Several men glanced at Aedan, a young teenager, before swiftly approaching him with hostility.
Aedan calmly raised his left hand and said, "I'm not in good health and cannot handle your aggression. I'm wearing a medical monitoring watch, which will automatically send an alert if I become unconscious."
The men exchanged puzzled glances, and the first man narrowed his eyes, asking, "What are you trying to say?"
Aedan gestured to the child he was carrying on his shoulder. "I'm with this kid. Wherever you plan to restrain him, make sure you take me too."
The men appeared baffled.
It was unusual for someone to eagerly request to be kidnapped.
Could the child be mentally impaired?
Erring on the side of caution, the men produced a rope, quickly bound Aedan's hands, and took him along with the unconscious Melvin.
In silence, the minivan drove out of the park and toward the abandoned outskirts of the city.