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✲꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏✲
After Pius's final words, I pressed my lips into a hard line, drew in on myself, and began looking around without turning my head too obviously, so he would suspect nothing.
I wondered how quickly I could reach the cabin door, but then I suddenly remembered that when we had entered, he had sealed it shut with the round locking wheel.
Which meant I had only one possible chance of escape: through the window.
Either it would take me onto the deck...
Or straight into the water.
Pius slowly leaned forward, braced his palms on his knees, and rose to his feet. As he stretched, spreading his arms slightly, I noticed the weapon attached to the belt holding up his trousers.
I seized the opportunity.
Rushing toward him, I kicked him hard between the legs.
The moment he doubled over, his face flushing with pain, I pulled the pistol from its holster and, with trembling hands, aimed it at him. My fingers tightened around the body of the weapon as I placed one finger on the trigger, ready to fire at any second.
Pijus held his breath, groaning through the pain, and stared at me in complete disbelief.
"Don't try to stop me from leaving," I warned, retreating step by step toward the cabin door, "or I won't spare your manhood. I'll shoot you right there."
He remained where he was, showing no sign of trying to stop me.
And if he was thinking about it, perhaps he feared that even with my poor aim, I might still manage to shoot him.
"Why do you insist on making everything so difficult?" Pius whimpered. "I promised I would stand on your side in court if we could only speak like civilized human beings."
"I can't believe you. I can't trust you. Back in the helicopter, you gave me an innocent little sign that I could rely on you, but the moment I set foot on this ship, I realized you weren't worthy of that trust. Private Carter promised me salvation from the war too, and later it turned out he was a traitor. You say the same things that bastard said: I know Toby. I owe him. I can't betray him. We were friends once. But behind his back, both of you act like villains. Instead of helping Toby, you hand him over to the authorities, even though all he wants is to free himself from the hopeless burden of this war. And besides, I noticed that you aren't exactly enchanted by the war or its consequences either. So why aren't you standing with the rebels?"
I spat every word through clenched teeth, glaring at Pius with eyes full of ruinous anger.
I did not want to waste even a single moment.
Before carrying out my impulsive plan to escape, I intended to say everything I thought.
"I understand how angry you are," Pius managed to say.
