Rain slammed against the rusty roof of an old warehouse. Inside, the air reeked of sweat, dust, and fear.
A flickering light swayed above a little girl tied to a chair—her face streaked with tears, her body trembling from the cold.
"Please... let me go. I'll just go home, I won't tell anyone..." the little girl cried, her small voice shaking.
"Just stay quiet, kid. Just wait for your family to pay up. Once we get the money, this is all over," one of the men said, leaning closer with a grin.
"Hey, don't scare the kid. We didn't come here to hurt anyone," the other man said sharply, his voice low but firm.
"So what?" the first man muttered, smirking. "What a waste, she's actually pretty cute. Maybe we can—"
Before he could finish, a loud smack echoed through the room.
"What the hell are you saying, are you stupid?!" the second man shouted, his face twisted with anger. "She's a child! We only need the money, get it? You don't touch her!"
The first man touched his stinging cheek, glaring.
"Tch. You're so sensitive. It was just a joke," he muttered.
"Damn you!," the other man shot back coldly. "One more word and I'll shoot you myself."
Silence filled the space, broken only by the steady roar of the rain outside. The little girl sobbed quietly, her small hands struggling weakly against the ropes.
"I want to go home..." she whispered, her voice trembling.
"Shhh... stop crying," the calmer man said, his tone softening for a moment. "This won't take long. Once we have the money, you can leave."
Minutes crawled by. The two men stepped outside to make a call, leaving the warehouse door ajar. The light flickered again. And then she heard it—footsteps. Light. Careful. Coming from behind her.
A small figure appeared from the shadows—a kid, about her age, drenched from the rain, eyes calm but sharp.
"Don't be afraid. I'm going to help you," the mysterious kid whispered.
"W-who are you?" the little girl asked.
"We don't have time. Can you run?" the kid asked urgently.
The ropes loosened with one clean slice from a small knife. The girl gasped as her wrists finally felt free.
"Let's go. Fast, before they come back," the mysterious kid said, grabbing her hand tightly.
They ran.
The rain crashed harder, drowning out the sound of their footsteps. Then—
"Dammit! The kid escaped!" one of the men shouted from a distance.
"Find her! Hurry!" the other yelled back.
The girl's heart slammed against her chest as they ran through the muddy path, the mysterious kid never letting go of her hand. And then it happened—
BANG!!
The sound exploded through the air. The mysterious kid's body jerked forward before collapsing to the ground. The girl froze, her scream trapped in her throat.
Sirens began to wail in the distance—
"Nee-noo! Nee-noo!"
Flashing red and blue lights cut through the rain. But all she could hear now was a high-pitched ringing—sharp, endless, like a broken microphone screaming inside her ears. The sound drowned out everything.
Her vision spun. White. Empty. Silent. Then... nothing.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips. She woke up.
"Ahhhh!!"
I gasped, my body jerking awake. My chest was heaving, sweat dripping down my temples. My heart was pounding like crazy—BANG!! The sound was still echoing in my head, followed by that awful high-pitched ringing that made everything feel unreal.
I pressed my palms to my ears. "Breathe, Alice... just breathe..." I whispered, trying to calm myself.
After a few minutes, my breathing slowed. The clock read 5:03 a.m. "Great. Another nightmare," I mumbled, forcing a smile even though my knees were still shaking.
To distract myself, I stood up and started my usual morning routine. I took a warm shower since there was a bathroom inside my room. The steam wrapped around me, calming my nerves. When I stepped out, I wrapped a towel around my body and faced the mirror.
"Okay, Alice... it's just a normal day," I whispered, brushing my hair and reaching for the blow-dryer from the drawer beside my bed.
I turned it on, humming softly while drying my hair. I was finally starting to relax. Then, just as I was about to drop the towel to change—
"TOTTOROTTOTTTT!!!"
A loud horn blasted through the air, followed by an overly cheerful voice.
"GOOD MORNING!! ALI—"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"OH CRAP! SORRYYYYY!!"
Bryle froze at the doorway, his eyes widening for a split second—then he immediately squeezed them shut, covering his face with both hands like his life depended on it.
"I didn't see anything! I swear! REALLY NOTHING!!" he shouted in a panic, spinning around so fast he almost tripped.
"GET OUT OF HERE, YOU PSYCHO!!!" Alice screamed while grabbing anything she could reach—a pillow, a hairbrush, and finally the blow-dryer!
WHACK! The dryer hit the door just as Bryle managed to pull it shut.
Outside, Bryle's heart was racing just as fast as hers.
"Oh my god—I didn't mean to! I didn't see anything, promise! I swear on my horn!" he whispered, still keeping his eyes tightly shut even though he was already outside the room.
Inside, Alice was shaking—her cheeks were bright red, her heart was pounding, and she felt like melting into the floor. She sat down on her bed, hugging her knees, towel still clutched tight.
"Did he see me?! Oh my gosh, please no..." she whispered in horror. She buried her face in her hands. "Why did he have to use a horn?! What kind of wake-up call is that? Huguhuhu, Mom..."
Outside, Bryle slowly peeked through one eye, making sure the door was fully closed before exhaling in relief.
"Next time... knock first, horn second. Noted," he muttered, then laughed nervously at himself.
I eased down the stairs, careful not to make a sound, and peered into the living room. Bryle was on the sofa, scrolling through his phone, looking completely calm.
I could still feel the heat on my face and the shame crawling over me like molten lava. How was I supposed to face him when my cheeks were still red? Not because I was "kilig"—but because he barged into my room without knocking. Trespassing, really.
I sat a meter away from Bryle and pulled my favorite book from my bag. It was about two friends who slowly fell in love. Could that ever happen in real life? Maybe for some people, but not for us—Bryle felt more like an older brother to me, and maybe that's how he saw me too. At least the book had a happy ending. I wished the same for Alex. Sigh.
"Alice, dear... come and eat while it's still hot," Mom called from the kitchen, breaking the silence. I put my things aside and stood up; that idiot did the same.