THE BIG CHASE

HIM

I turned around and saw Gabriel—Sam Adalhard’s elder brother.

As he entered the library and saw his brother’s body, the color drained from his face. His eyes filled with tears, and his body stiffened as if the world had stopped moving. He rushed forward, trying to reach Sam, but the teachers held him back. They wouldn’t let him go.

He struggled violently in their arms, his voice breaking as he screamed,

“Let me go! I want to see my brother!”

His words echoed through the library.

Moments later, the police arrived and immediately sealed the place. Gabriel stood to the side, completely limp, his head bowed in grief. A teacher gently pulled me aside and asked hesitantly,

“Kiya, do you know anything? You were the last one seen in the library.”

I could only shake my head no. I was too shocked—too numb—to speak.

Slowly, I turned toward Gabriel. The moment I saw him, my throat tightened. I gulped hard.

I walked toward him.

I had known Gabriel for years. He was my senior, an athlete who had passed out of school last year. He had a bad-boy appearance, and his personality matched it. But seeing him like this made me feel something different. I was overwhelmed with sadness. I wanted to offer my condolences, but I was scared of how he might react.

As I approached him, he looked straight into my eyes. His gaze was intense, filled with pain.

I swallowed and whispered,

“G… Gabriel, I’m sorry.”

“I saw him last in this library,” I said quietly. “He was okay—talking normally. Then I left for my class. He had library duty, so he stayed behind. What happened after that… I don’t know.”

I told him everything.

I didn’t know why, but explaining it to Gabriel felt easier than explaining it to the teachers. Maybe it was the grief in his eyes, or maybe I just wanted him to know the truth.

Before either of us could speak again, a police officer walked toward us.

“I’m Officer Jayden,” he said. “You’re Kiya, right? Your teacher said you were the last person seen with him.”

“Yes, Officer,” I replied, telling him the same thing I had just explained to Gabriel. He wrote everything down in his notebook and then walked away to question the others.

Gabriel finally spoke.

“Kiya—”

He suddenly fell silent after saying my name. Without another word, he turned and walked away.

Soon after, two men arrived with a stretcher. They carefully covered Sam’s body and took him away for postmortem. The library felt unbearably empty.

After school, I didn’t see Gabriel anywhere. Maybe he had already left.

I went home, my body heavy and my heart aching. The moment I reached my room, I collapsed onto my bed and cried. Sam was my good friend—my classmate. Losing him felt unreal.

After a few hours, I woke up feeling exhausted, my head heavy. I went to freshen up. When I came out, my phone buzzed with a message.

I picked it up.

As I read it, my eyes widened.