After the masked men took Zara away, Henry was left all alone in the dark. He was trapped in the trunk of his own car. He could hardly believe what had just happened. Only a few minutes ago, he had been sitting in the driver's seat. He had been looking at Zara, trying to calm her down. He had told her that everything would be alright. He had promised her that they would be safe.
But he had been wrong.
Suddenly, those masked men had appeared out of the shadows. Their voices were loud, harsh, and very rough. They moved so quickly that Henry didn't have time to react. They were violent and scary. Before Henry could even understand what was going on, the men had dragged Zara out of the car. She had screamed for help. She had fought with all her might. She had tried to resist them, but they were too strong. They pushed her into a big black vehicle and drove away into the night, holding guns in their hands.
The whole terrifying event had happened right in front of Henry's eyes. He had tried to fight back. He had tried to protect Zara like a hero. But there were too many of them. They had overpowered him and thrown him to the ground. They tied his hands and legs so tightly that the ropes bit into his skin. Then, they shoved him into the small, cramped trunk of his own car. They even put tape over his mouth so he could not shout for help.
Darkness had surrounded him immediately. For a few seconds, Henry felt completely lost. He was paralyzed with shock and fear. The air in the trunk felt thin, and the metal walls felt like they were closing in on him.
Now, after a few moments of shock, Henry started to fight. He couldn't just lie there. He knew Zara was in trouble, and he was the only one who could help her. His hands were tied, his legs were tied, and the trunk felt like a metal prison. His heart beat faster and faster with every second. He tried to shout, but the cloth over his mouth made his voice sound like a tiny, weak squeak.
Henry pushed his shoulders upward. He tried to hit the roof of the trunk with his back. But there was barely any space to move. His strength alone was not enough to break the lock. His whole body shook with fear and frustration. He closed his eyes for a second, and Zara's terrified face appeared in his mind. He saw her wide eyes. He saw the tears on her cheeks as those men dragged her away.
That memory made Henry's chest tighten with a painful squeeze.
"No… she is in danger," he thought to himself. "I cannot stay here. I cannot give up. I have to get out. I have to save her!"
He twisted his wrists again and again. He tried to loosen the rough, scratchy rope. The fibers cut into his skin, making his wrists burn with pain, but he refused to stop. He lifted his tied legs and kicked the hard metal side of the trunk.
His heel hit the metal hard, but the trunk stayed closed. He kicked again, even harder this time. The whole car shook, but the lock remained firm. Sweat rolled down Henry's forehead and into his eyes. His breathing grew fast and shallow. For a moment, he felt helpless, like there was no way out of this dark box.
But he refused to give up. He thought of Zara. His fingers pushed against the rope once more. Slowly, he felt the rope loosen just a little bit. It was still very tight, but a tiny gap had appeared. Henry gathered all the strength in his body. He ignored the burning pain in his wrists. He twisted his hand one more time and pulled with everything he had.
Finally, with one strong movement, his right hand slipped free.
Henry gasped loudly behind the cloth. Tears of relief formed in his eyes, but he ignored them. He quickly reached up and pulled the tape from his mouth. He took a deep, shaky breath of the dusty air. His throat burned, and he coughed hard, but he kept moving.
"Come on… move… move…" he whispered to himself. His voice was trembling, but he was determined.
His free hand moved quickly to untie the ropes around his legs. His fingers were shaking violently from the adrenaline, but he didn't quit. Slowly, he loosened the knot. Step by step, the ropes fell away. Finally, he pulled them off his ankles. He was no longer tied up.
Henry climbed around in the small space, gasping for air. His whole body ached from the struggle. Every muscle felt tight and sore. But he was free from the ropes. Now, he just had to get out of the car.
He pressed his palms against the roof of the trunk and pushed. He pushed until his arms shook, but the lock did not move. He kicked the trunk from the inside again. Still, nothing happened.
Then, he noticed something. There was a very thin line of light in one corner. The trunk was not fully sealed! Henry quickly turned his body and pushed his shoulders toward that corner. He kicked the metal roof right where the light was coming in. This time, the metal bent slightly.
He kicked again, harder. His legs hurt, but he refused to stop. He thought of Zara's scream.
On the fourth kick, the metal bent even more. A small rush of fresh, cool air entered the trunk. Henry pushed his hand through the opening, grabbed the sharp edge of the metal, and pulled with all his might.
Slowly, the trunk lid popped open. The night air hit his face. Henry climbed out and landed on the hard asphalt road. His legs felt weak like jelly, and he almost fell. The car was empty. The road was silent. The kidnappers were long gone with Zara.
He looked around desperately. The road was dark, and he had no idea which way they had gone. But he knew he couldn't waste a single second. He ran to the driver's side, found the keys the kidnappers had dropped on the ground, and jumped into the seat. He started the engine. His hands were shaking uncontrollably on the steering wheel. His eyes burned with fear and anger.
"I am coming, Zara," he whispered. "I will not let anything happen to you. I promise."
Without thinking twice, Henry drove off as fast as the car would go. He was ready to do anything to find her.
