Abandoned Church – 24 Minutes Remaining
The rain poured relentlessly, each drop falling like a ticking clock counting down to the moment of no return.
Selina stood in the middle of the empty street, drenched to the bone, her chest heaving with every ragged breath.
Her trembling hands clenched around the phone, the screen still displaying that merciless countdown. Her heart raced faster than the seconds slipping away.
This was the final battlefield. No more backup. No more second chances. If she didn't find him before that clock hit zero… she might never hear his voice again.
Her mind replayed his last words through the static of the video.
"Mama… I'm scared…"
It felt like someone had reached into her chest and crushed her heart with their bare hands.
Every second was a blade pressed to her throat, every breath a fight against drowning in her own despair.
Scene Switch – Inside the Church
The masked captor paced slowly in front of the boy, the timer glowing ominously beside him.
"Your mother's running out of time, little prince," he sneered, his fingers playing idly with a switch connected to the bomb.
Scene Switch – Selina's POV
Lightning split the sky as she kicked open the heavy wooden doors of the abandoned church.
Her eyes scanned the shadows like a feral beast hunting its prey, her soaked hair clinging to her face as she moved forward without hesitation.
And then she saw him.
Her baby—tied to the old altar, the timer flashing 00:04:12 beside him.
The world fell away. There was nothing else. Only him. Only saving him.
Her mother's instinct roared through her veins like wildfire, burning through every ounce of fear, every memory of helplessness she'd once known.
The captor turned, raising the detonator with a wicked grin.
"One more step, Selina, and it all ends here."
Selina stood tall, her eyes blazing with unrelenting fury.
"You're wrong," she spat. "It ends with you."
In one swift motion, she hurled a hidden dagger straight into his shoulder.
The detonator clattered to the floor.
Selina sprinted toward her son, her hands working frantically to untie the knots as the timer flashed 00:00:45.
Just as she grabbed her son and turned to run, the ground beneath them rumbled.
From the shadows, a slow, deliberate clap echoed through the ruined church.
A tall figure stepped into the flickering light.
Adrian Jiang. Alive. Smiling. Unscathed.
"Congratulations, dear sister… You saved your son. But who will save Damian?"