The sergeant spotted a girl with a pink backpack standing in the middle of the rain-soaked street, but at the sight of the officer, she dropped the bag and dashed away.
Patrolling the city center as he had for years, the sergeant moved slowly through the unusually empty streets, the downpour keeping most pedestrians indoors. The patrol cars headlights occasionally illuminated figures hurrying home beneath umbrellas.
His instincts told him rainy nights often brought the unexpected.
At the intersection, he saw hera small figure frozen in the middle of the road, drenched, as if abandoned. A gray cloak draped her thin shoulders, the bright pink backpack standing out against it.
Alarmed, he pulled over and stepped into the rain.
“Hey!” he called, voice cutting through the quiet.
The girl flinched, turned, and bolted before he could react.
“Stop!” he yelled, chasing after her.
Mid-run, she suddenly tore off the backpack and flung it onto the wet pavement before vanishing down a dark alley.
Breathing hard, the sergeant picked up the soaked bagits weight surprising. Unzipping it, he froze.
Inside were neatly wrapped bundles, each in clear plasticamphetamine doses, prepped for sale.
But that wasnt all. A separate pouch held forged childrens passports, SIM cards, and a flash drive.
A chill ran down his spine. This wasnt just drugsit was something far darker.
Scanning the empty street, he tightened his grip on the backpack. That girl wasnt just caught in the rainshe was part of something much worse.
