Chapter 127: Toma’s Memories (2)
The black SUV continued rolling through the quiet streets. Old apartment buildings slowly appeared outside the windows. The neighborhood looked much older than the modern city they had left behind.
Large trees lined the sidewalks. A faded basketball court passed by. An old grocery store still stood on the corner.
Toma stared outside without blinking. "..."
Nobody noticed her expression changing. "You okay?"
She didn’t answer. Instead...Her breathing became slightly uneven.
A distant sound echoed inside her mind.
Ring...
Ring...
An ice cream truck bell. Her pupils suddenly widened. "...Ice cream..." Everything around her blurred. The inside of the SUV slowly faded away.
...
...
....
Warm afternoon sunlight. Children laughing. A bright blue sky. Tiny footsteps running across a playground.
A little girl with shoulder-length hair laughed happily. It was little Toma. She chased another child around the playground. "Aidi!"
Little Aiden laughed as he ran away. "You’ll never catch me!"
"I will!"
"You cheated!"
"I didn’t!"
"You did!"
"Nope!"
Both children burst into laughter. They circled the playground several more times before collapsing onto the grass. Both were breathing heavily.
Little Toma looked up at the sky. "...I’m tired."
Little Aiden nodded. "...Me too."
At that exact moment... A cheerful melody echoed through the neighborhood.
♫ Ding ding... ding ding... ♫
An old-fashioned ice cream truck slowly drove down the street. Its colorful pictures covered both sides.
Little Toma’s eyes sparkled. "Aidi! I want ice cream!" She excitedly pointed toward the truck.
Little Aiden immediately checked his pockets. He pulled out several small coins. "...Hmm..." He counted carefully. "...I only have a little."
Little Toma puffed out her cheeks. "Waaah... Please?"
She clasped both hands together. "Pleeeeease?"
Little Aiden scratched his head. "Alright Alright. You win."
Little Toma jumped happily. "Yaaay!"
Little Aiden smiled. "Wait here. I’ll go buy one." He ran toward the slowly moving truck.
Little Toma happily watched him disappear around the corner. She giggled to herself. "Aidi is the best." She began kicking a tiny pebble along the sidewalk while waiting.
Then... Movement caught her eye.
Across the street... Several rough-looking men stood beside a large cargo truck.
Little Toma tilted her head. "...Hmm?"
The men wore dark clothing. Their faces looked stern. Unlike everyone else nearby... They weren’t smiling.
One by one... They escorted several young women toward the back of the truck. The women had clothes tied over their mouths and blindfolds covering their eyes. Their hands appeared restrained.
Little Toma blinked. "...?" She didn’t understand. "What are they doing?"
One woman struggled weakly. Another stumbled while walking. One of the men impatiently pushed the truck door open.
Little Toma instinctively stepped behind a nearby utility pole. Only half of her tiny face peeked out. Her heartbeat became faster. "...Big sisters... Why are they crying?"
The truck remained open. The men continued bringing more women toward it.
Little Toma quietly watched. Confusion slowly became worry. "...Are they hurt?" She remembered something her parents often told her. "Help people if they’re in trouble." She looked around. "...Where’s Aidi?"
He still hadn’t returned.
The men suddenly walked away from the truck for a moment, talking among themselves several meters away.
Little Toma looked toward the open cargo compartment. "..." She hesitated. Then... "...I’ll help the big sisters."
Tiny footsteps quietly crossed the road. She looked left and right. No one noticed her. She climbed onto the rear step of the truck. Then carefully slipped inside.
The interior was dim. Rows of frightened women sat silently against the walls. Most wore blindfolds. Cloths covered their mouths. Small numbered cards hung around their necks.
Each displayed a different number.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Little Toma’s smile disappeared. "..." She slowly looked around. "...Big sisters..."
One woman noticed the little girl. Her eyes widened in shock. "Mmmph!" She desperately shook her head. Trying to warn her.
Little Toma misunderstood. "Don’t worry." She whispered. "I’ll help you."
She carefully approached one woman. Tiny fingers reached toward the cloth covering her mouth.
Just before she touched it... Voices echoed outside. "They’re almost ready. Close it."
Little Toma froze. "...!"
The men were returning. Her eyes darted around the truck. There was nowhere to run.
One frightened woman quickly shifted her body slightly. Creating a tiny space behind her. Little Toma instinctively crouched there. She hugged her knees tightly. Trying not to breathe.
Heavy footsteps approached.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
The truck slightly shook as several men climbed inside.
One laughed. "Everything’s loaded."
Another quickly counted the women. "...Looks good. No one’s missing."
Little Toma covered her own mouth with both hands. Her heart pounded so loudly she thought everyone could hear it.
The women remained completely silent. Several of the women noticed the little girl hiding. Fear filled their eyes. Not fear for themselves. Fear for her.
"...Close it." One of the men grabbed the rear shutter.
Little Toma suddenly realized what was happening. "No..." She quietly stood. Tiny legs hurried toward the opening. "Wait..."
The shutter began sliding downward. Metal scraped loudly.
CLANG!
