The Evening Of The Morning

Prologue

The screeching sound of the Toyota's brakes filled the air as the woman quickly reacted to avoid colliding with the red jeep that had just double-crossed her. With a sense of urgency, two armed men emerged from the back seat of the jeep, their pistols pointed directly at her. For a brief moment, she froze, but then she swiftly shifted gears and attempted to escape. However, her efforts were thwarted when she unknowingly rode over a spike strip laid out by a third man, causing the Toyota's tires to burst.

In a desperate attempt to gain access to the car, the man wearing a red mask shattered the side window with his gun, reaching inside to unlock the door. He forcefully grabbed hold of the woman's hair and dragged her out of the vehicle. She screamed, wriggled, scratched, and kicked, her legs flailing through the air, but her attempts to resist were futile as she was mercilessly pulled across the unforgiving asphalt and thrown into the back seat of the red jeep. Flanked by the man in the red mask and his accomplice wearing a green mask, she found herself in a state of shock and fear.

As the woman watched her black Toyota grow smaller in the distance, eventually disappearing from sight, she closed her eyes, attempting to absorb the harsh reality of the situation.

"How much do you want?" she pleaded, her voice trembling with tears. "Please, my husband is sick. I need to be there for him. How—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the man in the red mask swiftly covered her face with a towel saturated in ethanol. Despite her renewed struggle, she was held down by firm hands. Within moments, she succumbed to the effects of the fumes, losing consciousness and leaning toward the man in the red mask.

Silence enveloped the jeep as the men remained mostly silent, their purpose evident. Suddenly, the vehicle came to an abrupt halt, causing everyone inside to jolt forward.

"What—" the man in the red mask began to question, his confusion evident, but his query was interrupted as he too spotted a figure standing defiantly in the middle of the road, arms crossed over his chest.

"Run him over," the man wearing the green mask, who had laid the spike strip and occupied the shotgun seat, commanded the driver.

Though hesitant for a moment, the driver ultimately pressed down on the gas pedal with full force, propelling the jeep forward. Little did they know that their reckless charge would end abruptly as the jeep collided with an immovable force, much like a pole, triggering the deployment of airbags.