Help and responsibilities

" Our role is quite simple but very important, we have to, first, choose the venue for the fight, " Lina started to expose her plan step by step while accompanying her speech with gestures of the hands, she tried to be as clear as possible, " a place afar from the residences zone, in order to avoid that the citizens get a clue about it since we don't want to create any sort of panic ".

" Since I arrived in the city, I have worked along with Natasha and Matteo and we have started to look for the venue, " Brad said after he rose his hand and Lina gave him the talk, " though you have already told me that we still need some more precision about the characteristics that place should have ".

Lina gazed at Natasha and Matteo confused, she then told them, " you both should be able to determine the best spot for the fight, so I don't understand why do I have my word to say ".

The two people glanced at each other before they suddenly turned away as if they just came out from a quarrel.

Lina stared at Brad with an interrogative expression and the latter lowered his gaze and stroked the back of his head before answering her, " in fact, they both have an idea of where we should do it... but the problem is that each of them proposed me a totally different place and they refuse to agree on one venue only, so without knowing your criteria I'm not able to decide which one is the best ".

" Seriously? " Lina sighed a little exasperated, she then asked Brad, " what is your own opinion about each of their propositions? "

" They are both pretty good and I can't help thinking they are quite fitting for this fight but that's exactly the problem, " he confessed with a shrug.

Lina, then, demanded both Natasha and Matteo to describe the venues they had chosen and after hearing them out, she pondered for a short while before she shook her head, " you're right they are both good... but they won't make it, let's look for another ".

Natasha and Matteo glanced at each other dumbfounded before they started protesting to Lina, " why do you they aren't good? the one I chose is perfect and you know it, " Natasha first said.

" Stop kidding, " Matteo refuted her, before she turned to Lina, " it's the one I have chosen which is the exact place we need, so why are you saying that? "

" Listen to me carefully, " the latter woman said with a strong voice which immediately brought back the calm, " I said they are both good indeed, but we should start thinking about somewhere else ". Before they could argue more, she quickly gave her reasons, " you all focused on the shape of the place while forgetting that for the fight to happen at that venue you must firstly bait the enemy and bring them there ".

" But that shouldn't be a problem, " Natasha shrugged while glancing at Matteo as if to verify that he was thinking the same, " we just have to put barricades all along the road and attract them until the indicated place ".

Though Matteo and Brad nodded in agreement, Lina was not convinced at all, she shook her head and said " will you be naive enough to think that they would quietly and easily follow you wherever you go? "

Natasha thought before she took a calmer tone and replied, " but they will be in their state of walking corpses so... "

" So you think they will be completely dumb and would do whatever we want them to do? " Lina cut her in a dry tone, " are we at least certain about that fact? " No one replied so she carried on, " you see? It's a very crucial and delicate operation, so we can't afford to lay our strategy on suppositions, we should think about somewhere near the barrier where we will be sure that the path of the outlaws would not deviate ".

The room became suddenly quiet, they all started to work their brains together trying to think about somewhere else. Minutes passed and Lina was about to tell them to call it a day and try to go scout again in the area near the barrier, when Dana, who had been silent since they had arrived, came up with an interesting idea. " What about make it in the streets ".

All eyes turned towards her suddenly, which made her startling a little, she didn't add anything until Lina told her to repeat what she had just said.

She bowed her head and crossed her fingers shyly, " back in Short-river, in the district I was living, when members of a gang or just normal people had a problem with a person and wanted to clear it without her or anyone else getting a clue, they never call to give that person a rendezvous in a factory or wherever venues which may be too suspicious, they would always catch him somewhere in the streets where that person would be pushed in a dark alley and would get beaten up there until she dies ".

Brad enforced that argument while saying that he was familiar with that kind of situation without giving more details.

Dana carried on with some more confidence in her voice, " my point is that, since we don't want them to notice that we are driving them into a trap we should make in sort to make the trap fall onto their heads by setting it up in an alley or somewhere similar ".

She then hushed before raised her head a little to stare at Lina while wondering what was she thinking about her idea. The latter stayed silent, too, for a short moment, pondering about that plan before she nodded and said with a tone of enthusiasm, " Yes. If we do all the preparations necessary, I think that plan can work well, " she then landed her eyes on Dana and told her with a smile, " good job little thing ".

" Thank you," the young girl said in a very low voice while trying to hide her blushing face.

" Alright! " Lina shouted to bring back the attention to the most essential part, " tomorrow Brad and Matteo, you will go gathering some people to accompany you to the barrier to go prepare the place and put the barricades I'm sure you can easily find the best spot according to what we have just agreed ".

" Why do you suddenly excluding me from the group? " Natasha questioned, a bit confused.

Lina didn't immediately respond to her. She didn't want to say too much about Natasha's part of the plan since there were too many people, she just stared at her to make her understand that she couldn't reveal too much, but seeing how insistent the woman was, Lina sighed decided to answer her while being as less precise as possible. " Know that your job in that fight is the most important so if it went to fail... if you going to be defeated that would mean the death of every single one of us. I can't take the risk to exhaust you by giving you such tasks, and the way I know you, I'm sure you would have forced yourself to do more than what you would be asked ".

