I got back to the upper floor of the library and shuffled back to my corner—the one small, miserable piece of this villain-infested library I could call my own. If I focused hard enough, I could almost imagine I wasn't stuck here with seven brain-dead criminals and zero options. Almost.

My scalp still stung where Idiot 7 had yanked me earlier like I was some sack of potatoes. 

Oh sure, man, just drag me around like a caveman. 

Totally necessary. 

Jerk.

But as much as I wanted to kick him in the face, I couldn't. Not yet.

No, I had bigger things to deal with.

Like the fact that these idiots had decided to use me as bait in their master plan, which—surprise, surprise—wasn't much of a plan at all. They wanted me to drive a truck to some "target" tonight at 10 PM. Not only was it painfully obvious that the truck was rigged to explode, but they also didn't seem to care that I had no idea how to drive.

I let out a slow breath, forcing myself to stay calm. Losing it wouldn't help. 

You're fine. 

Just breathe. 

These morons have no idea what you're capable of. 

Use that. 

Play along.

The key word being play.

What they didn't know—what I had been careful not to let them see—was that I wasn't just some helpless, quirkless kid they'd scooped up off the street or kidnapped when they were literally 4 years old. I was a vigilante now. I had skills, even if I wasn't exactly a combat expert.

Stealth? 

Check. 

Hacking? 

Double check. 

Gathering intel?

 Oh, I was great at that. 

Fighting? 

Okay, yeah, work in progress, but hey, nobody's perfect.

But seven-on-one odds weren't great for anyone, so I'd been playing it safe. Laying low. Acting the part of the quiet, terrified hostage. And wow, was it exhausting.

Thankfully, these seven geniuses had overlooked something crucial: 

I wasn't just quiet.

I was also sneaky.

I waited until the coast was clear before pulling out my ace in the hole—the phone I'd swiped from one of the idiots. Honestly, if they ever figured out I took it, they'd deserve the shock. Who doesn't password-protect their phone?

I glanced around, making sure none of them were paying attention. Idiot 1 was ranting again, something about how he was the "leader" and everyone should listen to him. The others weren't even pretending to care. Idiot 5 and Idiot 6 were too busy arguing about which snack was better: Doritos or Pringles. Idiot 3 was eating Cheetos like it was the last meal he'd ever have.

Great. 

A snack debate. 

Truly, I'm in the presence of criminal masterminds.

I quickly opened the phone's browser, logged into Tsukauchi's email account, and started typing. My fingers flew across the screen, tapping out a message to the only person who might be able to help me: Detective Tsukauchi.

To: Detective Tsukauchi (myself)
Subject: URGENT – Immediate Assistance Needed

Detective,

It's me, Sivax. I'm still alive—for now. But things just got worse. The villains are planning to use me as bait in what they're calling a "delivery mission." They want me to drive a truck to a target tonight at 10 PM. I don't know exactly what the target is yet, but I'll send details as soon as I can...if I can.... if not, you will find a kid driving a truck hoping to not kill anyone... oh and the truck might be rigged to explode.

If no one comes, I won't make it out alive. There are seven of them, and I can't fight them all.

Please, I need backup. Send someone—anyone. I'll keep you updated with any intel I can gather.

Sivax

I reread the email twice, triple-checking every word. Satisfied, I hit send. Then, I erased the evidence from the phone, deleting the email and clearing the browser history.

Once the phone was back in its hiding spot, I leaned against the wall and exhaled.

Okay. 

Step one: done. 

Now I just have to stay alive until they show up. 

Easy, right? 

Right.

Time crawled by. 

Seconds felt like hours as I sat there, pretending to be just another helpless, compliant hostage. My stomach churned with anxiety, but I forced myself to keep my expression blank.

The idiots were still arguing. Idiot 5 was adamant that Doritos were the superior snack, while Idiot 6 refused to back down on his Pringles stance. Idiot 3, the wildcard, suddenly declared that popcorn was better than both.

Why am I here? 

What deity force decided this was my life now?

Their bickering gave me a chance to move. Quietly, I slid out of my corner, keeping to the shadows. The library was a mess of crooked bookshelves, mismatched furniture, and random piles of junk, but that worked to my advantage.

I crept behind a stack of books and scanned the room, my eyes locking onto a crumpled piece of paper on the table. Idiot 2 had been scribbling on it earlier before tossing it aside.

Jackpot.

Keeping my movements slow and deliberate, I made my way toward the table. My heart pounded, but I forced myself to stay calm. One wrong step, one creak of the floorboards, and I'd be caught.

Finally, I reached the table. I waited for Idiot 2 to turn his head before snatching the paper and retreating back into the shadows.

Once I was safely back in my corner, I unfolded the paper and scanned its contents.

It was a rough sketch of the truck's route, complete with notes about the target location. The handwriting was barely legible, but it was enough to piece together the basics.

Okay, you've got this. 

Just stay focused.

I pulled out the phone again, snapped a picture of the paper, and sent it to Tsukauchi along with a quick update. Then, I hid the phone and the paper back where they belonged.

The clock was ticking.

If help didn't come soon, I'd have no choice but to go along with their plan and hope for an opening to escape.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.

No. 

You can't think like that.

 You'll get out of this. 

Survival wasn't about being the strongest. It was about being the smartest. And I was smarter than these seven idiots combined.

Now, I just had to prove it.... and I still don't have a death wish yet, so I would survive! No matter what!