CHAPTER 7 

Sleep eluded me last night. A week ago, my toughest decision was picking between take-out or scavenging the fridge for something still edible. Now, here I sat in the prison cafeteria, the weight of my choices etched into my lifeless expression. 

I'd agreed to this prison assignment, defying all my principles, only to find it might be a beautifully constructed lie serving as my death sentence. Did I regret not trying harder to evade this mess or was it the gnawing guilt of leaving my father without a farewell? 

My contemplation was abruptly shattered by a familiar voice. “Well, look what we have here?” 

I lifted my gaze, finding the same group from the bathroom incident staring back. Their intent was clear—retaliation. The packed lunchroom buzzed with early morning activity, everyone eager to get to work on time. Everyone, except these guys… 

“I bet you thought you’d get away with yesterday’s stunt, huh?” The leader from yesterday jeered. 

An altercation in the cafeteria? Just what I needed. 

“What do you want? Are you pining for another taste of your own blood?” I retorted. 

As I spoke, I felt a sharp jab in my left toe, a signal of the impending confrontation. Cleverly shielded by the crowded room, the gang had surrounded me, their discreet menace a stark contrast to their bluster from yesterday. The cold, sharp sensation of a blade against my back enforced their threat. 

The room’s arrangement now worked in their favor. A couple of big guys obstructed the guards' view while two others positioned themselves perfectly to block the surveillance cameras. The stage was set. 

Their leader, Yaku, stepped closer, a false apologetic smile on his face. He introduced himself and his men as the unofficial rulers of the prison, making it clear that they held the reins, not the guards. 

“Is that a fact?” My response, more a challenge than a question, was met with a harsh ultimatum. They demanded an apology and a week's worth of my hard-earned points. They also threatened further repercussions if I dared intervene in their business. 

“And if I don’t…” I provoked, refusing to submit to their threats. 

Enraged by my defiance, the leader spat into my bowl of porridge and threatened to escalate matters further. Overwhelmed by disgust and anger, I grabbed the bowl and smashed it into his face. A quick throat chop neutralized the thugs on either side of me. Wiping off the splattered porridge from my uniform, I rose and announced my position. 

“I take orders from no one.” 

I had two options. I could have bowed down to their demands, allowing them to humiliate me in public, hoping to remain under their radar while planning my mission and escape. Or I could resist. If there was even a slim chance I'd never get out, I wouldn't spend my life here as someone’s punching bag. 

I warned them to leave me alone or face another defeat, making it clear that I wasn’t someone to be messed with. Their rage-filled eyes weighed their options as I stood my ground. Despite their leader bleeding from his ear, they decided to fight. 

The situation escalated quickly. One man hesitated, considering his family outside, and chose to walk away. Yet, the stubborn leader insisted on teaching me a lesson. A few loyalists joined him while others chose to blend into the crowd. It was fight time. 

The sudden onslaught of a premonition distracted me. A face flashed, someone I recognized, before the vision faded. A punch to my face from one of my assailants snapped me back to reality. 

I had no time to process the vision; I had to fight back. I made a swift leap and landed two kicks, incapacitating one attacker. With the tray as my shield, I jumped onto the table and landed another kick, targeting the leader's head. But as I prepared to take on the remaining men, an unexpected jolt of pain surged through my body. 

A sudden paralysis gripped me, and I crumbled to the floor. One by one, we were hit by the high-tech prison control, the 'trazzer' — an electrifying tranquilizer. It shocks its victims into submission before plunging them into darkness. And just like that, everything faded into oblivion. My world plunged into darkness.