Forget Me Not

Collateral Damage

"I'm telling you; I'm not coming home today!"

Sarawat heard his brother say as he stepped out of his Mustang and headed toward a local grocery, his phone pressed to his ear. He was talking to his brother, Phukong. With their parents overseas and their grandparents on a cruise, Sarawat was responsible for looking after his younger brother, who had the whole house to himself.

"I'm a grown-ass adult! Why do you keep butting into my business like it's yours?!" Phukong insisted, frustrated by Sarawat's persistent questions about his whereabouts.

Hearing the stubbornness in his brother's tone, Sarawat counted to ten to calm himself. He had been on edge ever since his conversation with Man about his situation with Tine. After Boss helped him see reason, Sarawat approached Man, apologized, and promised to consider his relationship with Tine more carefully. Deep down, he knew this was inevitable and that he had to face the consequences of his actions, letting Tine decide the future of their relationship. Man's forgiveness strengthened Sarawat's appreciation for their friendship.

Given his personal struggles, Sarawat had little patience for Phukong's obstinance and wished his brother would be obedient, at least for a day.

"The world is a dangerous place now, even for grown-ass adults who act like five-year-olds," Sarawat snapped. "I'd be grateful if you could be a bit more sensitive to others' feelings and understand that we only care about you."

"I understand!" Phukong replied, but his tone betrayed his lack of cooperation. "I'll be back home before you even know it."

Sarawat brushed a hand across his face. "Look, you can do whatever you want since, as you mentioned, you're a grown-ass adult. However, the parental units called while you were out. I need your location, where you are, and who you're with." Sarawat considered adding that he'd send someone to find his brother but held back. He wanted to give Phukong some freedom and was trying to trust him more.

As Sarawat continued reprimanding his brother over the phone, he didn't notice the man watching him. It wasn't until his hand was on the car door that he saw a guy approaching, with another following close behind. Years of experience had taught Sarawat to recognize when someone was concealing a weapon. Judging by their stance and the way they moved, Sarawat could tell they were armed.

Sarawat closed the door of his Mustang and headed back into the grocery store, acting as if he had forgotten something. He made his way to the sports section and calmly picked up a tennis racket. Using the small mirror in front of him, he watched the men draw closer. It didn't take long to guess what would happen next.

They all fired.

Sarawat expertly swatted away the darts with the tennis racket as he ran back to his car, causing sudden mayhem in the grocery store as people scattered in every direction. Amid the chaos, he managed to grab one of the darts, discovering it was loaded with a sleeping potion. These attackers weren't sent to end his life—they were sent to take him alive.

Darts began flying everywhere. The street and rooftops were soon littered with unconscious bodies. Sarawat quickly sent an SOS to CDO HQ and alerted his friends Boss and Man before reaching for his gun in the secret compartment of his Mustang and starting to fire back. Unlike the darts, Sarawat's gun was loaded with real bullets, but he was careful to aim for non-lethal areas, aiming to immobilize rather than kill. His intention was to resist and fight back, not to surrender.

"Wat?!" Man's voice crackled over the receiver. "What's happening?"

"I don't fucking know!" Sarawat shouted back. He dove into his car as darts flew around him, indifferent to the chaos affecting the passersby.