It started with a knock.
A soft, almost polite sound at the front door of a house drowning in silence and unpaid bills.
Amara looked up from the cracked screen of her secondhand phone, heart skipping for no reason she could name. Her parents sat across the room, frozen. Her father's shoulders stiffened. Her mother's lips trembled.
Another knock—louder this time.
Her father stood abruptly. "Stay here."
But Amara followed anyway, feet silent against the cold cement floor. She peeked from the hallway as he opened the door.
Two men stood outside, dressed in black. One smiled. It wasn't kind.
"We've come to collect," the taller one said.
Amara's brow furrowed. "Collect what?"
The shorter man didn't look at her. "Collateral."
Her mother's voice cracked. "Go to your room, Amara."
"No," the taller man replied. His eyes locked onto Amara's face like he already knew her. "She stays."
Her father stepped forward, desperate. "Please. Just give us more time."
"You're out of time," the man said coldly. "Or the girl comes with us."
Amara laughed nervously. "What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere."
No one answered her.
The man reached into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Her father didn't stop him. He just looked away in shame.
The paper trembled in Amara's hands as she read it.
Her name.
Her birthdate.
Her signature—forged.
Her knees went weak. "No… no, this is a mistake. I didn't sign this. I never—"
"You used me?" she whispered to her father. "You used me to pay off a loan?"
"I had no choice," he muttered. "They were going to take the house."
Her mother was crying now, silent and helpless.
"You said I was going to a job—" Amara's voice cracked. "You said I'd be safe!"
The men stepped forward. "Let's go."
"No!" Amara screamed, twisting away as one of them grabbed her arm. "Let me go! I'm not going anywhere!"
"You can fight," the shorter man said, unfazed. "But it'll only make it worse."
Her father didn't move. Her mother didn't stop them.
They dragged Amara from the only home she'd ever known, while she kicked and sobbed and begged. Neighbors peeked from windows but no one intervened. Just like always.
They shoved her into the back of a black car. Slammed the door.
The windows were tinted. The street disappeared.
"You belong to someone now," the man beside her said. "You're the payment."
End of episode 1