"What happened?" Sara asked when she saw Kristi enter. She was sitting on the examination table, her legs swinging in a nervous rhythm that betrayed her anxiety.
"Apparently a fight." Kristi sighed. "Between the town folks and the Colony House people. The sheriff and Kenny already went to handle it."
"I hope it's nothing serious," Nathan commented, not sounding particularly concerned.
"I hope so too. We already have more than enough problems these past few days." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small object. A stone carved with strange glyphs. "The sheriff gave me an extra talisman to hang in the basement. If you want to spend the night here, you can sleep down there too. It's safe."
A wave of relief washed over Sara. A fight. That was good. It meant people were distracted, and no one was talking about the previous night.
"We appreciate it, but we'd rather sleep at home," Sara said, lifting her face. There was a new spark in her eyes, a liveliness that contrasted sharply with her state just minutes earlier.
Kristi hesitated, studying the sudden change in mood, but nodded. "Alright. If that makes you feel better. I'll organize some things out front in case there are injured people."
Nathan wasn't interested in fights. His eyes stayed fixed on his sister, his brow furrowed in an expression Sara knew all too well. Suspicion.
"Sara." His voice was low. "What happened before you collapsed? For real."
Sara's fingers curled tightly into her palm, nails digging into her skin. She met her brother's wary gaze.
"I already told you." The answer came out too rehearsed. "One moment I was standing. The next, I was on the ground."
"Sara..."
"I'm fine, Nathan!" she snapped, her voice rising before she could stop herself. She took a deep breath, forcing it back down. "We need to go home."
"She said you need to stay under observation," Nathan gestured toward where Kristi had gone.
"No." The refusal was immediate. Staying there meant staying close to questions.
"Why the rush?" Nathan gently but firmly grabbed her arm, stopping her. "What aren't you telling me?"
She whispered, her voice trembling. "I'll tell you at home. Please, Nathan."
Nathan studied her face for a long moment, searching for a lie, but finding only fear. He exhaled, defeated. "Alright. Let's tell Kristi."
They knocked on the door and approached the doctor.
"Kristi," Sara forced a smile. "We're heading out."
"Are you sure?" Kristi's eyes narrowed, her posture shifting into that space between doctor and worried friend. "It would be better if you stayed a few more hours. Just to be safe."
"I know." Sara's fingers interlaced nervously. "But I really need to be home. My bed, my pillow. You know how it is."
Kristi watched her for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. But if you feel anything strange, dizziness, nausea, confusion... you come back immediately. Understood?"
"Understood," Sara replied, already walking toward the door.
Nathan followed close behind, casting one last grateful look at Kristi before leaving.
The door closed with a soft click.
Kristi was alone for a while. Then the front door opened again.
Kenny entered first, holding the door open. Rick came in right behind him, his pale face slick with a thin sheen of cold sweat. He clutched his arm against his chest.
Kristi was already moving before anyone said a word.
"What happened?"
Boyd came in last, closing the door harder than necessary. "He was hit with a hammer."
Kristi blinked, her brain processing the absurd information. Hammer. Blunt trauma. Possible fracture. She swallowed her questions about how and focused on now.
"Sit here," Kristi guided Rick to the nearest exam table.
Rick groaned softly as Kristi cut the sleeve of his shirt with scissors. His arm was swollen and bruised.
"You're lucky," she said, her fingers probing the area with professional precision, ignoring his hisses of pain.
"Lucky?" Rick repeated weakly. "Does this look like luck to you?"
"Very lucky," she confirmed, grabbing an improvised splint. "The bone broke cleanly. Simple fracture. No apparent tendon damage, the elbow joint is intact, and you can move your fingers, which means there's no major nerve damage. It's going to hurt like hell for a few days, but it'll heal without permanent issues."
Rick closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath. "Thank God."
Kristi wrapped the bandage with practiced movements, the fabric tightening against the swollen skin. Rick clenched his teeth as she adjusted the splint.
"Done. I'll give you some strong painkillers. They'll ease the pain and help you sleep." She handed him two white pills.
"Thanks," Rick murmured, swallowing them dry almost immediately and pocketing the bottle.
Boyd pushed off the wall where he'd been silently watching. "Come on, Rick. I'll take you home." The sheriff's tone left no room for argument. The stiffness in his jaw promised the conversation on the way would be anything but pleasant.
When the door closed behind them, Kenny finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
"Man..." He ran a hand through his hair, laughing without humor. The sound came out rough, exhausted. "What a day."
"Explain," Kristi said. "'Hit with a hammer' doesn't explain anything."
Kenny began recounting it all. The dispute at the abandoned shed, the planks everyone wanted, Dale provoking Rick with low comments about his ex-wife. The first throw that missed.
"And then the hammer ricocheted." He paused, his voice growing serious. "It flew straight at Julie. Daniel pulled her out of the way at the last second."
Kristi's eyes widened. "Oh my God..."
"Yeah." Kenny nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Then Daniel picked up the hammer from the ground. And threw it back at Rick."
"He just... threw it?"
Kenny confirmed with a nod. "The sheriff was pissed. Everyone was shocked. But Daniel didn't even blink. Just stood there, looking at Rick on the ground."
Kristi let the information settle. Impressed and disturbed at the same time. "He's... intense."
"Intense is putting it mildly."
---
At Colony House, the atmosphere in the kitchen was a strange mix of lingering tension and morbid curiosity. The smell of vegetable stew hung in the air.
Jade was sitting at the long table, finishing his meal, when Daniel walked in.
Ellis stood near the stove, checking a pot.
