Chapter 10: Uninvited guests
*Click*
The sound of the electronic door lock resonated as Ree-an entered his room. He immediately closed the door behind him, not hastily, but with a calm demeanor.
He then proceeded to the main area of the room, his eyes scanning and analyzing his surroundings.
´Just like trained, I guess,´ he thought to himself, exhaling a sigh.
His eyes quickly moved to Cole's side of the room as he searched for something specific. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for—a baseball bat.
´Thanks for being a baseball player, Cole´, Ree-an expressed his gratitude internally, thankful for his roommate's interest in sports.
Holding the bat in his hands, he carefully concealed it under his own blanket, making sure it was out of sight.
"Alright," he whispered to himself, preparing mentally for what was about to come.
*Rring* *Rring*
The sound of his doorbell ringing interrupted his thoughts.
Entering the floor he muttered, "Guess I can't stay as hidden as I wished to be." he muttered to himself as he approached the door.
Opening the door, Ree-an was confronted by a tall guy wearing a ski mask, rendering him unrecognizable.
The mask itself wasn't anything special, just a plain black one that covered his entire face except for his brown eyes.
It was immediately clear that he wasn't alone; five additional people stood behind him, all donning similar ski masks.
Ree-an quickly evaluated the situation, his mind racing to formulate a plan. He knew he had to remain calm and composed, despite the unsettling presence of the masked intruders.
"I hope it´s alright if we step in" a familar voiced said, suddenly appearing in front of Ree-wan.
It was a young boy with a buzz cut, not wearing any mask. His face was still swollen, but not as bad Ree-an initially thought.
Brian's presence wasn't a surprise to Ree-an; it was all part of the plan.
"Of course," Ree-an responded, gesturing with his hand in a welcoming manner, though he knew the situation was anything but friendly.
A total of seven guys entered the room, showing no regard for cleanliness or respect as they carelessly kicked aside anything in their path, including shoes and other items near the entrance.
Once they reached the main room, they dispersed, making themselves at home in the most invasive ways possible—they lounged on the couch, sprawled out on the floor, and even occupied the beds.
Ree-an was the last one to enter the room.
"Please, just let be," he pleaded, his voice laced with fear.
Unmoved, Brian chuckled lightly in response. "Haha, nice try. But I think you should sit down; we're not done here yet."
Ree-an, seizing the opportunity to maintain some semblance of control, made a deliberate move towards Cole's bed. He was fully aware that this small act could provoke a reaction, and he was right.
"Nah, nah, on the other bed," Brain quickly intervened, his voice laced with suspicion. "I don't mean to sound distrustful, but who knows what you might have prepared over there."
Feeling the pressure, Ree-an hastened his steps and ultimately settled on his own bed, per Brain's command. Yet, he couldn't let the moment pass without attempting to unsettle Brian a bit.
"Brian, are you really sure about this? Have you already forgotten our little memory?
The provocation worked. The six men in the room, previously at ease, now stood up in unison, their postures rigid and alert. While they weren't visibly armed, their physique and demeanor suggested that they were more than capable of handling themselves in a physical altercation.
Brain, trying to maintain his composure, managed to crack a smile, though it was evident that Ree-an's words had struck a nerve.
"After today, I don't think there'll be any need for concern," he retorted, his smile hiding poorly concealed irritation.
Their eyes locked, intensity palpable in the air.
"Brian, where's my bark?" Ree-an asked, his voice steady yet laced with an undercurrent of defiance.
Hearing this, the last shred of Brian's patience snapped. His face contorted in rage as he screamed, "Beat this lunatic half to death!"
The largest of them began advancing towards Ree-an, who swiftly grabbed the baseball bat hidden under his blanket, swinging it with full force at the big guy's head. The impact was immediate and devastating, causing him to collapse to the ground almost instantly.
In a nimble and potent motion, he hurled the baseball bat with all his might at another assailant behind him, catching him utterly unprepared and knocking him to the ground.
The power dynamics in the room shifted dramatically.
