Zara sat in the back of the big black car. Her tears were still falling because she was in total shock. Just a few minutes ago, she had been standing next to Henry. They were safe. They were together. But now, everything was different. Henry was tied up and locked in the dark trunk of his own car.
Zara could still see the look of fear in Henry's eyes. That memory kept replaying in her mind like a scary movie that wouldn't stop. Her hands shook in her lap. Her breath came out in short, fast gasps.
The man sitting next to her didn't move. He kept his gun pointed right at her. He didn't speak, and he didn't even look at her. He just stared straight ahead as if kidnapping someone was a normal, everyday job. His silence made Zara even more terrified. Her heart was beating so fast that she felt like it might burst out of her chest. Her hair was a mess, and her face was stained with tears.
She looked at the man beside her and whispered, "Where are you taking me?"
He did not answer. He didn't even blink.
She turned to the man in the front seat. "Please... please let me go. I haven't done anything to you."
The man in the front looked at her for one second. His eyes were mean. "Keep quiet," he said.
Zara froze. She didn't dare to speak again. She felt the cold metal of the gun against her side. She shut her eyes tight, trying to stop her brain from thinking, but she couldn't. She felt her chest get tighter and tighter with fear.
After a few more minutes, she found a tiny bit of courage. She whispered again, her voice sounding small and weak. "Please tell me. Why are you taking me?"
This time, the man beside her turned his head very slowly. She couldn't see his face because of the black mask, but his eyes were cold and empty.
"You will know soon enough," he said.
Zara felt her stomach twist into a knot. Fear rose up inside her like a giant wave. She bit her lip so hard it almost bled just to stop herself from crying out loud. She pressed her back against the seat, wishing she could just disappear. She wished this night would end. She wished Henry would suddenly appear and save her. But she knew Henry was trapped and helpless.
The car turned sharply onto a very narrow road. There were thick trees on both sides. There were no streetlights here. There was only darkness. It felt like they were driving to a place that was completely off the map.
Zara whispered softly, "Please, God. Help me."
The driver laughed a little. It was a cruel, mean sound. "God doesn't come to places like this," he said.
Zara felt her heart shrink. She looked out the window, but the trees passed by like blurry ghosts. She whispered, "Who sent you? Why did you pick me?"
The man only said, "Stay quiet. You will see."
The other man in the front suddenly spoke in a chilly voice. "The boss will be happy. She looks exactly how he wanted."
Zara felt like her heart had fallen out of her chest. Her fingers shook as she grabbed the edge of the seat. "Who is the boss? Why does he want me?" she asked with wide, scared eyes.
No one answered her. They treated her like she wasn't even there.
The car sped up, going faster and deeper into the dark woods. The wind outside whistled, and the night felt like it would never end. Zara tried to hide her fear, but her body wouldn't stop shaking. Her voice had no power here. Her tears meant nothing to these men.
She leaned her head against the cold glass window and prayed silently. The car kept moving, deeper and deeper into the night. Minutes passed. Then an hour. Then maybe two. Zara lost track of time. Her legs felt weak, and her mind was exhausted. Finally, the car slowed down.
They had reached a place that looked very old and very lonely. It was far away from any city lights. In front of them were tall gates made of rusty iron. The iron bars were bent and twisted, looking like giant, broken fingers reaching for the sky. There were wire fences all around the land, but the wires were snapped and hanging down.
Inside the gates stood a huge, scary building. It looked like an old warehouse where people used to keep boxes, but now it was empty and falling apart. It was completely silent. There were no people, no cars, and no lights in the windows. Nothing looked alive in that dark place.
The car stopped right in front of the warehouse. The engine turned off, and the silence felt very heavy and scary. Before Zara could even think of a plan to run, one of the masked men opened her door. He grabbed her arm with a very strong hand and pulled her out of the car.
Zara's legs were shaking so much that she almost fell onto the dusty ground. Her knees felt like they were made of jelly.
