The three men stood at the end of the corridor.
Watching us.
None of them looked like teachers.
Or parents.
Or visitors.
They looked like they belonged somewhere else.
Ruhan's grip tightened around my wrist.
"Pragati," he said quietly.
"Yes?"
"Don't panic."
Too late for that.
Ms. Mehra stepped slightly in front of us.
"Leave the school," she said firmly to the men.
"This is private property."
One of them smiled.
Cold.
"We're not here for trouble."
His eyes shifted to me.
"We're here for her."
My heart dropped.
Ruhan pulled me a step behind him.
"No," he said.
The man sighed.
"You really want to do this here?"
Ruhan didn't respond.
Instead he whispered to me.
"When I say run… run."
"What?"
"I mean it."
"But—"
"Pragati."
His voice was serious.
"I promise I'll explain everything later."
The men started walking toward us.
Slow.
Confident.
Like they already knew how this would end.
Ms. Mehra moved toward them.
Trying to block their path.
"You can't just walk in here—"
One of the men pushed past her.
That's when Ruhan said it.
"Run."
He grabbed my hand.
And suddenly we were running.
Down the corridor.
Students stared as we rushed past.
"What is happening?!" I gasped.
"Those men," he said.
"They work for the people who took your father."
My brain froze.
"My father is dead!"
"No," Ruhan said.
"He's missing."
We burst through the school exit.
Outside, the evening light hit our faces.
But the relief lasted only a second.
Because across the road—
The motorcycle from yesterday was waiting.
The rider lifted his head slowly.
And started the engine.
Ruhan stopped.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"They're faster than I thought."
"What do we do?"
For a moment he looked at me.
Then said something that made my stomach drop.
"We stop running."
"What?"
"Because if they want you…"
His eyes hardened.
"…they're going to have to go through me first."
The motorcycle roared toward us.
✨ To be continued…
Written by Pragati Priya ✨
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