The moment the door was pulled open, silence fell over the entire van.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzBHXex0TD
Darkness shrouded the figure at the entrance. No one dared to speak.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIg8i8rLNw
The children shrank into their seats, frozen.
Then the ceiling light flicked on.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4Q6Vspos9
A soft yellow glow spilled down—105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfEmmqzFtM
And revealed a familiar face.
It was Miss Nora!
Her face was smudged with dust and sweat, her hair a little disheveled,105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jk1MO0Y72
but she was still the same Miss Nora they knew.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFBOii2ZuL
One arm supported another teacher’s shoulder. Slowly, carefully, she laid the person down on the floor of the van.
That was when Finn couldn’t hold it in anymore.
He sprang from his seat like a coil releasing.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0kVlAflu0
He didn’t care about his backpack, didn’t wait for permission.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqmouONHfx
He just ran forward.
“Miss Nora!”
Nora turned, and when she saw him, a real smile lit up her face.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtVnWuFY2Lg
She opened her arms—and the moment Finn threw himself at her, she held him tight.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBru4yCYATK
His arms wrapped fiercely around her neck, and he buried his face in her shoulder.
Then he cried.
Not a quiet sob, but the kind of crying that comes after everything finally breaks loose—105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJ08ntDOb5
Shoulders shaking, breath ragged, crying from the depths of a little body that had been holding on too long.
The other kids, seeing this, seemed to realize they were finally allowed.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsv2ucp997h
One by one, they began to cry too. Some sniffled quietly, others wailed outright.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTkYsMPYdi
In seconds, the van became a tide of sorrow.
Nora held Finn like he was something unspeakably precious.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfvxe2OkHF
She patted his back gently, murmured soft reassurances, calming him until he quieted down,105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvA9CeIHVJ
then helped him back to his seat.
She bent down, one by one, to stroke each child’s hair, whispering calming words,105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVqfiwBn1o
easing the tight little knots in their hearts.
A few minutes later, she stood up and clapped her hands.
“Alright, kids. Everyone in your seats.”105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4O9fPiFLBC
Her voice was steady—strong.
“We’re going home.”
She walked to the driver’s seat.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdbmoqqvME
Under everyone’s watchful gaze, she sat down, buckled in, and glanced back at them with a smile.
“Driver Nora at your service,” she said with a playful wink.
“Wishing you all a perfect day.”
Then she closed the door, started the engine, turned the wheel—105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKwWAkmlUO
and slowly, the van rolled out of the darkness.
The children sat quietly,105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yDPwfr8LN
watching as the lights of the city began to appear outside the window.
They were really going home.
105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlx7Q64pqkP
105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLkfJWDUn6
Nora drove fast through a pitch-black road, darkness thick as ink.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9a4e7VXxCx
There were no streetlights ahead. The world was silent.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhO2rrx4jsP
Only the stretch of road illuminated by her headlights moved with her—105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCjPGjcMda
like she was slicing a narrow path through the night.
She gritted her teeth, fingers white on the wheel.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfsuNrbowE
The pain in her abdomen came earlier than expected.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0r4aoDWLa
This wasn’t just soreness. It was a dull, deep throb—105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9K1dqyuih
pulsing outward from inside her, like a warning. Like a punishment.
Still, her grip on the steering wheel was steady.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaLnHB14H6
Her foot moved smoothly between gas and brake—no hesitation.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡta3vFtxtwC
She couldn’t afford a mistake.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LywJfyak6
She couldn’t go too slow, either.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuasTxrKvCv
This wasn’t just about driving the kids home.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HZHM1JTNS
This was her responsibility. The path she had chosen to bear.
The backseat gradually quieted.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRviaxRiPkH
After the shock, drowsiness began to take over.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwiy7weeW7Q
Little bodies leaned against the seats, lips still salty with tears.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnQhGJXlUJ
A few began to murmur that they were hungry—it was dinner time, after all.
Nora glanced in the rearview mirror—105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfeNrQphZc
They were all there. Quiet. Safe.
She looked back at the road, calculating silently.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTMJ6bJPA6
It would take about two more hours to reach the city.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7DF8fFHBL
Assuming nothing happened in between... she could make it.
“Can’t stop,” she whispered to herself.
Her foot pressed down just a little harder on the gas.
105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLCurb3pEM
105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tgTiSmWfZ
Nora swore under her breath.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvWxteAO2J
Her vision blurred. Her head was spinning.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYT6AZTuKvV
She knew this wasn’t just fatigue—this was blood loss.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKwPMuEydb
She forced herself to blink, tried to keep the road ahead in focus—105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMadJKNmspI
but the white lines shimmered, floating like ripples in water.
If she kept driving, something bad would happen.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmFhbMkIbT
She was nearing her limit.
She eased off the gas, thinking fast:105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYEjJnBNWY
Could she use voice command to call for help?105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGLW4T5rAc
No—if she spoke now, the kids would hear something was wrong.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6yF82YT2Oc
Maybe ask a nearby farmhouse? Too slow. Too risky.
The best scenario would be—
VROOOOM—
A motorcycle roared from the opposite direction.
Its headlight was blinding. A flash of black and red passed the corner of her vision.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2iSGrPbny
Both of them turned their heads at the same time.
In that moment, the world stopped.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTbZU3C62d
Like a slow-motion scene in a movie, all sound was sucked away—105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡievALc5KAN
leaving only their eyes meeting.
Blue eyes met green.
Nora let out a breath, then gently pulled over to the side of the road.
Seconds later, a screech of brakes tore through the night.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDv1L96GIJ5
Tires skidded against the ground.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVCtH1FSDG
Footsteps approached.
Knock knock—105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvwdKRT4VB
Someone tapped on the door.
Nora turned toward the backseat.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡys3ZNKnI7X
“Kids,” she said with a smile, “someone’s here to help us.”
“Let’s welcome him.”
The door opened.
Red Robin stepped into the van, his cape fluttering slightly in the night breeze.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWm4r8myEb
His blue eyes scanned a dozen wide-eyed children staring back at him.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDxw4ukQtv
His expression froze awkwardly.
“Uh... hey there,” he said stiffly. “Hi, everyone.”
No one responded.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC48Cs9LoCb
It was like seeing a movie character suddenly walk into the real world.
Nora reached out and tugged on his cape.
Tim froze. He turned to her.
It was the first time they’d spoken this closely since he’d broken into her house.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5MTvS68fD
Back then, she’d looked at him coldly.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVRvM4Mdqm
Now, under the faint light, her face was pale.
“Lean down,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
He obeyed, leaning closer.
Her breath was faint against his ear.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwMFIjgt0e
“I’ve been shot. But the kids can’t know. You drive. Get them home.”
Tim’s pupils contracted.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafpBur6sIc
In that instant, every ounce of logic in his mind snapped to full alert.
105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2Djo3xHNR
and then Add to home screen.