Calm

A man stood in the pouring rain, staring down at the decapitated head of the beast. The creature lay still on the crimson-soaked earth, its blood mixing with the rainwater to turn the alley floor into a dark, swirling red.
His black combat suit was slick with rain and gore. Water dripped from his long, tied-back hair onto a white mask. A single red strap ran across the eye-slit of the mask like a jagged scar—a mark he wasn't trying to hide.
With a clinical flick of his wrist, he sheathed his blood-stained blade.
He turned his gaze toward Akshay, ten meters away. His eyes were sharp, cold, and entirely devoid of pity. Lifting a bandaged hand to his ear, he clicked a transmitter.
"Mission report: Threat terminated. One casualty, one injured."
“Bzzz… Copy that. Clean-up team is on the way,” a voice crackled from the device.
Akshay looked at the man through a blurring haze of pain. He tried to lift his remaining hand—the one that still shivered and refused to obey—while muttering a broken name.
“Ar… Arjun…”
Then, the darkness of the alley claimed his consciousness.
Somewhere in the North East — CAFE
Yash sat on a stretcher while Zero examined him.
"You’re recovering well," Zero said, her voice as cold and bored as ever. She blew a cloud of smoke toward the ceiling. "You’ll be discharged today after a final check-up in thirty minutes."
Yash looked at her, uneasy. "Then what? What are you going to do with me once I’m out?"
"You'll know when the time comes. For now, relax," she paused, glancing at the door. "Some kids are here to see you."
"Hey, sup Yash!" Naman shouted, swinging the door open. Kaal walked in behind him, humming a soft, unrecognizable tune as he always did.
Zero didn't even look at them, just gave her instructions. "Don’t make him move. Don’t touch him. And don’t be too loud."
"Yes, ma'am!" Naman chirped. Kaal simply nodded.
Seeing Naman, Yash felt a wave of relief. He instinctively tried to sit up, but Zero’s sudden glare was so terrifying he immediately slammed his back against the stretcher again.
"Didn't I tell you not to move?" Zero’s voice held a dangerous edge. She paused, smoothing her coat. "I’m leaving for now. But remember: stay on that stretcher or I’ll give you enough anesthesia to keep you down for a week."
She turned and walked out.
"She is hot," Naman whispered the moment the door clicked shut.
"Nah, she is scary," Yash muttered back. He looked Naman over. "How is your injury? I honestly thought you died."
"Dumbass, no one dies from just a kick. I just fainted," Naman said with a grin."So, what’s outside this room?" Yash whispered, leaning in. "Is it possible to escape from here?"Naman’s expression flickered, then he whispered back. "Nah, these guys are strict about going outside and training. But honestly? Everyone is nice as long as you do as they say. They give us food three times a day—and I mean good food. I don’t even want to go home at this point."
Naman’s smile widened, but his next words were darker. "Though, we have to train twice a day. Man, it’s hard. They keep saying they’ll 'terminate' anyone who doesn't keep up. Funny, right? They say they’re training us for missions, but for now, we’re grounded while they take care of the bodies in the trial arena. Once the injured guys recover, things will pick up. Other than that, it’s pretty chill."
Kaal looked at Naman with an awkward, curious expression. "Does he... does he have a condition or something?"
"Hey, I'm normal!" Naman barked.
Yash ignored Naman and looked at Kaal. "Yeah, he’s been like this since we were kids... By the way, why are you here?"
"Nothing special. Just wanted to check on you. After all, we’re friends, right?" Kaal replied.
I never said we were, Yash thought to himself. Aloud, he asked, "Kaal, is it really impossible to escape?"
"No. It would be too hard, even for me," Kaal replied calmly. "There are too many S-ranks here. To them, I’m just another Shard."
"Hey, fuckers! Don't ignore me!" Naman screamed.
Suddenly, a heavy fist slammed against the door from the outside. "Keep it quiet!" a guard screamed.
"Okay!" Kaal called back, his eyes narrowing.
Yash watched Kaal closely. Even if he doesn't show it, this guy knows too much about this place. I can't trust him yet.
The door snapped open again. Zero stood there, lighting a fresh cigarette. "Okay, time’s up. Wait outside."
Naman and Kaal stepped into the corridor. As they waited, Naman looked at Kaal with a knowing smile. "You’re hiding something, aren't you?"
Kaal looked back, his face a mask of calm. "Am I? Are you sure you aren't hiding something yourself?"
