He ran further and further down into the woods as the morning sky slowly switched to dusk, where his heartbroken eyes scanned for a place to settle down. He stopped on tracks, noticing a tree branch hanging down on the ground that caught the boy's attention.
His anger continued to burn, causing Billy to grab it with all his might before breaking it with his two hands in one go. "Goddamn it!" Throwing the branch to the ground in frustration, he breathed heavily through his nostrils while clenching his teeth in fury.
It isn't his fault; it is they who are to blame for thinking of him as the individual responsible for creating this mess! That annoying nerd is always getting on his nerves and makes him so sick to the stomach every time he hears or sees the timid boy around his vicinity, and he's sick of it!
Why should they sympathize with him? Don't they know what a cowardly person he is? How useless, pathetic, and sniveling a crybaby who can't do anything, right? So why do they bother showing compassion to someone who can't stand up for himself?
Especially for a kid his age who kept apologizing for the simple things he did wrong, is it that hard to man up for once? Is it that difficult to grow some balls and act like a man? Or is Seth so brainless and stupid enough to do something like that because it is the only thing that comes to mind for him?
Thinking about it was giving him a huge headache. This is why he loathes the timid boy and everything about him. The weakness, the fear, and the doubt that Seth has to live with in every waking moment remind Billy of how he used to be as a child.
After his mother's death, he has to fend for himself in the streets of the cruel desert, the dry and harsh land that is filled with the dead and living alike. People who will prey on the weak, people who are desperate for money and other valuables they could find.
His fists tightened while looking at the tree in front of him, deep into the scene that transpired. And even after all of that, it still pisses him off how they could even side with the loser of all places. He can never understand what they see in him that is worth caring for and making an effort to do so.
"Traitors," angrily spitting out those words that he vowed to never forget, "they are nothing but filthy traitors," he moved to the tree before turning around to sit down with his back calmly touching the bark, closing his eyes in an attempt to collect his thoughts, "why are they so nice to someone like him?" Breathing deeply and releasing it.
Is it because they are pitying him? Trying to make the poor kid feel better about himself? Perhaps they see potential in the person that he cannot see in himself. If that is the case, then what makes him any different from the coward that he is?
Anger slowly dissipated, leaving the young cowboy alone with his thoughts, alone and far away from the rest of the world, where nobody could judge him or interfere with whatever he was doing. "Damn it," he muttered out in a quiet voice from the lonely silence he was in.
With his legs standing on the ground as he sat, Billy placed his hands together on his own face, covering himself in conflicting emotions. Feeling a combination of regret, shame, and sadness at what he has done. And he knew he was not right to call Seth and the others traitors.
The emotions and past memories of relying on others only to be betrayed are what he sees Seth as: a weaker version of himself that he never wanted to be reminded of, a person who has to constantly ask for help, a person who is so afraid of being abandoned by others because of his own selfish acts.
Like a leech, draining away at their sympathy until there was nothing left in him, "why do I keep doing this?" He whispered to himself while shutting his eyes tight, "Am I always this fragile by being reminded of myself in Seth?" Billy wondered aloud, "Am I really the one that is a coward here?" Lost and confused, he questioned himself about this predicament.
Sighing, the young cowboy removed his hands away before opening his eyes, revealing an upset and miserable expression underneath. "Even if I keep denying it, I am being the hypocrite of my words," the teen said softly in a quiet voice. "I am just like him, scared and sad deep down," confessing this out loud for only himself to hear.
Wrapping his legs around with arms, he looked down in confusion from everything, for since the day they met, Seth has always shown his trust and forgiveness towards him, even after what he did to him. Billy didn't fully understand why the timid nerd would do such a thing; he wasn't even his family or friend, and yet he was still forgiven.
No matter how many times the young gunslinger himself had hurt or mistreated him, that loser always has a heart of gold to forgive everyone he meets, starting with him. It was something he was unable to comprehend why, "I don't even understand why I do the things I do," the young cowboy murmured in his voice, "maybe that's what makes him different from me," having these thoughts in his mind.
In a way, Seth is the better person between the two of them, and his envy of that fact was what made him give another reason for being resentful towards this timid teen. However, the more he thought about it, the more his conscience was punishing him for it, but his pride and ego have prevented him from admitting his mistakes.
The question is, what does Seth see in him that makes him want to become friends in the first place? Can't he understand how much of a jerk Billy is being towards him? Not just today, but yesterday as well, the day before that, and so on. It is still confusing to figure out why.
