Seeing this scene, all the students in the cave suddenly panicked. Screams of fear broke out uncontrollably.
"NAYLA! ANNA!!"
"W-what's going on!?"
"Who are they!?"
"Why are they carrying weapons!?"
"W-we're going to die...!"
"Those... are the people from before!?"
The bandits entered laughing and talking loudly in a language that sounded completely foreign. Their harsh tone, dirty laughter, and arrogant gestures were enough to convey their intentions, even though the students didn't understand a single word.
"fakfhdfla4hfuhuffiad!"
(I told you... we hit the jackpot today.)
"ajdhfiafwuefaipeiafpfb!"
(Look... how many kids there are in this place.)
"afjfubeaweufapfbuf!"
(Hahaha! We're going to party tonight!)
Their laughter echoed in the cave, making the air feel even more stifling and threatening. Some of the bandits began to advance, carrying drawn swords.
"W-what do we do... what should we do!?" someone from the back row shouted.
Hana looked at Theo breathlessly. "Theo... what should we do?"
"There's no way out..." Kyle muttered, swallowing hard, staring at the cave entrance that was already filled with bandits.
"If we try to get past them... we'll definitely die."
Kevin hit the rock beside him.
"Damn it! Are we going to die?"
"Everyone... calm down first," said Rahel, although the tremor in her voice was not completely hidden.
"Panicking won't help anything..."
Lisa hugged herself, trembling violently but still trying to speak.
"Nayla... Anna... if we don't do something, they... they will..."
"Lisa," Karin cut her off quickly, patting her shoulder.
"Calm down. We have to keep thinking clearly."
She glanced briefly at the bandits before continuing in a hushed voice.
"Like Rahel said, panicking won't get us out of this situation. One wrong move, and they could hurt Nayla and Anna immediately."
Lisa swallowed hard. Her eyes were watering, her breathing was ragged.
"Then what's the point of thinking clearly if we're just going to stand here?" her voice broke.
Karin clenched her fists.
"I know," she said softly. "I'm scared too. But if we move without a plan—"
"What plan, Karin!?" Lisa interrupted, almost shouting.
"We don't have any weapons, we don't understand their language, and two of our friends are in their hands! What exactly do you expect!?"
Karin was silent for a moment. Her jaw tightened, not out of anger, but because she didn't have the right answer.
"...at least," she said finally, her voice almost a whisper,
"don't make things worse."
The words hung heavy in the air, painful and not at all reassuring.
And that was when someone moved.
Amidst the tension, Theo stepped forward hesitantly, as if he himself wasn't sure what he was going to do. Even though his face was pale and his legs were shaking, he still took a step forward.
"I-I..." his voice was hoarse. "I'll try to talk to them. We can't just stand here!"
Rahel immediately pulled his arm. "Theo! Stop! They won't understand anything you say!"
Theo pushed Rahel's hand away, desperately trying to look strong even though his knees were shaking. "Then what do you want? For us to just stand here and watch our friends get killed right in front of us!?"
"I'm just saying they won't listen to you!" Rahel replied, her voice beginning to tremble, her eyes welling up with tears.
"Hey!"
Lisa snapped in frustration, her voice almost a scream.
"Do you think this is the right time to be arguing!?"
A harsh laugh came from the front.
The bandit standing closest took half a step forward, grinning widely. His gaze swept over them one by one as if assessing a group of cornered animals.
Nayla and Anna cried loudly again, begging in a language that even the bandits didn't understand.
Nayla screamed, panicked. "Wait!! Please... Please don't! We... we'll do anything! Please...!!"
Anna cried softly, shaking her head, her voice barely audible. "I want to go home... please... I want to go home..."
Their words sounded desperate, but to the bandits they were just foreign sounds, like meaningless mumblings.
Hana covered her mouth with her trembling hands when she saw the blood dripping from Anna's neck. "Please... don't..." Her tears fell incessantly.
Kyle tried to step forward, but Lisa quickly grabbed his shoulder.
"You're crazy, Kyle!" she whispered loudly. "Don't try to be a hero in a situation like this!"
Kyle pushed Lisa's hand away, his face tense but clearly frightened.
"Then what? You want me to just stay quiet?"
But even though his voice was loud, Kyle's gaze never dared to look directly at the bandits in front of the cave. His attitude showed one thing, he wasn't being brave... he was just desperate.
The atmosphere in the cave grew more tense. The breaths of several students were audible. Nayla and Anna were still being held in front, their knees shaking.
The bandit leader frowned at the commotion.
"What are they arguing about?" he muttered in Murim language, clearly not understanding what the students were saying.
Another bandit snorted, waving his sword in the air.
"Hey! Shut up, all of you!" shouted one of the bandits.
"If not, these two kids will die right now!"
However, the students did not understand a single word that was said, and their ignorance only made the situation more chaotic.
The bandit brought his sword closer to Nayla and Anna's necks, his movements harsh and threatening.
"Be quiet!" he shouted again.
But to Theo...
It sounded like they were trying to say something.
Theo tried to take a few steps forward, forcing himself to speak to the bandits.
"Help! Please! We surrender! So let go of my two friends—"
He didn't even get to finish his sentence.
BUGH!
