Chris sat on a couch in the living room with a pensive expression while ignoring the chit-chat that was going on around him. Besides himself, everyone else was accounted for at that room, with the sole exception of Danny.

During this period of time that this group formed by circumstances found themselves stuck and secluded in a house in the middle of all this chaos and uncertainty, this little reunion of theirs in the main living room was a very common sight.

The six of them usually got together there in order to kill time by chatting, playing a game of cards, or anything else they could think of whenever there was time to spare in-between their outings or chores.

There was not much to do other than that whenever there was some down time, so it was already a force of habit for most of them to go there whenever they found themselves with nothing to do.

Thus, after Chris witnessed Danny’s poor condition, his feet naturally carried him to the living room, without Chris noticing, as he lost himself among his thoughts and was stuck with indecision about what he should do.

“Should I go and ask Danny if he needs anything? No… Danny said he wanted to rest for a while. I should not bother him and let him have his peace. But what if he needs help or passes out? Should I say something about it to the others? Wouldn’t I be fussing too much about it and look weird? It is not weird to worry about that and try to help, right?” Chris went back and forth in his mind.

He was never a very sociable person and therefore had trouble distinguishing what was appropriate and what wasn’t at times, so it was very common for him to fall into the same difficulty of being unsure on how to respond to a situation and wonder what the appropriate reaction would be.

After spending time with the other five members of this team and being subjected to the extreme circumstances of having his world being overturned while facing threats everywhere, Chris had improved immensely on this aspect, feeling more and more confident in his actions and going about them in a natural way. Even then, every now and again he would fall into those old patterns of insecurity and overthinking.

That was why, when his best friend called his name multiple times, Chris simply stood there without noticing or replying, detached from reality. Following that, Chris was suddenly startled when Carl shook his shoulder to draw his attention and wake him up from his reverie.

Seeing that he managed to grab his jumping friend’s attention, Carl said. “Sorry if I scared you man. Are you all right? I have been calling your name for a while now, but you were completely lost there.” Carl asked in an amused but worried tone.

“Oh, sorry Carl, I did not notice. What did you want to say?” Chris answered.

“Janice went to grab a game she found on one of the last houses we scavenged. I was calling you to ask if you wanted to play with us. Jane and Donovan will be joining us as well and went with Janice to help her find it.”

“Oh! Sure! It sounds good!” Chris nodded enthusiastically. He loved board games, and the perspective of a different source of entertainment for once completely dispelled his earlier concerns about Danny.

“What were you thinking so hard about anyway?” Carl asked in passing curiosity.

Chris hesitated for a second wondering whether it would be appropriate or not for him to tell Carl about Danny’s without his consent, but soon discarded this line of thought. He was just concerned about a friend, there was nothing wrong to talk about it with another friend, right?

“It is just that I bumped into Danny earlier and he seemed to be a bit unwell. He said he would be taking a rest for a while, but I was thinking if I should have done more to make sure he was really okay. I was also thinking if I should check up on him later or just let him rest in peace instead. What do you think Carl?” Chris asked.

“Is that why he is missing? I was wondering what he was up to since he didn’t come down to join us” Carl nodded in understanding.

“I think you are overthinking things again Chris. No one would get angry at you if you showed concern for their wellbeing. Even if he is not in his best state of mind and end up lashing out at you for disturbing him, which I think is unlikely since this is Danny we are talking about after all – the man is one of the calmest people I have ever met –, he would still understand it and would definitely not be annoyed at you for showing concern when he eventually recovers. Most people would actually appreciate the gesture.” Carl explained to his friend, already used to Chris awkwardness on social behavior.

“I see. Thanks Carl.” Chris said.

“Do you want me to check on him in your stead? I can help you out if you are not comfortable with it. I know that interacting with people is not your strong suit.” Carl said jokingly and jabbed at his friend with his elbow in a friendly gesture.

“Yeah, I would appreciate it. Thanks Carl.” Chris smiled and elbowed his friend back. Carl often lent him a helping hand like that. Chris did not have the ability to put into words how grateful he was for having such a good and understanding friend, but he knew that Carl did not need for him to say anything in order to make out how much that meant to him.

“No problem, dude. I will just drop by his room and say that you sent me since you were worried and be right back for our game then.” Carl said before standing up.

“Oh, he is not in his room. He is at that bedroom with the blue bed. I think he just crashed at the nearest bedroom for a nap.” Chris informed his friend before he went the wrong way.

“Okay! Be right back!” Carl said and walked towards Danny supposed resting spot.

Danny sat on the bed and sighed in relief. He was already feeling a lot better from his previous weakness and had recovered almost completely. He did not understand what that pain was and how exactly it worked, but he did not need to. He knew it was not something he would like to repeat and that was enough for now.

Danny would have to keep a better track of his deadlines now since this ‘alarm’ was so utterly crippling. It was best if he could avoid those invasive and painful reminders completely to avoid becoming completely vulnerable. Experiencing the consequences of being late once was enough experimenting for the foreseeable future, so he would do his best to avert such soul rending torment.

Danny took one last calming breath while cursing the unfavorable circumstance in which he found himself compelled to summon the demon, but still went for it without hesitation. He already had done his best to deal with the situation, but he still could not find an ideal solution in the end.

Having to both make a tribute to Tutu and also having to consider his companion’s proximity, Danny could feel a palpable pressure. However, delaying what had to be done any longer would not solve anything and it would only worsen his situation.

Danny touched his shadow and summoned the black chalice that promptly jumped to his hand. No matter how many times he had seen that already, Danny could not help but be amazed at the marvel.

Without further waiting, Danny put his backpack down and retrieved a bolt of cloth, a small knife and a small flask that contained alcohol. Knowing fully well that the time for his payment was approaching, Danny did not dare to leave behind his backpack that contained the needed supplies to perform the ritual and treat the resulting wound.

In addition, carrying the bag with himself at all times did not raise any suspicion from the others, since his allies chalked it up to him being overly cautious and did not think twice about it.

Danny pulled up his sleeve, exposing his fully tattooed arm and slashed it with a quick motion. Even now, after more than a week of living together, Danny never exposed his marked skin to the others. Whenever someone saw his painted body, they could not help but ask Danny about it, as it was an obvious conversation topic and point of interest about himself. However, Danny did not feel comfortable talking about it. His tattoos were inseparable from the circumstances and memories of his past after all, something he preferred to avoid discussing if possible and not go into too much detail whenever asked.

Danny did not even flinch this time as the pain assaulted him. After previously being subjected to that mind numbing agony, the ache of a cut could barely be described as a mild discomfort. The huge gap between both sensations made it look like cutting himself was merely a child’s play. Danny rapidly filled the dark recipient with his blood and then proceeded to staunch his wound.

Having done everything he had to; Danny was relieved knowing that he would not be subjected to any further torture this day. The deal he had made with the demon allowed him to instinctually know that after filling the cup, he would not be pressured by that curse anymore.

It was hard for him to describe, but Danny had a clear picture of many details of his pact with the demon that were unspoken. That was how he knew that his payments had to be done at night, and how he now understood that he would not be subjected to anymore pain until the demon came to collect his due the next time.

Danny also knew instinctively that he would not be able to exploit this mechanic doing something like planting a trap around the chalice and waiting for the demon to fall for it. He naturally knew that an important component of their agreement was a sincere attitude to fulfil his part.

How much he could trust this instinctual knowledge to be true was another matter entirely, but Danny felt it was best to act within its boundaries going forward.

After bandaging himself and placing the cup by his side, all that remained for him to do was to wait for Tutu to show up and hope that their exchange goes smoothly.