Manhunt the Evader // Evade Fanfiction

Epilogue // Words of a College Student

Galf's shop is busier than before, not because of the flood of customers banging at the glass door, but because his surrounding friends gathered together for a short celebration. Defect wiped his sweat off his face as he made his way down the ladder.

"Alright, I got the roof fixed! Took me about a week to get this shop repaired," he mumbled, landing on the ground with both feet.

"Thank you so much for all your work, Defect," Galf thanked, huffing out the smoke from his cigarette, "you want some refreshments?"

"Yes please,"

Defect politely took the drink from Galf's hand pulled the glass to his mouth and took a small sip. Rebel and his gang went out of the shop, he was surprisingly happy to see Defect finish the last of the construction.

"You never told us you were good at building and repairing," Rebel laughed, jokingly nudging Defect on the shoulder with his elbow, "next time you should repair the plane,"

Galf, Defect, Rebel and his comrades walked into the shop, greeted with music and bright vibes. In under ten seconds, everyone was busy.

Bobo and Galf sat on one of the tables, looking at the chess pieces before them. Although Bobo was only starting to learn chess, he was already in a better position than Galf. 

"I can already see a checkmate in 2," Galf said, sweating at Bobo's next moves, "you're such a fast learner, aren't you?"

"You can say that again," Bobo answered, smiling.

Jard emerged from the hallway with a basket of cupcakes that Galf baked hours ago. They were carefully iced with vanilla, strawberries and chocolate. 

"Everyone! The cupcakes are ready! Who wants some?" Jard yelled, walking towards the group of rebels and Trooper, who had happened to stop by.

The rebels didn't hear him, they were too drawn to Trooper's comedian show in their younger days. As recalled, it was his job to shoot down his students to keep them from tracking down Rose or stealing artifacts, but from his eyes, he had seen they had changed. Everything he had heard about them, taking down a hidden organization was a miracle to him. He opened his photo album.

"... And this photo was Defect Rebel wearing a maid dress after the work experience," he gladly said, showing the photo to the rebels.

Another burst of laughter filled the room. 

"Woah, Defect. I didn't know you work in a cafe," a rebel mocked jokingly, patting Defect on the back, "do they make you wear that, or did you think that dress suits you?"

"God... God fucking why..." Defect mumbled and cursed, putting his head down in embarrassment.

"Come to think of it, it does suit him very well," Rebel added, smiling with a joking expression, "maybe you should wear that during your next expedition,"

Defect clumped himself into a ball as the rebels howled with laughter. Jard only stood there with the plate of cupcakes next to the group before turning around to watch the chess game between Bobo and Galf. He watched Bobo move his rook on the back rank and...

"Checkmate!"

Despite his defeat, Galf smiled to himself.

"You're hard to beat, are you?"

Jard chuckled. He always knew Bobo would be a quick learner. After all, Bobo learnt chess only three hours ago. He was caught off guard by the red shiny object in the corner. A silver blade sliced through the juicy red fruit, with a foul smell on Jard's nose. He had completely forgotten that Galf was making a salad. One part of him wanted to throw up. He hated fruits and vegetables, especially tomatoes. The other part, he stood still as sweat rolled down his forehead. Why does it feel so familiar to him? Not that it was common for someone to be cutting up a tomato for a party.

He slowly lowers the plate of cupcakes onto the table.

"I'll just leave these here, I am going to the bathroom. I need a moment,"

The rebels continued laughing their heads off, not hearing a word from the college student. He sighed as he smiled. He had never seen the rebels so bright before. Maybe his workmates were wrong about them. 

"Alright! Have fun!"

Jard waved at the group before entering the hallway. Cobwebs were decorated in every dark corner and the lights flickered in fear. His footprints echoed in the tight room as he entered the bathroom. He twisted the knob, making a stream of water gush out from the tap. He dipped his hands into the vertical river. He stared into his reflection. He frowned while it smiled. It wasn't following orders. The ringing was prominent in his ears. It was lining up. That tomato. That knife. Elysium Moonbase. It hasn't been a coincidence.

"A safety breach has been detected in the South Cafeteria of the Elysium Moonbase. A teenager with a black hoodie and black backward cap was seen with a knife and an AK-47. There have been 8 severe injuries and 2 causalities due to this hazard. All units are to assist in the area immediately. The rest of the employees are to evacuate out of the building. We all wish you the best and hope you get out safely,"

The hallways were filled with a crazed laugh. He was carrying a massive firearm in his right arm and a sharp, bloodied knife in his left. The red liquid was sprayed on his cheeks as it dripped down on his chin. Sure, he knew those employees were innocent despite having to work in an unforgiving company, but there was something dark that sprouted into life. Something that had snapped inside of him. Everywhere he could see was red. He opened fire, loud explosions filled the Elysium hallways. It wasn't long enough before the Elysium guards came onto the scene...

He clutched onto the sheet of paper in front of him. The picture of him tormented him. It was in a frame of a wanted poster. He wasn't a tired college student trying to pay his debt. He was painted as a murderer. A sociopath who cared about nothing but himself. A monster. 

Finally, he snapped out of his thoughts. If he was going to keep his sanity, then he has to forget about the past.

"Nobody wants to know..."

He shredded the wanted poster into small pieces as he piled it in his palm. He walked up to the toilet before dumping the scrap into the bowl. He laid his finger over the button.

"Nobody needs to know..."

With that, he pushes down the flush.