D*mn it, Maria!

9◕⩊◕A Ninja Rescue

As much as he could, Caleb followed the law and acted like a good citizen. Well, he does if it's in his favor. Yet, as of the moment, he was not exemplary. He sped into the night despite red lights and signals.

Luckily, there was no traffic in their part of the city and the school was only a few minutes away.

The guard stopped him by the gate. He forgot to bring his school ID and had to make up an excuse for why he was there in the middle of the night. The truth would make a bigger issue and could drag him. His father would find out and 'kaboom'—a red mark on his name. Fortunately, he was a prominent student and the guards recognized him.

He ran to the storage building and cursed at the path ahead. It's not that he's afraid of the dark, just that bad memories stirred unrest thanks to Maria, who almost succeeded in offering him to the devil.

Hopefully, Matthew heard it correctly. Caleb had no other idea where she was trapped. The wind was cold and he hugged himself. There were no stars, a dark cloud threatened heavy rain. After a few more steps, a soft hum blended with the faint howl of the breeze. Caleb hesitated to move forward. But then mumbled 'Screw it' and walked faster until finally, he was at the door. He heard some words from the inside.

♪hmm . . . Jack . . . hmmm

Hmm-mmm . . . water♪

Caleb knocked. "Maria?"

The humming stopped. "Mon-mon?" asked a small voice. "Is that you?"

"It's me Caleb," he stressed his real name.

"I'm sorry I punched you this morning. Get me out of here, please. I was screaming for a long time but nobody heard me. I think the guards didn't roam yet. Just please . . . "

This was a chance to outsmart her. However, he was too preoccupied with how to unlock the door before the guard could catch them. "Wait for me."

"I'm scared."

His hands stopped pulling the lock. Her voice was so tiny, vulnerable—like a child's. "Then . . . sing, until I get you out."

"Any song?"

"Anything."

Big mistake on his part. Maria kept on singing until he got sick of it.

"♪♪ Jack and Jill went up the hill,

to fetch a pail of water,

Jill fell down, her skirt ripped now,

she had no underwear!♪♪

"Can you sing something else?"

"No." Then she continued, this time in a terrible soprano. Caleb lost it. "Screw this," he gritted out and kicked the door. Something gave. He kicked it again. And on the fourth try, the rusty lock fell.

His phone lit the room and he saw Maria in the middle, hands and feet tied. "Hi Mon-Mon," she greeted with a smile, but her eyes were red with traces of tears.

He untied her with urgency. "They're so mean," she complained. A moment later, he's the one tied by her embrace. "But stupid. They forgot to gag my mouth."

She smelled stale and dusty. Yet, he couldn't tell her to let go. The hug went tighter, "They're so mean . . . " Then her shoulders shook.

Caleb just sat there, half kneeling awkwardly, no clue on how to comfort a crying girl. Not that he wanted to comfort Maria, he was not even sure if she was actually crying. After a few minutes, she finally let him go and clutched her skirt. "I want to pee."