003

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Shizen looked away from Zhethea. He glanced at Iriya, as if finally remembering her presence.

"Oh, hey Iriya," he said, his voice back to its usual easygoing tone. "I didn't see you there." Iriya rolled her eyes, realizing that she was no longer needed. "Yeah, yeah," she said sarcastically. She shot Shizen a look, then grabbed her bag and walked away quickly.

Shizen watched her go, then turned back to Zhethea, who was still standing there, her heart beating rapidly. They were alone now.

CONTINUED.

After Iriya left, there was a moment of awkward silence. Zhethea could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she looked up at Shizen, waiting for him to speak. Finally, she muster up the courage to speak.

"Um, Shizen," she said quietly. "Can I ask you a question?"

Shizen looked at her, his expression serious again. He nodded, waiting for her to continue.

Zhethea took a deep breath, unsure if she really wanted to know the answer to her question. But she couldn't stop herself from asking.

"How...how did you find me that night?" she asked, her voice trembling a little. "In the alley, I mean."

Shizen was silent for a moment, studying Zhethea's face. Then he spoke, his voice quiet but firm.

"I was looking for someone," he said simply. He didn't offer any more information, as if that explained everything.

"For someone?" Zhethea repeated, confused. "But why were you looking for them in that alley? And why did you come to help me?" she asked, still shaken by the memory of that night.

There was a pause as Shizen seemed to consider her questions. Then he spoke again, his voice quieter than before.

"Just lucky, I guess," he said. Again, not really explaining anything.

Zhethea blinked. "Lucky?" she repeated, feeling frustrated. "What does that mean? You just happened to be in the right place at the right time?"

That didn't make sense to her. There had to be more to it than that.

Shizen didn't say anything for a moment. He looked away, staring at the ground. When he spoke again, his voice was almost a whisper.

"I guess you could say that," he said, almost too quietly for her to hear. That answer irritated Zhethea even more.

"That's not an answer!" she said, her voice rising a little. She was tired of being given half-answers and vague explanations. "I want to know what really happened that night. You must have been there for a reason. Can you please just tell me the truth?"

As Shizen turned to go, Zhethea's frustration boiled over. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" she called after him, anger in her voice.

Shizen paused for a moment, glancing back at her. But he didn't say anything. This only made Zhethea angrier.

"Fine!" she snapped, stomping her foot. "Walk away! See if I care. But don't come back until you're ready to tell me the truth!"

But as she said the words, she realized how silly she sounded. Shizen had already turned and walked away, leaving her alone in the hallway.

She stood there for a moment, feeling embarrassed and foolish. What had she been thinking, yelling at him like that?

She shook her head, trying to shake off the feeling of embarrassment. She glanced around, hoping no one had heard her little outburst. But the hall was empty, save for a janitor vacuuming the floor far down the hall.

(The sun has just set, it was dark in the abandoned park, a group of shadow figure were beating up with someone, and one of them is their master, the guy who was beaten up died, and throw the body in the garbage area.)

Zhethea was sitting on her couch, watching TV with her family. They were enjoying a quiet evening watching their favorite show. But suddenly, Zhethea heard a noise out in the street.

She got up from the couch, her curiosity piqued. "What was that?" she said aloud. Her parents stayed on the couch, absorbed in the show.

"Probably just some kids playing outside," her father said, not even glancing away.

"It sounded loud," Zhethea said, heading to the window. "I'm just going to check it out."

Her parents mumbled something, but Zhethea didn't hear it. She was already at the window, peeking out through the curtains.

The street outside was dark and deserted, except for a small group of figures standing further down. They were too far away to make out details, but Zhethea could see that they were huddled around someone lying on the ground.

Her heart suddenly began to race. She had a bad feeling about this. "Something's not right," she murmured, still staring out the window.

She couldn't see clearly from where she was, but she could tell that the figures weren't playing around. They were doing something to the person on the ground. Something bad.

The figures kept moving around the person on the ground, but Zhethea couldn't make out what they were doing. But she could hear their voices. They were low and menacing, and they sent chills down her spine.

She felt sick to her stomach, but she couldn't look away. She had to know what was happening out there. She pulled the curtains aside a little more, trying to get a better view.

Just then, one of the figures looked up and saw Zhethea at the window. They called out to the others, pointing in her direction.

Zhethea froze, her heart pounding in her chest. They had seen her. She stood there, rooted to the spot, her eyes wide with fright. Then the figures started walking towards the house, all eyes on her.

The figures continued walking towards the house, their eyes locked on Zhethea. She stood there, unable to move. She was terrified. But then, suddenly, the figures stopped. There was a shadow behind them, blocking the light.

Who could that be?

Zhethea squinted, trying to make out the shadowy figure. It was too dark to see clearly, but she could tell that it was tall and masculine. The figure stood there for a moment, not moving. The figures in front of it seemed to hesitate, unsure of what to do. Finally, the shadowy figure spoke. It was a deep voice, full of authority. "Stop."

The figures turned towards the voice, startled. They seemed to recognize the person standing behind them. One of them even took a step back, looking afraid.

The shadowy figures were still staring at the figure behind them, their eyes wide with fright. Then, suddenly, one of them spoke up.

"It's him," the figure said, his voice shaking. "The boss is here."

The other figures nodded, clearly scared shitless to hear this. They all took a step back, giving the figure plenty of space...

To be continued...