“…Right on time.”
Lucas looked down the hallway.
Someone was approaching.
A young woman walked calmly through the quiet corridor, completely unaware of what waited ahead.
Long blonde hair.
Elegant glasses.
Several textbooks hugged gently against her chest.
Lucas immediately recognized her.
“…Katherine…”
The senior student.
The same girl he’d accidentally bumped into earlier that afternoon.
The same girl who had quietly stared at the trail of blood he’d left behind.
His expression changed.
Why is she here…?
Then Billy’s trembling voice echoed inside his memory.
“I invited her…”
Lucas’s heartbeat skipped.
His eyes slowly widened.
No…
She can’t be…
His gaze shifted between Billy…
And Katherine.
The realization struck him all at once.
“…She’s the one.”
Katherine slowed her pace as she reached the damaged classroom.
Her brows knitted together.
The broken doorway.
Splintered wood scattered across the floor.
Scorch marks covering the walls.
“…Billy?”
Her voice was cautious.
No answer came.
She stepped closer.
“…Billy?”
Still…
Nothing.
A strange uneasiness settled inside her chest.
She took another careful step.
The moment she reached the doorway—
Parker stepped out.
“…You came.”
Katherine froze.
The color drained from her face.
“…Parker.”
Lucas noticed it immediately.
Parker smiled as though greeting an old friend.
“I was wondering if you’d ignore the invitation.”
“I didn’t come for you.”
Her voice remained steady despite the fear in her eyes.
“I came because Billy asked for help.”
“How noble.”
Parker stepped aside slightly.
Billy became visible behind him.
The moment Katherine saw his condition…
Her breathing stopped.
“…Billy…”
She instinctively covered her mouth.
Billy slowly lifted his swollen face.
“…I’m…”
“…Sorry…”
His voice was barely audible.
“I…”
“…I had no choice…”
Tears formed in Katherine’s eyes.
“What did you do to him?”
Parker shrugged.
“He simply refused to cooperate.”
Katherine’s expression hardened.
“You call this cooperation?”
“I call it efficiency.”
The hallway fell silent.
Lucas could feel the tension growing heavier with every passing second.
Without Katherine noticing…
The other upperclassmen quietly spread out.
One walked behind her.
Another blocked the hallway leading outside.
A third moved beside Parker.
Escape routes disappeared one after another.
Only then did Katherine realize it.
Her eyes shifted around the corridor.
“…This was a trap.”
Parker chuckled.
“You’re smarter than most people.”
“I figured that out too late.”
She slowly stepped backward.
“I’ve already rejected you.”
“You have.”
Parker nodded.
“And that’s exactly why we’re here.”
“I told you before.”
“My answer won’t change.”
Parker’s smile slowly faded.
“It will.”
“No.”
“It will.”
His voice had become colder.
More dangerous.
Lucas could feel the atmosphere changing.
Billy suddenly shouted with everything he had left.
“RUN!”
Katherine reacted instantly.
She turned—
But before she could take more than a single step—
A powerful hand seized her wrist.
She gasped.
“Parker!”
His grip tightened.
She struggled desperately.
“Let me go!”
No matter how hard she pulled…
She couldn’t break free.
Parker slowly leaned closer.
His smile returned.
Only this time…
There was something unsettling about it.
Lucas clenched his fists behind the wall.
Every instinct screamed at him to stay hidden.
Every instinct screamed that interfering meant death.
Yet…
Watching Katherine struggle…
Watching Billy lying helpless on the classroom floor…
He couldn’t force himself to walk away.
His eyes searched desperately around the hallway.
Anything…
Anything he could use.
Then—
Mounted beside the emergency exit—
He saw it.
A bright red fire extinguisher.
Lucas stared at it.
Then back at Parker.
His heartbeat thundered.
“…Damn it…”