"Why the hell are you only saying that now?! Are you crazy?! Unlock this cage—I don’t care how you do it!"
Haji pressed his mouth into a thin line as Chuck barked and barked. The latter even tried to grab him, but couldn’t reach him.
"Quiet now," Haji tugged his earlobe as he stretched his head sideways. "Didn’t you see I’ve been trying?"
But that didn’t appease the demanding "bad luck" of their group.
"I’ve been worried about our comms already," Haji grumbled. "With those things in Jarvis’s hands, I don’t think rescue is coming for us. So, I have no choice but to free you guys. I just really need the proper tools."
Everyone else went quiet, their eyes shifting from Haji to the lock he was inspecting. Chuck was still barking, forcing Tyga to reach out and smack the back of his head.
"Ack—" Chuck touched the back of his neck and glared at him.
"Shut up," Tyga warned. "Running your mouth isn’t helping."
"And you think doing nothing will?!"
"Shut it," Scarlet interjected, her eyes cold as she glared at Chuck. "If I hear you one more time, I’m knocking a few of your teeth out."
Chuck frowned, clearly unhappy with Scarlet. Although he was pro-Scarlet as the matriarch, she had been acting a little odd. Probably because her toes had been cut off.
"You probably like her, don’t you?" Haji teased, earning glares from both Chuck and Scarlet. But that wasn’t enough to stop him from adding, "You only listen to her, after all."
A glint flickered across Scarlet’s eyes until she suddenly heard a faint noise somewhere else.
Not just her, but all five of them did.
Turning their heads toward the entrance, Haji quickly picked up the ropes that were already pre-tied, wrapping them around himself before dropping to the floor and playing dead.
The rest stayed quiet in the cage, with Scarlet rising to her feet.
Soon, the door opened, and all of them watched as a few men entered. Haji, lying on his side, looked up at the group.
"What?" he asked dryly. "Did Jarvis send you—"
The rest of his words choked in his throat as a powerful kick landed on his stomach.
"That... goddamn it..." Haji gritted his teeth as the air was knocked out of his lungs. Before he could recover, another kick slammed into his abdomen.
"Hey!" Scarlet shouted, gripping the metal bars and pressing against them. "Hey—what are you doing?! Stop that!"
Despite her commanding voice, the men continued beating Haji. Two of them lifted him by the shoulders, throwing blow after blow until blood began dripping onto the floor.
Tyga and Kean also rose to their feet, moving closer to the cage. Chuck, however, froze in place, watching the scene with wide eyes.
Haji could fight; his ties were loose. All he needed to do was spread his arms and strike back.
But he didn’t.
And they all knew why.
If Haji fought back, it would compromise their plan. He could run and fight his way out of this place, although the chances were low. But then again, he would have to leave the other four behind.
So they gritted their teeth as they watched him take every blow without resistance.
The beating continued. Each time fists or boots connected with his body, they flinched a little more.
"Stop..." Kean whispered. His grip on the bars tightened until his knuckles turned white. "Forget the plan..."
At this rate, just fight back.
Their faces darkened as they memorized the men beating Haji. Scarlet’s eyes sharpened, her fist trembling as her jaw tightened.
"It’s this damn bar..." he hissed, shifting her fiery eyes at the cage she was gripping.
"Ugh..." Haji grunted as they finally released him, his body crashing onto the floor.
They had struck his stomach, his head—everywhere their fists and feet could reach. For a brief second, he understood exactly how those training dummies he beat at the Zorken Manor must have felt.
"Damn..." he coughed, spitting blood as he glared at them. They had come in and started beating him without even mocking him first. He would’ve appreciated a mockery, as that would’ve given him a chance to give them a reason to beat him.
The man who inflicted most of the damage looked unfazed. He glanced at the others.
"Put a sack on his head," he ordered, then turned away as if his task was done.
The others nodded and moved quickly. Haji groaned as he tried to push himself up, but the two men who had held him earlier lifted him again with ease.
"What—"
Before he could finish, a sack was shoved over his head. Then, another punch slammed into his abdomen, forcing him to hunch over in pain.
"Where are you taking him?!" Kean shouted as they dragged Haji away after another brutal blow. "Hey! Where are you taking him?! HEY!"
Tyga shouted as well, but it was useless.
The men dragged Haji out, beating him just enough to keep him incapacitated. Within seconds, they were gone.
A heavy silence fell over the hall. All that remained was the four of them in the cage and the blood where they had beaten Haji.
The remaining four could only stare at the blood on the floor, then at the entrance, eyes wide, breathing heavy, their minds spiraling through countless scenarios.
"Shit—" Tyga roared, shaking the metal bars violently. "Fuck!!!"
Kean stepped back from the cage, his gaze snapping to Chuck.
"This is all your fault," he hissed. "If not for you screwing everything up from the beginning—"
"How is this my fault again?!" Chuck shot back, jumping to his feet. "We’re past that already! Why are we even back in this conversation?! Just because he got beaten up, you’re blaming me again?! He could’ve fought back, but he didn’t—"
Tyga’s vision went red.
He grabbed Chuck by the collar. "What did you just say?!" he roared. "Are you saying that because you don’t know why—or because you’re really that pathetic?"
Chuck glared back, his face sour, showing not an ounce of fear or guilt.
They didn’t know Haji well, not until today. They had heard of him, of course. After all, he was Lola’s plus one. But their anger came from two things.
First, Haji took the beating because if he didn’t, their plan would fall apart and put them all in more danger than they already were.
Second, they were forced to watch.
And powerlessness burned worse than fear.
Tyga’s grip tightened, and Chuck grabbed him back, refusing to back down.
"What?" Chuck scoffed. "Want to go at it?"
Kean huffed. "Enough —"
But before he could stop them from fighting, the door suddenly flew open.
All four froze and turned, only to hear a thin metallic clang echo as a small canister rolled across the floor, smoke already hissing out of it.
Chuck gasped, whispering, "Hell."