He didn’t look away.
He looked at the cloth again.
Then at the men.
Then back at the girl.
And something clicked.
This wasn’t a sale.
It was a signal.
Or worse—
A delivery.
“How much?” he asked quietly.
The girl hesitated.
Her lips trembled.
“Twenty…” she said.
Then quickly, almost correcting herself—
“Or… anything. Just take it.”
Another step behind them.
Closer now.
The man didn’t turn around this time.
“I’ll take it,” he said.
He reached for the bicycle slowly — carefully — as if it might explode.
Because part of him believed it could.
The girl didn’t let go immediately.
For a second… she held on.
Not to the bike.
To him.
Her eyes locked onto his.
And in that moment, she wasn’t asking for money anymore.
She was asking for escape.
Then—
She let go.
The man stood up, placing himself slightly between her and the approaching men.
“I bought it,” he said loudly enough for them to hear.
A pause.
Rain filled the silence.
One of the men smirked.
“Then ride it,” he said.
Not a suggestion.
A test.
The man nodded once.
He turned the bicycle slightly.
His hand brushed under the seat again.
The cloth.
Tied tight around something solid.
Small.
Box-shaped.
His pulse spiked.
He looked at the girl one last time.
She gave the smallest shake of her head.
Not “don’t.”
Not “yes.”
Just—
Fear.
The man took a breath.
Then suddenly—
He shoved the bicycle hard toward the men.
It crashed into the nearest one, sending him stumbling backward into the others.
“RUN!” the man shouted.
The girl didn’t hesitate this time.
She ran.
Fast.
Barefoot splashing through the street.
Behind them—
A shout.
A struggle.
And then—
A sharp metallic clink.
The man turned just enough to see one of them grabbing the bike—
—
Cut. Silence.
The rain kept falling.
And somewhere down the street…
The girl didn’t stop running.
