Three
dark heroThe school grounds had finally gone quiet.
Not silent.
There were still ambulances outside the gates. Police radios crackled between officers moving through the buildings. Paramedics crossed the courtyard with equipment and stretchers, and groups of students sat wrapped in blankets while teachers desperately tried to account for everyone.
Parents crowded against the barriers outside.
Reporters had already begun gathering farther down the road.
But the gunfire had stopped.
The screaming had stopped.
It was over.
From the roof of a building across from the school, three figures watched the chaos below.
None of them seemed particularly interested in the police.
One finally spoke.
“Well?”
The second figure shook his head.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“The survivors don’t know anything useful. They were hired to enter the school, secure the target and retrieve the key.”
“And the key?”
“They don’t know what it is.”
There was a short silence.
The third figure looked toward the school.
“You’re certain?”
“Completely. They weren’t pretending. Whoever hired them deliberately kept them ignorant.”
“So we learned nothing.”
“Not exactly.”
The first figure turned.
The second continued.
“They had help.”
That changed the atmosphere.
“From whom?”
“A teacher.”
Hannah kept her head down.
The area around the school was chaos.
Ambulances blocked half the street. Police moved between groups of students and teachers, trying to separate witnesses from parents who had managed to push their way through the outer barriers. Nobody seemed entirely certain who had already been questioned and who hadn’t.
Perfect.
She walked quickly, but not too quickly.
Running would attract attention.
Her bag was clutched tightly against her side as she moved through the crowd, putting more and more distance between herself and the school.
She just needed to leave.
Everything had gone wrong.
Completely, impossibly wrong.
It wasn’t supposed to have happened like this.
They had told her it would be simple.
Information.
That was all.
Schedules.
Access points.
When security would be weakest.
She didn´t want this to happen.
“Going somewhere?”
Hannah stopped.
A man stood several metres ahead of her.
She immediately turned.
A woman was behind her.
Hannah’s heart jumped.
She looked to the side.
The third was leaning casually against a parked car.
They had surrounded her without her even noticing.
“I don’t know who you are.”
“That’s probably for the best.”
Hannah tightened her grip on the bag.
“If you’re police, I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“We aren’t police.”
That was worse.
Hannah took a step backward.
The woman behind her didn’t move.
“You provided information about the school’s security.”
Hannah’s face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Schedules. Access points. Information about the students.”
Hannah glanced toward the police barricades.
They were close.
Close enough to scream.
“You told them when security would be weakest.”
“I said I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You held a grudge against the boy.”
Hannah froze.
“Nezu.”
Her jaw tightened.
The humiliation.
The bet.
Being removed from his class.
Being made into a joke because some spoiled child with too much money had decided he didn’t like her.
“I didn’t know they were going to do this.”
The words escaped before she could stop them.
Silence.
Hannah’s eyes widened.
The man in front of her sighed.
“No. We don’t believe you did.”
“I only gave them information.”
“Yes.”
“They said they wanted something. They said nobody would get hurt.”
“Yet you helped armed men enter a school.”
“I didn’t know they would bring guns!”
A police officer walked past the end of the street.
Hannah looked toward him.
For just a moment, she considered shouting.
Then the woman behind her spoke.
“I wouldn’t.”
Hannah slowly looked back.
There was something about the way she said it.
Not a threat.
A certainty.
“I didn’t know.”
Hannah’s voice became smaller.
“I swear.”
“We know.”
Relief flickered across her face.
It lasted less than a second.
“That’s the problem.”
Hannah stared at them.
“What?”
“You don’t know who hired them.”
The man stepped closer.
“You don’t know what they were looking for.”
Another step.
“You don’t even know why this school was attacked.”
Hannah backed away.
“Then what do you want from me?”
“Nothing.”
“What?”
The three exchanged glances.
Hannah suddenly understood that this wasn’t an interrogation.
They hadn’t stopped her because they needed information.
They already had it.
“You played with things you shouldn’t even know exist.”
Hannah’s face went pale.
“Who are you?”
The woman smiled faintly.
“Ready?”
Hannah looked between them.
“Ready for what?”
There were four people standing beside the road.
A police officer turned the corner seconds later.
There was nobody there.
Far from the commotion, a man watched the school.
“Again.”
He sounded more disappointed than angry.
Another failure.
He had chosen expendable people precisely because they didn’t need to understand what they were retrieving.
That had been the correct decision.
Unfortunately, almost everything else had gone spectacularly wrong.
