I tried to ignore Janet’s ominous words from last night—the part about *a lamb being led to slaughter*. I brushed it off, focusing on the excitement of seeing the Hugghs mansion. When morning came, Janet’s car was already outside, waiting to take me. I felt a strange thrill as I climbed in like I was teetering on the edge of something dangerous.

But just as I set one foot inside, a voice pierced the air. “Wait! Sam! Please, don’t go!” The voice that always seemed to reopen a wound in my heart. Julie.

*Why is she here?* I thought, feeling a mixture of irritation and sadness. It was too late to fix anything between us. As I turned to look at her, unexpected tears welled up. No matter how much I tried to hate her, love always seemed to overpower it.

She held onto my arm tightly, pleading, “Please, don’t go, Sam. It’s not safe… I don’t want you to die.”

The word *friendship* felt like a slap. I didn’t want to be “just friends” with her. But what did I want? My head pounded with confusion.

The car’s horn blared, jolting me. I glanced at my watch—thirty minutes had slipped by in this pointless argument. “Julie, I need to go. Don’t worry about me. Charles is still around.” The words came out more bitterly than I intended, and I saw her face fall. “Sorry…” I started to apologize, but stopped myself, resentment creeping up again. *Why should I apologize?*

Julie, realizing she couldn’t stop me, insisted on coming along. “I’ll protect you, Sam. Trust me,” she said, determination in her eyes. I almost laughed. Who did she think she was? Wonder Woman?

Soon enough, the car took off. For hours, we drove through dense forests and unmarked roads. By five in the evening, the landscape felt darker, stranger. I began to feel uneasy, realizing how far we’d gone. I glanced at Julie, but she’d dozed off. “Turn around!” I shouted to the driver. “Take us back!”

The driver’s lack of reaction made my skin crawl. I shook Julie awake, but before I could say anything, the driver turned around, pointing a gun directly at my head.

“Would you shut up?” he hissed, the barrel cold against my forehead.

Fear gripped me, more intense than anything I’d ever felt. *This is real.* Janet’s warning echoed in my mind: *“No one ever returns.”*

The car turned down an even narrower, darker road. Finally, an ancient mansion loomed ahead, its shadow casting an ominous aura. Julie, now fully awake, looked around in shock, her face as pale as mine.

“You should’ve woken me up earlier!” she whispered, panic creeping into her voice. “We could’ve overpowered him. One driver, one gun… we might’ve had a chance.”

Julie’s quick thinking almost impressed me. But now, it was too late.

The car stopped. Armed men emerged from the shadows, surrounding us. In a single moment, I understood the weight of Janet’s words from last night, the true meaning of *the lamb led to slaughter.*

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