After bidding farewell to his mother and sister, Rey hurriedly left the house, sprinting towards schoolâuntil his stamina gave out, and he was forced to stop, panting.
Once he'd caught his breath, he resumed walking.
As he approached the road near the abandoned factory, he noticed two men surveying the area and questioning passersby.
"Hey, wait, kid! We wanna ask you something," one of the thug-like men called out in a deep voice.
Startled by the sudden call, Rey froze. A chill ran down his spine as he recognized one of the men from a late-night encounter at that very factory.
The two approached swiftly, eyeing him from head to toe.
"Bro, donât you think he looks just like the guy we were chasing last night?" one of them muttered, scrutinizing Reyâs height and build.
"Sir, what are you talking about? I donât understand," Rey replied nervously, trying to mask his fear.
"No, no way itâs him. Look at this kidâheâs terrified, and we havenât even done anything yet. You think this scaredy-cat was that guy? Nah, no chance," the man who stopped Rey scoffed.
"Well then, boy, did you see anyone running around here last night?" the other thug asked, narrowing his eyes.
"No, sir! I wasnât even here, so I donât know anything. Iâm sorry, but Iâm already late for school," Rey stammered. Without waiting for a response, he turned and bolted down the street.
The two thugs stood still, watching the boy vanish around a corner.
Suddenly, one of their phones rang. Seeing the caller ID, both men stiffened. The thug answered and put it on speaker.
"What are you two doing? Get back nowâwe spotted the boy on a security camera!" barked a deep, commanding voice.
"Y-Yes, boss! Weâre right outside the baseâwe're coming!" one of them stammered. The two rushed to the factoryâs entrance, slamming the door shut behind them.
Inside, more thugs had gathered. They quickly formed a line in front of their boss, Jacob, standing in dead silence. His bloodshot eyes and clenched fists were enough to strike fear in even the boldest among them.
Minutes later, another goon entered, handed Jacob a stack of photos, and joined the lineup.
Jacob flipped through the images, then paused on one. His lips curled as he stared at the face of the boyâRey.
The photo showed a teen around 17 or 18, with an average build and forgettable features. But what caught Jacobâs attention was the object clutched tightly in Rey's handâa round, unfamiliar artifact. The boyâs expression screamed panic, like someone fleeing from death itself.
Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.
âB-Boss, please let me go! Iâll tell you everything!â a thug begged, dangling in Jacobâs iron grip.
Jacob let go, dropping the man with a heavy
thud
.
âHeâs just a student at Mystic High School,â the goon gasped from the ground. âLooked like your average middle-class kid⊠but I swear, itâs him.â
Jacobâs eyes narrowed.
âThen find him. I donât care how average he looksâbring him to me the moment heâs alone. If you fail to bring him by tomorrow, weâre all dead. Understood?!â
The goons scrambled, disappearing out the building.
Jacob sat back down, his fingers gripping the photo until it crumpled.
"That old bastard will kill me if we donât recover it⊠What
is
that damn object? Even our family appraiser couldnât identify it. That boyâhe took something priceless. I
will
get it back," he snarled, grinding the photo into his palm.
Meanwhile, at school, Rey faced a scolding from his homeroom teacher for being lateâagain.
Final exams were next month. Their results would decide which higher education academies they could even dream of.
Rey, however, was more preoccupied with keeping his head down.
Unbeknownst to him... danger was closing in.
And as for what comes nextâwho can say?
{A/N:}
I know, I knowâyou're itching to see what happens. Just wait and enjoy the rideâthe thrill is in the suspense. đ