Let's Elope

The Honeymoon That Never Happened

The city lights continued to glide past the windows.

Ada smiled as she looked down at the boarding passes again.

"Maldives..."

She still couldn't believe it.

"If someone had told me six months ago that I'd be married tonight and flying to an underwater hotel..."

She laughed.

"I would've told them to stop watching movies."

Tobi chuckled.

"I thought you'd say yes."

"I did."

"I mean to the trip."

She nudged him.

"You've become very confident for someone who's only been a husband for..." She glanced at her wristwatch.

"...forty-three minutes."

"Forty-four."

"You counted?"

"I've been counting since the pastor said, 'You may kiss the bride.'"

She laughed so hard she almost dropped the tickets.

"You're impossible."

"And yet..."

"You married me."

"I made a wonderful decision."

"So did I."

She rested her head on his shoulder again.

Outside, the roads grew quieter.

The bright lights of the city slowly gave way to long stretches of empty road.

The driver adjusted the rear-view mirror.

"Sir?"

"Yes?" Tobi replied.

"We should be joining the expressway shortly."

"Perfect."

The driver smiled.

"We'll have plenty of time to reach the airport."

Suddenly...

Headlights flooded the rear window.

Once.

Twice.

Then continuously.

The driver frowned.

"That's odd."

"What is it?" Ada asked.

"That SUV has been behind us since the last junction."

Tobi looked through the rear window.

The same dark SUV.

"It's probably nothing."

"I hope so."

The driver gently changed lanes.

The SUV changed lanes too.

He slowed slightly.

The SUV slowed.

He sped up.

The SUV sped up.

His smile disappeared.

"I don't like this."

Before anyone could respond —

WHOOSH!

The dark SUV shot forward, overtook them, and swerved sharply across both lanes, blocking the road completely.

"Hold on!"

The driver slammed on the brakes.

SCREEEECH!

Tyres screamed against the asphalt.

Ada lurched forward.

Tobi instinctively grabbed her.

The car stopped barely a metre from the SUV.

"What on earth?!" the driver shouted.

Before he could even honk...

Four doors on the SUV flew open.

Six masked figures jumped out.

"What is happening?" Ada whispered.

The driver immediately locked the doors.

"Stay inside!"

One of the masked men walked calmly toward the windscreen...

...then knocked politely.

Three soft taps.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Everyone stared.

The driver blinked.

"...Are they... knocking?"

The masked man pointed at the window.

The driver shook his head vigorously.

"No."

The masked man sighed dramatically.

He turned around and shrugged at his companions.

"I tried being polite."

One of the others threw his hands into the air.

"You always do this!"

"Because manners cost nothing!"

"We're k********g people!"

"We're not animals!"

Even Tobi stared in disbelief.

Ada whispered,

"Are... are they arguing?"

Before anyone could process what was happening...

CRASH!

Another masked man smashed the passenger-side window.

The first masked man spun around angrily.

"Must you always break things?"

"You said they weren't opening!"

"I was negotiating!"

"You call three knocks negotiating?"

"It was working!"

"It clearly wasn't!"

The driver looked at Tobi.

"...Sir..."

"I don't think these are normal kidnappers."

Tobi, still stunned, nodded slowly.

"I... don't think so either."

The driver's hands tightened around the steering wheel.

His heart pounded so loudly he could hear it.

"...I'm calling the police."

He reached for his phone.

The polite kidnapper immediately pointed at him.

"Don't."

The driver froze.

"...Please?"

The masked man sighed.

"I was trying to ask nicely."

Another kidnapper slapped a hand against his own forehead.

"This is why we get into trouble."

"What?"

"You keep treating kidnappings like customer service."

"It costs nothing to be respectful."

"It also doesn't stop people from calling the police!"

The argument lasted only a few seconds.

Then...

The largest man in the group stepped forward.

He didn't say a word.

He simply pulled a metal bar from beneath his jacket.

Everyone fell silent.

Even the other kidnappers took one step backwards.

The polite kidnapper whispered,

"...He's in one of his moods."

The big man swung the bar.

BANG!

The remaining side window shattered.

Ada gasped.

Glass scattered across the seats.

Tobi instinctively wrapped one arm around her, shielding her face from the flying shards.

"Nobody move!" the big man barked.

For the first time...

No one laughed.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

The driver slowly raised both hands.

"Please... please don't hurt us."

"We don't want your money," another masked man replied.

"Then what do you want?" Tobi asked.

No answer came.

Instead, two kidnappers yanked open the doors.

"Out!"

The driver hesitated.

"I said OUT!"

Before he could react, he was gently — but very firmly — pulled from the driver's seat.

"Gently!" the polite kidnapper scolded.

"He's cooperating."

"He wasn't cooperating."

"He was about to."

Ada couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Even now... They were correcting each other's manners.

One kidnapper carefully helped Ada out of the car.

She stared at him in disbelief.

He nodded politely.

"Mind your dress."

She looked down.

The long wedding gown was caught against the door.

"...Thank you."

Another kidnapper groaned.

"Can everybody stop saying 'thank you'?"

"This is the weirdest k********g ever."

Within seconds, black blindfolds were tied over Ada's and Tobi's eyes.

The driver protested.

"I'm just the driver!"

"We know."

"So why am I being kidn*pped too?"

The polite kidnapper answered almost apologetically,

"...You're... included."

"Included?!"

"Temporarily."

"I don't want to be temporarily included!"

Even one of the kidnappers snorted with laughter.

The big man turned sharply.

"Enough!"

Silence.

Three captives were guided toward the dark SUV. Four kidnappers climbed in with them — one drove, three kept guard over Ada, Tobi and the driver in the back seat.

Ada reached desperately through the darkness until her fingers found Tobi's hand.

She held on tightly.

He squeezed back.

Neither of them said a word.

They didn't have to.

As the dark SUV doors slammed shut and the engine roared to life, the last two masked men stayed behind. They quickly brushed glass from the wedding car, jumped inside, and drove it away — ribbons still fluttering from the mirrors as if it was still carrying newlyweds home.

Nearly an hour later, the decorated car was abandoned inside an old, forgotten warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The doors were locked and the men disappeared into the darkness — leaving behind a mystery no one would understand for days.