Hiding In Plain Sight

Just a Minor Change of Plan

"Wake up you degenerate!" Shuichi gasped, waking up to Chabashira shoving him with her foot. He glanced around the room to see everyone in the bar being awoken, the group residing in the store down the street shaking everyone awake.

"What the fuck do you want, beanie-wearing pervert?!" Iruma shouted, shoving Hoshi away from her.

"The police found us. We lost them but we all need to leave before we're found again," Tojo informed the group. Did the gunshot from last night attract them? Is this all my fault? Within an instant, the previously sleeping criminals had gathered supplies and prepared for a fight. Shuichi slipped a handgun from his small backpack of supplies, about to store it underneath his clothes before Kiibo snatched it from him.

"No, we're not risking you doing anything like last night," the spiky, white-haired male glared.

"What happened last night?" Harukawa asked, glaring at both men.

"We can explain later," Shirogane waved off Harukawa's question.

"How am I going to defend myself? It's not like I have a superpower to help me," Shuichi rolled his eyes.

"We'll protect you," Momota grinned, slapping him on the back. "What's the plan, Sidekick?"

"We have four walkie-talkies, so let's split into four groups of four. There's a water tower over that way, and a forest right behind it," Shuichi informed the gang, physically pointing in the direction of the forest. "If each group takes a separate route, we'll all meet up at the forest and hide in the bush. Maybe we could escape the country somehow, I might be able to pull some strings with the detective agency."

"Are you kidding?! That's going to take a few days just to walk there! The police are going to be on our tail the entire time, how can we make it?!" Shirogane shouted in disbelief.

"I trust what Shuichi's planned," Rantaro smiled, interlocking their hands.

"Ditto," Kokichi laughed, grinning from behind them.

"Shirogane, it's the only chance we have right now. Police are going to be swarming the streets with the number of Ultimate sightings there's been." Shuichi tried to defend himself, the back of his mind figuring out the group dynamic.

"Why don't we go to Gonta's home?" Gokuhara suggested.

"That's where we hid Saihara's laptop. It's not safe there anymore for us," Harukawa muttered.

"Does anyone think it's a bad idea?" Akamatsu asked, receiving no answers in the room. "Alright Saihara, what are the groups?"

"I think Chabashira, Yonaga, Tojo and Gokuhara should go around the edge of this town to the left of here. Rantaro, Kokichi, Akamatsu and I will run straight ahead. Kiibo, Harukawa, Shinguji and Shirogane should also run straight ahead, but both groups will be apart enough that it won't be a problem. That leaves Iruma, Momota, Hoshi and Yumeno to go around the edge of the town to the right. If anyone wants to switch groups or has a suggestion, let me know."

"As long as you're with either Amami or Ouma, the groups will be fine," Iruma agreed. Everyone nodded, the group from the store still confused as to the earlier night's situation.

"Let us go, we have no time to waste," Tojo suggested, hoisting a shopping bag over her shoulder. "The police are most likely closing in on our location."

"Make sure every group has a walkie-talkie before you leave. We're not going to have a chance to get food or water so make sure you have enough to last as well. Radio the closest group if you run into trouble," Shuich ordered, preparing to rush out of the bar. Counting down, Shuichi threw open the metal door and leapt over the staircase railing, rolling as he hit the ground. Hearing thuds and hurried steps behind him, Shuichi started running through the abandoned buildings, jumping through windows and doorways. 

Shuichi panted as he continued running, not daring to glance behind him in case it distracted him. He felt the backpack of medical supplies, food and a blanket bouncing behind him, a sharp edge stabbing him in the back as he ran for his life. Later, he'd fix the bag but for now, he had to endure the pain. Slamming his hand on a windowsill to leap through, Shuichi felt a piece of debris slice open his palm, warm blood trickling down his fingers.

Overwhelmed with adrenaline, Shuichi kept going, being as quiet yet fast as possible. His eyes locked onto the water tower in the distance, determination cementing in his heart as he huffed, pausing to catch his breath. Glancing behind him, Shuichi noticed the other three following him, jumping into the building where he stopped. "Shuichi, your hand!" Akamatsu pointed out, holding it out to investigate the injury.

"It's fine, we can talk about it lat-"

"Hide!" Rantaro interrupted with a hiss, slipping behind a slab of concrete with Ouma. Shuichi slid to the wall with Akamatsu, ducking underneath an open window that faced the street. He heard heavy thuds and clanging metal run by them. Curious as to the noise, Shuichi peeked over the windowsill to see their attackers running down the street, searching for them. They're not normal police officers, that's the special assault team...

Feeling safe, Shuichi stood up, the others following suit. "You guys saw that, right? Special assault team."

"Oh shit," Kokichi mumbled, chewing on his thumb.

"Come on guys, we can do this! Let's keep going!" Akamatsu whisper-yelled, pumping her fists in the air. The three males nodded, smiling at everyone as they continued on their stealth mission. They stuck to each other like glue, crawling through buildings until they reached a dead end, a large gap between them and the next hiding spot. "How are we going to get across without being seen?"

"Easy, follow my lead," Shuichi grinned, taking inspiration from a previous plan. Approaching the doorway, he peeked out to see officers patrolling the streets, ready for a fight. Without waiting for a response, Shuichi bolted out into the street, ignoring the shouts from surrounding officers. He ran as fast as his feet allowed, leaping into the building as the officers shot at him. Turning around, Shuichi yelped as Akamatsy, Rantaro and Kokichi almost collided with him, unable to skid to a stop.

Shuichi's heartbeat stopped as Rantaro glared at him with hatred. The greenette whipped out his gun and pointed it at Shuichi's head, shooting without hesitation. Squeezing his eyes tight, Shuichi felt his body fall to the ground, colliding with the debris-littered concrete. Opening his eyes, he noticed Akamatsu had pulled him away, a special assault team officer bleeding out on the ground. Oh, so he saved me. "Thanks, Rantaro, could've warned me," he chuckled.

"Right, sorry, wasn't trying to kill you. Come on, we have to keep running," Rantaro slipped his gun away and grabbed Shuichi's hand, the group continuing to run towards their destination. We can do this, we can escape the country and live, I'll save everyone.