"Why are you here?" Cevil exclaimed, then he turned around furiously and faced Ferando again. "Why is he here?" he snapped, although he knew he wasn't supposed to behave like this to a mafia or terrorist that kidnapped him. If Ferando got angry, he just needed to press the gun trigger and Cevil would be dead. Ferando stared and waited, allowing Cevil to complain more if he wanted. Ferando sighed, "Let's stop with this nonsense, shall we?" He glanced around the room, as if checking on something. "Let's get straight to the point," then, Ferando opened the door, allowing the men to enter again. Cevil watched with anger as Ferando seemed to be discussing something with them.
"Cevil, if you don't mind," Ferando smiled briefly, "Cut his left pinky finger for us, will you?" He waved a carving knife with a long thin and narrow blade with a sharp pointed tip. The knife was quite clean, it looked like it got polished. Cevil ignored, he was wondering whether Ferando was out of his mind, but soon he got the answer himself. Ferando was a part of the mafia, cutting someone's finger didn't matter for him. Cevil felt Ferando leaning closer to his ear, he could hear the loud breathing of Ferando's. "Maybe death would be better for him?" Ferando whispered, then he straightened himself and stepped backwards.
Cevil swore under his breath.
He suddenly found two arms seized beneath his armpits, and he was dragged to his feet. He didn't dare to disobey; one word from Ferando and the man would die. The third man walked to the glass barrier that was separating him and the man, then until when the man grabbed hold of the handle on the glass, only Cevil realized there was one there. He pulled the handle and the glass door slipped opened. Cevil felt a surge of power push him inside the next room, where the man tied to the crucifix was. He turned around, but the door closed behind him, everyone was watching from the other room. Cevil turned and began examining the man. He hoped that he wasn't injured by them.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
Cevil continued checking, "Wait, there's a bruise on your head."
"Small matter, from the accident."
Just then, Cevil heard a voice buzzing in his ears. "Do as I tell you." the voice said. Nervously, Cevil turned around, there wasn't a third person in this room, but it wouldn't be surprising if the voice had come from the other room. "Cut his fingers," the voice said, it was Ferando. Cevil caught his lips moving. But the weird thing was, the sound somehow seemed to come from right beside his ears. It didn't seem that it was delivered from one room to another with a barrier blocking in the middle. The voice was loud and clear. Cevil gazed at the man briefly, then he turned and faced Ferando. He couldn't do that.
"Do it."
As Ferando said, the three men loaded their gun and aimed at the man.
Cevil hesitated.
"Does his life matter more, or his finger?" Ferando whispered, but it still sounded loud, and was deafening his ears.
"The glass is bulletproof," the man whispered.
Cevil glanced at the man, wondering how he would have known. Then, he remembered about the situation and tried to drag the time. "I don't have a knife," he yelled. Then immediately, he whispered, "He wants me to cut your finger, or he'll shoot you, what should I do?" The man nodded his head, but it made Cevil even confused, he couldn't figure out things that the man wanted to express.
"It's in your pocket," Ferando said.
Cevil tried touching his pockets but failed to, "My hand's tied."
Ferando gestured a man to enter the room to untie Cevil's rope. The man pulled the glass door, and it slipped open easily. But before the man untied the rope, Ferando suddenly muttered something to him, and instead of untying the rope, he reached in Cevil's pocket and took the knife out for him. Cevil watched in dismay. His plan had been destroyed. If the man had untied the rope for him, he could stab the man immediately, grab his revolver, then slam the glass door shut. It wouldn't matter if the people shot them – the walls were bulletproof anyways. Even so, with him, Cevil felt safe. He didn't give up on his plan. He decided that the moment he had been given the knife, if the man remained the same place, he would quickly cut his rope and stab the man – the same plan as before. If the man left the room and went back to the other, he would cut the rope that tied the man to the crucifix, and they would escape. He had put all his hopes on the man – KJ.
He was handed the knife, and at the same time, heard Ferando whisper in his ear, "Use it wisely." Cevil rolled his eyes and ignored him. At the very moment after he cut his rope, he could feel a surge of impulse urging him to stab the man. Cevil was hesitating, he had never injured someone – with a knife, in his life ever. He would turn into a criminal if he injured this man, or worse, accidentally murdered. He would have to travel from one country to another, to avoid the cops. Endless life of hiding and fear, it occurred to him that his life was doomed if he murdered the man.
"What?" Ferando asked politely, he was pressing on his earpiece speaker again.
Watching Ferando, Cevil didn't notice a whip – that came from nowhere — was sent driving into his chest and he reeled back, straightened up quickly and was aware to duck if a second whip came. "Still waiting? When are you going to cut his finger?" the man demanded, lifting his whip to threaten Cevil.
"What?" Ferando asked, a little louder this time, at the same time drawing everyone's attention. Cevil glimpse that Ferando was sometimes staring at him in an indescribable glance when listening to the voice from the earpiece. Cevil somehow felt that Ferando was trying to warn or hint them about something. But he didn't waste his time to think, he threw the rope onto the floor and kicked the man, so hard, that he fell backwards. Despite everything, Cevil was glad that the man was just at the door, making it easier for Cevil to kick him into the other room. By the time everyone was aware of anything, Cevil had already slammed the door shut and begun cutting the man – KJ's rope. However, he had only a few seconds – the door was unlocked, and anyone could barge in anytime. He didn't care, he continued cutting the ropes, allowing KJ to break free. He could hear gunshots while he cut the rope, which was something he didn't expect, but he could still feel his heart beating out of him. How were the men so stupid to shoot at a bulletproof wall that was built by themselves? Did they expect that the wall would suddenly malfunction when they wanted it to? Cevil found himself cutting the last rope very soon, the men were still shooting, unaware of the bulletproof glass. He took a glance at the door, it wasn't locked. Finally, the last rope had been cut, KJ had broken free. They headed for the door that was just a few paces away. Cevil pushed the door and glanced around, checking if someone was guarding. KJ was swaying on his feet, but he managed to stumble to the door. The men were only smart enough to enter this room when they had left the room. Cevil bolted the door from outside – which bought them time.