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 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, 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 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 now—we spotted the boy on a security camera!" barked a deep, commanding voice.
"Y-Yes, boss! We're right outside the base—we're coming!" one of them stammered. The two rushed to the factory's 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 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 screamed panic, like someone fleeing from death itself.
Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.
"B-Boss, please let me 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 me the moment 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, fingers gripping the photo until it crumpled.
"That old bastard will kill me if we don't recover it… What is that damn object? Even our family appraiser couldn't identify it. That boy—he 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 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 comes 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. 😎