Little Seven

Vince threw a glance at the little girl who had just been added to his group, and the corners of his lips twitched. Sure enough, his boss liked to play around. He was convinced that the girl had been placed in their group purely for his boss's amusement. Otherwise, why would a young girl, who looked like she couldn't even bear to harm an insect, be assigned to a team of muscular men who practically reeked of murderous intent?

Several minutes later, the last member joined them, a boy who had spent the previous night in the dark room. He had dark circles under his eyes, clearly from a lack of sleep.

"Now that everybody is here," the captain began," I hope we can leave early, before seven. As I explained earlier, our group will be training in the forest for a month. Our team has a total of seven people, including me, so we'll stay close together to increase our safety and protect one another."

"Yes, Captain," they responded in unison.

The one on the far left, a slightly skinny guy with a girly voice, was Hawk. He glanced at the little girl with interest before dragging Number 05 and another boy, who had a sunny disposition, toward her.

"Little girl, don't worry. Big brother Hawk will protect you. With us around, you have nothing to fear," he said with a grin. He then proudly introduced his two comrades. "This is big brother CJ, and this is, hey, kiddo, what's your name again?"

Number 05 gave him a lazy glance before answering , 'Seko." He figured he needed an alias here and couldn't reveal his real name in case someone from the medical lab realized he still had his memory.

The little girl bowed her head and said in a shy voice, "Senior big brother Hawk, senior big brother Seko, little seven greets you."

"Good! Good!" Hawk beamed. "Little seven is under my care from now on." He was rather pleased with the title of "senior brother".

After the group of seven familiarized themselves with their two new members, they immediately began their journey into the forest.

For the five original members, this place was familiar. They had undergone previous training in the outer regions of the forest, though none had ever dared to venture into the inner regions due to rumors of vicious beasts. It was said that no one who entered the inner forest ever returned.

As they arrived at their usual camping site, a heavy silence hung in the air , a stack contrast to the familiar symphony of the forest. The usual chirping of crickets, the rustle of leaves, all were gone, replaced by a suffocating stillness.

Scarface, a man whose face was a roadmap of battles won and lost, froze mid-stride. He held up a hand , his callused fingers slayed out, a silent command for the others to stop. He didn't say a word, but the sudden tension in his broad shoulders was enough to make everyone's blood run cold.

" What is it Scarface?" Vince asked, his voice a low rumble.

Scarface didn't answer right away. He slowly lowered himself to one knee, his hand tracing a fresh footprint in the damp earth. His eyes, normally sharp and assessing were wide with a chilling mix of confusion and dread. He looked up at the others ,his face grim.

" Captain," he said cautiously, " something's wrong in the inner region. I just checked, it looks like a lot of wild animals are coming out. It's as if they are running away from something"

This statement was a bucket of ice water over the entire group. CJ's easy going demeanor evaporated, his warm smile replaced by a hard determined set to his jaw. He was a man of action, and his mind was already running through escape routes and defense strategies.

Vince glanced at the new members with a bitter taste in his mouth. Little seven looked like a delicate doll, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and confusion. Seko with his dark circles and quiet demeanor , seemed like a ghost. He saw them not as people, but as anchors, dragging them down in a fight for survival.

This is a joke, Vince thought, his fists clenching. A goddamn sick joke . He was an assassin, a spy and he was being sent to a slaughterhouse with two lambs in tow. 

If it had been just the five of them , it wouldn't have been a big issue ,they'd fight their way out if necessary. But now, with the addition of two new member's who had no real abilities...