The next day felt longer than any day Lena had ever experienced.
Every minute dragged slowly.
She kept thinking about the message.
Follow Ryan.
What could he possibly be hiding?
At the bookstore, Ryan acted completely normal.
He joked with her.
Asked about books.
Even brought her a cup of coffee in the afternoon.
"Thought you might need this," he said with a smile.
Lena forced a small smile back.
"Thanks."
But inside, her thoughts were restless.
Is he really dangerous?
She watched him carefully throughout the day.
But nothing seemed strange.
Ryan looked like an ordinary person.
Maybe the messages were wrong.
Maybe the future version of her misunderstood something.
But when evening arrived, Lena made a decision.
She had to know the truth.
That night, the city was quiet.
Lena stood across the street from Ryan's apartment building.
Her heart was beating fast.
"What am I doing…" she whispered.
She felt like a spy in some strange movie.
Just then—
The building door opened.
Ryan walked out.
He was wearing a dark jacket and looking around quickly.
Lena quickly stepped behind a parked car so he wouldn't see her.
Ryan started walking down the street.
Lena followed him slowly, keeping her distance.
The night air felt cold against her skin.
Ryan kept walking for nearly twenty minutes.
Through quiet streets.
Past closed shops.
Finally, he stopped in front of an old building.
It looked abandoned.
Broken windows.
Faded walls.
Lena frowned.
"Why would he come here?"
Ryan looked around carefully.
Then he walked inside.
Lena's heart pounded.
For a moment she thought about going home.
But the messages echoed again in her mind.
You will see the truth.
Taking a deep breath, she quietly followed him.
Inside, the building was dark.
The only light came from a weak lamp in the hallway.
Ryan walked down the stairs toward the basement.
Lena slowly crept behind him.
Her footsteps were almost silent.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs—
She froze.
Ryan was standing in the middle of the basement.
But he wasn't alone.
Two other men were there.
They looked rough and dangerous.
One of them handed Ryan a black bag.
Lena's heart began racing.
"What is this…?"
She moved slightly closer to hear them.
One of the men spoke.
"Everything is inside."
Ryan nodded calmly.
"Good."
His voice sounded different.
Colder.
More serious than Lena had ever heard before.
The second man laughed.
"You're lucky we trust you, Ryan."
Ryan opened the bag slightly.
Inside—
Lena saw stacks of money.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Money…?"
The man continued speaking.
"Once this job is done, you'll get the rest."
Ryan closed the bag.
"Fine."
Then he said something that made Lena's blood run cold.
"This time, I won't make the same mistake."
Lena's heart nearly stopped.
The same mistake?
Before she could think further—
Her phone vibrated suddenly in her pocket.
DING.
The sound echoed loudly in the silent basement.
Ryan's head turned instantly toward the stairs.
His eyes narrowed.
Lena froze in fear.
She slowly looked at her phone.
A new message had arrived.
RUN.