"Well, who's goin' to take care of him ?" Said Sam, pointing to Colt with his chin

"Your mom"

"For fuck sake, Edgar-"

The other three people in the room rolled their eyes. A joke as old as the world but not even funny anymore, or maybe it was just Colt because he was soon going to kick the bucket ?

"Give the cards, Tara" said Belle. "Not seriously, for once Sam says something smart-"

"Hey !"

"We have to get rid of the cop."

"Obviously it is going to be me" grumbled the teenager.

"Well, since you didn't shut the fuck up, yes. You're going to make him disappear."

Under Sam's sneers, Edgar groaned in annoyance while grabbing his cards.

'And those kids are going to decide my fate ? Shit, if I wasn't scared right now, I would be fucking pissed...' thought Colt.

Minutes passed. The clock hanging on the opposite wall informed the redhead that there was only half an hour left before his execution.
The four thugs played poker or bridge, maybe even tarot. What did he knew ? Colt was much more focused on finding an idea to get out of this impasse than knowing which card game could entertain four bandits.

Finally, after a relatively silent game, the one named Tara won and, according to Edgar, it was because she had cheated.

Colt's eye hurt, there were only fifteen minutes left.

Edgar's accusation ignited Sam's mood and the two tried to attack Tara. Fortunately, there had been no money involved, otherwise Belle would not have calmed the men down.

Colt could feel blood dripping from his chin.

The teenager returned on his phone while the former factory worker had left near  the workbench where he began to tinker with those kinds of wolf traps with which he had wounded the cop.

There were only five minutes left.

Colt looked absently at Edgar's scarves. They moved as if moved by their own conscience.

'Oh, I remember now !' concluded Colt in his head 'A scarf as a second pair of arms, I should have suspected it when I met him on this dirt road... I should have continued on my way...'

Three minutes left.

'Shelly would come to get me out of there, right ? We still do have beautiful years to live together ? Right ?'

One minute

'Ugh, what was I thinking ?' grumbled Colt. 'She doesn't even know where I am..! "I made her understand" Belle said. How ? With a paper message on the door, like a ransom ? My ass !...This... idiot... was surely already gone by that time!... I'm really screwed...'

The hour was passed by a fewseconds, maybe...

"Well, usually we don't follow our schedules super duper close" said Belle, scratching her chin. "We would have left you three or four minutes more... But here we're talking about Shelly. Plus, you're a cop, and we are bored, so..."

She snapped her fingers and Edgar got up, grumbling. He approached the chair and began to detach Colt.

'There ! It's time to run away ! Run far, save my soul !'

But with enough serious consideration, the policeman understood how impossible this idea was : the only door was at the other end of the room, four bandits were watching him and maybe except Belle, they were probably just as fast as him, and Edgar was agile enough so that, by the time that Colt had sketched a movement to escape, the teenager would surely already have put him on the ground.

No, that was it... It was over...

- Well well well ? Don't we wait for the Guest ?