<p>The captors were greeted with cheers—clearly, they had been successful in their hunt. The villagers of Bununu had become aware of these kidnappers, so they had stopped using this route after 10 PM. But tonight, the group had fallen into their trap.</p><p>These were ruthless men. They had no sense of compassion. They lived in the forest, capturing people to either kill, enslave, or exploit—especially the women.</p><p>Without delay, they threw the captives into a cramped, dirty cage. Sumy and Zuby sobbed uncontrollably, regretting ever coming to the party. The men tried to comfort them.</p><p>Soon, a tall, muscular man emerged from a hut. His presence commanded fear. His subordinates immediately bowed in respect as he signaled them forward.</p><p>They opened the cage and pulled the captives out. Sumy nearly wet herself in terror.</p><p>The leader licked his lips as he eyed Zuby. Without a word, his men understood his command. They grabbed her.</p><p>Saif, enraged, immediately reached for her, gripping her tightly.</p><p>One of the kidnappers barked at him in a strange language, but Saif refused to let go.</p><p>With a loud clang, one of the captors struck his hand with an iron rod. Saif cried out in pain and collapsed, clutching his injured hand.</p><p>As he writhed on the ground, Zuby was dragged away to the leader’s hut. The rest were shoved back into the cage.</p><p>Saif groaned in pain, his hand swelling rapidly.</p><p>Nabeel sighed. “Saif, I’m sorry. This is our punishment for our sins. We disobeyed God, and now we are facing the consequences.”</p><p>Sumy wept. “Zuby… I fear for her. That man looked at her like a predator.”</p><p>Khairat shook her head. “We brought this upon ourselves. We betrayed our parents, lived recklessly, and indulged in sin without thinking of the consequences. None of us ever thought about death.”</p><p>Najib wiped his tears. “Right now, the best thing we can do is pray. But I am also worried about something else… none of us has prayed from noon till now, all because of this foolish party. We spent the entire day indulging in sin, and now, look at what it has led to.”</p><p> </p><p> </p>
