James slammed the dashboard of the car, a strained groan came out of his voice "ughhhhhh, this- this.. this i absurd, Fuck" as he lean on the seat closing his eyes, folding his hand with an exhausted expression, he didn't verbally comply but we took his silence as consent.
We went back to the hotel, later that day I explained the gravity of the situation in full detail to James and he ease up a little. Following night, dressed in black, hoods pulled tight, masks covering our faces, we moved through the garden of the mansion. The grass damp under our shoes, the silence almost unbearable.
James whispered, almost in disbelief, "The window's already broken. Like someone left it for us, just as I had hoped for"
Joel's voice trembled. "Shit… luck's on our side."
Inside, the air was thick with dust and stillness. We crept upstairs, careful, hearts hammering. My chest felt like it might split apart.
Then the sound of a door unlocking froze us all. The child. He stood there, eyes wide. For a terrifying second, I swore the boy would scream. We locked eyes and I prayed to myself that he forgets what he sees and walk away in silence. But then, against all sense, the boy did exactly that, he turned away. Quietly, he walked down the stairs, as if he'd seen nothing. My blood ran cold. Something was happening here that none of us understood.
But there was no time to think. We filled bags with valuables, hands trembling. It wasn't enough. Our eyes fell on the safe. Heavy. Locked. We searched frantically but found no key.
A loud shattering sound that broke everything. A vase shattering against the floor. Vanz's clumsy hands.
The old woman stirred. Her eyes opened, landing on us. Her scream ripped through the house.
"Thieves! Thieves! Oh Lord, someone help!"
Panic ignited. Vanz shouted, "Shit! We gotta run!"
But I snapped. My hands moved before my thoughts did. I grabbed the blanket, pressed it over her mouth. "Stop, please stop, please! Don't scream! We're in trouble, we don't want to hurt you!Just stop!" my words tumbled out, desperate, breaking. But she thrashed, muffled cries leaking through.
Vanz screamed at me. "What the fuck are you doing, Ducce? You'll kill her!"
Joel shouted too, but his hands joined in, pressing harder, the two of us locked in a frenzy.
And then silence.
Her body stilled.
The room was deathly quiet.
Vanz collapsed to his knees, trembling, eyes wide in horror. "Is… is she… dead?"
My hands shook uncontrollably. My chest heaved as reality sank in. "No… no no no no… I didn't… I didn't mean…" I backed away, eyes wild, muttering apologies to thin air. I crawled under the bed, curling into myself, sobbing, praying it wasn't real.
Joel sat down hard on the floor, hands on his head, his mask hanging loose. His breath was ragged. "It's all my fault… all of it. I'm so sorry…"
Vanzz prayed out loud, tears spilling, begging for forgiveness. James was already gone, fled into the night.
The room stank of sweat, fear, and the suffocating weight of what we had done. My mind spun, caught between disbelief and guilt, unable to escape the truth: We had crossed a line there was no returning from.
As we sat there denying what just happened, Vanz's voice cracked through the suffocating silence.
"Stand up. We need to get out of here. Search for the key… DIDN'T WE JUST KILL A PERSON TO SAVE OUR OWN SKIN? NOW STICK BY IT!"
The words hit me like cold water, but this body refused to move. I sat frozen, every muscle locked, as though chained to the floor by the weight of what we had done. My breaths came shallow and uneven, my chest tightening with each passing second.
Joel staggered to his feet, face pale, lips trembling. His hands shook as he began pulling drawers, opening cabinets, moving with the desperation of someone trying to outrun the collapse of his own mind. Vanz, still trembling but sharper than the rest, spotted a small wooden case under the dresser. His fingers fumbled, finally closing on a key. He jammed it into the safe, turned it, and with a dull metallic click, the safe swung open.
Inside, stacks of bundled cash, packed so tight it almost looked unreal. Seven hundred thousand dollars. For a moment, none of us breathed. The sight was obscene, the kind of money that could fix everything and destroy us at the same time.
Joel grabbed fistfuls, counting in panic, his eyes darting like a starving animal. He stuffed fifty thousand into the bag. Then, almost without hesitation, he slid an extra ten thousand into a hidden pocket of his backpack, keeping it away from the others.
Vanz came back to me, i was still slumped near the bed, staring at the lifeless form under the sheets. My lips moved, but no sound came out. My entire body trembled, my mind replaying the muffled screams, the struggle, the suffocation. I couldn't look away.
"Come on," Vanz muttered, his voice raw, breaking. He and Joel pulled me up by the arms, half-dragging, half-leading me out of the room. My legs barely worked, my steps heavy, my shoes slipping on the polished floor. The hallway stretched endlessly, shadows flickering as if the house itself was watching us.
We stepped out into the garden. The night air slapped against our skin. An eerie wind swept past, carrying with it the smell of wet earth and distant pine. Then, as if mocking us, rain began to fall. Cold drops pelted our faces, our clothes quickly soaking through. None of us spoke.
By the time we reached the truck, James was there, sitting stiffly in the driver's seat, his face pale with dread, eyes hollow as if he had already seen too much without needing to ask. He looked at us, then at the bags, then at our expressions. His lips parted, but no words came. He didn't need to ask. The silence between us was enough.