NEW LIFE : A SECOND CHANCE

Kyle was dangling right outside Richard's window, flattening himself against the wall and on its dark side. He pulled down his sleeve a bit, to reveal a watch that was streaming Richard's room.

He saw Samantha sleeping on the sofa that was next to Richard's bed while Richard himself was wrapped up like a mummy on it. The blanket was completely twisted around him. Guess he reverted back to being a baby? Where one would normally be coddled and such.

Kyle snickered.

He slipped in silently. Since this was the third floor, Richard never really thought anyone would have entered through the window. Careless. Kyle slid across the floor, and headed towards Samantha first. He slid open the tips of the fingers on his glove, revealing his darkened fingers. Pressing her acupuncture points, he put her to sleep.

He then went to the front door and slid the latch over.

Once done, he took a chair and put it next to the bed. He looked at the mummified Richard, shaking his head. This was going to be a bit tricky. Not too difficult though.

In one swift motion, Kyle placed his hands over Richard's mouth, pulled open the blanket to reveal his neck and shoulders and proceeded to press the necessary points. Richard's eyes flew open the moment Kyle had placed his hands on his mouth, but he couldn't move at first as he was tightly bound by the blankets.

It was at that point he cursed his stupidity for doing so, but it was the only way he could sleep. He needed sleep so that he would be more alert in the morning. As his thoughts went haywire, thinking that this man would slice his throat, he was shocked senseless when he did nothing.

Other than closing his mouth and touching him, he didn't do anything else.

Richard looked in amazement as the guy just sat down, putting his chin on the palm of his left hand as he looked at him.

'Fool!' thought Richard to himself. He had a gun under his pillow, his bodyguards were outside and he felt safe and protected. He moved to reach for his gun when he found ... he couldn't. He. Could. Not. Move.

Glaring at the guy, who is presumably Ice, he shouted, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"

Well, he wanted to shout but instead, his voice just came out in a whisper.

Ice just tilted his head, then raised a finger from his right hand as he shook it, "Tsk tsk. We wouldn't want to wake up your precious daughter now, would we?"

Richard's eyes darted to the right, feeling relieved that Samantha was still lying down on the sofa. Safe.

"Well, not until I'm done with you anyway," Ice said slowly, turning to look at Samantha, "Or maybe I should have my fun first and let you watch?"

Richard glared at him, "If you dare touch ..."

The guy laughed, "Oh, I dare. I'd do more than touch, too."

Then his playful demeanor became cold as he stared at Richard. His ice-cold blue eyes bore into his eyes, the atmosphere around him feeling cold and Richard could see nothing else but just those eyes.

It was then that Richard finally realised all those descriptions about Ice was not an exaggeration.

He really did appear harmless ... until he became serious. When he looked at you, you would literally feel it. That Death has descended. Devil's Incarnate.

"After all, you're the one that refused Nitocris. Not once, not twice ... not even three times. Did you honestly think that you'd get away with it? That only you would have to pay?" Ice asked, not flinching.

Richard trembled, "Please, I'll do anything. I'll give Nitocris everything. I'll get out of the country. Just ... just let me go. Let us go."

"Too late," Ice said, hardly sparing him a glance, his eyes focused on the sleeping Samantha, "You had your chance. In fact, you had a lot of chances already."

Turning to face Richard again, he said, "You ignored me. You scoffed at me. Worse, at Nitocris. Did you really think he was soft? Just because he liked giving people a chance?"

His voice became colder, "Did you forget what happens to those that refused those chances? And you though you're ready to overthrow Nitocris?"

"Oh, and ..." Ice brought up his wrist, revealed a dark watch and said, "All of your connections to the underworld has just been eliminated. All that's left is you. And Samantha, of course."

Ice showed Richard the monitor on his watch, showing a slideshow of the faces of dead people. His people.

Despite the fact that Richard was terrified for his life, he was getting a bit impatient at all this long-windedness.

"Then just get on with it then! Why are you yakking away? You can't bear to kill me, is it?!" Richard shouted, although it was all just whispers by the time it came out of his mouth.

"Really? Is that the best that you've got?" Ice said, shaking his head, "I'm really shaking now. It's a pity that our game has to end."

Then he looked at Samantha, "Though hers is just beginning."

Richard's eyes narrowed, his heart beating fast. He should have sent her away. Why didn't he send her away? He was convinced that she would be safe with him here, where security was at its highest. Why was Ice targetting Samantha anyway? Didn't he just get the target?

"Leave my daughter alone, you filthy beast," Richard hissed.

