"How is that even a problem? You know the way to your house, right? We're going there, no matter the risk. Is that really why you're refusing to talk? Come on, there's no risk higher than staying here in the city. That's the biggest risk we've taken so far. Don't tell me going to your house to check on your sister is a bigger risk than that. It's not," Daniel insisted, his voice laced with frustration.
Tina remained silent, her face etched with worry. Daniel couldn't understand her reluctance. Any reasonable explanation for her silence seemed foolish, yet somehow, it felt right. Their location, in the heart of the city, made them vulnerable. Cameras, surveillance, and a thousand other ways to catch them lurked around every corner. They couldn't be so reckless as to expose themselves. But there were ways to get in and out without being seen. They could sneak through the gate, get her sister, and disappear before anyone noticed.
Daniel's mind raced, trying to understand her hesitation. Maybe her sister wasn't home. Maybe they'd moved, or she'd forgotten the way. But she hadn't been gone long, only few months. There was no way she could have forgotten her way home. They were going to find her sister, he must surely find her.
"Thank you, Daniel. You're one of a kind. You're a kind man, not just to me, but to everyone who's come to you for help. I'm so grateful. But there's still a problem, a big one, that you need to know about," Tina finally spoke, her voice trembling slightly.
Daniel leaned forward, his eyes widening in anticipation. He was ready to hear her concerns, ready to face whatever risk stood between them and her sister. But he's sensing that Tina believed that there is a big risk in it, maybe she know about it but she don't wanna talk about it.
It had to be something about her sister or the route to their home. Maybe there was some kind of danger, something close to that. It was crucial that she tell him, that he knew before he walked into a trap he wasn't meant to fall into.
"It's about others, you have volunteered to help? yes! but what about others?" Tina said, her voice low and hesitant. "You know everything we've said here is just between us. But others might think differently. They might not be ready to die just because they want to help me find my sister. Being willing to help doesn't mean they're willing to risk their lives for me. You're the best, but I don't think those people would want to risk their lives for me. Most of them are afraid. They never knew they'd have to live again. They all thought they were going to die inside that prison"
"It wasn't just them, it was me too," she continued, her voice catching. "I never knew I would still be alive today, we all thought we are going to died inside that prison but luckily, here we are and you believe they would risk it going out there to gamble with their lives again. We were all supposed to be sentenced to death after the judgement day. You see, we managed to escape. It was luck. I don't think they're willing to risk it again. They know if the police get them again, it's probably a kill."
Daniel smiled, a reassuring gesture that he understood. He knew she wasn't asking for him to understand, but to acknowledge. He knew she didn't need to understand that he was a one-man squad. Everything he'd said so far, even mentioning the others, was just to include them, to make them feel like they were part of this, not to exclude them. It didn't mean he truly relied on them, or truly needed their help.
Of course he needed help. He wanted company, he wanted to make things easier for himself. He was going to ask for their help, but if they weren't willing to go with him, it was no problem. He'd been doing this alone, helping people alone, for a long time. He saw no reason why he'd need a whole team to rescue one person.
The decision was already made in his mind. He wasn't expecting everyone to help him. He knew that wouldn't be the case. He'd been through a lot, and he knew most people were afraid of dying. They weren't like him. He is different.
"If you must know, this is my decision, not theirs," Daniel said, his voice firm. "I'm going to ask for their help, that's the truth. But if none of them are willing, I'll just ask for volunteers. I won't force them. I won't say everyone has to go. Of course, not everyone is going to go to that place. I'll just ask for volunteers who will follow me. But if nobody wants to go, I'll go alone."
Tina was furious. Going alone was crazy. It was a suicide mission. "Going alone? No, that's insane. This isn't something you can do alone. Trust me, if none of them are willing to help, you should leave it. You have a great destiny in front of you. You're not going to die just saving my sister."
She was worried, and she was trying to avoid saying what she was really thinking. She knew him. She knew he was the kind of man who would sacrifice his life for the benefit of others. He was a good person, a lovable person.
"Well, what's destiny?" Daniel asked, a playful glint in his eye. "Do you think it's my problem, not part of the problem? If everyone is part of the destiny I'm destined to save, then this is the risk I'm taking for my destiny. And I'm going. I don't think we should decide what to do now. We should ask the others. After all, before we had this argument, if I'd said I was going, most of them would have been ready to help."
He looked at her, then turned and headed back to the parlor. He was going to talk to everyone else, see if they were willing to help him conquer this little war. It wasn't even that tough. It was just a half-managed war they could win with their eyes closed, it's just to find a girl and sneak her away and that's all.
Tina kept her hand on her chin, watching Daniel. She didn't want to go with him to the parlor. She already knew what the response of those people would be. They wouldn't be foolish enough to escape from fire and run into flying pan. They'd just managed to narrowly escape the prison with their lives. How could they be so foolish as to go back? It wasn't weird to think they'd be killed on sight. The authorities probably had them all declared dead already. Any police officer who saw them would just shoot, no hesitation.
She knew this was going to be a solo mission. He was putting his life at risk just because of her but it was supposed to be the opposite. She had wanted to die for him. She was willing to die for him. She knew he had a great destiny to achieve, and she was willing to die for him instead of him dying for her sister. It was all okay. It showed he really had the energy, the strength, the willingness to complete his destiny. Destiny required a lot of sacrifice.
So she just looked away, staring at the empty, void forest. It was filled with just trees and the sound of animals, and the vastness of the sky. That was the only thing she was looking at. She didn't bother going to the parlor with Daniel. She knew it was going to be a waste of time, nothing much would come of it.
However, as Daniel stepped into the parlor, everyone looked at him. Most of them were already done eating their food. In fact, everyone was done with their food. They were hungry, and they'd eaten quickly. It was only Tina who still had her food left. She hadn't really been that hungry, but now she grabbed the chicken and started eating. She was starving.
"Alright, everyone, this isn't mandatory, but one of us, Tina, needs our help"
"I believe we're all family now, so we should be ready to sacrifice everything for each other. her sister, is in danger. We have to go save her! So, if there's anyone who's ready to go out there with me, to the central city..."
As soon as Daniel mentioned the central city, a look of concern spread across everyone's faces. None of them were ready to go to that place. The question in their eyes was clear: they were scared. Most of them were willing to help at first, but the mention of the central city changed everything. It was not an option anymore. They were all terrified. The central city was the most secure place in the town. It was where those of the Lords who ruled the town lived, and it was heavily guarded. Going there was like offering your life as a sacrifice. They would be killed for nothing.
"If we don't help each other, none of us will survive. We have to take these risks! No matter how risky it is, we should be ready to help each other, or else none of us will make it out of this alive. We need to save her sister. She needs to be saved. So, someone please come with me. Let's go to the city. Is anyone ready to come with me to the central city?"
He asked, but the room remained silent. They were only looking at each other. No one was ready to volunteer to go with him. Going with him wasn't the problem. The problem was that they might go and not come back. Daniel might go and come back because he always had this luck. He was just a lucky guy, directed by his destiny.