Lucian looked around him for anything he could use to fight, then it dawned on him… he had no weapon.
The air was thick with tension, the quiet of the prison cell broken only by the sound of Lucian's breath and the heavy footsteps of Cellmate 1 approaching.
"Come here, newbie," Cellmate 1 growled, his voice a low rumble of anger. "Let me welcome you properly to this space."
Lucian's heart pounded in his chest, and for a moment, he felt like he couldn't breathe. He was painfully aware of the aching in his body, the weakness that seemed to flow through his veins. His limbs felt heavy, his movements sluggish. It was as though every muscle he had was rebelling against him. He had no weapon, no way to defend himself. His body, frail and weak, would do little to help him in the face of this mountain of muscle charging toward him.
But Lucian wasn't one to give in so easily. His mind raced, searching for a way out, a way to survive. His body might not be up to the task, but his mind had become sharper, more aware since he'd accepted the assassin system. He had to buy himself time. Time to think. Time to act.
"Why didn't you just kill me while I was asleep?" Lucian asked, his voice steady, though his heart hammered in his chest.
Cellmate 1 paused for a fraction of a second, thrown off by the question.
"Well, where's the fun in that?" the man sneered. His lips twisted into a grin, a sadistic gleam in his eyes. "I want to see you squirm. I want to hear you scream."
"So you're doing this just for fun?" Lucian pressed, his voice thick with a mix of disbelief and defiance.
"Duh," Cellmate 1 snarled, his expression darkening as he lunged at Lucian with the fury of a trapped animal.
Lucian's mind raced, his pulse quickening as he moved. For the first time since he'd stepped foot in the prison, he allowed himself a small smile. He could feel it now—the sharpness in his instincts, the clarity that had taken over his senses. This was his moment, the first real opportunity he'd had since being trapped here.
His eyes flicked to the bunk bed that lined the far wall, and there it was—a broken piece of wood, jagged and sharp, sticking out at an odd angle. It could be used as a weapon. Beside it, a torn strip of cloth dangled from the blanket, still long enough to wrap around someone's neck. A potential noose. And then, under the bed, discarded like trash, was a dented metal food tray—heavy, crude, but more than enough to defend himself with. Lucian's plan began to form, a plan born of desperation but powered by something else. He wasn't going to just survive this. He was going to win.
Cellmate 1 moved fast, faster than Lucian expected. His fist shot out like a battering ram, aimed straight for Lucian's chest. Lucian's body reacted before his mind could fully process it. He threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow, the fist whooshing past him by a hairsbreadth.
"You're going to have to be faster than that!" Lucian taunted, his voice surprisingly steady, almost mocking.
Cellmate 1's face twisted in rage, the veins in his neck bulging. Failing to take out the scrawny boy in one move had made him look weak and he didn't like being made to look weak in front of the other cellmates.
To top it off, the boy was now taunting him and the insult only fueled his anger.
In fact, if he were in a cartoon right now, his head would be red hot and shooting steam.
"Shut up!" he roared. "Shut up, you puny boy!"
His fists clenched tighter, knuckles popping as he swung again. "I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget."
But Lucian was already moving, the world slowing around him as his mind took over. He had no time to waste. The time for stalling was over.
Lucian had timed his movements perfectly to do two things. First thing was to get away from the blow. As for the second one, he was closer now, closer to the metal tray beneath the bed.
He grabbed it, its cold, dented surface biting into his palm. He held it up, positioning it like a shield, ready for the next strike.
Cellmate 1 didn't hesitate. He charged again, a wild animal in his fury.
"You think that tray is going to save you?" he snarled, voice dripping with contempt.
Lucian's heart skipped a beat as the massive man lunged, his fist coming straight for Lucian's head. It was a powerful, deadly swing-one that would have flattened him in an instant if it landed.
But Lucian was ready. He ducked, just in time. The fist missed him by inches, and Lucian could feel the wind from the blow rush past his face.
His eyes locked on the man's next move, his instincts already calculating.
However cellmate 1 wasn't going to give up so easily. He recovered quickly, faster than Lucian had expected. Before Lucian could even react, the man brought his other arm around in a vicious hook, the blow aimed at Lucian's exposed side.
Lucian raised the tray just in time to block the blow.
Clang!
A loud clanging sound reverberated through the cell as the tray took most of the impact of the punch.
Pain shot through Lucian's arm and he immediately dropped the tray.
There was a large dent in the middle and it was crumpled now.
Lucian realized two things as he looked at the dented tray on the floor.
One was that if he hadn't blocked the blow, the dent would be in his body right now, perhaps on his side or in his back.
The second thought was that now that the tray was on the ground, he was now defensless.
Cellmate 1 seemed to realize it at the same time as well.