I tapped Meilin gently but urgently. Her eyes blinked open,
“Don’t speak,” I whispered. “Just follow me.”
Her breathing was shaky, but she obeyed without a word. I led her through the narrow hallway of my vacation house.
We reached the back room. Inside, behind the bookshelf, I revealed a hidden safe box — a compact steel-reinforced chamber built into the wall, just for situations like this. I opened it, pulled out some emergency supplies to make space, and turned to her.
“Stay in here. No sound, no matter what you hear. Do not come out until I come for you.”
She nodded, eyes wide with terror. I closed the compartment door, sealed it, and stepped back.
As I returned to the living room, I could hear them breaking in through the front. The door flew open. Four men stormed in. Each car
