"I can't breathe!" His eyes stormed open, his chest heaving, and his eyes darting around his surroundings.
The first thing Ryder noticed was the piercing cold. It sunk deep into his skin, corroding his bones as if the earth itself was slowly swallowing him whole.
Like a war drum, his head pounded, the thrum matching the quick, ragged beats of his heart.
"Where am I?"
He blinked, his vision adjusting against the darkness. The damp air stank of mildew and another smell he was quite familiar with. Something metallic, blood. Recognizing this sickening stench, panic surged through him.
He tried to move, only to feel the sharp bite of coarse rope digging into his wrists. His hands were tied behind his back. So were his ankles. And from the pain he felt, he could tell he's been in this position for a long time.
The silence was broken by a muffled voice.
"Finally awake, Ryder?"
He raised his neck to see two figures slumped nearby-his best friends, Alex and Maya. Alex's pale face gleamed faintly in the dark, his breathing quick and shallow. Maya sat closer, tears streaking her dusty cheeks, but her eyes were steady.
"Where... what happened?" Ryder rasped. His throat was raw, every word scraping like sandpaper.
"You really don't remember? I guess they did really hit your head that hard," Alex whispered, glancing fearfully toward the source of distant voices. "They took us. I don't know who, but... they're talking about selling us or something."
Ryder froze, his headache amplifying as a flurry of images rushed in. He suddenly remembered it all. The events that led to his current plight.
One moment they were out running after each other in a game of tag, and the next, they're on the verge of being sold like slaves.
This wasn't real. It couldn't be.
But the coarse ropes, the stink of blood, and the faint sounds of arguing just beyond the metal door said otherwise.
"Guys, we need to get out of here fast," Maya urged, her voice shaking.
"I... got... this," Ryder groaned, struggling against the ropes until his skin burned. In the process, his fingers brushed something sharp and hard like a brick—a stone, jagged and rough.
"Wait... hold still," he whispered to Maya as he wriggled closer, forcing the ropes over the stone's edge. The fibers began to wear out, but with agonizing slowness. Every second was marked by the voices outside.
"Go take a look at those kids. A very stubborn bunch, especially the one they called Ryder or something."
"Had to hit him so hard... I'm surprised he didn't die. I guess orphans who grew up on the street are really built different."
"I don't know who the client is this time, but we're definitely going to make loads..." They laughed.
Unfortunately, one of them picked up the sudden sound of fabric rubbing against the rough floor. "Wait-did you hear something?"
"Come on. come on. please please," Ryder begged silently.
Finally, with a snap, the rope broke. He scrambled free, untied his friends, and pulled them to their feet.
Alex's voice shook as he struggled to balance his fast pacing heartbeat. "So what now?"
"What else? We run like our life depends on it" Ryder replied.
"Just wait for the right—"
Just then, the door creaked open as if the heavens were presenting them with an opportunity
"Now!" Alex screamed, as they bolted towards the entrance.
"Hey! Stop!"
Their pounding footsteps were followed by erupting shouts. The woods swallowed them whole, the towering trees casting monstrous shadows under the moonlight.
Thorns tore at Ryder's arms, but he didn't stop, his breath ragged, his heart pacing like a lighting strike.
Branches lashed at their faces as they crashed through the trees, the damp earth sucking at their shoes.
Maya and Daniel were close behind, their breathing ragged and desperate.
"Come on... Faster!" Maya urged, her lungs burning.
The kidnappers' echoed through the woods like an array of flying arrows: "Spread out! Don't let any of them get away!"
Suddenly, a loud bang tore through the night like a thunderclap.
Ryder's heart stopped as a strangled scream rang out behind him. He turned, a cold dread flooding his veins.
Alex was down.
"No, no, Alex!" Ryder stumbled back, collapsing to his knees beside Alex.
Alex's face twisted in pain as he lay sprawled on the ground.
Maya pressed her hands pressed against the growing stain of blood on his thigh. "Just hold on Alex... We'll be out soon," she said, her voice cracking, and her expression painted with an evident stream of tears waiting to burst out of her eyes
"Come on." Ryder grabbed Alex's arm, trying to lift him. "We have to move Alex. Please, hey're coming!"
