Not long after, the giant glass building came into my sight, standing tall and sturdy with its black frames. The building could even be mistaken for a skyscraper.
The parking lot was right in front of the building's entrance, and there I could see the familiar black car parked in the front row.
It was almost time for him to come out. It would be a small surprise.
My heart raced at the thought of it.
I walked up to the car and waited patiently, my gaze still fixed on the building's entrance. He wouldn't notice me easily unless he came near the car.
The distance was fair enough.
Then, the automatic doors opened, and a recognizable man stepped out.
My face instantly lit up, and I ducked behind the car before I could even see his expression.
One minute.
Then two.
Then three.
He shouldn't be taking this long.
I warily peeked from behind the car, and instantly, the smile vanished from my face.
My breath hitched, catching painfully in my throat as several men dressed in black surrounded him. I couldn't move. My mind shattered into absolute horror as they restrained him.
There were at least five of them, resembling bodyguards of some superior who had been paid to carry out such dirty acts.
My hand instinctively flew over my mouth, desperate to keep even the faintest sound from escaping. Two of the men held both his arms, restricting his movements.
They were too far away for me to make out Haider's expression clearly. Yet, he wasn't protesting. He wasn't struggling or calling for help.
It was almost as if he knew this was coming.
Shadows crept heavily over my shoulders, cold and suffocating. My heartbeat thundered against my chest, each beat urging me to move while my legs remained rooted to the ground.
I had to do something.
I couldn't just stand there.
My thoughts raced faster than I could process them. My hands trembled as I reached for my phone, nearly fumbling it in my haste.
As Haider was being pulled towards the dark black van, I unlocked my phone.
In a situation like this, calling the police seemed like the most favourable option.
But there was something else.
I wasn't dense enough to misunderstand what I had just witnessed.
If these were people Haider had never encountered before, he would've struggled to free himself. He would've resisted. He would've stalled them for as long as possible.
That was what most people would've done.
Nevertheless, that wasn't the case.
Once his arms were restrained, he simply walked towards the vehicle on his own.
Why?
Who were they?
And why did Haider seem to know them?
My fingers tightened around the phone.
Right now, I needed help. And I needed it quickly.
"Naima! You exchanged numbers with Zayne, right!?"
I called out as I sprinted through the crowd of people, my legs carrying me before my mind could catch up. Every second felt like it was slipping through my fingers.
The urgency burned through my entire body. My lungs tightened, my heart pounded relentlessly, and yet I couldn't slow down.
I had to reach them.
I had to know where they were taking him.
Then my eyes caught one final detail.
The van's number plate.
K.H.A.N.
My pupils quivered in place as I struggled to catch my breath. It was almost as if I were underwater.
My world was crumbling down. What if something had happened to him? Panic and anxiety choked me. It was an unbearably long silence where only the beat of my heart echoed in my ears.
All I could do was wait. I was powerless, and that alone pained me.
Spontaneously, I began praying.
"Please, Allah, please help me..."
The corners of my eyes were drenched as droplets of salty tears ran down my cheeks.
"Ariya!!"
Suddenly, a voice called from behind.
When I turned back to see, it was a bewildering sight.
Zayne, Yusuf, Naima, and Ireen were all running towards me, worry plastered across their faces.
My knees gave out. I was simply too tired to grasp anything more. My vision grew foggy as more voices came closer.
"Gosh, Ariya! Are you okay?"
"I have called the family. They are putting in the work."
I pushed myself up onto my knees, my gaze filled with rage as I approached Yusuf.
"Who are they?"
I asked in a calm manner that barely concealed my fury.
Yusuf blinked with guilt and looked away. He didn't want to tell me.
"Look, he will come back. And when he does, let him tell you. So calm down."
"How can I calm down!? My husband has been taken away by some people I don't know!"
My fingers twitched as I tried to suppress the trembling, clenching my teeth tightly. Both the girls came closer to comfort me, but I couldn't keep still.
RING RING
We all stared at Yusuf. It was his phone.
He nervously picked it up, hope flickering across our faces.
Once he put it down, he glanced at us.
"He is back."