Soon, Henry reached the big building of the New York City Police Department. His legs felt weak, but he forced himself to run inside the glass doors. His shirt was dusty and torn. His hair was a mess. He looked so scared and wild that he was almost unrecognizable.
The lobby was large, cold, and very noisy. Phones were ringing everywhere. Officers were typing on computers, and people were walking in and out. Some looked bored, and some looked worried. Henry ran straight to the long front desk.
A tall officer looked up at him. His name tag said Officer Clark. "Sir, slow down. Take a breath. What's the problem?" he asked in a calm, slow voice.
Henry's throat was dry and scratchy, but he grabbed the edge of the counter. "A girl… a girl has been kidnapped! Just now! They took her right out of my car! Please, you have to help me!"
Officer Clark frowned. "Kidnapped? Where? Tell me slowly, sir."
Henry's voice was shaking. "Near the old bridge road. They blocked my car with their vehicle. They had guns! They dragged her out. They tied me up and threw me in the trunk. I just escaped. You have to do something! She is in big danger!"
A younger officer sitting at a computer nearby, Officer Ramirez, raised an eyebrow. "Do you know the car's license plate number?"
Henry shook his head quickly. "No! It was dark! They wore masks! It all happened too fast! Please! You must send someone to help her!"
Officer Ramirez sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Sir, without a car number, we cannot track them. There are millions of cars in New York. You understand that, right? We can't just go looking for a 'black car.'"
Henry felt his heart drop into his stomach. "At least tell your patrols to look for her! She is missing! She is terrified! You cannot just sit there and do nothing!"
Officer Clark's voice stayed calm, which made Henry even angrier. "Sir, we get hundreds of calls every hour. We cannot treat every case as a giant emergency without proper information. We need facts."
Henry stood at the counter, breathing fast. The officers were looking at him like he was just a crazy person wasting their time. His hands trembled with anger.
"Sir, calm down," Officer Clark said. "We are doing our work. Don't shout in here."
Henry shook his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How can I calm down? A girl is kidnapped! A person is gone! You need to do something right now. Please, send a team. She is in danger!"
The officers looked at each other and looked annoyed.
"Look, man," one officer said, leaning back. "If you don't have a car number, no clear description of the men, and no video, then what do you want us to do? Magic?"
Henry felt something inside him snap. The fear and the stress finally boiled over.
"Magic? You think this is a joke?" he shouted. His voice echoed off the high ceiling. "She was taken at gunpoint! I saw it! I was tied up in a trunk! And you are telling me to relax and wait for facts?"
"Lower your voice," another officer warned him, standing up. "This is the police department. Show some respect."
Henry was so angry he couldn't control himself. He slammed his fist down on the wooden counter. BANG! "Respect? You aren't even trying! You are just sitting here doing nothing while she is scared and alone!"
The officer walked around the counter. His face was serious and mean now. "Sir, I am warning you. Step back right now."
But Henry did not step back. He was thinking of Zara in that black car. He was thinking of her crying.
He reached out and grabbed the officer's collar. "Help me! She will die if you don't move!"
In a split second, three other police officers rushed toward him.
"Get off him!" one yelled.
Henry was too angry and scared to think straight. He tried to push them away. He wanted them to listen! One officer grabbed his arm and twisted it. Henry pulled back. Another officer caught his shoulder. Henry twisted and shouted, "Let go of me! Help her!"
One officer forced Henry's hands behind his back. "Stop resisting!"
Henry kept struggling, trying to break free. "Please! You don't understand! She's all alone!"
Before he could finish his sentence, the officers pushed him down onto the hard floor. His cheek hit the cold, dirty tiles. One officer pressed a knee into Henry's back. Another pulled his wrists together and—CLICK—snapped metal handcuffs on him.
Henry cried out, "I am not a criminal! I am trying to save a girl!"
But the officers did not care. One of them said in a very strict voice, "You assaulted a police officer. You are under arrest."
They pulled Henry up by his arms and dragged him toward the back of the station. They walked past desks and offices until they reached the holding cells.
Henry's vision was blurry with hot tears of anger and fear. As the heavy metal door opened, he screamed one last time, "She is out there alone! Why won't you listen? Please!"
The officers pushed him inside the small cell. The heavy door clanged shut with a loud, final sound. CLANG!
Henry grabbed the cold iron bars with his handcuffed hands. His voice cracked as he spoke to the empty hallway. "Zara... I am so sorry... I am trying. I am trying so hard."
Outside, the officers walked away, shaking their heads and talking about how "crazy" the man was. Henry stood all alone in the cold, dark cell. His hands were trembling, and his heart was breaking. He felt trapped all over again, but this time, the walls were made of real iron bars.
And out there, somewhere in the dark city, Zara was still missing.
Henry is in jail! The police won't help him! Who will save Zara now? Is she safe with Romeo, or is he even more dangerous than the masked men?
The night is long, and the secrets are just beginning to come out. Don't miss the next part of the story to see if Henry can escape and find his way back to Zara!