"Don't let them take you."
Those were the last words she heard before everything exploded into chaos.
"Run!" he shouted.
Amaka didn't think.
She moved.
Her legs pushed forward as fast as they could carry her, her breath coming in sharp, uneven bursts.
Behind them—
Footsteps.
Many.
Too many.
---
"Faster!" he barked, pulling her along.
"I'm trying!" she gasped.
Her chest burned.
Her lungs screamed.
But she didn't stop.
She couldn't.
---
The night swallowed them as they ran.
Darkness stretched in every direction, broken only by faint streetlights flickering in the distance.
Amaka's foot caught on something—
She stumbled.
"Ah—!"
Before she could hit the ground, his grip tightened, yanking her back up.
"Stay up!" he snapped.
"I can't—"
"You CAN!"
---
A sharp sound cut through the air behind them.
Footsteps—
Closer.
Closer.
---
"They're gaining!" she cried.
"I know!"
His voice was tight now.
Controlled—but barely.
---
They turned sharply into a narrow path between buildings.
The air felt tighter there.
Heavier.
Trapping.
---
"Where are we going?!" Amaka asked, panic rising in her voice.
"Anywhere but here!"
---
Another turn.
Another sprint.
Her legs felt like they were giving out.
"I can't keep this up…" she whispered.
"You don't have a choice!"
---
Suddenly—
He stopped.
So abruptly that Amaka nearly crashed into him.
"What—why did we stop?!" she gasped.
He turned.
Eyes scanning behind them.
Calculating.
---
Then—
He pulled her toward a metal gate.
Locked.
---
"Wait—" she started.
But he didn't hesitate.
He climbed.
Fast.
Effortless.
Then reached down.
"Give me your hand."
---
Amaka hesitated for half a second.
Then grabbed it.
He pulled her up.
Her body scraped against the cold metal as she struggled over.
Her foot slipped—
"Hold on!" he said sharply.
She did.
Barely.
---
They dropped to the other side.
Hard.
Amaka winced as pain shot through her ankle.
"I think I—"
"No time," he cut in. "Move."
---
They ran again.
But slower now.
More cautious.
Listening.
---
The footsteps behind them faded.
Then—
Stopped.
---
Amaka slowed.
Her chest heaving.
"They… stopped…"
He didn't relax.
Not even a little.
"That's worse," he muttered.
Her heart skipped.
"What do you mean worse?"
"It means they're not chasing blindly anymore."
---
A cold realization settled in her stomach.
"They're… thinking."
"Yes."
---
Silence fell between them.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
---
"Who are they?" she asked again.
Her voice was quieter now.
Shaken.
"I told you—"
"I need to know!" she snapped.
---
He turned to her.
Frustration flashing in his eyes.
"You think knowing will help you?!" he said.
"Yes!"
"No, it won't!"
---
She stared at him.
Breathing hard.
Eyes wide.
"Then why are they after me?" she demanded.
---
That question hit.
Hard.
---
This time—
He didn't answer immediately.
And that scared her more than anything.
---
"…You were never supposed to get involved," he said finally.
Her stomach dropped.
"What does that mean?"
"It means," he continued slowly, "this was planned long before you noticed anything."
---
Her mind raced.
"No… no, that's not possible…"
"Everything about this is possible," he said.
---
Amaka shook her head.
"This doesn't make sense… I'm just—"
"—just a normal girl?" he finished.
She went quiet.
---
His gaze softened.
Just a little.
"That's what you think."
---
Before she could respond—
A sound.
Close.
Too close.
---
Both of them froze.
---
A shadow moved at the corner of the street.
Then another.
---
Her breath hitched.
"They found us…"
---
"Stay behind me," he said quickly.
His tone changed again.
Sharp.
Protective.
---
Amaka stepped back instinctively.
Her heart pounding louder than ever.
---
The figures stepped into the faint light.
One.
Two.
Three.
---
Her stomach twisted.
"No…"
---
They weren't rushing this time.
They walked.
Slow.
Confident.
Like they knew there was nowhere left to run.
---
"End of the road," one of them said calmly.
---
Amaka's fingers trembled.
Her legs felt weak.
Trapped.
---
Beside her—
The "friend" shifted slightly.
Positioning himself between her and them.
---
"Stay close," he whispered.
---
Her throat tightened.
"What are you going to do…?"
---
He didn't answer.
But she saw it.
In his stance.
In his eyes.
---
He wasn't planning to run anymore.
---
One of the men stepped forward.
"You've caused enough trouble," he said.
---
Amaka's voice came out barely above a whisper.
"I don't even know what I did…"
---
A pause.
Then—
A cold smile.
---
"That's exactly the problem."
---
Her breath stopped.
---
Before she could react—
The man moved.
Fast.
---
"Move!" he shouted.
---
Everything blurred.
---
Amaka felt herself being pulled again—
Hard—
As chaos exploded around her.
---
And in that moment—
She realized something terrifying.
---
This wasn't just about escape anymore.
---
This was a hunt.
---
And she—
Was the target.