Cross and Conflicts

CHAPTER XXX: Proposition

Her heart began to race, and her light brown eyes widened. Cross is serious, and she merely cowered to his dominion. She was guilty—yes—of thinking past her supposition. She anticipated the man’s eventual death and used it as leverage to steer clear of being held culpable for it. Yet regrettably on her part, she hadn’t slated for the master murderer to actually abide by his threat earlier that must she fail to kill the man, she’d answer to his judgment. This backfired on her, for she thought she could reason with a cutthroat. How erroneous of her to have thought so and how distressful that she must die in vain, not having been able to avenge her biological mother’s and Sister Lita’s deaths.

 Noumenon couldn’t produce a single word to appease him since she had to stare at the muzzle which at any moment now will have to deliver the bullet which would  determine her doom. She couldn’t find a way to defend herself nor think anymore of how to get away from being sentenced by this man. However, she still has not allowed herself to surrender her life that easy.

 Noumenon, Anak, you deserve to live. This was what her adoptive mother told her on the day that she stepped outside the walls of Intramuros. It was peculiar how she remembered it at this crucial moment, but this made her stare at Cross with enflamed willpower: she will not let him nor anyone at all decide her death for her without putting up a fight. 

 Quick with her hand, she grasped the gun’s frame and raised it towards the ceiling, just a second before Cross pulled the trigger.

 Bang! A loud bullet was released to the air.

 Cross had to hand it to her: not his amazement but her penchant for offering an amusing surprise. She had barely saved herself, yet she did so with dumbfounding talent.

 “Wait,” she said, “I have a proposition. Please hear me out.”

 Her eyes were intent on him. There wasn’t the subtlest hint of rage even after nearly losing her life; there was only a determination to live through this day. He may hate this woman, yet he has to concede that he’s looking forward to what she has to offer.

 He didn’t respond but only tilted his head to one side to tell her that he was paying attention.

 “Let me have this gun, and let’s have a match. If I win, you have to spare my life.”

 He suppressed a smirk. So this is what it is. He thought. It sounded silly, but it wasn’t entirely uninteresting.

 “A match? Do you even know what you’re talking about?” he mocked.

 “Yes. I know what I said, and I mean it.”

 He scoffed. “As far as I can remember, I didn’t hit you in the head, so what has led you to recommend something as insane as fighting me?”

 He wasn’t against it truthfully, but he wanted to test her conviction. Nonetheless, he later defined that he didn’t have to find the confirmation in her words, but in how she gazed at him. His blood boiled, and it stimulated a kind of excitement he hasn’t experienced for a while.

 “Say, Cross.” She then, to his stupefaction, smiled like one normally does to a dear friend. “Are you afraid that I might succeed in shooting you dead?”

 To his further amusement, he didn’t take offense with her sarcasm. It’s not because he was overestimating himself but because he found this newfound will of hers challenging.

 He grinned then tossed the gun to her. “We both know the stark difference in our capacities, but alright, I accept this match.”

 The novice stood resolute. She couldn’t afford to grovel, for she had to think of how to outsmart this indomitable opponent in front of her.

 “Yet again,” he spoke, “How do you think of beating me?”

 Clearly though, she has no definite answer to that. “Why should I reveal my plan to my opponent?”

 He wanted to chuckle; he has already seen through her pretense. But to make a match where she could stand even the littlest of chances, he had to come up with something. “One hit—if you can pierce a shot to me even just once, I’ll consider you the victor.”

 Her fingers tightened around the gun. She thinks that this will be the last time that the master murderer will put up with her, yet she won’t allow that this will account as her last day on earth.

 “Thank you for agreeing to this proposition,” she said.