People I once knew commented beneath them. Old classmates. Distant relatives. Faces I recognized, all nodding along to the lie like it was gospel.
I tried to explain.
My hands shook so badly I mistyped every sentence. I rewrote it. Send it but my comment vanished.
Deleted.
I tried again.
Gone.
Again.
Erased.
My chest tightened. I could not breathe. Then the driver’s voice cut through my spiral, sharp with fear.
“Madam.”
I looked up. He gripped the wheel hard, knuckles white.
“There’s a car following us.”
My stomach dropped. I turned, heart pounding, and looked through the rearview mirror.
One car.
Then two.
Then more.
They appeared like shadows spilling onto the road, surrounding us slowly, deliberately.
“No plates! At least ten. They’re speeding up.”
I saw iron bars glint in the sunlight. Arms hanging out of windows. Faces hidden under caps and cloth.
My blood turned cold.
Ryle stirred, crying weakly. I pulled him closer, shielding his face with my body as if flesh alone could stop metal. I grabbed my phone and dialed David.
Once.
Twice.
No answer. The cars closed in.
The driver swerved, sweat pouring down his face.
“They’re blocking the front,” he shouted. “Madam, hold on!”
Then it happened.