Finn watched the view outside the window change bit by bit.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjyQSuXvnf
The familiar streets slowly gave way to overgrown weeds and abandoned buildings. Houses grew sparse, and the streetlights thinned out one by one.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdGD578p7m
His fingers gripped the strap of his backpack tightly, a strange unease creeping into his chest.
He kind of wanted to cry. Really, he did.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3m5zsWzQ44
But—he couldn’t.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvMnhgg3RR
If he cried, Judy would get even more scared. She was already a crybaby. And then the other kids might start crying too.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMbWlP2z9J
And worst of all, the bad guys would notice he was shaking.
So he lowered his head, wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and bit his lip, forcing himself to stay quiet.
Just then, a sudden sob came from the front.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIlZBAIgfi
It was Judy.
Her sobs burst like a punctured balloon—louder and louder, spiraling out of control, as if she was about to leap out of her seat.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oV4jJhixW
Finn lifted his head.
One of the bad men stood up, face twisted with anger, and shouted, “Shut up!”
His voice rumbled through the bus like thunder.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfa5lvVxA5
Judy cried even harder, kicking the seat, shaking her head, screaming, “No no no no—I don’t want to—I don’t want to—!”
The air inside the vehicle tensed instantly, like someone had grabbed it by the throat.
Then—12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmwWAYxRO2
Ms. Nora’s voice rang out from the front. Calm and steady.
“Let me calm her down,” she said. “That way, the other kids won’t panic.”
Her tone wasn’t quite a request. It was more like a condition.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGm2XWA1Px
She didn’t wait for their response—she was already walking toward them.
Finn watched Ms. Nora scoop Judy into her arms.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOuJGcd99M
Her gaze swept across the bus, pausing briefly on Finn—like she was checking something.
“Be good, everyone,” she said softly. “Don’t be scared. You’ll all get home safe.”
Her voice didn’t sound like someone comforting children.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9Sc0ZuYQZ
It sounded more like a command—telling them to believe in her.
Finn wasn’t sure what expression Ms. Nora wore.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCo2UhSxLIm
He didn’t even know if she was scared right now.
But her presence, just being close, did ease his fear a little.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpvAztiHYu
He buried his face in his backpack like a little soldier trying to hold his ground.
12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHkVS9xTCb
12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPcUdkzzQn
It was already dark outside.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn57khJI5jO
The entire sky looked like it had been brushed with ink—no stars, no moon.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbQVVS7Vka
Strangely, there were no lights. Not even one streetlamp.
Only the silhouettes of tall grass swayed in the wind beyond the window, like ghostly hands moving in silence.
The vehicle finally stopped.
But that didn’t make Finn feel any safer.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXRGnk3L0q
He knew this wasn’t a normal stop.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoq594qh8sX
This wasn’t the museum.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3WFHyGC7k
This wasn’t snack break.
This was the kind of stop that bad men chose on their own.
And with the engine cut, the inside of the vehicle became even quieter.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUy2E3yDrwF
Without the hum of the motor, even the smallest sounds felt razor sharp.
He heard a door open.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbieAZPKVYX
The bad men got out.
Someone spoke. A low male voice.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuct4JBGMWL
Slow. Heavy. Each word like a block of ice.
“...Take them all? That’s too much trouble...”12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5K063xWqeh
“No cameras here. We’ll split them up first...”12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3GXDsdFp5
“Or... just pick a few...”
Then came the click of a lighter.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5TuZ1WJNC
The sound of someone taking a long drag.
The smell of cigarette smoke drifted in through a cracked-open window.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQd0LLfBhS0
It was so sharp, Finn instinctively wrinkled his nose.
He knew that smell.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEU7u1T0vPy
His dad used to smoke. Quit after meeting Mom.
Finn didn’t like that smell.
Soon, the door opened again.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxfZF77p3Y
They were back.
“Get out,” someone ordered.
Two teachers were called.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6EL9wezIh
Finn saw one of them—someone he wasn’t close to—visibly shaking.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOVPRlfrB0
Her face looked as pale as paper. Her eyes darted everywhere.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbonTBWQo6K
She accidentally kicked the leg of a seat, making a soft thud.
Ms. Nora, on the other hand, said nothing.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6N5MaKyLlE
She gently placed Judy back into her seat and patted her head.
It was a quiet, steady kind of goodbye.
Then she turned and walked toward the door—without hesitation.
Finn watched her back until she disappeared out the door.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cHR738zjl
His stomach twisted into knots.
That was the moment he truly realized—12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQyid1zR5x
He was afraid.
He had never been this scared.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZWOhv7EKT
His whole body trembling. His teeth biting down hard on his lip.
This was the first time in his life he truly understood what fear felt like.
12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUfMDdL0co
12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXCfsyHNuP
After the two teachers stepped outside, Finn held his breath and focused all his attention on his ears.
He knew—right now—every sound might be crucial.
But outside… it was too quiet.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyS5sAwRG96
Not like nighttime.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8FGkYMsDU
Not like the countryside.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CXVnvvrZH
This was the kind of silence that made your skin crawl.
Judy started crying again.
Soft, trembling sobs—like a small animal on the verge of breaking down.
The sound splintered Finn’s focus.
He knew she was scared.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dYZeUYt12
He was scared too.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0GTALwvtH
But this wasn’t the time for noise.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2k3766VBb
It was too dangerous.
Then—
A piercing scream ripped through the air outside.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRZb0YJDzk
A girl’s voice, shrill and sudden, like something had torn her apart.
All the kids flinched.
Then—gunfire.
Not just one shot.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eIi57lKoa
Multiple.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbnxguKb1C
Rapid.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDQEdfHySA
Without hesitation.
Bang! Bang bang bang—!
The sound of chaos erupted.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKVkUC2y4f
Rough shouting.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuQvJfHzcL
Heavy footsteps.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkA0O0cF2mZ
The sounds of a fight breaking out in the dark.
Finn clutched his backpack tight, pressing his ear to the edge of the seat.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vx5ArSnBy
He didn’t dare move.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡroVJGOjiRs
None of the kids dared to move.
Even Judy’s sobs stopped—cut off mid-breath.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCs6FlGXnj
Only her faint hitching breaths remained.
Then—12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gtQhD3AES
Silence.
Absolute silence.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FfgCouuHS
Not a single sound.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVzn9fo25V
Time itself felt frozen.
Every child stared at the door.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2WcGRmfl8
The air inside the bus felt like it had crystallized—12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YOhXpXBIb
No movement.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsbMJXFB0l
No vibration.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0gOuU6Mh6
No sound.
Until—
The door opened.
12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQmaDSuzLo
and then Add to home screen.