Manhunt (4)

Kevin sat in a small, cramped bedroom—one he never thought he'd step foot in. It was painfully pink, the walls covered in K-pop posters, the shelves stacked with albums, makeup, and neatly arranged perfume bottles. The bed, where two fully grown thugs were now tied up, was lined with body-sized pillows featuring various idols.

The bald guy stirred first, groaning as he tried to shift, only to realize his hands and feet were tied to the bed frame. His eyes snapped open, taking in his surroundings.

"The fuck is this?" he grunted, yanking at the restraints.

The Mohawk guy woke up a second later, blinking groggily before coming to the same realization. His eyes darted around in confusion. "Yo, what the actual—"

The bald guy inhaled sharply, then let out a panicked scream.

Kevin stepped in, already annoyed. "Oh, shut the fuck up."

He marched over and grabbed the bald guy by the face, squeezing his jaw just enough to shut him up. The bald guy flinched but couldn't do anything but glare.

Kevin turned his head towards the door and called out, "They're awake!"

The door creaked open, and Liam walked in, followed by Maiya. Liam's expression was stone-cold, but his body language screamed exhaustion. His shirt still had dried blood from earlier, and his usual smirk was nowhere to be found.

Maiya crossed her arms and leaned against the dresser, watching.

Liam took a deep breath before stepping forward, eyes locked onto the bald guy.

"Alright, motherfucker. Tell me."

The bald guy blinked, feigning innocence. "Tell you what?"

Liam exhaled through his nose, his patience already wearing thin. "Everything."

The bald guy smirked. "Everything?"

Liam clenched his jaw. "Yes. Everything."

The bald guy leaned back against the K-pop pillows, his smirk widening. "Alright, so yesterday I fucked your mom. She was tight as fu—"

Crack.

Liam's foot connected with the guy's face so hard that the bedframe shook.

Blood splattered across the pink sheets, and the bald guy let out a muffled groan, his head snapping to the side.

Liam straightened up, wiping his shoe on the carpet. His voice was dangerously low.

"I'm not in the fucking mood."

The Mohawk guy swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. He'd been planning to run his mouth too, but after seeing his friend get his nose half-caved in, he reconsidered.

"I'll talk," he blurted out.

Liam turned his gaze toward him. "Then start. Now."

The Mohawk guy hesitated, trying to gather his thoughts. "Look, man, you gotta be specific. What do you wanna know?"

Liam's fingers twitched. "How many guys are after me?"

Mohawk guy licked his lips. "At least a hundred for now… but the number's climbing."

Liam stiffened. Kevin sucked in a sharp breath.

"Fuck," Liam muttered.

Kevin ran a hand through his hair. "That's bad. Bad as fuck. "

Liam let out a bitter laugh. "No shit."

He paused, considering his next question. "Do all hundred guys know my face?"

Mohawk guy nodded. "Yeah. Henry passed around a picture."

Liam closed his eyes for a brief moment.

Maiya shifted uncomfortably. "This is getting out of control."

Liam ignored her. His voice came out cold and direct. "Where's Henry?"

"The park," Mohawk guy answered immediately. "The one with the big lake."

Liam nodded. "Luke?"

"He's there too."

Kevin cut in. "What gangs are they asking for help from?"

The Mohawk guy hesitated, then sighed. "From what I know… the Reapers."

Liam nodded, barely reacting. "Figures."

But then the Mohawk guy dropped the real bomb.

"And the Crimson."

Liam and Kevin went completely still. The room felt like it shrunk.

Maiya furrowed her brows. "Wait… who's the Crimson?"

Kevin's voice was lower than usual. "They're fucked-up bastards. Got over a thousand guys. Their leader's been in juvie for killing people."

Maiya's face paled. "So… they're bad news?"

Liam scoffed. "Definitely."

Kevin sighed. "They do everything—drugs, prostitution, murder, kidnapping. And they're mercenaries."

Maiya tilted her head. "Mercenaries?"

Kevin nodded. "They do anything as long as they're getting paid."

Liam turned back to the Mohawk guy, his patience razor-thin. "Are they hiring the Crimson?"

Mohawk guy hesitated. "From what I heard? No. The Crimson are helping on their own."

Liam's stomach twisted. "Why the fuck would they do that?"

The Mohawk guy shifted, uncomfortable. "Mark talked to them."

Liam slammed a fist against the wall. "Fucking Mark! "

The frustration boiled over. His breathing was shallow, sweat forming on his forehead. His mind raced through every possible escape, every potential ally—only to come up with nothing.

Liam slumped into a chair, exhaling shakily. His voice was hoarse when he spoke again.

"I'm dead."

Kevin's head snapped toward him. "The fuck you mean, you're dead?"

Liam rubbed his temples. "I mean I'm dead. You heard what he said. The Reapers and the Crimson are both after me now. I'm done."

Mohawk guy chuckled darkly. "Yeah, you're pretty fucking done."

Kevin turned and punched him so hard his nose snapped. Blood gushed down his face, and he passed out.

Kevin shook his hand, wincing. "Fucker."

Liam barely reacted.

Kevin exhaled through his nose, pulling out his phone. "I'm calling Ethan."

Liam looked at him, dead-eyed. "And what the fuck is Ethan gonna do?"

Kevin shrugged. "I dunno. Help us?"

Liam let out a humorless laugh now "No one can help me now."

Maiya put her hands on her hips. "Oh, come on, man up. You'll be fine. They'll get tired eventually."

Liam shot her an exhausted glare. "Stop talking out of your ass."

Maiya frowned. "This isn't like you."

Liam scoffed. "Then what am I?"

Maiya hesitated.

Liam leaned forward, his fingers digging into his temples. "You expect me to stay calm? We just found out a hundred guys are hunting me. And now the Crimson Crimson are involved. I'm fucking dead, Maiya."

Kevin rubbed his forehead. "Alright, then how about we call the Veil?"

Liam's jaw tightened.

"No chance."

Kevin frowned. "Why not? The Veil's the only gang that can actually stand up to the Crimson."

Liam inhaled deeply, then exhaled through his nose. "Because William—Veil's leader—is missing."

Kevin's eyes widened. "What?! How?"

Liam clenched his fists. "Word is… the Crimson took him."

Silence.

For the first time, Kevin looked genuinely shaken.

Liam leaned back, laughing bitterly. "Yeah. Now you see how fucked I am?"

Kevin exhaled slowly. "Let me just… call Ethan."

Liam slammed his fist into the armrest. "You don't fucking get it,Kevin! There's nothing Ethan can do. No one can do anything!"

Kevin's expression darkened. "You know what? Fuck you, Liam. I told you not to mess with Henry. If you'd just listened to me, none of this shit would've happened."

Liam's head snapped up. "Are you saying this is my fucking fault?"

Kevin didn't blink. "Yeah. I am."

Maiya quickly stepped between them. "Guys, stop We're already in deep shit, and fighting each other isn't gonna help. What's done is done. Right now, we need to figure out *what the hell we're gonna do next.*"

Kevin exhaled through his nose. "You're right. I'm sorry, Liam."

Liam looked away. "…Fuck you. It's fine."

Suddenly, the distant wail of sirens broke the silence.

The ambulance had arrived.

And time was running out.