"Walk," the man said. His voice was flat. He didn't sound angry, but he didn't sound kind either. He sounded like a robot.
Zara forced her legs to move. She had no choice. The cold night air hit her skin like ice, making her shiver. Her hands were freezing, and her throat felt as dry as sand. She looked around one last time, hoping to see a police car or even a stranger, but there was nobody. It was just her and the men in masks.
They walked to a heavy metal door. It was covered in rust and dirt. The men pushed it open with a loud creeeak. The sound echoed through the quiet night. They pulled Zara inside.
Inside, the building was even scarier. There were a few lightbulbs on the ceiling, but they were dim and flickering. The air smelled terrible. It smelled like wet wood, old dust, and rotting paint. It felt like no one had stepped inside for a hundred years.
The men took her down a long, silent hallway. There was no carpet, just hard, cold concrete. Their footsteps made loud click-clack sounds that bounced off the walls. Zara's heart beat louder and faster with every step. She felt like she was walking right into a spider's web.
Finally, the men stopped at a small wooden door at the very end of the hallway. One of the men reached out and turned the handle.
Inside was a very small room. It was not a comfortable room at all. There was a single bed with a very thin mattress. There was one old wooden chair and a small, wobbly table. The blue paint on the walls was peeling off in big strips, showing the grey stone underneath.
The room was cold, dirty, and very lonely. Zara looked around quickly, but her heart sank. There was no window. There was no way to see the sky and no way to climb out.
Before Zara could say a word, one of the men gave her a hard push. Zara stumbled forward. She couldn't keep her balance and fell onto her knees. Her hands touched the cold, dusty floor. She tried to take a deep breath to calm herself down, but her breath kept breaking into little sobs.
Then, she heard a sound.
It was a very small sound, but in that quiet room, it felt as loud as thunder. It was the sound of a chair moving across the floor. Screeech.
Zara gasped loudly. She jumped and turned her head fast toward the corner of the room. She thought she was alone, but she was wrong.
Someone was sitting there in the shadows.
It was a boy. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He was watching her very quietly, not saying a word. In the dim light, Zara could see him better. His hair was messy, sticking up in different directions. There were dark circles under his eyes. He looked like someone who had not slept in a very long time.
He did not move. He just breathed slowly, watching Zara struggle on the floor.
Zara blinked her eyes. She thought she was seeing a ghost. She thought her mind was playing a trick on her because she was so scared and tired. Her heart thumped against her ribs like a trapped bird. She looked at his face very carefully. She looked at his nose, his eyes, and his jaw.
Suddenly, everything inside her froze. Her blood felt like it turned to ice. Zara recognized him at once. She could never forget that face.
He was Romeo.
He was the same boy she had met on the roadside that night. He was the boy who had been playing the guitar on the footpath, singing songs to the wind. Most importantly, he was the father of the baby she was carrying right now.
Zara felt her whole body go numb. She couldn't breathe for a moment. Her heart dropped deep into her chest. She felt like the floor was falling away from under her. Finally, she found her voice. It was soft, shaking, and full of pain.
"You," she whispered. She could barely get the word out. "Why are you here? What is happening? Did these men hurt you, too? Are you a prisoner, too?"
Romeo lifted his head just a little bit. He looked right into her eyes. His voice was low and heavy. It was not the kind, sweet voice she remembered from the roadside. It was cold.
"I am the one who brought you here," he said.
Zara's eyes went wide. She couldn't believe it. The boy who played music, the boy she thought was a poor soul on the street, was the one who had kidnapped her. He wasn't a victim. He was the one in charge.
Everything had changed in a single second. Zara had thought she was being chased by her old enemy, Aiden, but the real danger was someone she never expected. She was trapped in a room with a boy who was a stranger and the father of her child at the same time. Zara had no idea what was going to happen next, but she knew her nightmare was far from over.
Zara is trapped! Romeo is not who she thought he was! What does he want from her? And what about Henry? To know what happens next, keep listening to the next episode of THIS STORY!