Then, as Billy was contemplating his actions, a mysterious sound could be heard within the woods. A faint rustle of the bushes nearby snapped him out of his thoughts and turned to where the source was, revealing nothing more than foggy forest.
His eyes widen a bit, surprised by the immediate change of scenery and atmosphere. "Fog?" He didn't remember seeing a foggy forest earlier when he entered; "it was a clear and sunny day before this." The teen remarked in puzzlement, "But why now?" Questioning in a perplexed tone.
A shiver suddenly shot through him as he pondered this strange occurrence. An ominous, foreboding sense of dread begins to fill his mind. Like a warning sign to watch for anything unnatural. Shaking his head, he says, "I must be thinking too much," trying to take his mind off the matter at hand.
But the unsettling feeling persisted, refusing to leave him alone as Billy stands up from his position and says, "I need to go back." Does he need to? He isn't sure what they are going to say, especially that old hag who took them in. She might not like him returning home.
However, if it means surviving, he needs to return to his friends, whether he likes it or not. They know he is needed for their perilous task, and he is 100 percent sure Seth is willing to forgive him for what happened.
Even though it hurts him to say it, he felt like using them for his own benefit, which he wouldn't mind if they were strangers. But the two had started to grow in him, especially the timid idiot that is Seth, and if he were to lose either of them, he would be devastated.
Despite how much he despises the kid, Billy can't ever truly want to outright kill or hate him forever; he still isn't sure how to describe their relationship, but it is almost close to friends, but not really. There are just some things that even he can't handle being associated with.
Which is cowardice and apologizing. Those are the most common examples. And he's not going to forget it anytime soon. Letting out another sigh, Billy just began his walk back to the cottage, not bothered by the strange environment he had gotten himself into.
Walking through these eerie woods, he notices that there are no birds chirping or sounds of animals making any noise whatsoever. "Where's all the wildlife?" He asked no one in particular, "I swear, it was more lively before this," frowning in wonder at this sudden change.
The more he continues moving, the weirder it becomes; his surroundings are getting darker and more ominous as time goes by, while the temperature has dropped immensely, which causes his breathing to become visible through the cold air.
Holding his arms together, the freezing temperature was bearable to withstand but uncomfortable nonetheless. "Man, its getting pretty cold out here," he said, muttering in cold breath, "I hope I don't get frostbites on the way back," shivering at the thought of what might happen.
This isn't his first time being in a cold or freezing environment; he once traveled to mountains filled to the brim with snow and ice with his usual clothing not meant for hiking in the snow. However, being this cold in the middle of the woods is strangely weird, to say the least.
For once, he had never seen a sudden change in temperature in a place that wasn't in the fall or winter yet; something to remind him of its climate. "I'd say I'm going crazy, but that's insane," he told himself in the hopes of feeling better. "Then again, when have I not?"
Possibly his going nuts; it's not everyday he sees people going crazy when stress or hallucinations make the brain play tricks on itself. That or he could be dead and inside a purgatory. After all, there's nothing in the woods that indicates he isn't.
Stopping for a moment, he rubbed his hands at his own arms while taking a deep breath. The chilly wind is becoming unbearable, and Billy is beginning to worry about his current situation. "If I freeze to death and become a ghost, I'm going to beat the crap out of that nerd," the young cowboy declared while chuckling to himself.
It is either that, being dead, or simply going insane. But considering the facts that are happening to him, he might as well choose the last option instead of being dead. Because there are many things he still wants to do in this life.
Just as Billy took a step forward, a sudden greeting with a voice so deep and raspy while being hair-raising made him instantly turn around to see the source of someone saying hello to him, looking at what appears to be a monstrous, humanoid creature seemingly emitting evil and sadism.
Freezing in his spot, fear dripped down his spine as sweat started to appear on his forehead, staring directly at this hideous monster with his heart thumping rapidly and increasing anxiety for everything he had fought; this isn't what he would see between his two own eyes.
It feels like a nightmare; he cannot wake up, and what is worse, he is unarmed—the worst scenario he will ever experience—and he's in complete control of his body with nothing to defend himself with. which was the most terrifying outcome to deal with.
The thought of not even having a weapon to defend himself is the greatest and most foolish mistake of his life; now he is alone, weaponless, and vulnerable in the company of some random monstrosity that can tear him to shreds if he doesn't do anything about it.
Then it spoke again, smiling ominously of seeing a person alone in the middle of the woods, no one to hear or rescue. "Howdy, partner," greeting the terrified teen with such a polite and cheery tone that hides the murderous intent radiating from this horrendous being, grinning ear to ear before it began to cackle madly.
"Let's play a game."