The remaining masked figures stood transfixed, their eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of their fallen comrade.
Even Brian, who mere moments ago had been perched confidently upon the couch, was now palpably rattled, his mind besieged by flashbacks of the previous, haunting encounter.
"What? Thought I'd just let you beat me up?" Ree-an roared, his body surging with adrenaline.
Without a moment's respite to catch his breath, Ree-an snatched up a book from a desk in close proximity and charged toward the individual stationed near the entrance of the room.
Caught by surprise, the masked assailant managed to react just in time, but it was to no avail. Ree-an, demonstrating impressive agility, redirected his charge mid-stride, targeting a different assailant positioned in front of the couch.
Caught off balance by the abrupt change in direction, this individual could only mount a weak defense. He failed to land a hit on Ree-an, and in the blink of an eye, he was subdued.
Clutching the book firmly, Ree-an administered a savage blow to his face.
"Not yet!" he bellowed, maintaining his grip on the assailant's collar as he yanked him back, only to unleash yet another brutal attack with the book.
And another.
And another.
And another.
The series of events unfolded with such rapidity that the remaining attackers found themselves paralyzed, unable to comprehend the whirlwind of violence unraveling before them. Never in their lives had they encountered a force like this.
They had unwittingly trapped themselves with a monster.
Ree-an swiftly closed the distance to the assailant near the door, unleashing a potent front kick that sent him tumbling to the floor. But Ree-an did not relent; following his fallen adversary, he swiftly closed the main room door.
This left Brian and the two other masked individuals inside, now only able to hear the sounds of terror coming from the other side of the door.
"What do we do now?!" one of the masked individuals panicked.
"You said he was a nobody!" the other cried out, his voice laden with terror. "He's a wild animal!"
Brian, his confidence completely obliterated, was haunted by flashbacks of that dreadful day. He couldn't think straight, his mind a chaotic whirlwind of fear and desperation.
"F-Fight him! The hallway is narrow; he can't take you all down at once!" he yelled, trying to regain some semblance of control over the situation.
Uncertain and scared, the masked individuals hesitated for a moment. But, realizing that this might be their best chance to overpower Ree-an, they decided to follow Brain's orders.
Steeled for the impending confrontation with the unexpected terror that Ree-an had morphed into, they readied themselves for the battle on the other side of the door.
As they cautiously swung the door open, their gazes were met with the sight of one of their comrades, sprawled unconscious on the ground, a substantial amount of blood seeping through his mask.
In that moment, the bathroom door burst open. The figure standing adjacent was struck in the face by shards of glass, resulting in a gruesome wound near his eye. Gripping his face in agony, he was defenseless against the subsequent onslaught—a ferocious jumping kick to the head that sent him hurtling into the wall, where he landed with a heavy thud.
The last of the masked individuals wasted no time, launching himself at Ree-an with unabated force. He managed to bring Ree-an to the ground, positioning himself atop.
Capitalizing on his advantageous position, the masked man unleashed a barrage of punches, aiming to incapacitate Ree-an. However, Ree-an skillfully parried most of the blows with his forearms, minimizing their impact.
With a swift, precisely aimed punch to the masked man's waist, Ree-an disrupted his assault. Seizing the opportunity, he swiftly reversed their positions, now dominating from above.
Instead of launching a blind onslaught, Ree-an strategically targeted his opponent's vulnerable spots, rendering him nearly defenseless.
Ree-an expertly pinned the man's arms with his legs, securing his advantageous position. Then, with a powerful horizontal elbow strike to the face, he rendered his adversary unconscious.
Thus, the final masked assailant fell, overwhelmed by Ree-an's relentless assault, leaving Ree-an standing amid the devastation of his conclusive victory.
The floor was filled with the sounds of labored breathing and quiet moans of pain, testament to the ferocity of the battle that had just taken place.
✒
Thoughts raced through Brian's mind as he heard the noises and commotion on the other side of the door.
His body started to shake uncontrollably. Memories from a week ago flooded back, and with every remembered punch, his trembling intensified.