A group of armed adults had somehow allowed themselves to be dismantled by a child.
He still wasn’t entirely certain how that had happened.
The reports were almost absurd.
Fire.
Electricity.
Gas.
Traps.
And finally the hostage room itself.
All because of one little boy.
Interesting.
But irrelevant.
For now.
The three had become involved.
That was considerably more troublesome.
And the teacher was gone.
He sighed.
Continuing would only attract more attention.
Besides…
His eyes remained on the distant school.
The key wasn’t there.
That much was obvious now.
It was hidden.
Somewhere.
If the key was hidden, there was nothing to gain from making another move. Not yet.
He smiled faintly.
“Another time, then.”
He turned away.
For now, the game was over.
Nezu was tired.
Not the kind of tired that made someone want to sleep.
He had passed that point hours ago.
His entire body felt heavy.
His clothes smelled strange. Smoke, mostly, mixed with things he didn’t particularly want to identify anymore.
There was dried blood on one sleeve.
Not his.
At least, he didn’t think it was his.
Police had taken him away from the school.
Then they had asked questions.
A lot of questions.
Why had he done this?
How had he made that?
Where had he learned to do something else?
Did he understand what had happened in the swimming pool?
Did he know some of the men were dead?
That question had stayed longer than the others.
Then, suddenly, the questions had stopped.
Someone had entered the room.
There had been an argument outside.
Another person had arrived.
A phone had rung.
And eventually an officer who very clearly did not want to do it had opened the door and told Nezu he was free to leave.
Apparently Diana had been busy.
Nezu hadn’t asked.
He just wanted to see Segu.
And Akane.
Both were waiting outside with the other rescued students.
Some of the children noticed him immediately.
Their conversations stopped.
Nezu noticed that.
He noticed the staring too.
A boy moved behind his mother as Nezu passed.
Another student looked away the instant their eyes met.
Nezu frowned.
He didn’t understand.
The police had already let him go.
Then he saw one of the surviving bandits.
The man was sitting beside an ambulance, an oxygen mask covering his face.
His eyes found Nezu.
The reaction was immediate.
He jerked backward.
One of the paramedics caught him before he fell from the stretcher.
The man’s breathing accelerated beneath the mask.
He pointed.
At Nezu.
“No.”
The paramedic tried to calm him.
“No, no, no—”
Nezu stopped walking.
The man struggled to move farther away.
“Keep him away from me!”
Several officers turned.
So did some of the students.
Nezu looked behind himself.
Nobody was there.
He looked back at the man.
The bandit was still staring directly at him.
Nezu tilted his head.
“Nezu!”
He turned.
Segu crashed into him.
Nezu nearly fell.
“Ow.”
“Idiot!”
Segu’s arms tightened around him.
“Ow.”
“Shut up!”
Nezu didn’t argue.
Akane stood a few steps behind Segu.
She wasn’t smiling.
That was strange.
He had expected her to be happy.
They had won.
Everyone was safe.
Well.
Almost everyone.
Akane looked exhausted too, but there was something else in her expression.
Something Nezu couldn’t identify.
“Nezu.”
“Hi.”
Her mouth trembled.
Nezu frowned.
“Are you hurt?”
Akane shook her head.
“Segu?”
“I’m fine.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
Neither answered.
Akane looked around at the police, teachers, students and parents filling the courtyard.
Then back at them.
“Can I talk to you two?”
Segu finally released Nezu.
“About what?”
“Just…”
Akane swallowed.
“Please.”
Something about the way she said it stopped Segu from asking again.
They moved away from the others.
Not far.
There was nowhere truly private anymore.
Just far enough that nobody would easily hear them.
Akane stood in front of the two boys.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she bowed her head.
“I’m sorry.”
Nezu blinked.
Segu stared at her.
“For what?”
“For all of this.”
Nezu looked around.
“The bandits?”
Akane nodded.
“They came because of me.”
Segu frowned.
“We know.”
“No.”
Akane shook her head.
“You don’t.”
Her hands tightened against her clothes.
“The key.”
Nezu’s attention sharpened slightly.
Akane noticed.
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why?”
“I just can’t.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t tell you that either.”
“Do you have it?”
Akane hesitated.
“I can’t answer that.”
Nezu stared at her.
“That’s annoying.”
A tiny sound escaped Segu.
Almost a sarcastic laugh.
They had been through so much, and they still couldn’t get any answers.
Akane didn’t laugh.
Instead, tears appeared in her eyes.
Nezu’s irritation disappeared.
