"T-Thino…"
"Yes, Ella? Are you done using the restroom?"
Thino's calm voice broke the silence as he kept his eyes on the monitor, fingers adjusting the CCTV controller to zoom in on the parked cars. He hadn't moved from his spot, patiently waiting for Ella for several minutes.
But behind him, Ella stood frozen in place—her posture stiff, her breathing shallow. The sharp edge of a cutter was pressed firmly against her neck, and fear rooted her to the ground. Her mind raced, searching for any way to escape without provoking the person behind her.
"I see… even in this kind of situation, your mind's somewhere else," A mysterious woman's voice whispered mockingly "Aren't you just the perfect little nerd?"
The voice cut through the tension, sharp and unsettling. Thino immediately froze which make his fingers stop moving the controller before he slowly turned toward the source.
And mocking laugh filled the room.
"Hahahaha!"
It came from the man behind Ella—the same man pinning her in place with his body, his grip tight and cruel.
"Can you believe it? You're still not like the others!" he sneered, while tightening his hold on ella's shoulder enough to make her wince.
"Ella—"
"Ah, ah—before you go all hero on me," The unknown woman voice chimed in, this time from Thino's side, "you might want to notice where you're standing, nerd. One wrong move, and I'll drive this right into you."
Only then did Thino notice the second attacker is already pointing a cutter blade at his side. He clenched his jaw and instinctively stepped back, eyes narrowing as he looked at the woman beside him.
"What do you want… Trina?"
His tone was cold.
Trina smirked at the sound of her name, casually twirling the cutter in her hand.
"Why bother asking when you already know, nerd?"
"I'm not giving it to you. That's my answer."
"Hah! I figured you'd say that," Trina said with a grin. "That's why we came prepared. Right, Turko?"
She nodded toward the man holding Ella. In response, Turko pressed the cutter's blade across Ella's cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.
"Hnng—!"
Ella bit down her cry, forcing herself not to scream.
"Enough!" Thino snapped. He dropped their shared bag to the floor between them.
"There. That's what you came for."
Turko grinned wider, proudly raising his bloodied cutter as if it were a trophy.
"Nice choice, nerd. Honestly, I thought someone would have to die before we got this."
Trina stepped forward and snatched up the bag. She placed it on the nearest table and began rummaging through it impatiently. But within seconds, her grin disappeared.
"Seriously? This is it!? This is what you thought to bring?" she scoffed, pulling out random items. "Not even a single weapon to kill those disgusting creatures outside?"
She shot Ella a scathing glare. But Ella glared right back, her eyes filled with cold fire.
"Is it my fault you're more brainless than those monsters? Maybe if you had a working brain, you'd understand the value of those things."
"Oh? Brainless, huh?" Trina hissed, her grip tightening on the cutter. "How about I use this to scoop out that brain of yours right now?"
She lunged forward, but before she could get too close, Spike stepped in, keeping the two women apart.
"H-Hey! Can you two save the catfight for later?" Turko barked, irritation flaring in his voice. "Wait 'til I'm not stuck between you! I'm not getting stabbed over your drama!"
Apparently, that's what triggered him. And to be fair, he wasn't wrong—Ella didn't waste a second. With Turko holding her back, she lifted her knee and aimed a sharp kick at the approaching Trina.
Thino watched silently, calculating the situation. Was it a mistake to let Ella be taken as a hostage? He wasn't sure anymore. But considering the precious seconds they were buying; he let the thought slide and focused on how to pull them out of this alive.
He hadn't expected that the "extra company" on the first floor would turn out to be Wosker's crew. Out of everyone in the campus, it had to be these two.
"F*ck it! Give me the other bag!" Trina snapped, pointing at Thino's backpack lying on the floor.
"T-Thino..." Ella muttered, giving him a quick shake of her head—a silent plea not to obey.
"Don't you dare hand it over—ah!"
But her warning was cut short by a harsh slap from Trina. Ella flinched but glared back fiercely, eyes flashing with promise: You'll regret this.
"What? You wanna hit me now?" Trina sneered.
"Isn't it obvious?" Ella spat. "You're lucky that mutt's holding me down. Without him, you'd be begging for a monster to save you."
"What did you say, you bitc—ack!"
Turko lunged forward, ready to strike again, but a bag suddenly smacked him in the face.
