The Boy

The boy was lying on the floor, just staring at me in silence, probably too afraid to move. Ignoring him completely, I got up and limped out of the living room.

My clothes were in tatters, and I was covered head to toe in dust and blood. I desperately needed a shower. I picked up some okayish clothes from the bedroom and went to the bathroom to wash myself. Once finally clean, I bandaged my wounds with gauze I found in one of the cupboards. My injuries were still far from healed, but I needed at least a few hour break before I could continue.

Only then did I turn my attention to the boy.

I crouched in front of him and seated him up against the wall. "I'm going to remove the gag now. You better don't even think about screaming, unless you want me to cut your throat. Are we clear?"

He nodded frantically in response, his eyes filled with terror.

I untied the knot behind his head and removed the cloth from his mouth. He immediately took a sharp, loud breath, but hasn't made any other noise.

Good. He seemed to be well-behaved.

"Alright then. Now, explain to me why I should keep you alive."

The boy closed his eyes, exhaling slowly to calm himself down. "I can give you information?" he said carefully. He didn't sound too confident.

"Yeah, you said that last night," I answered with a sigh. "But I need a bit more than that. Come on, be more specific. What kind of information?"

The boy hesitated again before responding. "Well… Anything that I know about the organization? The outliers? I… I don't really know what kind of information you need, but whatever it is, I can do anything!"

"Anything?" I couldn't help but smile. It must have looked malicious, because the boy flinched in response. He hasn't said anything though, just nodded his head.

Well, I guess not every member of the organization would be so dedicated that they would rather be tortured and bite off their tongues rather than reveal any information. Not that I'm complaining.

Of course, I still couldn't trust a word the boy says. The organization might have instructed them to give me false information when taken hostage, in order to mislead me.

"And what are your plans after that?" I decided to chat with him a bit first, to see if he would slip up. "Say you told me all I need to know, and I let you live in return. Wouldn't that make you a traitor? Then, even if I won't kill you, the organization might."

Oddly enough, the boy smiled upon hearing my words. "Nah, I don't think they would. They would probably demote me, but I don't mind. Even if I end up just cleaning the toilets for the rest of my life, that's still better than being dead, right?"

I raised my eyebrows, surprised. Who would be willing to settle for a life like that? Moreover, there was another weird thing about what he said. "Is your organization so forgiving that they would let a traitor off the hook so easily?"

He chuckled lightly. "Haha, probably not. But I'm still just a trainee, it's not like I know any top-secret information." He wriggled around, trying to seat himself in a more comfortable position, which was difficult, since he was all tied up.

I ignored his effort and just stared at him with complete disbelief.

Like, what the hell? I thought that the last guy I captured was pretty stupid, but this…

At first, I thought the boy was at least a bit smart, since he knew to try to strike a deal with me to save his life, presenting the most valuable thing he had to offer, that is information. But now he was telling me that he actually didn't know all that much?

Seriously, was the organization made up of idiots or what?

"…And you're telling me that?" I finally asked.

The boy just looked at me with his head tilted, not understanding the question.

I got up from crouching and threw myself on the couch with a sigh, covering my eyes with my hand. "You're asking me to let you live in exchange for information. But now you're also telling me that you don't know anything useful?"

"Ah." It finally hit him. "I-I still know s-some stuff! And I can do much more! W-whatever you need, I-I'm sure you can find me of u-use!"

I glanced at him through my fingers.

He was young, physically fit, and completely at my mercy. Technically speaking, I could potentially find some tasks for him to do. And I still knew next to nothing, so any information was valuable. Maybe there was some merit in keeping him alive for a while?

"How old are you?"

He paused for a moment, surprised by the question. "…I'm going to turn 15 in two months."

Good. Kids that age are still quite impressionable.

I got up to look for clothes for him. It was best to relocate soon, and I couldn't exactly carry a teenager dressed in bloody clothes around. The man's clothes would be too big for him, but maybe I could find something fitting among the woman's.

"W-where are you going? Mr. Foster, are you…"

"Seth," I interrupted him with a frown. "Just call me Seth."

Seems the organization knew my "real" name. It didn't matter much, but I definitely didn't want to be called that.

The boy smiled brightly, happy to be given permission to call me by my chosen name. "Okay! My name is Evan Ha…"

"I didn't ask." I cut him off curtly and left the room. I didn't want him getting too comfortable.

I had a feeling I would regret taking him in later. Not because he might backstab me, but rather because he seemed to be way too cheerful, chatty, and extroverted.

He was going to be extremely exhausting to deal with. I was getting tired already, and it's only been a few minutes.

Well, I guess I could always kill him later.