Ice laughed. He laughed so hard (but silently), that tears came out of his eyes. He wiped them, shaking his head, "Richard, Richard. Still trying to act so tough even when your life is hanging by a thread? You're dying and you don't know it yet?"

"What do you mean?"

"This," Ice said, gesturing with his hand from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, "is a dead body."

"I'm still alive, you idiot!" Richard glared at him.

"Don't you feel it?" Ice asked, "Oh wait. No, you can't. Let me ask you in another way then. You can't move a muscle, right? Everything is frozen ... and I mean that, literally. You can't move, but don't you feel like your limbs are cold as ice?"

Ice leaned forward on the bed, looking at him intently, "Did you know how wonderful the human body is? Every single thing has its own unique function, and everything works like a well-oiled machine. However, when one thing breaks down, the body will slowly break down if that part is not fixed."

"Do you feel your heart beating very fast right now?" Ice asked.

Richard couldn't deny it but he had attributed it to him being extremely scared right now. The adrenalin rush.

"It's not fear," Ice explained, "It's your heart frantically working hard to try and get blood circulated in your entire body."

Just by touching and pressing here ... and here ... " Ice said, touching and slightly caressing the spots he was talking about, "I cut off the signals that your brain was sending to your body about blood flow. Your heart is pumping but there is no blood flow. I've sealed your heart chambers."

Richard found that it was getting harder to breathe. There was a sharp pain at his heart and he was gasping as he tried to get in air.

"You have ... oh, just about 3 or 4 more minutes before your heart stops beating," Ice said, staring at Richard.

Richard couldn't even say anything anymore, the pain being so severe at that point. Three minutes? One second even felt like one hour. It felt like there was a sharp knife being pierced repeatedly through his heart and its blade being twisted at each stab.

Tears fell down Richard's face.

How he regretted being so arrogant. How did he ever think he was better than Nitocris? Why did he ignore the signs? He had been so confident that he could beat Ice. That would have been such an epic achievement.

But there was no medicine for regrets.

"Oh, by the way," Ice said, tapping his chin, "Since you're dying and all, I should tell you that I'll take very, very good care of Samantha for you."

Kyle knew that Samantha was Richard's greatest weakness, though he never showed it. He did that purposely so that people wouldn't think he had any feelings or attachment with his daughter. The fact that he kept an eye on her, that he rushed here and that he couldn't let her go all pointed to one thing : Samantha was his life.

"She ..." Richard managed to gasp out, " ... innocent ..."

Richard looked at him pleadingly, but was only met with cold eyes, "She's your daughter. How innocent can she really be?"

"No ... "

"Anyway," he continued, ignoring the plea, "She's a really great fuck. After I'm tired of her, I'll pass her around till her mind snaps."

Richard stared at him, gasping. No. Samantha. No. Wait. Why did Ice make it seem like he had slept with her before? Was he one of her past lovers? What? Fear gripped him. Utmost fear.

Then, he watched as Ice pulled down his face mask, revealing a face he never thought possible.

"You?!"

Kyle smiled, patting Richard on the cheek, then pulled his face mask back on, "Just think, Richard. All of this could have been avoided if you had just listened. Since you ignored the warnings, we need to send out a message to everyone. You sealed Samantha's fate the moment you ignored the third card. It's all your fault."

Utter despair filled Richard. The pain that his heart was going through was nothing compared to the impact the words Kyle had given him. He watched, wailing, as Kyle walked over to Samantha. The last thing he saw was Kyle reaching out for Samantha, just as his heart stopped beating.

Kyle stopped.

There was utter silence in the room.

Richard was finally dead. Kyle deliberately chose this bloodless method because he didn't want Samantha waking up to see such a gruesome sight.

[You're still so soft, brother]

[Well, yeah] Kyle agreed [Samantha's not too bad. This is the only kindness I can give her]

He took out his card and a plane ticket. A one-way ticket to State BB, where her uncle was staying. He placed the ticket on the table and the card on it. He then took a picture of the two of them, tore it apart and placed it on the ticket, next to the card.

He went back to Richard and placed his card, with his emblem facing up, on Richard's chest.

He looked impassively at the wide, horror-filled eyes. He closed them. Samantha shouldn't see that. Though Kyle was quite satisfied with that expression.

Richard must have died with really intense despair. Kyle knew how that was like, and how painful it was. Which was why he continued playing with Richard's mind until the end.

Kyle left as silently as he came in, after unlocking the door and releasing Samantha from her forced-induced sleep.