Final Countdown
dark heroThe radio crackled.
At first, nobody in the room paid much attention to it.
There had been noises coming from the radios throughout the entire ordeal. Short orders, confirmations, occasional arguments. Most of it meant nothing to the students and teachers sitting packed together across the floor.
The two armed men guarding them barely reacted either.
One stood beside the main doors, rifle resting against his chest.
The other slowly walked between the rows of hostages.
More than a hundred people.
Two men with guns.
Until now, it had been enough.
Then the radio crackled again.
“—help—”
The man beside the door immediately grabbed it.
“What?”
Static answered him.
He frowned and raised the radio closer to his ear.
“Repeat.”
“—can’t fucking—”
More static.
Then screaming.
Not shouting.
Not someone barking orders.
Screaming.
The room became noticeably quieter.
The second man stopped walking.
“What happened?”
The first ignored him.
“Report. What happened?”
For several seconds, there was nothing.
Then a voice finally came through.
“He fucking burned him!”
Several students looked toward the radio.
“What?”
“The kid! The fucking kid burned him!”
The second guard stared at his partner.
“What kid?”
“Where are you?” the first demanded.
“The pool! We—”
The transmission disappeared beneath static.
“Hello?”
Nothing.
“Answer me.”
He hit the side of the radio.
“Answer me!”
A few seconds later, another voice came through.
Different this time.
Breathing heavily.
“Don’t go after him.”
The two men looked at each other.
“What?”
“Don’t chase the kid.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“He’s setting traps.”
A violent cough interrupted the transmission.
“He got another one.”
The guard’s expression changed.
“How?”
More coughing.
“I don’t fucking know… couldn’t breathe…”
“Where are you?”
Static.
“Answer me!”
“Just… don’t follow him.”
The transmission died.
The silence that followed was different.
Until now, the guns had kept the room quiet.
Now nobody needed them.
Everyone was listening.
The man beside the door changed channels.
“Team three.”
Nothing.
“Team three, respond.”
Static.
“Respond.”
Nothing.
“Anyone near the east corridor?”
Nothing.
He changed channels again.
“Anyone?”
The radio remained silent.
The second guard started breathing faster.
“No.”
His partner glanced at him.
“What?”
“No, no, no…”
“Get a grip.”
“This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Shut up.”
“This wasn’t supposed to fucking happen!”
Several students flinched.
The man’s rifle moved with him as he began pacing.
“This was supposed to be easy! We walk in, get the fucking key and leave!”
His partner’s head snapped toward him.
“Shut the fuck up!”
Segu raised her head.
Beside her, Akane did the same.
The key.
Around them, several teachers and older students exchanged confused looks.
The man who had shouted didn’t seem to notice.
“They said security would be weak! We come in, grab the target, get the key and we’re gone!”
“I said shut up!”
“They’re fucking dying!”
“They’re not dying!”
“You heard them!”
“Injured isn’t dead!”
“What the fuck do you call that?!”
He pointed at the radio.
His partner stepped toward him.
“Keep your fucking voice down!”
“Why?!”
“Look around you, idiot!”
The man froze.
His eyes moved toward the hostages.
Dozens upon dozens of faces were staring back.
Only then did he seem to realize what he had just said.
“What key?”
The question came quietly from somewhere among the students.
The guard spun around.
“Who said that?!”
Nobody answered.
“What key?”
Another voice.
“Shut up!”
“You said you came here for a key.”
“SHUT UP!”
He raised his rifle.
The entire room recoiled.
His partner immediately shoved the barrel downward.
“Stop!”
“Don’t fucking touch me!”
“You want them to panic?!”
“They’re already panicking!”
“Then stop making it worse!”
The radio crackled again.
Both men froze.
Everyone froze.
For a few seconds, only static filled the room.
Then…
“Don’t follow him.”
It was the same voice from before.
Weak.
Barely understandable.
The man by the door grabbed the radio.
“Where are you?”
A pause.
“He wants us to follow him.”
“Who?”
“The kid.”
The guard clenched his teeth.
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“He knows the school.”
Another breath.
“We don’t.”
The transmission faded.
Then returned.
“He’s always ahead.”
The man pacing the room stopped.
“He’s a fucking kid.”
Nobody answered him.
“He’s a fucking kid!”
His partner looked toward the doors.
For the first time since entering the room, his rifle wasn’t pointed toward the hostages.
It was pointed toward the corridor.
Segu noticed.
So did Akane.
The other guard noticed too.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“Why are you pointing at the door?”
“I said nothing.”
“You think he’s coming here?”
“Shut up.”
“You do.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“He’s coming here.”
“I SAID SHUT UP!”
The shout echoed through the room.
