Man gives hitchhiker a lift home—and is shocked by the news the next day

As the morning sun began to filter through the gaps in the curtains, a quiet sense of relief began to fill the room. The soft light seemed to promise that their long ordeal was nearing an end. "It'll be over soon," the radio anchor announced, weary yet hopeful. The thought that the gang had finally been caught, Avery was safe, and no immediate threat was posed gave them renewed strength to face another day.The sunlight creeping over the horizon felt like the beginning of something new, a sign that their troubles would finally come to an end. The warmth of the morning seemed to symbolize more than just the start of another day—the resolution they had been waiting for. And with it, a quiet assurance that the darkness of their nightmare would soon be a thing of the past.