Into the Unknown

The van jolted as it sped down the dimly lit streets, the sound of its engine a constant growl in the silence. Jane's heart raced, her mind struggling to make sense of what was happening. Her hands were bound behind her, and she could barely move. Panic rose in her chest, but she forced herself to stay calm, her breaths shallow but deliberate.

She remembered the moment they grabbed her—the rough hands pulling her into the van, the way they'd held her down as another man rifled through her belongings. Her bag had been dumped unceremoniously on the floor, and her phone was the first thing they took. She'd watched helplessly as one of them powered it off before shoving it into his pocket. There would be no calls for help. No one would even know she was gone.

The men around her were silent now, their eyes occasionally glancing her way, but they said nothing. The van's interior was suffocating—a stale, metallic scent lingered in the air, mingling with the faint smell of cheap leather. Every bump in the road sent her sliding across the hard floor, and she bit back a cry each time she collided with the cold metal walls.

Her mind raced, trying to piece together any explanation for why this was happening. Her thoughts were clouded, still reeling from the confrontation with Daniel and Henrietta. Could it be related? Did someone know? Was this revenge for something she hadn't even realized?

No. No, that didn't make sense. She wasn't important enough for anyone to go this far.

"Where are you taking me?" Jane's voice cracked, her throat dry from the fear gnawing at her.

One of the men in the front glanced back at her, his eyes cold and unreadable. "Stay quiet, and you might make it through this alive."

A chill ran down her spine at the finality of his words. Alive? What did that even mean? She opened her mouth to protest, but another voice cut her off.

"Don't waste your breath," the leader said, his voice sharp and cutting. "We're not interested in your sob story. We've got orders. You'll find out soon enough."

Orders? Who gave them orders? Her mind spun, but before she could ask anything else, the van made a sharp turn, its tires screeching on the asphalt. Jane's stomach lurched with the motion, and her head slammed against the side of the van. She bit back a curse, but the pain didn't help clear her thoughts. She had to stay alert. She couldn't let her guard down, not for a second.

Minutes, or maybe hours—time had lost all meaning—passed in tense silence, the only sounds being the van's engine and the occasional murmur between the men. Every so often, one would look back at her, their eyes filled with vague interest but no emotion. Her head throbbed, and the fear gnawing at her gut refused to ease.

Then the van began to slow, the low hum of the engine shifting as they pulled off the main road and onto a rougher path. Jane could barely make out the outline of trees in the distance. Where were they? Some isolated place? Her pulse quickened as her anxiety peaked.

The van finally came to a halt. Jane's heart skipped a beat, the silence that followed deafening in its intensity. The men didn't move immediately, and she could hear faint voices murmuring outside, too far away to make out any words.

One of the men unlocked the back of the van, and Jane instinctively braced herself, her muscles coiling in preparation for whatever came next. The doors swung open, and bright light flooded in, blinding her momentarily. She squinted, trying to adjust to the brightness.

"Get out," the leader ordered, stepping back to give her space.

Jane hesitated, the weight of the situation pressing on her chest. The air outside was cooler, the sounds of nature surrounding them. She had no idea where she was, but the unsettling quiet of the place made her skin crawl. She needed to escape. She had to find a way out before they took her any further.

The man grabbed her by the arm and yanked her out of the van, her feet stumbling over the uneven ground. He held her tightly, forcing her to move forward.

"Move," he growled, his grip tightening on her wrist as they walked toward a small, abandoned building on the edge of a clearing.

Her heart raced as they neared the door. It looked old—like it hadn't been touched in years. The kind of place that whispered of forgotten things and dark secrets.

They shoved her inside.

The door slammed shut behind them with a finality that echoed in the empty space. The room was small, sparse, with nothing but a few broken chairs and a dust-covered table. There were no windows, no way out. Only shadows and the dim glow of a single bulb hanging from the ceiling.

The leader of the group stood in front of her, his face expressionless, while the others crowded around her.

"Sit," he ordered, pointing to the table.

Jane refused to comply, but the men weren't interested in asking nicely. They shoved her toward the table, her knees scraping against the rough floor as she stumbled forward. The leader's hand shot out, steadying her roughly as she sat down.

"You'll stay here," he said coldly. "We'll be back with answers soon. You don't get to decide anything anymore."

The door slammed behind them, leaving Jane in eerie silence. Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked around, her breath quickening. She was trapped, but she wasn't going to go down without a fight. She didn't know who these men were or what they wanted with her, but she knew one thing for sure: she wouldn't just sit back and let them have their way.

Her phone was gone. No one knew where she was. But she wasn't helpless. Not yet.