Tyler took a deep breath. He looked down the street; the street he was supposed to go to school through. He turned away and walked in the opposite direction, his heart racing. He was wearing dark clothes and a large backpack. Tyler chuckled to himself slightly, realising that he looked like the girl from Inside Out when she tried to run away.

He noticed a boy from his school shooting him and odd look as they passed. Tyler lowered his head and smiled sheepishly. He picked up his pace and gripped his backpack straps, hoping to get away. He wondered what that boy would say when Tyler went missing. Would he tell the truth? That they had merely passed each other? Or would he twist it like teenagers seemed to twist everything else?

Tyler tried to ignore the low-key boomer thought he just had and focused on the footpath ahead of him. He was walking to the bus stop, where he could find a bus that would take him to wherever. He wasn't sure where he wanted to go, but he felt he could find someplace nice to stay at for the night.

Tyler worked as a basketball referee after school, so he had money saved. He had been wanting a new laptop, but that could be postponed. Tyler needed the money to buy food and necessities. He could find a cheap motel and stay there until he got a job. Then, he could buy an apartment and get married and have six million kids with the love of his life.

The thought made Tyler smile, distracting him from his nerves for a moment. He sighed and kicked a pebble, watching as it scattered across the road. It disappeared when a black van sped past. Tyler stared at the vehicle for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed. He could have swore that he had seen it around before. It was almost like it was always nearby, wherever Tyler was. He shrugged off the thought. Tons of people had sketchy vans, right?

When Tyler reaches the bus stop, he checked his watch. He laughed when he realised that he was supposed to be twenty minutes into first period.

Tyler payed for a ticket and sat down. He noticed that his hands were slightly shaking, so he turned his music up and focused on that. He fiddled with the cord, twisting it between his fingers. Tyler hummed. Maybe he could buy airpods instead of a laptop. He could definitely afford them, but he had never really been interested.

Tyler checked the time in his phone. He still had a few minutes before his bus departed. He got up, deciding to use his last moment in Columbus as an opportunity to take a piss. He made his way to the bathroom. His anxiety was rising by the second. Tyler tried to brush it off by imagining the incredible life that was waiting for him.

When Tyler was washing his hands, he noticed a man in the corner. He wasn't smoking or on his phone or doing anything at all. He was just watching Tyler.

The man's stare made a shiver run down Tyler's spine. He looked down, trying to avoid the man's eyes. Maybe if he avoided eye contact, the creepy guy would look away. Tyler focused on his hands, scrubbing them much more than he needed to. The only other person in the bathroom left, leaving Tyler and the odd man alone. Tyler flicked the water off and moved towards the door, not wanting to be in that bathroom any longer. Before he could exit, the man was suddenly behind him, wrapping an arm around Tyler's torso. He held a knife to Tyler's throat.

"Come with me," the man spoke, his words costed in a thick Russian accent.

Tyler let out a small whimper and nodded. The man took the knife from his throat and grabbed his arm, leading him out of the bathroom and then out of the bus station. He practically dragged Tyler to the street, where the same van from before could be seen. Tyler practically sobbed when he saw it. They had been following the whole time and he was too stupid to see it.

Tyler was thrown into the back. A raven-haired young man was waiting for him with a smile. He held out his hand, but Tyler didn't shake it.

The young man brought his hands together. "Hello, Tyler. You weren't trying to run away, where you?"

The last thing Tyler saw was the silver flash of a gun before it was being brought down onto his head.