You were asleep in your bed when it happened. Footsteps. Heavy. Unfamiliar. Before you could even open your eyes, rough hands grabbed you. The blanket was ripped away.

“Wake up! Time to go!” a deep voice barked.

Your heart slammed against your chest as you jolted upright, still caught between dream and reality. Two men stood over you, strangers in dark jackets. One held a flashlight, the harsh light cutting across your face.

You screamed, terrified and confused. That’s when you saw your parents standing in the doorway. Your dad’s arm wrapped around your mom’s waist as she sobbed quietly, unable to meet your eyes. The man yanked you out of bed, not caring that you were only in your pajamas. You kicked, fought, begged, but it didn’t matter.

Cold air bit into your skin as they dragged you outside. The gravel crunched beneath their boots. A van waited in the driveway, engine rumbling softly in the dark, exhaust mist curling in the night air. Its back doors gaped open like a mouth ready to swallow you whole.

Your parents stood on the porch light, pale and frozen. Your mom’s hand was over her mouth, your dad’s arm still around her.

The door slammed shut behind you with a hollow clang, cutting off the sound of everything familiar. The lock clicked. The engine growled louder.