A Serenade for the Innocent - 117 The Pale Envoy of Hope and His White Rosary

“Before we go…” I said as I gripped the object I have inside of the pocket of my cassock. “… I want one of you to have this treasured property of mine before the inevitable sacrifice I will soon make at the end of this dungeon.”

The four people in front of me then looked at me when my voice echoed slowly through this dam cobblestone hallway. The echoing sound of the water droplets hitting the floor had invaded the silence that ensued once I spoke those words. I then gulped the saliva into my throat as I slowly unveiled what I had kept hidden inside of my pocket.

“W-what is that?” The silver man said as he pointed his fingers at the shining beads running through my pale hands.

“A rosary?” The policeman uttered slowly as he looked at the Orthodox Christian cross at the end of the beads.

“It’s beautiful!” The nurse exclaimed while looking at the brilliantly white color of the object as I wrapped it around my equally pale wrist.

The salesman just stared at it with disbelief as he placed his forefinger on his chin. “That’s a real-ass diamond!”

“Indeed, it is,” I said as I extended my hands to make them see the powerful gleam of the rosary’s endlessly twinkling surface.

“… damn…!” The salesman weakly whispered as he bit his clenched finger.

Although the hallway we’re standing in right now is very dark, the dazzling gleam of the rosary still overflowed like it was extending its arms towards the four people looking at it. Amid the cruel shadow of the hallway, only the shining diamond wrapped on my arms exudes its blinding brilliance, showing the awed expression of the people around me. “I want you all to take this rosary from me before I die.” I then extended my arms further towards them, imploring these strangers to take such a valued possession away from me.

“Well, I will definitely love to bank all the cash I can get in that bad boy!” The salesman said jokingly as he laughed heartily, but it’s clear to see that he has no intention of taking the diamond rosary away from me.

The silver man seemed to have liked the joke a bit as he let out a silent chuckle, making the salesman laugh even louder.

However, the policeman didn’t like the way the salesman’s joke sounded as he stomped his feet with his arms on his waist. “What an awful thing to say for a rich man like you to say when I bet you’re already drowning on so much fucking cash, but you still want more? I say we should divide the money we’ll get in this rosary equally to all the people here!” The anger filled tone of the policeman echoed in the darkness as he showed his wrath in the scowl on his face.

“It was a joke, you dipshit!” The fat salesman said as he lightly pushed the jacked policeman’s chest. The salesman’s strength was so insignificant that it didn’t make the policeman flinch. “I was trying to erase the tension in the damn room, and now, look, you’ve ruined it again, idiot! Is there even a brain inside of that muscled head of yours?”

The policeman then gritted his teeth as he approached the salesman with a growl. “What the fuck did you just said to—”

“ENOUGH!” The nurse screamed as she moved between the two irrational men with a disgusted look on her face. “Stop all of this money talk NOW! Please? None of us owns that rosary, and you all know that! What is this talk about money, anyway? Are your heads so high up your ass that the only thing you can think about is money when that rosary is much more important than that!? I say we should return the rosary to the priest’s church once we leave this place!”

The salesman then rolled his eyes with a scowl before sneering at the fiery gaze on the nurse’s face. “You’re not fooling everyone with that pretentious self-righteous bullshit you’re spouting, lady! Beat it! Stop being a hypocrite!”

“WATCH YOUR DAMN MOTH, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” The policeman roared as he gripped the collar of the salesman’s suit before pushing him into the dam and rough wall of the dungeon. This made the salesman wince as he looked up at the tanned policeman with a wave of newfound anger. “You know, I’ve been thinking of doing this to you from the very beginning, and I think we should just go on with it, huh?”

The salesman then chuckled as a devilish grin appeared on his wrinkled face. “Oh? Mr. Lady Savior finally showed his true colors, it seems!”

“Guys, please, this is not the right time to fight! What if those Crawler things come here and—”

“SHUT UP, YOU’RE ANNOYING!” The salesman roared as he pushed the policeman’s hands off his collars. He then dusted his clothes with his palms as he showed a more fed-up expression on his round face. “You haven’t helped ANYONE in this room from the very beginning, so you should just SHUT THE FUCK UP AND BE QUIET! You have no right to talk!”

“What the fuck is wrong with you, man!?” The policeman said as he pulled the silver man away from the salesman.  “We’re all in this damn thing together, okay? We should all treat each other with respect!” said the policeman, who was just badmouthing the salesman literally a few seconds ago. He then spoke those words as if nothing happened at all.

“N-no, he’s totally right. I’ve been useless throughout this whole dungeon thing, and—”

The nurse then tapped the silver man’s shoulders, making him stop talking with a soft shriek. “You shouldn’t think of yourself that way! We’re all scared here, and we all feel like shit, and you’re the only one brave enough to show that to all of us.” She then scowled at the salesman and the police officer, wordlessly telling them how messy this situation had become because of the two of them.

The salesman then showed a dissatisfied grunt as he turned his head away from the nurse with a wave of his hand.

“What did I do?” The policeman said as he shrugged with a puzzled look on his face while his jaws dropped.

“Okay, okay, guys, I think this whole rosary thing has blown out of proportions, and I’m sorry for ruining the mood like that,” I said, finally ending this whole complicated charade like a domino effect that started from what I had just mentioned earlier.

“It’s okay, father, you didn’t do anything wrong!” The nurse said as she slowly approached me while pushing my extended hands towards my chest.

“Well, regardless of what will happen, we will have to end this dungeon soon then I will sacrifice myself at the very last door, so either way, I’ll still give this rosary to all of you as a last testament to show that I lived my life well in this world,” I said as a downcast expression had filled my pale face as I looked down in agony. Wasn’t I great at this acting gig? I’ve been doing this ‘benevolent priest’ character of mine for so long now, so I am perfectly well trained to face these people without making them suspicious.

“Come on, father. I’m sure sacrificing yourself is not necessary. Look, we might even find a way to get out of this place without anyone dying! By then, I’m fairly sure that NONE OF US WILL TAKE YOUR ROSARY AND EXCHANGE IT FOR CASH!” The nurse uttered the last part of her statement with a louder volume as she slowly moved her face towards the salesman and the policeman.

I then heaved a deep sigh while nodding my head as I looked at the nurse with a weak and defeated smile. “It has to be done.” I then nodded once more as I placed my diamond rosary back to my pocket. “One person here has to do it, and I decided that this person shall be me.”

I was weeping like a man who had just lost a family member recently but deep inside me, I was laughing so, so hard while I saw these people dance around my palm, making my plans move into motion smoothly!

Wait a minute…

I did just lose one of my family members! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, my poor wife, I wish Satan is using her well in the deepest circle of hell! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!