"Hey you!"
The voice cut through the air sharply, stopping Mike in his tracks.
He froze.
For a brief second, he considered ignoring it.
Maybe it wasn't meant for him.
Maybe if he just kept walking—
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"
This time, there was no doubt.
It was him.
Slowly, Mike turned.
His heart had already begun to beat faster, though he didn't fully understand why.
A man was walking toward him.
Middle-aged.
Solid build.
His face carried the kind of expression that didn't ask questions lightly.
Behind him, two other men stood at a distance, watching.
Waiting.
Mike swallowed lightly.
"Good evening, sir," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.
The man didn't respond to the greeting.
Instead, he stopped a few steps in front of Mike and looked him up and down.
Carefully.
Critically.
Like he was trying to confirm something.
"Who are you?" the man asked.
The tone wasn't friendly.
It wasn't even neutral.
It was controlled… but sharp.
"I—I just came to see someone," Mike replied.
"Who?"
The question came immediately.
No pause.
Mike hesitated for just a fraction of a second.
Then he answered.
"Aisha."
The name hung in the air.
And almost instantly…
The atmosphere shifted again.
The man's expression hardened.
Not slightly.
Completely.
Behind him, the two men who had been standing casually straightened.
Their attention sharpened.
"Which Aisha?" the man asked.
But the question didn't feel like a real question.
It felt like a test.
Mike's chest tightened slightly.
"I… I know her from back home," he said carefully. "Same school. I saw her outside, so I just came to—"
"To do what?" the man cut in.
Mike blinked.
"Just to talk," he replied.
Silence.
Heavy silence.
The man took a slow step closer.
Too close.
Close enough for Mike to notice the tension in his jaw.
"You think we don't know?" the man said quietly.
Mike frowned.
"Know what?"
The man didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he glanced briefly at the others behind him.
A silent exchange.
Something unspoken.
Then his gaze returned to Mike.
Stronger this time.
More direct.
"Are you the one?" he asked.
Mike's confusion deepened.
"The one doing what?" he asked.
For a moment, no one spoke.
But the silence wasn't empty.
It was building.
Like something was about to break.
Mike's instincts screamed at him.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't a misunderstanding that could be cleared easily.
Something was already wrong.
Very wrong.
And somehow…
He had walked straight into it.