Sophie and Aria had been best friends since kindergarten. On a rainy Friday evening, they were walking home from the library when a black van pulled up beside them. Before they could react, a man in a ski mask grabbed them, and everything went dark.

When Sophie woke, her wrists were tied, and she was lying on a cold concrete floor. Aria was beside her, wide-eyed but breathing. The room was dimly lit, with a single locked door and boarded-up windows.

They whispered to each other, trying to stay calm. Sophie remembered something her older brother had told her: “If you’re trapped, look for anything you can use — even something small.”

Aria spotted a loose nail sticking out of a wooden crate. She shuffled over, scraping her wrists against it until the rope began to fray. It took nearly an hour, but she finally broke free and untied Sophie.

Footsteps echoed outside the door. The girls pressed their ears to the wall and overheard two men talking.

“They’ll be moved tonight,” one said. “Boss wants them gone before sunrise.”

Sophie’s heart pounded. They had only a few hours to escape.

They searched the room and found a rusty metal pipe. Sophie banged it against the wall, making a loud clatter. When one of the kidnappers came in to check, Aria hid behind the door. As he stepped inside, she swung the pipe at his legs, knocking him down.

They grabbed his keys and ran.

The warehouse was a maze of crates and shadows. Shouts erupted behind them as the men realized they were gone. The girls sprinted toward a faint light — a cracked side door.

Just as they reached it, one of the kidnappers lunged. Sophie kicked a crate into his path, sending him sprawling. They burst through the door into the cold night air.