"Look at him panic..." Alex's mouth curved into a weak, teasing smile. "You always came off as weak and shy to everyone... Seems you're stronger than you look, Ryder."
"Shut up!" Ryder snapped, his voice shaking. "Stop talking like that. Just get up!"
Maya knelt beside them, beginning to stream down her face as she gripped Daniel's other arm. "We can carry you-please, Daniel."
But Daniel coughed, wincing as the smile slipped. "I'm sure we all know damn well... I'll just slow you down." He looked at Ryder, the teasing gone, replaced by something soft look. The eyes of a person saying his final goodbyes. "Take her. Go."
"No! I'm not leaving you!" Ryder shouted, his voice cracking.
"Don't be stubborn!" Alex's fingers tightened weakly on his sleeve. "Just go back to being weak and run. If you don't... this'll all be for nothing, please."
Another shot rang out, closer this time. The kidnappers were coming.
"Go!" Alex barked, his voice hoarse and desperate.
Maya sobbed as Ryder seized her arm. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice trembling as they turned and ran.
The last thing he heard was Alex's defiant screaming before another shot cut the sound short.
They ran until their legs began to wobble, but the voices never stopped chasing. The woods stretched endlessly, like a dark labyrinth.
"Keep moving!" Alex gasped, pulling Maya forward. "We're almost there."
"I can't-" Maya stumbled, her ankle twisting beneath her. She collapsed with a cry of pain.
Ryder spun back, falling to his knees. "Come on!" He grabbed her arm, trying to pull her up. "They're coming-Maya, please!"
"I-I can't," she sobbed, tears streaking her dirty face. "I just can't run anymore."
"You can." Ryder's voice was desperate, shaking. "You have to. I know it seems like we've been running for forever, but we're almost out, I promise..."
Flashlights flickered through the trees, voices jeering and laughing. "I found them!"
"Shit," He grabbed Maya again, but she didn't budge.
Her eyes met his, wide and terrified, but she forced a trembling smile. The same look Ryder had gotten from Alex moments ago. "You have to go, Ryder."
"I'm not leaving you, Maya."
"You have to." Her voice broke. "Please. Don't let us all die for nothing."
He stared at her, chest heaving, his limbs trembling. Another gunshot split the air, closer this time.
"I'll come back for you," he choked out, even though he knew it was a lie. "I'll find you, Maya, I promise.
"I'll hold you on that promise," Maya smiled, nodding once. "Thank you. Thanks for letting me know what having a family feels like."
Clenching his teeth, Ryder forced himself to his feet. Tears flowed from his eyes as he charged forward. He didn't look back-not until the flashlights stopped moving and a final scream echoed through the night.
Finally, he saw it. The edge of the woods loomed ahead-light spilling through gaps in the trees. His chest burned with every breath, his vision blurring with exhaustion and tears.
"I'm almost there. I'm almost there," he gasped for air.
He burst into the clearing, stumbling forward, the glow of streetlights blinding him.
Then suddenly he felt a sharp pain run through his veins. Like needles had been set free to roam around in them.
The shot slammed into his back. Before his eyes, Ryder's world shattered. He hit the ground hard, dirt and blood filling his mouth as pain ripped through him like fire.
Somewhere behind him, voices broke into panicked shouts
Somewhere behind him, voices broke into panicked shouts.
"Why the hell did you shoot him?!"
"We weren't supposed to kill that one!"
His blood like a crimson lake, forming a pool around him. His vision blurred, and his ears rang with a deafening silence, broken only by the sound of his labored breathing.
The world began to fade. The shouting grew faint, their words smearing together into noise. Ryder's fingers twitched weakly against the dirt, reaching for something- anything.
He stretched his hand like he was reaching for hope itself. "What a drag... I was so darn close."
Darkness rushed in, cold and endless, as a single thought echoed in his mind.
"Someone... Please... Anyone.."