They stood in silence.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Naman leaned his head toward the ground, a faint, unreadable smile on his lips.
"I..." Kaal paused. "Nothing."
"Hey, hey! Tell me already, I hate suspense!" Naman teased.
"I said shut the fuck up!" the guard glared at Naman.
"Sorry, bro!" Naman waved cheerfully at the guard.
The guard sighed, his confusion showing. Is this Number 100 crazy? He talks to me like we’re friends while I’m trying to intimidate him... whatever. The guard actually found himself waving back.
Kaal observed the interaction curiously.
"What? You wanna go one-on-one?" Naman asked Kaal, catching his stare.
Kaal closed his eyes and smiled. "No, bro. Why would I? I don’t want to die."
The door opened again, and Yash stepped out. "Finally. I’m discharged."
Zero followed him out. "Hey, X. Take care of them. Make sure they don't cause a ruckus," she ordered the guard.
"Understood," the guard—X—replied. Zero walked away.
"Let’s go to the cafeteria and fetch some food," Naman suggested.
"No, let’s see the arena first," Yash said. "You mentioned dead bodies. What dead bodies?"
They started walking, the guard trailing closely behind.
"Everyone wasn't as lucky as Batch B," Kaal said, a hint of sorrow in his voice.
"What do you mean?" Yash asked.
"You don’t know? Everyone in Kaal’s batch died," Naman said.
"What!?" Yash stopped in his tracks.
"Yeah. In most trials, not a single batch made it out without a death—except ours," Naman explained. He turned to Kaal. "By the way, weren't you alone when you crossed the S-gate?"
"No," Kaal said, his expression flat. "There were others when I entered. They all died in front of me."
Yash felt a chill. "Kaal... who was your instructor?"
"S27. He was a monster. I somehow managed to complete the task," Kaal said, again showing no emotion.
They reached a wall that slid open automatically. They left the medical wing and entered a long, sterile corridor.
"Hey, why did she call you 'X'?" Naman asked the guard. "I thought everyone in CAFE was called by their numbers."
The guard looked at Yash with tired, heavy eyes. "Yes, for Shards. But we aren't Shards. We’re guards. Most of us are former soldiers who gained powers after the D3 incident. The Indian government happily handed us over to CAFE."
"So, all the guards are called X?" Yash asked.
The guard glared. "Shut up. I’m not here to give you an interview."
"Not exactly," Kaal interrupted. "The guards are divided into three groups: X, Y, and Z."
"Y-guards are the heavy hitters. They protect holding facilities and main gates. They’re as strong as top-tier A-ranks."
"This guard is an X, which means he’s roughly a low A-rank. They mostly handle medical wings and low-security areas," Kaal explained.
"Then what about the Z-ranks?" Yash asked.
"Z-ranks are S-rank level," Kaal said. "They only move if there’s an invasion."
"And how do you know all that?" Naman asked suspiciously.
"I just asked a nice guard. That's it," Kaal replied, returning to his soft humming.
"How far is the arena, Naman?" Yash asked.
"Huh? I thought you were leading the way!""Dumb fuck! I just got discharged! I don't know my way around this place!" Yash snapped.
Naman laughed. "Oh, right. Well, you should meet the others first. The bedroom is the next door over."
"Fine," Yash sighed.
As they walked, Yash’s ears pricked up. He heard a faint sound—like light, rapid footsteps—coming from the roof above them.
What was that? he thought. He glanced up, but saw nothing but the high-tech ceiling. Maybe it’s normal here.
They reached Room 9, the dorm for Batch B.
"Weren't you in Room 6?" Yash asked Naman.
"That was just for recovery. They had to fix my broken nose from that kick," Naman explained.
They pushed the door open. The guard, X, stayed in the hallway.
"Hey! Sup everyone!" Naman screamed as they entered.
The room was full of familiar faces. "Oh, it's just Number 100," 206 said, looking up from a conversation about tomorrow’s training.
As they walked through the room, a figure crossed their path. It was Number 203.
"Hey, how are you, 203?" Naman asked.
203 walked right past Naman, ignoring him completely. He stopped in front of Yash and extended a hand. A faint, cold smile played on his lips.
"Long time no see. I honestly thought you were dead, Number 102."
— END OF CHAPTER—
Author's Note: “CAFE” stands for Central Authority for Foreign Engagement. The name is intentionally mundane.