Adina's POV

The engine hummed a low, constant note as the world outside the car became a blur of green and brown. The familiar dirt roads gave way to an unfamiliar highway and a knot of dread, cold and tight, began to form in my stomach. Mr. Johnson, the man who had just saved me, was a silent, unreadable presence beside me. I looked at him, my heart pounding with a mixture of fear and gratitude.

"Miss Adina," he began, his voice a quiet, curious whisper. "What's going on? Who were those ...