Sunlight narrowed into a thin strip.
Little Toma reached out. "No!"
The opening became smaller.
Smaller and smaller.
Then...
CLANG!
Complete darkness. The door locked. Little Toma immediately reached the rear door. She pushed with all her strength. "It won’t open..."
She pushed again. Nothing.
Again nothing.
Outside... An engine started.
VRRRR...
The truck vibrated. Little Toma’s breathing became rapid. "No... No... I have to get out..." She pounded both tiny fists against the metal door. "Aidi! Mama! Papa!" Her small voice disappeared beneath the growing sound of the engine.
The truck slowly began moving. The women closed their eyes. Some silently cried. One woman gently reached toward Little Toma despite her restrained hands. Unable to comfort her. Unable to speak.
The truck turned onto another road. Little Toma stumbled as the floor shifted beneath her feet. She looked around the dark compartment.
Only faint rays of light entered through tiny gaps near the roof. She could barely make out the frightened faces surrounding her. The numbered cards hanging from their necks swayed with every bump in the road.
Little Toma slowly backed into a corner. She hugged her knees tightly. "...Aidi..."
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
Outside... The truck continued driving farther away from the playground.
Farther away from home. Farther away from everyone searching for her.
...
Back in the present....
Toma suddenly gasped. "AH!"
The SUV jerked slightly as Aiden instinctively glanced into the rear-view mirror. "Toma!"
Nobody immediately turned toward her. "Toma!"
Toma clutched both sides of her head. Her breathing had become uneven. "...The truck, the women, they were inside..." Tears began flowing down her face. "I remember... I remember getting inside..." Her entire body trembled.
Aiden’s hands tightened around the steering wheel. His face turned pale. "...She’s remembering."
Nobody quietly looked at Toma. His playful expression had completely disappeared. He knew this wasn’t just another memory. This was the moment everything had changed.
And the memories waiting beyond this one... Were likely even more terrifying.
Toma struggled to steady her breathing. Both of her hands still clutched her head as tears continued falling onto her lap. "...I... I remember..."
Nobody leaned forward slightly, keeping his voice calm. "Toma. Take your time. No one’s going to rush you."
She slowly nodded, trying to gather her thoughts. "I...I was waiting for Aidi."
Her voice trembled. "He went to buy ice cream for me..."
Aiden’s grip tightened around the steering wheel. "...Yeah. I remember."
Toma closed her eyes. "I heard the ice cream truck... I remember asking you...’Aidi...I want ice cream.’ "
Aiden forced a faint smile. "You always wanted the strawberry one."
A small, bittersweet smile appeared on Toma’s face for only a second before disappearing again. "...Then I saw them."
Her expression immediately turned fearful. "The men... They looked...really scary."
Nobody remained silent, letting her continue. "They were taking women... They had clothes over their mouths... They couldn’t speak. They couldn’t even see." Her breathing became uneven again. "They were crying... I didn’t understand what was happening. I thought..." She lowered her head. "I thought they needed help."
Nobody quietly sighed to himself. "Of course... You were just a kid."
Toma nodded weakly. "I thought if I wanted to untie them... ...everything would be okay."
She wiped away another tear. "I waited until those men walked away. Then...I climbed into the truck."
The entire car fell silent.
Only the sound of the tires rolling across the road remained.
Nobody finally asked, "What happened after you got inside?"
Toma hugged herself tightly. "...There were so many. So many women. They were all scared. They had numbers hanging around their necks. I didn’t know why...I just knew something was wrong."
She looked down at her trembling hands. "I wanted to help one of them. But... ...before I could...the men came back."
Aiden quietly closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"I hid." Toma whispered. "Behind one of the women. I thought... They wouldn’t find me." Her voice cracked. "Then... They closed the truck." Her breathing became faster. "It became so dark. So...so dark... I tried opening the door."
"I kept pushing it. I screamed for you." She turned toward Aiden. "I called your name, ...Aidi. I called for Mom. I called for Dad. But...the truck kept moving."
Aiden swallowed hard. "I’m sorry." The words escaped almost instinctively. "So...so sorry."
Toma quickly shook her head. "No. It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know."
Aiden’s eyes remained fixed on the road, but his expression grew even heavier. "I should’ve come back sooner. If I hadn’t left... If I had just stayed beside you..."
Nobody finally spoke. "Aiden. You were a kid too. You weren’t responsible for what those people did."
Aiden remained silent. He knew Nobody was right. But guilt didn’t always listen to reason.
Toma slowly took a deep breath. "...There’s something else."
Both men immediately looked toward her. "I don’t think...that was the end."
She closed her eyes. "It feels like...There are still memories missing. I remember getting into the truck. I remember it driving away. But after that...It’s all blurry." She slowly opened her eyes again. "I feel like... My mind is trying to remember something. ...Something much worse."
Nobody exchanged a brief glance with Aiden. Neither of them interrupted. Outside, the SUV continued toward the old neighbourhood.
And with every kilometre they travelled... They drew closer not only to a forgotten place...
But also to the truth that had remained buried inside Toma’s memories for years.
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