Border area.
A car sped past with a police cruiser chasing close behind, sirens blaring.
Reports crackled over the radio nonstop: "There’s at least fifty kilos of drugs in the vehicle, plus over ten kidnapped kids. Their parents are all loaded. After extorting money, these scumbags still plan to sell the kids off."
"Absolute monsters!"
The officer behind the wheel slammed the steering wheel hard, foot nearly flooring the gas.
But out of nowhere, a bunch of villagers blocked the path, stepping into the road from the fields. No matter how much the officer slammed the horn, they just moved like snails, refusing to budge.
The rookie officer was about to jump out and argue when the older cop held him back. “Don’t bother. These folks took the bad guys’ money—they’re acting as their lookouts. All you’ll get is a shouting match.”
The rookie looked stunned. “But these are kids we’re talking about—how could they!”
The veteran officer sighed. Realizing they’d lost the lead, he turned back to the map. “What do you mean how? One lookout gig pays better than years of farming. Law’s basically useless in places like this.”
Frustrated, the younger cop hit the steering wheel again, eyes shifting to the villagers. Among them, one skinny, dark-skinned little girl caught his attention. She looked like she was maybe six or seven, but her expression was shockingly calm and cool.
That young... already doing this kind of job?
In the end, the car they were chasing got away. That night, every villager got a cut of the payout. The biggest share? Went to Evelyn Brooks.
She was ten, but with her thin frame and stunted growth, she looked even younger. An orphan too. No way a kid like her was supposed to survive in a place like this.
But Evelyn had a sharp mind. She was a natural at scouting and lookout work. She’d predicted the police route in advance and blocked it in time.
Later, while the villagers sat together eating, the village chief sidled up to her, grinning. “Evelyn, those big bosses want to see you. They said they’re throwing a drinking party. Any chance you could take me with you?”
Everyone wished they could tag along with those rich folks, but the bosses only had eyes for Evelyn.
She shot him a glance, didn’t say a word, downed her soup in one gulp, picked up the money bag at her feet, and walked off on her own.
They all stared at the bulging money bag, green with envy, but not one dared to lay a hand on it.
Nobody wanted to lose a hand to the little wolf.
In a dilapidated house at the edge of the village, the gang planning to offload their loot before fleeing the border were drinking and celebrating.
One of the flunkies poured drinks, then leaned toward their scar-faced leader. “Boss, you figure out how to deal with Evelyn yet? I heard plenty of folks passed through and failed.”
The boss scoffed, not worried at all. “Heh, just grab her when we head out. Once we’re past the border, she’s got no one to call, nowhere to run. She’ll have no choice but to work with us.”
Right then, Evelyn stepped through the door alone.
The room full of grown men greeted her like she was one of them. They didn’t treat her like a kid. Someone even poured her a drink.
Evelyn politely pushed the cup aside. “No thanks. You’ve still got hostages—getting drunk now’s a bad idea. I’ll go watch them.”
The boss may have been drunk, but he still had room for complimenting her. “That’s our Evelyn—reliable as ever! Everybody says you’re the go-to if you want a clean crossing. Best little lookout around.”
“Those others just had bad luck, got caught after crossing. But don’t worry, stick with us, and you’re golden.”
While they were busy bragging, Evelyn had already slipped out the door, barely listening.When she stepped into the pigsty out back, a bunch of grimy kids were huddled together in a corner. The moment they saw her, their eyes widened in fear—some even burst out crying.
Evelyn Brooks scanned the group with her pitch-black eyes, then made her way toward a teenage boy, probably fifteen or sixteen. She calmly cut through the tape binding him with a knife and said flatly, "Follow the path behind this house, keep running, and you'll reach the outpost."
The boy froze, staring at her in disbelief. "You're... letting us go?"
Evelyn didn’t answer. She just kept cutting through the restraints one by one. As she worked, she pressed a finger to her lips to signal for quiet, urging them to slip out stealthily.
Thankfully, the boy kept it together. He helped the weaker kids move and led them away safely.
Before he turned the corner behind the house, he glanced back at her. “Aren’t you coming with us?”
Evelyn was shutting the pigpen door and already busy prying open a truck's cabin nearby. This time, she actually responded. “You all go first. I’ll catch up later.”
And just like that, she slipped nimble as a cat into the vehicle.
The boy wanted to warn her it was too dangerous to stay, but time wasn’t on their side. He had no choice but to flee with the others, disappearing down the dark mountain path.
Later, after a few rounds of drinks, Evelyn came back to the room, lugging in a ceramic jug and placing it on the table.
“Brought something to see you guys off.”
The gang, already tipsy, immediately popped open the seal, savoring the strong scent as their eyes fluttered shut in delight.
“You’re the best, Evelyn! I swear, once we hit the border, I’ll get you all sorts of treats. You’ll never want to leave.”
The booze just made them more convinced they wanted her in on their dirty business. No chance they were letting her walk away.
Evelyn even got them big soup bowls to pour the liquor into, then quietly stepped out and sat in the doorway, staring up at the moon.
She’d lived in that village her whole life. Violence and theft were just... everyday stuff. Sometimes, she felt like even the moon had been stained by it all.
Ten minutes passed.
Then—BANG!
She dove down to the doorstep, peeking in. The gang boss was inside, firing wildly.
That jug had been laced with a heavy dose of pure white powder. The effects kicked in fast. He’d had the most, and so he was the first to completely lose it.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Three of them were dead in seconds.
The rest didn’t take long to crack under the high. Guns came out and chaos erupted—wild shooting left the entire room strewn with bodies in under a minute.
Evelyn walked back in, stepping carefully through pools of blood, until she stood over the boss. Foaming at the mouth, he wasn’t quite dead yet—probably still drowning in hallucinations.
Ignoring his misery, she bent down, picked up a gun, and studied it curiously.
She’d refused to let the cops in earlier because armed shootouts were way too risky for anyone. Even if they crossed the border, she could’ve tipped off the police there. But this time, they’d kidnapped a bunch of kids—and word was, one had already died on the road. So she struck first.
She looked through all the weapons but didn’t find anything she liked. With a sigh, she gave up, grabbed the heavy bag of cash, and turned to go.
On her way past the pigsty, she chucked an oil lamp onto the thatched roof.
The flames lit up behind her as she disappeared into the shadows.
By the time the police got word from the outpost, those rich kids had already called home. Their parents were scrambling to get there as fast as possible."Good to know everyone's safe. Hey, did you help them get out?" The officer looked straight at the boy, eyes sharp as he tried to piece things together. "How’d you manage to escape? Was someone helping you guys?"
