The Midnight Ride
The detective looked at us for a long minute before turning away.
Just as he reached the door, he said, "There's no case to judge here. You're all criminals."
Then he left.
No questions.
No investigation.
Nothing.
That was strange. He didn't even care to ask what happened just gave his final words and walked out.
Hours passed. The night crept in.
The police station was quiet, too quiet.
Then, around midnight, a group of officers entered the cell. They wore black uniforms and masks that covered their faces.
That was strange real cops didn't wear masks.
They said nothing. They just unlocked the cell and pulled us out.
Before we could ask anything, they shoved us into a dark police van.
The doors slammed shut behind us.
We were chained like dangerous criminals wrists locked to iron bars inside the van.
The engine started, and the van rolled into the night.
It felt like forever.
Rain hit the roof, thunder echoed, but no one spoke.
After nearly an hour, we were still on the road.
No sign of a main prison anywhere.
Aura slammed her chains against the metal wall. "Hey, you damn cops! Where are you taking us? It's midnight already!" she shouted.
Awol glared at her. "You never shut up, do you? But she's right," he said, looking around. "How do we even know they're taking us to the main prison?"
Nico sat quietly in the corner. Her head was down, but her hands were moving behind her back.
A small pin glimmered between her fingers.
She was unlocking the chains.
Click.
Her cuffs came loose.
Aura turned to her, whispering loudly, "Hey, what's your deal? You had a pin this whole time? Why didn't you do that an hour ago?"
Awol hushed her. "Quiet, Aura! Let her finish before they notice!"
I — Alex watched them, anger building up.
"What the hell are you doing?" I said. "Stop that! If they catch you, they'll make things worse for all of us! You keep saying you didn't kill my father, but now you're trying to escape? Maybe you really are the killers!"
Awol snapped. "Hey, spoiled brat, you talk too much! For a rich kid, you're blind. Can't you see what's going on? These cops have been driving for over an hour. You really think this is normal?"
His words made my heart skip.
He was right.
Something about this trip didn't feel right.
The Escape
Nico worked fast.
In just a few seconds, she unlocked the chains on her hands, then the ones on her legs.
The soft click of metal breaking free echoed through the van.
Next, she turned to her brother.
"Hold still," she whispered, using the same pin to free Awol's wrists.
It took a few minutes, but finally the chains dropped with a dull sound against the floor.
Nico looked back at me and Aura.
"You two are on your own," she said coldly.
Then she sighed, glancing at Aura. "But since you're from the streets like us, I'll give you the pin. Help yourself."
Aura grabbed it quickly. "Took you long enough."
For a moment, we thought that was it that we'd just ride quietly until something changed.
But then
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. BOOM!
The whole van shook.
Metal hit metal, and suddenly the back doors exploded open with a burst of smoke.
We coughed, our eyes burning.
Through the thick smoke, a figure appeared a woman dressed in all black, wearing a mask like a ninja.
She stood tall and silent, holding a small device in one hand.
She walked straight to me, unlocked the chains on my wrists and legs, and tossed the keys to Awol.
He caught them in shock.
"Who are you?" Awol shouted, standing between her and Nico.
The woman didn't answer right away.
She just nodded and gestured for us to stay quiet.
Then, finally, she spoke.
"I'm your father's personal guard," she said, her voice calm but sharp.
I froze.
"My father's… guard?" I repeated.
She nodded again.
Up close, I could tell she was young maybe around my age. Her eyes were fierce, but her tone was careful, almost protective.
Awol crossed his arms. "Now I get it," he said sarcastically. "Your father's bodyguard is a girl. No wonder he ended up dead."
"Awol!" Nico snapped. "Shut up! We need to move. By now, the other cops or whatever they are probably know where we are."
Aura laughed. "Yeah, tell your stupid brother to stop talking before we all get caught."
The masked woman finally pulled off her mask.
Her face was young, with sharp eyes and a small scar near her cheek.
"My name is Leslie," she said. "I worked for Mr. Kin. I came to get you all out."
She climbed out of the van first. Nico, Awol, and Aura followed.
But I didn't move. I just sat there.
"I'm not going," I said quietly. "I'm not escaping with criminals. You people ruined everything."
Aura looked back and smirked. "Fine then, rich boy. Stay here and die."
They turned and ran into the darkness.
For a second, I stayed frozen. But the smoke was getting thicker, and the sound of engines roared in the distance.
If this really was a trap… I had no choice.
I jumped out of the van and ran after them.
We sprinted through the empty streets for several minutes until we reached an old, hidden subway tunnel.
That's where our real escape began.