The hilt of the sword hit his face hard. Theo fell backwards, blood immediately flowing from his forehead.
"THEOOO!!" Rahel screamed hysterically.
"Why did you step forward!?" Karin shouted in panic, her voice breaking.
Lisa covered her mouth, almost vomiting from fear. "Why did they hit Theo!? He just wanted to talk!"
Seeing Theo hit so hard made two of them immediately lose their minds.
Kevin and Kyle moved simultaneously.
"Don't touch our friend!!!"
"Why are you hitting him, you bastard!!!"
They charged at the bandit who was hitting Theo.
The bandit was surprised that the two boys were recklessly attacking him.
Kyle grabbed the bandit's arm that was holding the sword, trying to hold it in place so that the weapon couldn't move.
"I've got the sword, it's your turn, Kevin!!"
Kevin, who was much more aggressive, immediately punched the bandit in the face.
SMACK!
The bandit fell backwards.
The other students were surprised and had a moment of hope.
"KEVIN GOT HIM!!"
"COME ON!! CHARGE!!"
But that hope only lasted a second.
The other bandits who were watching immediately charged forward.
DUAK!
Kyle was kicked hard from the side.
His body was lifted off the ground and slammed into a rock.
"GAHH!!!" He immediately lost his breath. He writhed, trying to breathe, but his lungs felt like they were locked.
"Kylee!!!"
Lisa ran towards him and knelt beside him, her hands trembling, not knowing what to do except call Kyle's name over and over again.
As for Kevin
The other bandits held his arms, restraining him like they were capturing a wild animal.
The bandit Kevin had hit earlier got up. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his eyes burning with rage.
"DAMN IT... You little bastard," he hissed as he stepped closer.
"Know your place, you little SHIT."
"LET ME GO, YOU COWARDS!!! Kevin struggled.
"LET... ME... GO!!"
The first punch from the bandit hit him squarely in the cheek.
The second punch followed, hard, right on his jaw, causing his head to jerk to the side.
The third punch hit his stomach mercilessly. Kevin doubled over, a rough cough shaking his body, saliva mixed with blood dripping onto the ground.
But Kevin continued to stare at them with red, angry eyes.
"Is this all... you've got?" he said haltingly, his voice hoarse but full of scorn.
"If you dare... drop your weapons... and face me one on one..."
BUGH!
Another blow left Kevin's body helpless.
The other students screamed, calling his name.
"KEVINNN!!"
"Please stop!!"
"Don't hit him anymore!!!"
Theo, who was still sitting, holding his blood-stained head, tried to get up.
But his vision was spinning.
"Why... why are they... hitting Kevin... Kyle..."
Rahel tried to run to Kevin, but the bandit raised his arm and pushed her back.
"A-Ahh!!" Rahel fell to the ground.
Hana hugged herself and cried. "Why did everything turn out like this... why..."
"What's wrong with these kids?" grumbled one of the bandits as he looked at the chaotic situation in the cave.
"Hah... look at them," one of the bandits laughed briefly as he pointed at the students who were starting to crowd together.
"Are they deaf, or just too stupid to understand simple orders?"
One of the bandits wiped his knife, then looked at the two girls with an almost inhuman gaze.
"They're too noisy. Do it."
He gave a small nod.
Two bandits immediately pulled Nayla and Anna from the sand on the cave floor, dragging them like prey. Both of them rolled into the middle of the room, their bodies shaking uncontrollably.
"Don't... don't touch us... don't..." Nayla cried, her voice breaking.
Anna grabbed Nayla's hand, holding it as tightly as she could, as if letting go would cause the world to collapse.
"Nayla... I... I'm scared... I want to go home... I'm scared..."
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Anna... I can't do anything..." Nayla cried even harder, her body swaying.
Lisa screamed from Kyle's side, her voice breaking with panic.
"STOP!! PLEASE LET THEM GO!!"
But the voice was nothing more than a meaningless scream in the ears of the bandits.
Karin hugged Hana, who was trembling violently.
"Karin... what are they going to do... please tell me what they did to Nayla and Anna... don't tell me..."
"It's okay... it's okay... don't look... don't look, Hana..." Karin cried as she covered her friend's eyes.
The bandit leader slowly raised his sword, enjoying the fear in the eyes of the two young girls.
"NO!!" Kyle screamed as he tried to get up, but his body was still weak, his breathing labored.
Kevin growled, trying to stand up even though his body was battered.
"Stop! YOU BASTARDS!!"
The bandit holding him immediately kicked Kevin's body hard to the ground.
And before anyone could move...
WUSSS!!
Nayla's scream erupted.
Anna pleaded with a voice that was no longer clear.
Then…
CRAASH.
All sounds ceased.
Nayla fell first, her body slumped like a doll whose strings had been cut.
A few seconds later, Anna followed. Her eyes were still open, staring blankly at the cave ceiling. Tears streamed down her face, wetting her cheeks as if she had left with one unanswered hope.
The cave was engulfed in silence.
Blood pooled on the stone floor, surrounding the two motionless bodies.
No screams and no cries were heard.
Only silence.
A silence so thick it felt like it was piercing the hearts of everyone who had just witnessed that horrific scene.