Try Me Bitch (Vigilante Deku)

Nothing... no Sign ahead

The lab was too quiet. The only sound was my own breathing, heavy and shaky as I stood among the wreckage. The anger that had driven me to destroy everything around me was starting to fade, replaced by something colder, emptier.

I should've been faster. 

I should've done something sooner.

I took a deep breath, trying to focus. I had to find them—had to find Eri. The thought of her, scared and alone in a place like this, twisted my stomach. I shoved the duffel bag aside and began searching the lab, tearing through the mess, desperate to find any clue of where they might have taken her.

Come on, there has to be something here. 

Anything.

But the more I searched, the worse it got. Drawer after drawer, stack after stack of papers—nothing. No maps, no addresses, nothing useful. Just reports filled with sick descriptions of the experiments they'd done on those kids.

I slammed my fist against the wall, pain barely registering. This couldn't be it. There had to be something, anything I could use.

I can't let them win. 

Not like this.

I moved to the next room, hoping—praying—I'd find something. But when I opened the door, all I found was an empty operating table, cold and metallic under the harsh lights. The restraints were still there, worn and stained. My skin crawled just thinking about what must've happened here.

But now, it was dead silent. No screams, no cries, no footsteps—just an awful, suffocating silence. It felt like a tomb.

They were here. 

They were right here, and I missed them.

My eyes landed on a stack of papers on the counter. I grabbed them, flipping through, hoping for a clue. But it was more of the same—reports, experiments, failures. And then, on the last page, a single line that hit me like a punch to the gut:

"Subjects relocated to secure location. Experiments to continue under stricter conditions."

What is the meaning of this? Is it because of me?

I had a feeling it was all because I escaped this hell hole. They had evacuted the kids just because of me and perhapse this was even worse than what I had thought at first. Well whatever it was, it was not letting me be. This was definitely clearly my fault. 

I had the opportunity to do something and I didn't....

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I left the police handle it....

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I gave the society and the law the chance to do something.....

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I tried to play by the rules...

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But why should I if villains don't play by the rules either...

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And now?....

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Now?

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They were gone. ....

They'd moved the kids—moved Eri—and I had no idea where.

No... no, no, no! 

This can't be happening!

I crumpled the paper in my fist, feeling panic start to creep in. I was supposed to save them. I'd promised Eri I would protect her. But I was too late. Too slow.

This is my fault. I should've done more. 

I should've been better.

And now they were gone.

Self-hatred hit me hard, knocking the breath out of me. This was my fault. If I'd acted sooner, if I hadn't relied on the police, maybe—just maybe—I could've stopped this.

What kind of hero am I?

But I didn't. And now those kids, Eri, were suffering because of it.

I staggered back, feeling the walls closing in. My mind raced, searching for something I'd missed, but there was nothing. Just an empty room and a few useless scraps of paper.

I've failed them. I've failed everyone.

My legs gave out, and I sank to the floor, the cold tiles pressing against my back. I stared up at the ceiling, the fluorescent lights burning into my eyes, but I couldn't move. I couldn't think.

I've lost them... and it's all my fault.