"Jarvis!!!!"
Haji’s roars, curses, and the sound of his struggle echoed through the room. Each noise bounced off every corner of the place, even the loud thud of his chair as it tipped over to the side. However, that still didn’t stop him.
"I’m going to kill you!" his voice thundered through gritted teeth. "Jarvis! You fucking bastard! Just you wait — don’t you fucking dare! I don’t care if I die, I’m taking you down with ! Jarvis! Jarvis!!"
Everyone in the cage could only listen to the shouts, their brows knitting as they watched Haji’s extre desperation in silence.
"Hey..." Chuck whispered, staring at Haji struggling even as the ropes began to make his skin bleed. "Hey, man... calm down. Shouting isn’t going to change anything."
This didn’t look like a desperate struggle to survive anymore, but rather like soone who was starting to lose his mind. Whatever Jarvis had whispered to Haji before leaving was surely sothing that caused this.
And honestly, it was starting to scare Chuck.
They might or might not die in here, but Haji looked like he’d just snapped.
Scarlet kept her lips pressed into a thin line, her grip on the tal bar tightening. Her eyes stayed on Haji’s figure. Even when he fell violently to the side, Haji kept hopping toward the door while still bound.
Unlike Chuck, who was more worried about Haji’s ntal state because they’d still need the guy, she felt sothing entirely different. A sense of familiarity.
That rage and desperation were just too familiar.
Because at one point, she had been in that sa situation. A situation where all she could do was scream until her throat was dry and bleeding.
A mont later, she drew a deep breath and looked away from Haji’s continuous episode.
"Hey," Chuck breathed out, looking up at her. "We should stop him. He’s going to kill himself. Look! He’s already bleeding!"
With that, he turned back to Haji, watching the ropes tighten with every movent. Haji’s skin was already torn, the blood visible on his clothes.
Scarlet glanced at him, and at the sa ti, the other two rose to their feet and leaned against the tal bars.
"Haji!" Tyga shouted, his chest pressing against the tal. "Haji, stop now! Those ropes are gonna kill you!"
"They have a chanism that tightens the more you move!" Kean, their team’s dic, added. "Get yourself together, man! Whatever he told you, don’t let him get through you!"
Chuck darted his eyes between the two, panic rising, and joined in.
"Yes!" Chuck shouted, trying to outmatch Haji’s voice. "Dude! We are on a mission! Get it together! We’ve got to do sothing else! Don’t die, or are you just going to get us all killed if you die?! You’re the only one in this team who knows the ins and outs of this place!"
All of them were certain that beyond those doors and walls, there was a battalion of enemies ready to kill them. Haji might know sothing—a secret passage, a trick, anything—that could get them through without dying.
At least, once they escaped this cage.
If they escaped.
"Haji!" the n called, raising their voices louder.
But to no avail.
When Haji didn’t react, they instinctively turned to Scarlet.
"Why are you three looking at ?" she asked.
Kean answered, "You’re still the leader of this group. He might be leading us the way, but it was your call that we agreed to follow. Are you just going to let him lose his mind?"
Scarlet drew a deep breath and looked at Haji.
"There’s nothing I can do."
"What?" Tyga gasped. "That’s it?"
"Boss!" Chuck hurried to her side. "I think he likes you! Maybe tell him sothing nice!"
This was not the situation for that, but sohow, Chuck was pressing all the buttons to hit their nerves.
Scarlet, Tyga, and Kean all glared at him.
"Chuck," she warned, "just tell if you have a death wish. I’ll make that wish co true. Shut your mouth."
This ti, Haji seed exhausted. From their angle, all they could see was his trembling back.
Was he crying?
The thought lingered, but no one said it out loud.
Scarlet looked away, giving him what little privacy she could. She then turned to the others and ordered, "Find a way out of this place."
She began checking the corner of the cage. "And let him be. Not minding him is the least you can do."
She wouldn’t want anyone to see her crying either. That was exactly why she disliked Lola. That woman would tear up over every stupid thing.
Shoving the thought aside, Scarlet paused and looked back at them.
"What are you still doing?" she snapped. "Sitting here and shouting won’t get us out of here."
"Goodness..." Chuck hissed, scanning the cage that was keeping them like they were animals in a circus.
There was nothing in here.
Everything had been confiscated, and even brute strength wouldn’t open this thing.
"With how thick this is..." he muttered, "I doubt even Baby could move it."
Still, they complied.
They searched anyway—rust, weak welds, anything that might be a flaw. But there was nothing.
The cage had been built perfectly.
"Shit," Scarlet breathed, rubbing her temple.
She closed her eyes briefly, brows knitting tight. She knew her order was foolish, but they had to do sothing.
They couldn’t just sit here and wait.
When she opened her eyes, she grabbed the tal bar, propping her foot against another. And without a word, she pulled it.
The three n stared at her in shock.
"Scarlet—"
"Got a better idea?" she shot back. "If not, then help ."
The gaps between the bars were wide enough to push an arm through. If they could move even one bar—just a few inches—they could squeeze themselves out.
With that, the four of them pulled the bar together. Their teeth clenched, their knuckles white, their faces red.
They pulled until their strength gave out, and they collapsed backward.
"Ugh—" Scarlet winced as she landed hard on the others.
"Ouch..." Chuck groaned. "I think I fractured my spine."
But then, sothing caught their attention from the corner of their eyes.
Smoke.
All four of them froze, lifting their heads, and they saw it rising from where Haji lay.
For a mont, no one spoke.
Then Chuck whispered, horrified,
"Is he... smoking?!"
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