After bidding farewell to his mother and sister, Rey hurriedly left the house, sprinting towards school—until his stamina gave out, and he was forced to stop, panting.
Once he'd caught his breath, he resud walking.
As he approached the road near the abandoned factory, he noticed two n surveying the area and questioning passersby.
"Hey, wait, kid! We wanna ask you sothing," one of the thug-like n 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 n from a late-night encounter at that very factory.
The two approached swiftly, eyeing him from head to toe.
"Bro, don’t you think he looks just like the guy we were chasing last night?" one of them muttered, scrutinizing Rey’s height and build.
"Sir, what are you talking about? I don’t understand," Rey replied nervously, trying to mask his fear.
"No, no way it’s him. Look at this kid—he’s terrified, and we haven’t 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 wasn’t even here, so I don’t know anything. I’m sorry, but I’m already late for school," Rey stamred. 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 n stiffened. The thug answered and put it on speaker.
"What are you two doing? Get back now—we spotted the boy on a security cara!" barked a deep, commanding voice.
"Y-Yes, boss! We’re right outside the base—we're coming!" one of them stamred. The two rushed to the factory’s entrance, slamming the door shut behind them.
Inside, more thugs had gathered. They quickly ford 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 boy—Rey.
The photo showed a teen around 17 or 18, with an average build and forgettable features. But what caught Jacob’s attention was the object clutched tightly in Rey's hand—a round, unfamiliar artifact. The boy’s expression scread panic, like soone fleeing from death itself.
Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.
“B-Boss, please let go! I’ll tell you everything!” a thug begged, dangling in Jacob’s iron grip.
Jacob let go, dropping the man with a heavy thud.
“He’s just a student at Mystic High School,” the goon gasped from the ground. “Looked like your average middle-class kid… but I swear, it’s him.”
Jacob’s eyes narrowed.
“Then find him. I don’t care how average he looks—bring him to the mont he’s alone. If you fail to bring him by tomorrow, we’re all dead. Understood?!”
The goons scrambled, disappearing out the building.
Jacob sat back down, his fingers gripping the photo until it crumpled.
"That old bastard will kill if we don’t recover it… What is that damn object? Even our family appraiser couldn’t identify it. That boy—he took sothing priceless. I will get it back," he snarled, grinding the photo into his palm.
anwhile, at school, Rey faced a scolding from his horoom teacher for being late—again.
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 cos next—who can say?
{A/N:}I know, I know—you're itching to see what happens. Just wait and enjoy the ride—the thrill is in the suspense. 😎
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