'What should I do? Why did I come here? Should I hide? Should I run? Should I knock myself unconscious? Should I try to fight him?' Brian's mind was in utter chaos, grappling with the reality of the situation and desperately searching for a way out.
But despite the frantic nature of his thoughts, his body was paralyzed, rooted to the spot, unable to act on any of the potential escape plans running through his head.
*Click*
The doorknob turned, and the door creaked open, draining all the color from Brian's face. A glimmer of hope had remained, clinging to the possibility that his subordinates had prevailed.
But that hope vanished the moment he saw him—Ree-an, standing at the doorway with a terrifying smile plastered on his face.
Their eyes locked.
The tense silence that filled the room was broken by a shaky, weak voice uttering, "W-Wuff... W-W-Wuff."
✒
"W-Wuff... W-W-Wuff," Brian's shaky voice continued, as Ree-an looked at him with a satisfied and cruel glint in his eyes.
"Isn't it a bit late for that?" Ree-an said playfully, yet there was an unmistakable note of malice in his tone.
"Now, now, I don't want us to behave uncivilized, right?" he added, his voice icy and sharp.
Brian, trembling uncontrollably, could only nod vehemently in response, mimicking the actions he had taken on that fateful day.
The key difference now, however, was that he wasn't on the ground being pummeled. But to Brian, this situation was even more terrifying because he had no idea what Ree-an was planning to do next.
"Sit," came the icy voice that had haunted Brian's nightmares since their last encounter. The trembling intensified, but Brian found himself obeying immediately, sitting right where he was.
"Call Sebastian," Ree-an demanded, his voice brooking no argument.
Upon hearing Sebastian's name, a flicker of hope appeared in Brian's eyes, giving him the courage to question Ree-an, even if just slightly. "Why?" he asked tentatively.
But as soon as he saw the sudden cold change in Ree-an's demeanor, all the fear came rushing back.
Ree-an threw his old mobile phone at him. "I'm sure you know his number by heart," he said coldly. "Call him to come and rescue you," Ree-an continued, his voice laced with disdain.
Brian, left with no other option, dialed the phone number, his fingers trembling as they pressed the buttons.
He initiated the call, placing the phone on speaker mode, ensuring that Ree-an could hear the conversation.
After several rings, Sebastian finally answered. His voice, laced with clear annoyance, resonated through the speaker. "What do you want?" he demanded.
"S-Seb, please h-help me," Brian stuttered, his voice trembling with palpable fear.
Registering the gravity of the situation from Brian's tone, Sebastian's demeanor instantly changed to one of urgency. "Where are you?!" he demanded.
"A- at the Rabbit Wing dormitory. R-Room 12-A," Brian managed to get out, though his stuttering did not cease. In fact, under Ree-an's icy gaze, he felt as if he might collapse in on himself.
Without another word, Sebastian ended the call, hanging up the phone. The room was plunged into silence, the tension almost tangible as Brian waited, fearful of what might come next.
´I wonder how quickly he'll get here.'
As he moved closer to Brian, Brian began to shout, "I did what you told me! L-leave me alone!"
Ree-an, however, paid no heed to his pleas. Instead, he walked over to his bed and kneeled down, searching for something he had hidden under the mattress.
His hands found cable ties and tape. Approaching Brian, who was now next to the bed, he began to secure Brian's hands with the cable ties.
Brian struggled, shaking and throwing a tantrum in a desperate attempt to resist. "Hey, let go of m--" he began, but was abruptly cut off as a punch landed on his face. Ree-an, undeterred, continued to secure the cable ties.
"Don't let me--" Brian tried again, only to be interrupted by another punch to the face.
The overwhelming pain silenced him, and he ceased his struggling. Ree-an finished tying Brian's hands and proceeded to tape his mouth shut.
Standing up, Ree-an dusted off his hands as if he had just completed a laborious task. "Alright. Now, let's just wait for the knight in shining armor," he said with a mocking tone, a malicious smile playing on his lips as he anticipated Sebastian's arrival.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone