WHO AM I

ESCAPE PLAN

“What do you mean, we need to go?” Noah asked, rising from his seat as Phillip burst into the room. His tone was firm, but Lila could hear the tension underneath it.

“There’s no time for questions,” Phillip said, looking back toward the door. “They’re coming.”

“Who?” Lila’s voice trembled despite her best efforts to sound brave.

Phillip’s eyes flickered to Kira. “Your friends.”

Kira cursed under her breath and pulled out her phone. “How did they find us so quickly? I thought we had more time.”

“Clearly not enough,” Phillip replied. “They’ll be here in less than five minutes. We have to get out of here, now.”

Jasper stood up, already scanning the room for exits. “Uh, does anyone have an actual plan? I’m all for running, but running without a plan sounds like a great way to get caught.”

Kira’s eyes darted between the group and the door. “There’s a back way. Through the loading dock, down the alley. If we move fast, we can lose them in the streets.”

“Classic chase scene,” Jasper muttered, his voice laced with sarcasm. “We’re going to be running down some alleyway while bad guys chase us. What is this, a cheap action movie?”

“Shut up, Jasper,” Cathy snapped. “This is serious.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jasper said, “but if I don’t joke about it, I might start crying.”

Noah placed a hand on Lila’s arm, his touch grounding her. “You okay?”

Lila nodded, even though her stomach was in knots. Everything was spinning out of control, and the last thing she wanted was to be caught in the middle of some dangerous chase. But she had no choice. “Let’s just get out of here.”

Kira motioned for everyone to follow her as she led the way to the back of the warehouse. Phillip stayed close behind, checking the door for any signs of their pursuers.

They reached the loading dock, where a large metal door loomed ahead. Kira punched in a code on a keypad, and the door creaked open, revealing a dark alleyway beyond.

“Go, go, go!” she urged.

They rushed through the opening one by one. The air outside was cold and sharp, and the alley smelled like wet pavement and rust. Lila’s heart raced as they ran, her feet pounding against the ground. Every shadow seemed to shift, as if someone—or something—was watching them from the darkness.

Suddenly, a loud noise echoed through the alley. Tires screeched, and headlights flashed, illuminating their path. A black SUV skidded around the corner, blocking the exit.

“They found us!” Jasper yelled, panic rising in his voice.

Before anyone could react, the door of the SUV swung open, and two men in black stepped out, guns drawn.

Kira cursed again, pulling out her own weapon. “Stay behind me!”

The sound of gunfire erupted in the alley, echoing off the walls. Lila ducked, her heart hammering in her chest. She wasn’t made for this—none of them were. They were just kids caught in a game they didn’t understand.

“What do we do now?” Cathy shouted over the noise, her face pale with fear.

Phillip grabbed Lila’s hand, pulling her behind a dumpster for cover. “We stick together and fight our way out of this.”

“Fight?” Lila’s voice cracked. “We don’t even have weapons!”

Phillip’s eyes locked onto hers, a determined look in his gaze. “I do.”

From inside his jacket, he pulled out a small, sleek pistol.

Lila’s eyes widened. “Where did you get that?”

“No time for questions,” Phillip said, his voice grim. “Just stay close.”

As they crouched behind the dumpster, the sound of the fight raged on. Lila’s breath came in quick, shallow bursts. This was real. Too real. And she wasn’t sure how much longer they could hold out.