The van was nothing more than a metal box suspended between night and hell. Inside, the air was thick with a bitter smell a mix of sweat, fear, and cold rust. A dim bulb hung from the ceiling, swinging slightly, casting shifting shadows over the scratched walls.
The children were packed tightly, backs hunched, wrists bound with ropes that bit into their already fragile skin. The Silent One curled up in a corner, feeling every vibration of the engine like a dull blow against his bones.
A heavy silence pressed down on them, almost tangible.
Only ragged breaths, sometimes broken sighs, pierced the cage.
But amidst that silence, the Silent One heard something else.
Voices, distant, barely audible, like whispers carried through the metal.
- How many we got...?
- Twenty-seven.
- Ha! The Professor's gonna be pleased...
The words never left the men's lips aloud, but in the Silent One's mind, they echoed chilling.
No one else seemed to hear them.
Lina clenched her teeth and spat out a muffled curse.
- We can't just sit here doing nothing.
She whispered.
Jem rubbed his thin arms, his eyes burned with exhaustion.
- I can't take it anymore... I'm cold, hungry... We're gonna die here.
Rash placed his heavy hand on Jem's shoulder.
- Not yet. Whoever kills me ain't born yet, hehe.
The Silent One watched them. Lina, tough and steady. Jem, grumbling but never giving up. Rash, ready for anything, protective.
The metal creaked.
A dull click the heavy door locking behind them.
The van plunged into darkness. The weak bulb's glow flickered.
A sharp snap the chains binding them clattered.
- Silence.
A harsh voice ordered, close by.
Lina froze.
- They're close.
The Silent One felt his fingers turn cold as stone.
A man passed in front of them a massive silhouette, breath heavy.
The voices returned, still inside his head.
- They're gonna kill us all...
- No way.
Jem growled.
- Fuck, we gotta get out of here.
Lina cut him off with a glance.
- Not now.
The van rocked on, tossing their battered bodies.
Time stretched out each second a nightmare.
The Silent One bit his lip, ready to spring.
But fear pinned him down, like poison.
- You're gonna die, you're gonna die.
The whisper repeated heavy, dull nailing his muscles, freezing him in place.
Around him, the metallic noise grew louder, ragged breathing, the short gasps of the men in black.
The van rumbled forward through the darkness, swallowing miles toward a place the Silent One already felt was a cage…