I hurried out of the house, my heart racing and panic coursing through my veins. The streets around me blurred into a whirlwind of indistinct shapes and colors as I frantically searched for a taxi that would whisk me to the address that felt like a ticking clock, counting down the precious minutes. Those maniacs—whoever they were—had given me a chilling ultimatum: thirty-five minutes to reach them, or I would lose my family forever.
With trembling hands and a mind clouded by anxiety, I pulled open the door of the nearest taxi. The driver eyed me curiously, but I barely registered his expression as I sank into the back seat, my thoughts swirling in a tempest of dread. I bit my lower lip hard enough to taste blood, fidgeting with my fingers in a desperate attempt to calm my frayed nerves. Each scenario played out in my mind felt like a nightmare; what if something terrible happened to my mother and little brother? What if I never got to see them again?
