When Night Falls (Complete)

74

"Pull them out." Commands eyepatch, and his men move to do his bidding.

Papa Musa, with his frail body, tries stopping them. "Wait. Please–" he's met by a solid slap to the face, and from within the cabinet, Dami jolts from the impact of the attack. Meanwhile, the men continue on towards the hutch.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Dami hears Eyepatch ask, a question directed at her grandfather.

But his question is answered by Papa Musa's own question, only after he's healed from the slap. "Who are you people?"

Then the door to the cabinet flies open, and Eyepatch's men dig both Dami and Verona out. "Papa Musa!" The twins yell. The men haul them towards Eyepatch, but after much struggling, the two are finally able to escape their grasps. They run towards their grandfather.

Eyepatch sees this and smiles, like he's finally gotten the gist of things. "Rand Vero. Pleased to make your acquaintances." And he smiles again. The same empty, sinister smile.

Papa Musa pulls the twins behind him and acts as a shield. "I don't know what you're after," the old man says with shaky breaths. "But please leave these kids alone. They're only children."

Rand doesn't even tune in to whatever Papa Musa is saying. He's too busy with his cigar. "Hand those two over." Says Rand, his eyes not even on the victims. Only when his request is denied does he look at Papa Musa with dread in his eyes.

But Papa Musa still will not budge. Dami can feel him trembling. He must be as scared as she is. Yet he stands there in front of her, shielding her from the disaster that has descended upon them.

Papa Musa gets down on his knees. "Have a heart. These girls are only nine years old. You can do whatever you want with me, but please, not the girls."

Rand allows the smoke from his cigar filter into the air for a bit. Then he pulls it away from his mouth and heads towards Papa Musa. Dami gulps when she sees him approaching. The thumping in her chest increases tenfold, up to a point where it feels like it will leap out at any given moment. And the way her body shakes. Dami has never been this petrified in her life.

Rand comes to a stop in front of the old man and squats down to his level. Then he sucks in another drag and releases the smoke in his face. Papa Musa begins coughing profusely. But the smoke is the least of his concerns because soon, Rand burns the butt of the cigar into his forehead. A bloody circle is created, which leaves a trail of blood down his face. Papa Musa groans and wails in potent agony. Yet Dami can't do a thing except stand and watch.

When his job is done, Rand stands from his spot and snaps his fingers for his men to detain the old man. They do so quickly, but at the expense of the twins kicking and screaming at them to let go of their grandfather. But like Papa Musa, their efforts are wasted. The guards hold the old man up straight in front of Rand. It doesn't take much strength to do so. Papa Musa is already too frail and fragile.

"I don't like people who don't listen." Rand begins. He gestures for one of his men to hand him a rectangular case. This confuses Dami a little. She'd expected a gun or a weapon of some sort. Surely, this man called Rand wasn't going to punish her grandfather with some box.

But it's not the case that's going to be put to use. It's the array of dart pins inside.

Rand pulls one out and begins to examine it. The ends are sharper than any needle ever created. A simple touch is enough to draw blood, an important detail that leaves Rand with a smile. He must be thrilled at the chance to put it to use.

Dami watches helplessly as Rand takes his aim and shoots. The dart connects with Papa Musa's chest, creating a bloody hole in the process. The pain comes down upon his body in shockwaves so great, it makes him scream. A good chunk of the needle's end is buried within his skin. This leaves Papa Musa crying out in agony.