Chapter 51: The 4:00 AM Escape
Ren stepped out of Hana's room, closing the door with a soft, heavy click. He leaned his head against the wood for a moment, his mind a whirlpool of dark thoughts.
Something happened, he whispered to himself. Something bad. Is it the school? I warned them... I told those bastards that if they even laid a finger on her, there would be hell to pay. But maybe it's something else?
He shook his head, his vision blurring for a second. The exhaustion from the Rank 6 mission and the encounter with Wex was finally catching up to him. He dragged himself to his own room, collapsing onto the bed, but sleep remained out of reach.
4:00 AM
While the rest of the city was buried in sleep, Hana's room was filled with the frantic, quiet sounds of rustling fabric.
Her pink school bag, decorated with small white flowers, lay open on the bed. It was usually filled with textbooks, but now, Hana was stuffing it with whatever clothes she could grab. She pushed in a few packets of instant noodles and some dry snacks, her movements shaky and desperate.
Tears tracked silently down her cheeks, dripping onto her sweater. "No one cares..." she whispered, her voice cracking. "No one actually cares what happens to me. Ren is always gone, always busy... I'm just a burden here. No one would even notice if I disappeared."
She reached for her phone, tucked it into the side pocket of the bag, and zipped it shut. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. She slowly turned the handle of her door, stepping out into the dark hallway like a ghost.
Please don't wake up, Ren. Please just stay asleep, she prayed in her mind.
She reached the main door of the apartment. Her hand gripped the cold iron handle. She felt a surge of fear, but the pain in her heart was stronger. She pulled the door open, feeling the chilly night air hit her face. But just as she was about to take her first step out into the hallway, a heavy hand dropped onto her shoulder.
Hana let out a muffled scream of pure terror, spinning around so fast she almost lost her balance.
Standing there was Ren.
He looked like a wreck. His dark hair was a bird's nest of tangles, and his eyes were bloodshot, rimmed with deep shadows from a lack of sleep. He swayed slightly, his head spinning with a lingering dizziness.
"Hana?" Ren's voice was raspy, barely a whisper. "Where are you going?"
Hana's heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. "I... I... nothing! I was just..."
Ren rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the fog in his brain. He looked at her, then at the overflowing pink floral bag on her back. "You look terrified. What's going on?"
"Nothing!" Hana blurted out, her voice high-pitched with panic. "I'm just... I'm going to school, Ren! Let me go!"
Ren blinked slowly, his gaze drifting to the clock on the wall. The hands pointed clearly to the hour.
"To school?" Ren asked, his voice flat. "Hana... it's four in the morning. What kind of school opens at 4:00 AM?"