Hybrid

Chapter 10: Test subject

It's been about four minutes since you've respawned at the campfire and the three of your teammates finally show up. Vittorio comes closer and gives a pat on your shoulder, thanking you for the sacrifice you've made to protect him. Cheryl simply smiles at you, as a sign of gratefulness. But Ace, on the other hand, is staring at you behind the crowd of unaware survivors. You're not exactly sure what he is feeling about what he had witnessed, but the man will certainly ask for explanations soon.

Once everybody returned to their activities, the gambler approaches and whispers in your ears:

"I think we need to talk. Follow me, I know a spot."

He passes behind you and waits at the entrance of the forest. You don't want to have this conversation. But you know things would only get worse if you refuse to give him answers.
You accompany the man in the dark woods, turning left, then right, then left again, walking for a solid five minutes until you grasp the boxy silhouette of a small cabin.
You slow your pace down, surprised to see that little edifice lost in the middle of the crooked trees. Ace notices your discomfort and softly grabs your arm with his iconic smile:

"Don't worry, I'm not leading you to a trap or something. Just wanted to have a talk with you in private. I discovered this place while wandering in the wood, a while ago. I and a few others know about this place. Those walls got no intrusive ears."

You ease up and follow him inside.

It is literally just a box. Nothing in it. Not even a window. Only a ceiling light that flickers every once in a while. The place is big enough to let both of you sit on the ground with our legs extended without touching each other, but it won't be enough to have more than four people standing up.

You both look at each other for a minute, not sure how to start this conversation. Ace finally speaks up:

"Listen, I'm pretty sure you know why I brought you here. You know I was there all along and you know what happened was kindda weird."

You say nothing and keep looking at him with embarrassment. You don't want to sell your secret by accident and wait for him to be more specific.

"I saw you protecting Vitty and..."

"Vitty?"

Ace's face turns red for a split second:

"Yeah, Vitty. Whatever, don't try to change the topic. What I'm saying is that it was super cool from you and all. Altruistic people are always appreciated here. But why did you just stand there... menacingly?"

You've thought of a proper answer while you were walking and already know what to say. But you stutter out your response to make it more authentic and less prepared:

"I don't know. To be fair, I just panicked."

"You panicked?" He says, raising a brow, incredulous at your speech.

"At first, I wanted to make sure she'd go for me instead of Vittorio. But when she came closer, I got tetanized on the spot, unable to move or talk. I swear, I wanted to leave but my legs were giving up on me !"

You manage to get some sincere tears out of your eyes. Not because you are traumatized by what happened but because you're stressed at the idea of him investigating more on you.
The man takes his sunglasses off and softens to your cries. He shows a cheerful smile as he gently strokes your forearm:

"Sorry for making you nervous. It's just that since you came down here, shits became odd and we learned a bunch of new things, good and bad ones... and because it all came with you, a lot of us got anxious that you could be a threat to us. I know being here is tough enough without being the center of everyone's judgment. I just wanted to make sure that what I witnessed weren't any sort of shady deals with the devils or else."