The cheap motel room seemed smaller now.
Elias sat frozen, staring at the burner phone lying on the stained bedsheet. Sophia paced like a caged lion, biting her nails — a nervous habit she had never admitted to.
"You gonna call it or what?" she finally snapped.
Elias leaned back against the creaky headboard, folding his arms.
"No rush," he said, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips.
"Maybe I like living dangerously."
Sophia rolled her eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn't fall out of her head.
"You're not funny. You're not invincible either."
---
For a second, Elias remembered the past —
Six months ago, he was just a kid nobody noticed.
No money. No special talents.
Just a face in the crowd, skin pale from too many hours indoors, and a back weighed down by life's unfairness.
Now?
The Watch had changed everything.
It wasn't just money.
Driving Ability: He could now drift a stolen car like a pro.
Medical Skills: He patched up a bullet graze on Sophia last week with nothing but a sewing kit.
IQ Boost: He hacked into a police database without breaking a sweat yesterday.
Charm: Enough to sweet-talk their way past a dozen nosy security guards.
Physical Strength: He had lifted a vending machine once — half by accident.
Looks: Gone was the awkward kid.
Now he had a sharper jawline, clearer skin, and a confident swagger that made strangers do double-takes.
But deep inside?
He still sometimes felt... small.
Still like that forgotten kid.
Still human.
--
"Look," Sophia said, dropping onto the second bed and cradling her head in her hands.
"I didn't sign up for this."
"You didn't sign up for anything," Elias pointed out calmly.
"You chose to come."
Sophia let out a shaky laugh — not amused, just broken.
"I chose to save your ass because you looked like a lost puppy."
There was no venom in her voice.
Just sadness.
Just the weight of knowing too much now to ever walk away clean.
---
The Watch pulsed again.
No new task.
No new reward.
Only the pressure of choice.
He hated it.
Tasks were easier — clear.
Complete. Reward. Repeat.
This?
This messy, emotional, human crap?
It was like walking blindfolded through a minefield.
---
Elias picked up the phone.
Thumb hovering.
Option 1: Call Tasha. Accept protection. Lose freedom? Maybe end up a pawn?
Option 2: Keep running. Keep trusting the Watch.
Keep pretending he was smarter than the world.
He looked at Sophia.
She was wiping her eyes when she thought he wasn't looking.
That broke something in him.
Maybe... just maybe, it wasn't about him anymore.
---
He pressed CALL.
One ring.
Two.
On the third, a man's voice answered — calm, professional.
"You've made the right choice," the voice said.
Elias swallowed.
"Yeah, well, we'll see about that."
---
"Room 206," the voice said. "Two buildings behind you. Leave your bags. Bring only essentials."
The line went dead.
Sophia blinked.
"You're serious?" she asked.
Elias stood and grabbed the essentials:
Wallet.
Knife.
Phone.
Watch.
He looked at her.
"You coming or what?"
Sophia snorted and grabbed her jacket.
"After all this? Might as well see how this nightmare ends."
---
They slipped out into the night together.
Two fugitives with too many secrets, too much baggage, and maybe — just maybe — a tiny sliver of hope.
The Watch stayed silent.
For once, Elias hoped it stayed that way.
Because sometimes, the worst tasks were the ones you never saw coming.
---