Noticing the stares they were getting, Kiara moved closer to Vincent, whispering so no one else heard. "I get the feeling that there's gonna be alot of running involved. Maybe some angry townspeople too." When met with more glares, she stopped, giving them a shaky grin. Muttering secrets to each other only helped to hurt their reputation, and honestly, they didn't need an entire town turning on them for being too nosy. Trying to change the focus of attention, Kiara glanced at the old man calling out, "Who? Who's watching you?"

The man turned on her, his eyes wild with a mad frenzy. Upon closer inspection, one could see that black grit stuck to the corners of his eyes. Black sand. Well, at least one thing was confirmed. Black sand in the eyes led to some messed up mentalities. Finally, the man shuddered, making a creaky wheezing sound. 

"It was a normal day...like any other day! We were...we were all so happy! And blissful! And ignorant! And like a hawk sent from Death, he descended upon our peaceful town! We warned him not to come any further...we fired at him! But he kept walking....he didn't flinch at all! He didn't stop. He kept killing...and killing....men, women, and children....he spared me! Curse my soul, he spared me! A messenger! An example to be made of! A warning to all the peoples of this Earth!"

The man's breathing became more intense, and his eyes dilated, seeing something beyond their reach. "No!" the man howled suddenly. "The eyes! He watches us even now! His eyes see all! Its glare still burns my skin! His eyes! His eyes! Hi-" The man gave one final jerk, before folding over onto the floor. His own eyes rolled into the back of his skull, his face still retaining a look of horror on it. Silence filled the tavern, as the woman in the yellow dress hurried over to the man's broken form. Putting a hand over his chest, her gaze darkened as she confirmed the worse.

"He's dead."

Whispers began to rise once more, as the chattering became louder and louder.

[i]"Look, look! They killed him!"[/i]

[i]"They pushed him too far!"[/i]

[i]"Murderers!"[/i]

[i]"Now hold on there. It was past the old man's prime."[/i]

[i]"He'd have died sooner or later."[/i]

[i]"No...no we can't trust them...it's too sketchy to tell...."[/i]

As the tension in the room began to thicken, Kiara placed her right hand casually in her coat pocket. She tensed up, ready for anything. "I really, really hope you can fight," she said to Vincent. "Cause I don't know if these guys'll let us out of here alive."

---

[b]Somewhere not too far away.[/b]

The dark man lifted his cowboy hat to get a better view of his latest victim. Crimson eyes began scanning the helpless form: a young woman probably in her late twenties. Strands of black sand held her up in the air, pinning her arms to her sides and slowly crushing the air in her neck. The man unsheathed a blade as black as the sand and rested it on her chest.

"Greetings Miss," he said politely, his tone almost soothing. "You mind telling me where the nearest town is?" The woman remained wide eyed and silent. Whether it was out of fear or loyalty, the being known as Webster Pelgado didn't particularity care. One way or the another, he'd get his answer. "That's too bad," he said in false sympathy. "I was really gonna enjoy using you. Maybe invade your mind a little bit, ripping it apart, you know? A little snip here, a little tear there....you could have been my own personal human bomb. Send you off to another little town just like this one, and....well, you get the point."

Lifting the tip of his blade away from her body, Webster shook his head and tipped his hat in thought. "You're boring," he mused. Turning back to the black storm around him, the dark man called out, "Come on out Rebel. I've got wonderful idea for a new game I just made up."