"You!"
His furious gaze landed on Thino, who had just hurled the backpack at him.
Thino only offered a deadpan stare. "You asked for the bag, right? I gave it. What's the problem?"
"Are you brain-dead or just born dumb?! I said hand it over, not throw it, you lunatic!"
"Same difference," Thino muttered. "Now that I've 'given' it, let her go."
Instead of complying, Trina burst out laughing—loud and sharp. Thino's expression tensed. Not because of the insult, but because that laugh might've reached the ears of the creatures outside.
Damn it. I was planning to take them with us, but at this rate, they'll get us all found and eaten.
"F*ck, that hurt," Turko groaned, rubbing his face. "What the hell's in this bag?"
Trina picked it up and winced at the weight. "Seriously? What are you people even carrying? You think this is a field trip? Hiking? A camping retreat in hell? You brought zero weapons, just dead weight! You really think you can survive out here without even trying to fight?"
Her complaint, as they didn't even notice that Thino had already grabbed something from the bag before tossing it. Now, just minutes later, he quietly set it on a nearby table—an old alarm clock—and turned toward them again.
"You know what? I'm done wasting time arguing with psychos."
Thino stepped forward.
"You! What the hell are you doing?" Trina hissed while she grip the cutter tightly as Thino came closer.
"Simple," he said calmly. "If you won't let go of Ella, then we all become bait."
He placed the alarm clock down. The moment she saw it, Trina's eyes widened.
"Y-you've gotta be kidding."
"Nope," Thino said, pointing to the switch. "It's already set. In ten minutes, it'll ring."
Trina panicked and rushed forward to grab it, but Thino flung the alarm clock straight into Turko's face instead.
"Turko!"
Trina turned, ready to help—but Ella beat her to it. She grabbed Trina by the wrist, shoved her into the wall, and slammed her face hard into the concrete.
"Ow—!"
"How's the taste of the wall?" Ella snapped coldly, as if she hadn't just been held hostage minutes ago.
Thankfully, the alarm clock landed without a sound. But Turko was still laid out groaning on the floor.
"Quick, get the rope! Tie them up before they recover!"
Ella barked, pinning Trina's arm as she struggled.
---------------------
Meanwhile, in a different part of the building—specifically the auto service center where the school's shuttle buses were usually repaired—a heated exchange was beginning to erupt.
"Rian, is that thing still not fixed?" the principal asked, his voice tight with impatience. "We need to leave now. My family might be in danger!"
"Could you just be quiet for a second?" Rian muttered without even glancing up. His hands were deep in the wiring of a bus dashboard. "All you've done is complain. If you're really in that much of a hurry, no one's stopping you from going."
The principal bristled, face turning red. "You little bastard! If you just knew how to do your job properly, I wouldn't have to keep repeating myself!" he barked, grabbing Rian by the collar. "And now you've got the guts to talk back to me?! You think you can take me on?!"
Rian's fists clenched, ready to retaliate—but before either of them could throw a punch, a firm voice cut between them.
"Are you seriously choosing now to waste time arguing?" a man stepped between them, his tone calm but authoritative. "Look around. You really think this is what we should be doing in a situation like this?"
The principal turned to the newcomer, gesturing angrily toward Brian. "Boss, it's this brat. He's got no respect! Acting like he doesn't know who I am. I'm the principal here, and he's treating me like trash!"
Rian let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Oh, I know exactly who you are," he said. "You're the kind of man who hides behind a title and thinks it makes him untouchable. You act like you're some kind of god, but you're just another coward who only looks out for himself."
"Rian!" the stranger warned, his eyes narrowing.
But Rian was on a roll now, his anger finally boiling over. "No wonder you're falling apart. You can't even take responsibility without dragging your family into your excuses. What, you think no one knows about your little side trips while your wife's not looking?"
THUD.
A loud punch landed across Brian's face, silencing the room in an instant.
"Aah—!"
"Stop it!" someone shouted. "Hey, break it up!"
Gasps and panicked voices rose as the principal stood there, his fist still clenched, while Rian staggered backward, wiping blood from his mouth. He looked up with a crooked grin, pain etched across his face—but not regret.
He was a working student. He'd been pushed around by people like that for years. And this time… he refused to stay silent.