“Akane?”
“I’m sorry.”
“You already said that.”
“I know.”
“Then stop.”
That only made the tears fall.
Segu stepped toward her.
“Akane, what—”
Movement.
Behind Nezu.
A woman pushed through the scattered group of rescued hostages.
Nobody paid attention to her.
Why would they?
She had been among them from the beginning.
She had cried with them.
Run with them.
Waited with them.
Been rescued with them.
Her hand slipped inside her jacket.
Nezu didn’t see it.
Normally, perhaps he would have, normally he noticed this things.
Footsteps, hands, eyes.
Small movements that didn’t belong.
But Nezu was tired, so tired.
The knife slid into the woman’s hand.
Akane saw it.
Her eyes widened.
The woman moved straight toward Nezu.
Akane didn’t think.
She screamed.
“RIKU!”
Something passed between them.
Nezu felt air move beside his face.
There was short and wet sound , blood appeared on Nezu face.
The woman’s knife stopped centimetres from him.
Her eyes went blank.
For the smallest fraction of a second, Nezu saw something behind her.
Someone.
Then all was gone, the woman, the knife, the body.
Everything.
Nezu stared at the empty space.
Segu stared too.
Nobody spoke.
Nezu slowly looked at Akane.
“What…”
Akane was shaking.
“What just happened?”
Her face crumpled.
“Akane?”
She threw herself at him.
Nezu stumbled backward as her arms wrapped around him.
Then she grabbed Segu too, pulling both of them against her.
“I’m sorry.”
She was sobbing now.
Very loudly.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Segu looked completely lost.
“Akane?”
“This is my fault.”
Nezu still couldn’t stop looking toward where the woman had disappeared.
“Who was that?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Who is Riku?”
Akane squeezed them tighter.
Nezu felt her tears against his shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Nezu.”
“For what?”
“You killed someone because of me.”
Nezu went still.
The pool flashed through his mind.
Water.
The cable.
The switch.
The man disappearing beneath the surface.
Akane’s voice broke.
“You shouldn’t have had to do that.”
Nezu didn’t answer.
“I did this to you.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“I did.”
Segu stared at him.
Nezu genuinely didn’t understand what was happening.
What was wrong with killing the bad guy?
Akane did.
That somehow made her cry harder.
“I’m sorry.”
Segu grabbed the back of her clothes.
“Stop saying that!”
Akane pulled back.
Her face was wet.
She looked at Segu.
Then Nezu.
For a moment, she looked like she wanted to say something.
A hundred things.
Instead:
“Goodbye.”
Segu froze.
Nezu frowned.
“What?”
Akane smiled.
It was a terrible smile.
“Thank you.”
Segu’s grip tightened.
“No.”
“For everything.”
“No.”
Akane touched Segu’s face.
Then Nezu’s.
“Akane?”
“I was really happy.”
Segu shook his head.
“No.”
Akane stepped backward.
Segu followed.
“No.”
“Segu—”
“Why?”
Akane stopped.
“Why do you have to go?!”
People nearby turned toward them.
Segu didn’t care.
“Why?!”
Akane’s tears started again.
“I can’t—”
“Then don’t!”
“Segu…”
“You can stay with us!”
Akane covered her mouth.
Nezu stared at her.
He still didn’t understand.
The woman.
Riku.
The key.
Goodbye.
None of it fit together.
“Akane.”
She looked at him.
“Where are you going?”
That seemed to hurt more than anything Segu had screamed.
Akane couldn’t answer.
She simply looked at them.
At the two strange boys who had somehow become her best friends.
Then she whispered:
“I’m sorry.”
Segu reached for her.
“AKANE!”
His hand passed through empty air.
She was gone.
There was no flash.
No smoke.
No door.
One moment Akane stood in front of them.
The next there was nothing.
Segu stumbled forward.
“Akane?”
Nezu stared.
“Akane?”
Segu spun around.
“AKANE!”
Police, teachers, students, parents.
Segu searched between them as though Akane might somehow have slipped into the crowd.
“AKANE!”
Nezu didn’t move.
His mind kept trying to solve it.
People couldn’t disappear.
Bodies didn’t simply vanish.
Women didn’t disappear after being stabbed by people who weren’t there.
Akane couldn’t be standing in front of him one second and cease to exist the next.
There had to be an explanation.
There was always an explanation.
Segu screamed her name again.
No answer came.
Nezu looked at the place where she had been.
For the first time that day, he had absolutely no idea what to do.
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