Silence followed.
The nervous guard stared at the door.
Then at the radio.
Then back at the door.
A faint hum from the school’s speakers still lingered in everyone’s memory.
Nezu’s announcement had already been heard throughout the building.
You wanted the key, right?
I have it.
Come and get it.
Workshop.
Or wait for the police outside.
At the time, it had sounded like a challenge.
Now, after hearing the radio…
It sounded different.
The nervous guard laughed.
It wasn’t amusement.
It was a short, breathless sound from someone desperately searching for something that still made sense.
“He’s lying.”
His partner said nothing.
“He’s fucking lying.”
“He might be.”
“Might?”
“The report said the target is usually with two siblings.”
“So?”
“So one of them could have it.”
The nervous man’s face twisted.
“We don’t even know what the fucking key is!”
His partner glared at him.
Too late.
That had been heard too.
Akane’s eyes narrowed.
Segu looked at her.
Neither said anything.
They had invaded a school.
Taken more than a hundred people hostage.
Pointed guns at children.
And they didn’t even know what they were looking for.
Someone else had sent them.
The nervous guard ran a hand through his hair.
“We should leave.”
“No.”
“We should fucking leave.”
“We still have the hostages.”
“The police have the building surrounded!”
“Exactly. The hostages are the only reason they haven’t entered.”
“And what about him?”
His partner didn’t answer.
“What about the fucking kid?”
Nothing.
“He’s taken out everyone who went after him!”
“We don’t know that.”
“Then call them!”
The man raised the radio.
“Call them!”
His partner hesitated.
That hesitation was enough.
“Call them!”
The radio came up.
“Team one.”
Static.
“Team one, respond.”
Nothing.
“Team two.”
Nothing.
“Anyone in the pool area.”
Static.
Nothing.
“East corridor.”
Nothing.
He changed channels again.
“Anyone?”
Nothing.
The man slowly lowered the radio.
The nervous guard stared at him.
“How many?”
No answer.
“How many are left?”
“Stop.”
“How many?!”
“I don’t know!”
“You don’t know?!”
“I said I don’t know!”
The room erupted into frightened murmurs.
“Quiet!”
Nobody listened immediately.
“QUIET!”
The murmurs slowly died.
The nervous guard looked toward the door again.
His breathing became faster.
“We need to go.”
“We stay here.”
“We need to fucking go!”
“We have over a hundred hostages!”
“I DON’T CARE!”
The scream silenced the room again.
“I don’t care about the fucking hostages! I don’t care about the money! I don’t care about the fucking key!”
His hands were shaking.
“I want out.”
His partner stared at him.
“You open those doors and the police eventually get us.”
The man stared back at the entrance.
“And if we don’t?”
Nobody answered.
Not his partner.
Not the students.
Not even the radio.
Segu slowly looked toward Akane.
Akane was already staring at the door.
That strange sensation had returned.
The feeling she had experienced before.
Someone watching her.
No.
Akane’s eyes shifted slightly.
That wasn’t right.
For the first time, she understood the difference.
Whatever that presence was…
It wasn’t watching her.
It was watching the door.
Waiting.
Then the PA clicked.
The effect was instantaneous.
The nervous guard almost raised his rifle toward the ceiling.
His partner turned toward the nearest speaker.
A faint hum filled the room.
Nothing else.
Five seconds passed.
Then ten.
“What does he want?” the nervous guard whispered.
No answer.
Twenty seconds.
The room remained perfectly still.
Thirty.
Then Nezu’s voice finally came through.
Calm.
Emotionless.
“Two left.”
The speakers clicked off.
The nervous man’s eyes widened.
His gaze moved toward his partner.
Then toward himself.
“No.”
His partner tightened his grip on the rifle.
“He doesn’t know that.”
“No, no, no…”
“He can’t know that.”
“He knows.”
“He’s guessing.”
“He knows!”
“He’s trying to scare you!”
“He knows we’re here!”
The man backed away from the doors.
For the first time, he seemed to realize exactly where he was standing.
Between the hostages and the only entrance.
He looked at the door.
Then at the windows.
Then at the radio.
Then back at the door.
“We need to go.”
“We stay here.”
“We need to fucking go!”
“We have the hostages!”
“I DON’T FUCKING CARE!”
His partner stepped toward him.
“Get yourself together!”
“Don’t touch me!”
“We stay here, we keep the hostages, and we wait.”
“For what?!”
The answer never came.
A clock hung high on the wall.
Its second hand moved.
Tick.
Nobody spoke.
Tick.
The radio remained silent.
Tick.
The police waited outside.
Tick.
The two men waited inside.
Tick.
And somewhere in the school, Nezu was still moving.
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