The sun was already shining brightly. Arkhan looked out the window wearily.
Today, he was going to school to recheck the data of his missing friends stored there. He was certain he'd find something.
Creeaakk.
Arkhan walked to the dining room, where Jio and Sena were already waiting for him.
"Took you long enough. I already bought food for us to eat together," Sena said.
Arkhan gave a slight smile and took a seat.
"Oh, you got soup and satay? Is this from the same vendor we ate at last time?" Arkhan asked.
"Yep," Sena replied.
"Smart choice. This satay is really good," Jio chimed in.
"Well yeah, that's why I always get it from there," Sena said proudly.
"You're not eating the soup too, Sen? It's actually pretty good," Jio asked.
"I'm not that into vegetables, hehe," Sena replied.
"Oh," Jio responded shortly.
After that, only the clinking of spoons and forks filled the silence until most of their food was gone.
"Khan, remember how I told you about my family last night?" Sena asked.
"Yeah, what about it?" Arkhan replied.
"I didn't tell you the whole story," Sena said quietly.
Arkhan paused, confused. Suddenly, he felt an eerie unease settle over him.
"The rest of it is… now I'm alone. My cousin—he was killed by a hitman."
Arkhan's eyes widened. In that instant, he realized the person sitting across from him was Unknown—the one behind all the terror, and the reason his friends had disappeared.
"You!" Arkhan jumped up and grabbed Sena by the collar.
Thud!
Before a fight could break out, Jio collapsed from his chair.
Sena smiled at Arkhan. "No need to rush."
"What did you—"
Suddenly, Arkhan's head throbbed. The world around him spun.
"You okay, Khan?" Sena said, prying Arkhan's hand off his shirt and laughing.
"Soup laced with chloroform. Pretty good idea, huh?"
*****
Splash!
Arkhan woke up, choking as water rushed into his nose and lungs.
"I'm not waiting all day," Sena said, tossing aside the now-empty bucket.
"You bastard!" Arkhan struggled against the ropes that bound him to a chair.
"You're a killer, Arkhan. If I'm a villain, then so are you," Sena said, turning to Jio.
"Maybe I should just kill him now." Sena approached Jio, gripping a knife.
"No!" Arkhan shouted.
"Actually, there's no need. Let him be the hostage." Sena grinned and pressed the knife against Jio's cheek.
"You bastard! I'm going to kill you!" Arkhan screamed, trying to wake Jio, but it seemed the drugs had worked too well.
"No, I'll kill you first," Sena said, walking over to Arkhan and slashing his arm.
"Arghh!" Arkhan cried out in pain.
"You know, I did the same to Levan. He bled to death."
Sena slashed again. And again. Until Arkhan's body was drenched in blood.
"Stop! Kill me instead if you have to!" Arkhan shouted.
Sena chuckled. "I won't let you die that easily."
He grabbed a thermos of boiling water and poured it over Arkhan's body.
"ARGHHH!!" Arkhan's screams echoed through the room.
"I made Sandy drink cyanide. You're lucky I'm only using hot water, not acid," Sena sneered.
Arkhan could only stare through blurry vision, panting heavily. His eyes flicked to Jio—who was starting to wake up.
Slap!
Sena slapped Arkhan across the face. "Don't close your eyes yet. Your punishment's not over."
He turned toward Jio. "Now you get to watch your friend suffer."
Sena picked up a hammer and approached Jio.
"Finally, you're awake."
"S-Sena…"
Jio was dazed. His body wouldn't move, and in front of him, he saw Arkhan bloodied and bound.
"W-What am I seeing?"
"Surprise," Sena said cheerfully.
"You did this?" Jio asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. I'm Unknown." Sena placed the hammer on the table.
"Almost forgot—I'm not supposed to torture you. You're not mine to deal with," he said, turning toward the door.
"You can come in now."
The door opened. Joan entered, holding a gun.
"Joan?" Jio was utterly stunned that his brother was still alive.
"You can take revenge on your brother now," Sena said to Joan.
With trembling hands, Joan pointed the gun at Jio—and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet pierced Jio's head. He was dead instantly.
"Good job, Joan," Sena said, clapping.
"I'm sorry… brother…" Joan dropped to his knees, sobbing in front of his brother's corpse.
"Touching… but I hate drama."
Sena grabbed the knife and stabbed Joan in the neck.
"All done." He clapped his hands as if dusting them off.
"Now, just one more pest to clean up outside."
Sena slung a bag over his shoulder and turned to leave, but not before glancing at Arkhan, who was barely conscious.
"Sweet dreams. See you in hell."
And with that, Sena walked out, leaving Arkhan behind—slowly bleeding out, inching closer to death.