While the rest of the crew waited for results, Maylin returned with a bucket of water and poured it onto the already slick laminate floor. After a moment’s thought, she headed to her parents’ bedroom and spilled shaving oil, which she’d mixed into the bucket in generous amounts, across the doorway. Next, she opened the hallway closet door. Her mom’s bag sat in plain sight. Maylin exhaled and reached inside. She’d always hated rummaging through other people’s stuff, but right now, it was a matter of life and death. Her hand closed around a small canister of paralytic gas. Its contents, when absorbed through the skin, caused temporary paralysis. A fleeting thought crossed her mind that her mom should be more careful with things like this. At that moment, someone jiggled the door handle. Maylin instantly darted to her position, nearly slipping on her own trap. Hiding behind the archway, she braced herself.
The guys grew tired of waiting and sent two more inside. Daniel and Anthony slipped into the apartment silently, but they didn’t even take a step before sliding on the floor. They tried to get up, but it wasn’t easy.
“Anthony, stop squirming!” Daniel hissed, struggling unsuccessfully to stand. Each attempt ended with him crashing back down. “Looks like she added soap or something to this! We’ve gotta be more careful getting up.”
“It’s coconut shaving oil, boys,” Maylin noted to herself mentally.
“Good stuff.”
Anthony finally calmed down and tried at least to sit up. Turning his head toward the kitchen, he saw a spray canister aimed right at his face. The label, in bold letters, advised targeting mucous membranes for the best effect. Daniel got a dose next. The guys didn’t even have time to react before their bodies stopped responding. With effort, Maylin dragged both intruders to the closet and tied them up with the same rope she’d used on Martin.
“What are they doing in there?” Arman grumbled meanwhile. He opened the door and the first thing he saw was Anthony’s leg disappearing around the corner. “Stop!”
The startled girl let go of her prey and jumped to her feet. Arman charged toward her, nimbly leaping over the puddles of water. Maylin had no choice but to lure him into her last set “trap.” She darted into her parents’ bedroom, hopping over the slick patch. Arman didn’t notice the maneuver and instantly sprawled out on the slippery floor. Maylin approached him and sprayed the canister directly into his face. Then she continued her “packing”—the four guys barely fit into the closet.
Once done, Maylin rushed to the kitchen where she’d left her phone and started dialing the police. But before she could hit the call button, someone suddenly clamped a rag over her nose. Maylin struggled to break free, but the attacker held her tighter. Within two minutes, she passed out.
The fifth guy, whom Maylin hadn’t noticed, carefully sat her down on a chair and looked around.
“Hey, Keir, we’re in here!” a voice called from the next room.
The first “victims” were starting to come to. Keir headed over and immediately found his friends. He helped the guys out of the closet and untied them.
“She didn’t see you,” Daniel stated.
“As usual,” Anthony chuckled.
Keir looked at him silently.
“She was about to call the cops,” he said, picking up Maylin’s phone.
“Not bad, huh? She really got us good,” Anthony went on.
“Yeah, smart kid,” Daniel agreed, turning the paralytic canister over in his hands.
“What are we gonna do with her?” Martin asked.
Maylin opened her eyes, and her gaze locked with Arman’s. She flinched in fear and instinctively shrank back.
“And what were you planning to do?” Anthony started, waving Maylin’s phone in front of her face. “Call the police?”
“If you hadn’t broken in, I wouldn’t have had to,” she shot back, offended.
“Step back,” Arman said, pushing his friend aside. “What’s your name?”
“Maylin.”
“Alright, Maylin. What did you see out on the street?”
“Nothing.”
“You sure about that?”
“Absolutely. I need to use the bathroom.”
Arman stepped aside to let her pass. He nodded to Daniel to follow her. Maylin entered the bathroom and locked the door behind her. The guy stayed in the hallway.
Alone now, Maylin patted her pockets. It seemed the canister had been left in the other room when she was knocked out. Without wasting time, she rushed to the wall-mounted cabinet and pulled out a first-aid kit. Her mom was a doctor, so the kit was pretty well-stocked. Maylin grabbed a syringe and a vial of sedative. She deftly removed the syringe from its packaging, pierced the vial, and filled it with the liquid. The kit disappeared back into the cabinet.
She cautiously peeked out from behind the door.
“Help me turn off the faucet,” she said to Daniel.
The guy sighed and stepped into the room. Before he could even reach the sink, a sharp needle jabbed into his shoulder. Daniel was out cold almost instantly.
Maylin carefully squeezed through the door and hurried toward the exit. There, she switched the lock to automatic mode and bolted out into the hallway.
“She’s taking a while, don’t you think?” Arman remarked, eyeing a curtain.
“Yeah,” Martin agreed. “Let’s go see what’s going on.”
“You wanna interrupt Daniel showing off his charm skills?” Anthony joked.
“Even for Daniel, she’s way too young,” Arman replied. “Come on, guys.”
The group made their way to the bathroom and found Daniel asleep on the floor. A syringe lay nearby. Arman crouched down and picked it up.
“Not bad,” he said. “I’m starting to like this girl more and more.”
“How did we fall for this?” Martin wondered. “Allan’s not gonna be happy.”
“She can’t hide from us forever. We’ll cross paths again.”
“She might be heading to the cops right now.”
“I doubt it,” Arman said, twirling the syringe in his hand. “Geraidezine—a powerful sedative. Only available by prescription, signed off by a doctor. Let’s get him up.”