Lina knew that Natasha was about to stand up to say some words to defend herself so, before the latter could say a single word, she rose a hand before her while shaking her head and then told her, " there is no room for protest, you will stay in your home and have some rest until Jamal comes to take you for the battle ". Lina wanted to add something else but she felt that it would not be necessary.

The room once again became silent with a quite awkward mood which was exactly what Lina wanted to avoid. She glanced at Natasha and after she saw her tightening her fists, frustrated, Lina grit her teeth as once again she unintentionally increased the pressure Natasha was already feeling on her shoulders.

Donald, who felt that he didn't speak for a while, thought that he needed to say something to ameliorate the general mood. He coughed twice to first break the silence, and once all the attention was on him, he asked with a calm voice " I see that all the preparations are left on good hands and so I would want to know for which reason was I asked to attend to this gathering? "

Lina tilted slightly her head, " of course because you have your role to play too ".

" Have I? " Donald stared at Lina a little bit confused since he knew that she was aware that he was not a remarkable soldier neither was he a good fighter and thus he didn't have any slight of talent concerning coordination of battle or whatever concerning wars. Back in Short-river, he had been promoted captain for the only reason that he was older than most of the people in the army and most specifically because he was quite skilled at managing and dealing with people. He thought those characteristics were meaningless there in Stainfall, since Lina tended to prioritize skills more than anything, and thus, he couldn't see which role his skills could allow him to play in that furious and very not common battle.

As if Lina had read in his mind, she smirked mysteriously and told him, " that's exactly that. It's not your low qualities of fighter which are asked here but rather your social and diplomatic skills. The plan indeed is that Jamal would ask the help of the armies from the four cities on his way back, but it's not sure that they would all accept and even if they do, it may still not be enough. You see, we are engaged in a type of battle we are not used to, against enemies which are mysterious but completely surrealistic, and thus, to win against them we will need all the help we can get, " she lowered her voice a little, " but due to that abominable night and all the other difficulties they went through since then, people are afraid. We are working on trying to get rid of that terror from their hearts, but it's not easy. You're a psychologist so you must know, it's a very long process, but we need them urgently ".

" So you are asking me to convince them to take part in that fight, right? " Donald asked abruptly while bowing his head to stare down at the floor.

Lina understood that he didn't want the people around to see his expression as he didn't want to bring down, even more, their moral.

[ I'm maybe asking him too much ] she thought but at the same time, she knew that she didn't have other choices, even if it was unethical for a doctor like him. " I wouldn't ask you that if it wasn't necessary. You don't have to tell them to put a step on the battlefield and, in fact, I don't want them to participate directly in the fight, we just to contribute as much as they can. You know that without your talent to talk to people Brad and Matteo won't be able to get the help of anyone ".

She let him the time to think about it before making his decision and a while later he released a long sigh, rose his head while wiping his face, even though there wasn't any drop of sweat on it, then he stared at everyone around him and when his sight finally landed on Lina, he nodded and declared, " if it is for the survival of everyone I will try to convince them, as long as I don't ask them to fight and hide the true nature of the danger I think it's gonna be alright ".

" Thank you, I really appreciate it. I know that it should have been my role since I'm the mayor but it wouldn't work if it was me, " Lina told him with a grateful smile.

" Yeah, that's right, you're too scary. If it was you, it will be more like a threat thana demand for help, " Matteo couldn't help but comment on what caused him to be punched by her.

" There is no need, I'm just doing what is necessary to contribute in bringing peace in our lives, " Donald humbly replied, he added with a smile, " moreover, I'm sure that in her side, Volga is putting all her efforts to make that dream come true so as the man she has chosen I can't let her down ".

" That's right, that's how a man should talk, " Lina said with sudden enthusiasm, she pulled Matteo towards her and told him, " you better take example on him if you want to earn the heart of the little thing over there, " while pointing out Dana.

" Excuse me! " they both exclaimed at the same time. Dana turned to Matteo and glared at him with her cold expression, " I don't know what kind of ideas you have put in your mind but there will be nothing between us ".

" Because you think I had the slightest interest for you, come on what kind of teenager do you think I am, open your eyes we're not in a romantic TV show, " the boy immediately retorted to her.

Lina put one hand on her mouth and the other one on her mouth while holding herself as much as she could to not burst out laughing.

Natasha stood up to stop the fight, she went to place herself between the two teenagers and said, " well, I think we all know what we have to do so it's time to end this meeting, tomorrow we will continue on our preparations... no I suppose that I should say you will carry on since I have to save my strength ".

" Yes... you're totally right, " Lina added, still a hand before her mouth with some more difficulties to control her breathing. She stood then and started walking slowly toward the door.

" It's surely already late so I think it's better for me to stay and sleep here, " Donald replied a little embarrassed, he knew that everyone understood that he just didn't want to be outside in the darkness of the night, what in Natasha's opinion was completely comprehensible, besides Jamal, Lina, her, the large majority of Stainfall citizens and now adding with Matteo and Dana, no one else dared to put a step outside in those hours. At the moment the night fell they would all stay inside their homes.

" OK got it " Natasha replied without adding unnecessary words, she then pushed Matteo and Dana toward the exit and after turning behind her one last time to wish the two men a good night, the four people left the apartment.