Zero Hero || MHA ||

4. Hotdog Hostage

I woke up to complete darkness. I can feel a piece of cloth, a blindfold, pressing against my eyelids. My butt was numb from the wooden chair that I was sitting on. Around my wrists was rope tying me down.

Where am I? How did I get here? All I remember is walking home from the bookstore and grabbing a bite to eat at a nearby hotdog stand...

I moved my head to the left and to the right, trying to listen to see if there was anyone else in the room. I'm pretty sure that I was alone in the room though. All I heard was the sounds of dripping water from the right, and a fan running somewhere far off. It wasn't too far because I could fee slight cool air blow in my face. Suddenly, I heard a door creak open from ahead.

"If you don't mind me asking, why am I here?" I casually asked. Whoever was in front of me didn't answer. Instead, I heard footsteps walk toward me. They sounded soft, like there was something padded around their foot. They stopped. I can hear heavy breathing from above my head.

"Wait a minute..." I started. "Is this a Frebreeze commercial?"

"...What?"

I sniffed the air around me. "Well, I smell a lot of grease and oil. There's also a hint of metal."

"Ya idiot. This ain't no a Febreeze commercial," whoever was in front of me dryly said. "You're a hostage."

I clicked my tongue in disappointment. "Again?"

I felt the scent of grease get significantly closer to me as I heard his clothes shuffle. I felt the presence of his arms reach over to my shoulders. Then with a screech, he turned the chair in a 180 rotation. The wind from the fan blew at the back of my head and tickled my nose. It made me want to sneeze.

"So, why am I a hostage?" I asked.

"Your brother of yours ripped me off, that's why."

"Hiro? Did he get you busted or something?"

He ignored my question and instead expressed his frustration with the camera he was fumbling with. "How do I turn this damn thing on...?"

I told him that there should be a button on the bottom. He's supposed to hold it until it flashes red and then the camera will turn on. A few seconds passed and I heard a short, loud-pitched beep.

"Oh. It worked." There was a quick pause between us until he spoke again. "How did ya know that there was a camera 'ere? And how did ya know how to work it?!"

"There's always a camera they use to demand their ransom."

"Wait, ya been held hostage before?"

"Well, it certainly doesn't help that my dad and my brother work in law enforcement. With them arresting criminals and stuff, people usually hold grudges," I explained to him. I let out a sigh. "It gets tiring."

There was a moment of silence between us. I could tell without even seeing his face that he was dumbfounded.

"The camera started recording, y'know."

I heard the sound of scrambling footsteps. "I don't see nothin'. You're not poppin' up in the video."

I asked him if he took the camera lens off. After some fumbling, he asked me, "Is it this?"

There was another moment of silence. "Snaps. I forgot you're blindfolded," he mumbled. "Why did I even try to show it to ya?"

I heard another click from the camera, signaling that he must've ended the video. He was probably going to start a new one so he can send it to Hiro.