The light flickered above, struggling to stay alive in a ceiling cracked with mold.
A bluish hue bathed the entire room like the inside of a freezer — dead, sterile, suffocating.
Wires hung from broken fans. The chalkboard still had faint scribbles from a class that never got dismissed.
It used to be a school.
Now it was a den.
A man stood in the middle, face hidden behind shadow, but his voice — low and sharp — cut through the silence.
"Did you get it?"
From the hallway, footsteps echoed. A man walked in, knife in hand. Still dripping.
Blood stained his sleeves, but not a trace of hesitation on his face.
The man in the shadows spoke again.
"Good job."
He tossed something onto the dusty teacher's desk. A thick envelope. Fat with bills.
"Here's your payment."
The man with the knife grinned. Took the envelope. Walked out.
A second passed.
Then the lights flickered again—
And we were back.
[Back to School – Class 3C]
"That was something, for sure," Daniel muttered, dropping into his seat like a bag of bricks.
Sunny leaned back, arms crossed behind his head. "Yeah, tell me about it."
Isac tried to hold it in, but the second he made eye contact with Daniel—it was over.
Both of them exploded into laughter.
"I SWEAR IF HE TOUCHES HER AGAIN—" Daniel mocked in a high, emotional voice, holding his fist up like Sunny had done the night before.
"SHUT UP—!" Sunny lunged for him, but he was laughing too.
Isac nearly choked on his water bottle.
They laughed like maniacs. Like the world wasn't on fire. Like the blood on Venny's teeth was just a dream.
The bell rang.
Lunchtime.
Sunny and Isac ran off to play basketball.
Daniel stayed behind.
He hated basketball. His 5'7 height felt like a joke next to Isac's 6'2 monster frame. He wasn't going to embarrass himself again.
Instead, he was just sitting alone.
[At Home]
"I'm back".
The house was quiet.
Lyra and Pheno were curled up on the couch.
His dad was working late at the ramen shop. As usual.
Knock knock.
Daniel opened the door.
Mail delivery guy. Regular uniform. No expression.
"Package for Daniel Smith."
Daniel blinked. "Didn't order anything."
"Just sign."
He signed.
The guy walked off without another word.
Daniel looked at the envelope.
No sender. No markings.
Just his name.
Daniel.
He opened it.
Inside—
One small, white paper.
"Daniel — hit — Level 2"
Enjoy your life, Daniel. It won't last long.
His blood turned to ice.
He stood there for ten seconds. Twenty.
Then he laughed. A weird, dry laugh that didn't belong to him.
"Someone's messing with me. Real funny."
But that night?
He didn't sleep.
Every creak in the hallway felt like a gun cocking.
Every rustle outside like boots on grass.
He clutched the letter all night, staring at the ceiling, eyes wide.
"Who the f**k wants me dead?"
[Next Morning – School Again]
He didn't tell Sunny. Didn't tell Isac.
He just shoved the letter into his bag and zipped it shut like it was radioactive.
His energy was different. Quiet. Closed off.
He stuffed his bag into his locker like he was hiding something illegal.
Someone noticed.
[Eira's POV]
Eira watched Daniel like a hawk from the far hallway.
The way he slipped the bag into the locker—
His body language.
Tense. Guilty.
"What the hell are you hiding…" she whispered.
She waited for the classroom to empty. Then walked straight to the locker.
A second passed.
Click.
Lock snapped open. Not the first one she's broken.
She rifled through quickly.
Notebooks. Headphones. Nothing.
Then—
A white envelope.
And that symbol.
Stamped on the seal.
𝕏∪𝕏.
She opened it. Read it. Carefully.
"Hit. Level 2."
"On a student?"
Her expression didn't change. But her pulse did.
This wasn't a game.
"I need to inform 008."
She stepped out of the hallway and dialed.
No answer.
"Sh*t."
[Recess – Storage Room]
Daniel was walking toward the vending machine when—
YANK.
He was pulled into a storage room so fast he barely had time to scream.
"Wh—What the hell?!"
Eira slammed the door shut.
"Shut up," she hissed, eyes cold as knives.
"What did I do?!"
She stepped closer.
"Tell me, Daniel. What bad things do you do to ruin people's lives?"
Daniel's eyes widened.
"Me? I—I don't—"
"Then why is there a hit on you?"
He froze.
"You know about that…?"
"You think I'm here to kill you?"
Daniel stepped back. She was too close. Too intense.
Eira pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and—
Tied it around his mouth.
"Shut up and listen."
Daniel tried to mumble but she didn't care.
"You received a Level 2 hit. That means they'll target you the day after you receive the letter."
She pulled the cloth off.
Daniel's voice cracked.
"Th-that's today…"
"Exactly. You can't go anywhere. You stay in this room until I say so. Or else I can't protect you."
"Protect me? Why?"
She didn't answer.
[2 Hours Later – Still in Storage]
Daniel sat curled in the corner. Legs pulled up. Hands shaking.
He hadn't heard a sound in a while.
Then—
Creak.
Eira entered again. "We have to go. Now."
"Why?"
"What then, wanna wait for them to come here?"
Daniel's stomach dropped.
Sunny and Isac had gone home, wondering where tf daniel went. School was empty.
Eira pulled him out through the back door. Down the empty corridor. Past the gym.
Out the back gate.
The air was cold.
Then—
A voice.
"Hey, Daniel."
He turned.
There he was.
-----
A knife. Calm eyes. Clean stance. Intent to kill.
"Sh*t…" Daniel whispered.
Eira stepped forward. "Stay behind me."
Daniel looked at her. "No."
"What?"
"I said no."
"I told you to stay back."
"I'm done running. This is my problem."
"You'll die."
"I don't care. Why are you risking your life for me anyway?! Just go."
Eira's expression cracked. Just for a second.
Like she was remembering something. A whisper from the past.
"Shut up. This is my job."
"Your job? Is it to save people? Or fight these monsters?"
She didn't answer.
Daniel looked her dead in the eyes.
"Go."
She stared at him.
And stepped back.
Then walked away.
Silent.
----
Daniel stepped forward.
The XUX man tilted his head.
"Well, thank you for making this easier."
Daniel smirked. "Easier? You forgot something."
He pointed behind him.
The guy looked.
Classic mistake.
Daniel vanished.
Ran.
Took a hard left behind the shed.
The man followed.
Turned the same corner—
WHAM.
Daniel smashed a brick straight into the guy's face.
The man stumbled. Blood dripping.
Daniel's chest was heaving. Hands trembling.
"I'm not gonna die today motherf**ker"
The man looked up.
Laughed.
"That's supposed to hurt?."
Daniel's smile died.
He stepped back.
And realized—
He was f**ked.