"So," Jade tilted his head, chewing slowly. A tired smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Hero. I hear you saved a damsel and broke a guy's arm. All before lunch."
Daniel pulled out a chair and sat across from him, wearing that relaxed posture that violently contrasted with his recent intensity. "Things like that happen in the heat of the moment."
Ellis grabbed a clean plate, filled it with stew, and set it in front of Daniel with a dull clink. "Heat of the moment," he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting way to describe a calculated throw."
"I prefer 'immediate justice.'" Daniel picked up the spoon, the metal catching the dim light. "It has more impact."
"Oh yes," Jade gestured with his spoon, nearly dropping a piece of potato. "Because nothing says justice like a compound fracture."
"It was a simple fracture, actually," Daniel corrected, starting to eat. "If it were compound, there'd be more blood."
Ellis shook his head. "You're disturbing, man."
They fell silent for a few minutes, only the scrape of cutlery filling the space. It was almost comfortable.
Daniel finished his food, clearing the plate in under five minutes. He stood and took the dish to the sink.
As he was leaving the kitchen with Ellis, Jim appeared in the doorway.
The two men locked eyes for a second. Jim wore that expression parents have when they need to thank someone they still don't fully trust. Forced gratitude mixed with caution.
"Daniel." Jim cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "I wanted to thank you. For saving Julie."
Daniel stopped, turning fully to face him. There was no ironic smile this time. Just neutral observation.
"No need to thank me. I was there. I did what anyone would."
"No." Jim shook his head, firm. "Anyone else would've frozen. Or stepped back. You acted."
Daniel held his gaze for two seconds. Then nodded once, accepting the gratitude without turning it into a spectacle.
"She's okay. That's what matters."
Jim nodded too, something loosening in his chest. He still didn't fully trust him. But at least, in that moment, he respected him.
In the main room, Julie sat on the couch beside Tabitha. Ethan was on the floor, pushing a wooden toy car in imaginary circles, making engine noises with his mouth.
Julie's eyes followed Daniel as he passed through the kitchen doorway. She couldn't help it. Not after everything.
A complicated explosion of emotions churned inside her, a storm she didn't know how to process.
He had pulled her away. At the last second. Without hesitation.
And then he had broken the arm of the man who almost killed her. Also without hesitation.
Both things coexisted in her mind, creating a confusion she couldn't name.
Protective. Violent. Calculated. Impulsive.
All at once. How was that possible?
It didn't help that, since they'd returned, people kept pointing at her discreetly, whispering fragments she caught.
"...almost died..."
"...the new guy saved her..."
"...broke his arm..."
Like she was a museum exhibit.
Ethan broke the silence, his sharp voice slicing through her thoughts.
"Julie, why did Daniel throw the hammer at the man?"
The innocent question made Tabitha stiffen. Julie blinked, pulling herself back to the present.
"Because..." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "Because the man did something very wrong. And there had to be consequences."
Ethan frowned, confused. "But hurting people is wrong. Mom said so."
"It is wrong," Tabitha agreed quickly, running a hand through her son's hair. Her voice was gentle but firm. "Sometimes people do wrong things thinking they're right, sweetheart. Violence is never the first answer."
Tabitha was deeply grateful her daughter was alive, but Daniel's brutal retaliation frightened her. She didn't want Ethan to normalize that.
"So what he did was wrong?" Ethan pressed.
"Yes."
"No."
They spoke at the same time. Tabitha looked at her daughter, surprised. Julie held her mother's gaze for a second before looking away toward the boarded-up window. Ethan looked between them, more confused than ever.
---
Upstairs, far from the Matthews family's moral dilemma, Daniel had been back at work for a while.
"System, does time pass more slowly here?" Daniel asked, grabbing another nail. He'd noticed it while working. The sun seemed to take forever to set, and his movements felt more productive than they should.
[Affirmative. Temporal flow is different. I do not know exactly how much slower, but distortion is present. It may be magic. It may be quantum physics. Or perhaps this place simply enjoys torturing people by extending their suffering.]
"Comforting."
"Last one on this floor." Ellis pointed to the open window after a while, his voice tired but satisfied. "After this, only the third floor is left."
This time it went faster than in the morning. People had already finished the first floor and were helping with ladders on the third. Coordinated movement. Efficiency born of desperation.
"Then let's finish it." Daniel tested the knot one last time. Solid. Reliable.
He climbed down for the final time on that floor.
When the last nail sank into the wood with a satisfying thud, a familiar notification appeared.
[Mission completed: Help board up the windows of Colony House]
[Reward received: Boxing skill of Ben Whittaker]
Daniel felt the information flood his mind. Not full memories, but instincts. Movement patterns. Muscular reflexes etched directly into his nervous system.
Dodges. Body reading. Anticipating strikes based on micro-movements.
He closed his eyes for a second, letting it all settle. Muscles memorizing sequences they'd never practiced.
When he opened them, a smile formed.
Now, if anyone tried to hit him, they'd get a very unpleasant surprise.
[Congratulations. You can now dance while getting punched. What an evolution.]
"Funny," Daniel said as he started climbing up. "But you know this is useful."
[I know. I'm just saying you're still an easy target for projectiles. Dodging doesn't work against bullets.]
"Yet."
[Disturbing optimism. Approved.]
Daniel climbed back up, untying the rope and coiling it efficiently.
Ellis slapped his shoulder, a gesture of acknowledgment. "Good work. Tomorrow we finish the rest."
"Tomorrow," Daniel agreed.
The sun kept sinking.
And the choosing ceremony was approaching.
It was time to talk to Sara.
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