SEPHY AND ANTÔNIA HAD LOST all hope of escaping that underground labyrinth alive. Their lanterns had gone out several hours ago. Their only hope was that Gregory Evans and his group would take pity on them and come rescue them, but they weren't even sure they knew where they really were. They tried everything, from screaming until they were exhausted to blindly penetrating the various corridors in search of a way out, although escaping the labyrinth seemed impossible. Giving up, they decided to sit on the floor of the last room they could access, with the grim thought of dying with dignity.
— There's only one way out of here.
Sephy's voice echoed in the darkness of the chamber, like a sentence. Antonia, who was on the verge of bursting into tears and despair, barely had the strength to speak, but she regained some of her spirit, believing that the other woman might be right.
— If it's true... how is it possible that we're still here?
The cryptographer could hear the ragged breathing of her companion beside her.
— The problem is this: we become obsessed with thinking that we are trapped, when, in reality, everything is circumstantial.
Sephy's response plunged the other woman even deeper into despair. The unbalanced woman finally lost her mind. She had no doubt that, instead of neurons, mice were running through the woman's brain, and she found it strange that someone like that, with such a low IQ, had been able to foil her plans for domination and eliminate three special agents trained by the United States National Security Agency.
He didn't take into account her immense criminal career and this was, precisely, his biggest mistake.
— Take it... I don't need it anymore... — Feeling the space in the darkness, Sephy took Antonia's hand and handed her his gun. — There is no winner or loser. And the truth is, if we must die, there should be no difference between us. —
Antônia held the pistol, without really understanding the reason for that surprising gesture.
— And what do I do with it?
She felt Sephy's breath very close, coming so close that her lips were pressed against the other's earlobe.
— How about sticking it up your ass?
After the abrupt and unexpected answer, Sephy began to laugh like a madwoman. Then she said in a low voice:
— Let's start a game called survival. I'll try to assassinate her, and you'll have to stop me.
Before Antônia could even fathom what she meant, the German woman's hands were on her neck, which she began to squeeze with all her might. The victim's first reaction was to try to free herself, holding the fingers that were squeezing her throat, but the pistol prevented her from doing so. It was at that moment that she remembered she was armed, that is, in a position to defend herself.
She smiled, satisfied, at Sephy's supposed mistake, before placing the gun against her attacker's stomach and pulling the trigger. The brutal impact caused the young woman to jerk back.
There were seconds of silence, during which the only thing that could be heard was the smell of burning gunpowder, as well as the broken moans of the dying woman.
— That... that was so good... you little idiot — a trembling voice came out of nowhere... it was Sephy's. — Do you think you fucked me? You're sorely mistaken... I fucked you...
He let out a groan of pain, but continued speaking, despite it costing him a lot of effort:
— And you know why? Simply because you did what I could never do... Because it's very hard to shoot yourself. You know what? You won't have that problem...
— What do you mean by that? — asked Antonia, who had not yet recovered from the attack.
— Honey... that was the last bullet... the one I was saving for myself... — he let out a short laugh, which ended in a moan of pain: part of his intestines were outside his stomach and he was holding them tightly with both hands.
— You, on the other hand, will suffer the torment of thirst and hunger... and that is terrible, believe me... Knowing that I am condemning you to the worst of tortures is a pleasure that gives me a wonderful orgasm... a pleasure that I hope you enjoy as much as I do.
Antonia had never considered suicide, but knowing she had lost her only chance to end her suffering fueled her anger. Then, driven by rage, she crawled as far as she could to touch her body with her fingers. Driven by brutal fury, she struck Sephy's head with the butt of the pistol. Within seconds, she stopped breathing.
Her revenge accomplished, the cryptographer screamed desperately at the prospect of a slow death. She screamed and cursed desperately until she screamed, knowing her fate was inevitable, but down there, so close to hell, no one could hear her lamentations and blasphemies.