Best Bet

"Now what?" I asked with a shaky voice. Never in my entire life did I ever imagine that a time will come such as this when I will have to go through a suicidal mission.

"We're going down obviously," he nonchalantly said as if it was no big deal at all.

He's crazy! No. He's a maniac!

I looked at the ground again and I don't know if it's just my mind playing tricks on me but it's as though I can see Death waving at me from below — smiling at me all while holding a scythe with his other hand.

"Haha. Ethan, I didn't know you sucked at jokes so much that they're not funny anymore."

"But I'm not joking though. I'm dead serious. You see that?" He pointed to my side. Prolly due to the high tension, I only noticed it now. There was a rope ladder attached to the protruding metal rod of the concrete slab. "You're going down with that."

My mind went blank for a second.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't worry, it's safe. I tested it before. Approximately a month ago," he tried reassuring me which was not helping at all.

"Ethan, let me ask. I think I misheard you. You want me to go down using that," I said while pointing to the rope ladder. "I mean… USING THAT?" I can't believe this guy.

"Yes"

"Well pardon me, Ethan sir. But I think you have forgotten about something." I pointed my splint. "Not to mention that we're on the third floor. Freakin third floor and not just some random tree house. And I believe I am making myself clear. Yeah?"

"So in short, you're scared." He said as he cocked his to the side.

"Of course I am!" Who's even in their right minds would be excited?

"And yet you still wish on becoming a peculiar?" he asked. And I was stunned. "The world of peculiars is much more dangerous and sinister than you could ever think of, Mr. Jack. In my opinion, I'd rather you not knowing about them and just stay ignorant of their existence. I probably made a mistake of telling you."

He walked towards the edge and turned his head to me. "You can still back out if you wish. But if you haven't changed your mind, then get down using that." He then pointed to the rope ladder.

For a second, I hesitated. Then on the next second, I thought at the back o my head, 'I should back out'.

But then I asked myself. Why did I decide to turn myself into a peculiar in the first place again? Yes, it was to protect myself. To protect myself from this strange world.

But becoming one is risky, and dangerous, and it might even cost me my life in the future. Do I still want this?

Do you still want it, Sean?

I looked at Ethan who was still staring at me. Until when will I be able to trust this guy? I mean, I knew why he approached me. I knew that someone was after him and that he was using me as a cover. In short, he needed me.

Since the day that we met, he hadn't lied to me. If anything, he was doing me a great favor. Because honestly, I don't know what to do had he not approached me that day. Will I even survive a day after being thrown into this world? I don't think so.

But the question is… Until when will this cooperative relationship of ours last?

And so with that uncertainty, becoming a peculiar is my best bet. This world is equally dangerous either way, peculiar or not.

With renewed determination, I looked at him in the eyes and said, "I will go".

I saw the corner of his lips curl upwards before turning his back on me.

"Worry not. If you fall I will catch you," he said. And I was confused. How is he going to catch me if we're both at the top?

But his next series of actions have rendered me speechless. As he suddenly jumped from the slab. Totally forgetting about my surroundings, I immediately went to see what happened to him.

And I saw, slack-jawed, as he landed — rolled over a shoulder up onto one knee with great precision.

And I remembered. He's not a human after all.