutes have passed. His hands were still shaking a bit from earlier, and once again, he was left alone to boredom. Great. It was either bloodthirsty monsters or boredom, honestly, he couldn't decide which was worse.
In the end, he simply watched the sun as it sank lower and lower, replaying memories he'd rather forget over and over in his head, only taking a small break to cook some food. It tasted like ash in his mouth. When the sun had fully disappeared, he sighed and pushed himself to his feet. It was time to watch an execution.
The crowd was already shouting by the time he arrived, slotting himself in at the edge of the crowd next to the other Players. There were two poles erected in the center of the town, and the villagers were gathered around them. Tied to the poles were the Night Merchant and his assistant, Jens. There was a resigned fury to the Night Merchant; he knew what was going to happen, and he had accepted it, but he did not agree with it. Jens…on the other hand…looked terrified. His eyes were leaking tears, and he was struggling against the bindings and gag.
"Tonight, we shall finally rid our town of the horrid beasts that plague us! For once these two die, any other night creature they may have made will follow in pursuit!" The village head is standing in front of the two poles, a lit torch in his hand. Struggling with his binds, Jens writhes back and forth in a desperate attempt to escape. Eventually managing to get the gag off, but the ropes tied around his body stayed firmly in place.
"No…no! Please don't do this! I don't want to die!" He begs, his mouth twisted in a hopeful smile that someone would take pity on him and free him. That face quickly switches to one of shock when someone throws a rock at his head.
"Monster!"
"Don't try to talk your way out of this!"
The shouts of the villagers fill up the area, the overall noise and subject make him queasy, but he keeps his eyes on the poles, never looking away from the two people strung up. It feels distasteful, standing here and watching such a barbaric practice, but any reason for him to stop it had been worn away the night he was attacked. It was kill or be killed, and he wasn't going to feel guilty for doing what it takes to survive.
"It's not my fault! I didn't want to become this…this…this thing! He made me like this! I never hurt anyone, I swear! Please, please, I don't want to die." His messy sobs echo over the noise of the angry villagers, ringing clearly in Gabriel's ears and making him shift uncomfortably, but he doesn't move even as Jens continues to scream when the village head approaches the base of the wooden poles with the torch.
It was slow at first, the fire simply creeping through the small bits of twigs and smaller flammable items. But once it caught, it roared to life. The bright flames reached higher and higher, eventually catching on the thick poles. The flames tear into the clothes of the Night Merchant and his unfortunate assistant, and the crackles as their flesh burned filled his ears.
Their screams were horrible, the Night Merchant's deep and raw, filled with an unending fury at the people who had put him in this situation. In contrast, Jens' were high-pitched and halting, broken off every few seconds by a sob. Their skin burned, red and raw with blisters, before melting away into ash, and reforming anew. Over and over, the skin regenerated their screams, continuing until eventually, the regeneration couldn't keep up, and they were silent.
There is cheering all around him, and Gabriel lifts a shaky hand to his mouth before doubling over and hurling. The dinner he had made earlier exited his body, spilling onto the ground. Someone patted his back in comfort, and he was distantly aware of Cassidy, also vomiting somewhere close by.
When they had recovered, a majority of the villagers had already left. Leaving behind a few who were either celebrating or kicking at the ashes. It made his stomach roll again, but this time he managed to keep everything down. Cassidy was shaking, and Maria started leading her away.
"Hmph, that was… unnecessary," Stephen shakes his head with displeasure.
"It was horrible, I know they started all this, but…couldn't they have just staked them through the heart?" Dahlia questions.
"Did you see how everyone else was reacting? This was like a show to them. Why would they do it in a humane way when they're trying to send a message?" Gabriel spits, forcing down the knowledge that all of them had watched it happen.
"Let us return, tomorrow we shall make our preparations." Stephen backs away, leaving only him and Dahlia.
"Well…" She takes a shaky breath, "Goodnight, I guess. Get some rest, maybe we'll feel better tomorrow." She says hopefully. He doesn't respond; he only nods at her as he leaves. Returning to the house he had long grown sick of. It was funny, he had always longed for a house of his own, but now that he had one…he wanted to burn it to the ground.