Next week in EastEnders, Walford is rocked by a horrifying mystery that sends the entire community into a state of panic and heartbreak—two young children disappear without a trace, leaving their families and the Square grasping for answers in the darkest hours they’ve ever faced. It begins like any ordinary day: laughter at the playground, familiar faces at the café, and parents chatting as the kids play nearby. But the normality shatters in an instant when the children—Tommy Moon and Lexi Pearce—fail to return home after a brief moment out of sight. At first, it’s assumed they’re just running late or distracted by a game. But as the minutes stretch into hours, fear begins to rise like a cold tide.

Kat is the first to realize something’s terribly wrong when she calls for Tommy and gets no answer. At the same time, Lola’s motherly instincts kick in when Lexi doesn’t respond to texts. Panic takes hold when it becomes clear neither child has been seen by anyone since school ended. The families begin searching the local areas, questioning neighbours, shopkeepers, and friends, but no one has any useful information. The Square quickly becomes a chaotic scene of desperation. Posters are made, phones are ringing nonstop, and old feuds are put aside as everyone bands together to help—everyone except the person who may know exactly what happened.

The police are called, and DI Samantha Keeble returns to head the investigation. She quickly organises a search party and begins to gather CCTV footage from local businesses. Phil Mitchell is furious, blaming the police for moving too slowly and accusing anyone who crosses his path. “If anything happens to my granddaughter…” he growls, fists clenched, barely able to hold himself back. Kat, trembling and frantic, lashes out at Alfie, convinced someone is targeting them because of past drama. Alfie tries to calm her, but his own guilt over not being around more for Tommy is eating away at him. Lola, still fragile from her health battles, can hardly breathe, her mind racing through worst-case scenarios as she clutches Lexi’s favourite jumper.

As the hours drag into the night, the situation grows more terrifying. Search dogs are brought in. Helicopters sweep the area. Keeble reveals that neither child’s phone has pinged since the afternoon—someone may have taken them, and if that’s true, every second counts. Rumours begin to swirl through the Square. Could it be revenge against Phil? A gang-related message? A twisted vendetta from someone’s past? Sharon quietly wonders if Dorian—her ex with a criminal past—might have returned. Suki suspects Nish’s enemies. Even Stacey, shaken to her core, fears it might be someone they all know.

But then a chilling clue emerges. CCTV from a petrol station outside of Walford shows Tommy and Lexi getting into a dark-colored van, accompanied by a figure whose face is obscured. The vehicle has false plates, and the police believe it was pre-planned. This is no accident. This is a calculated abduction. Keeble addresses the families with the update, and the room erupts in horror. Kat collapses in Alfie’s arms. Lola screams and has to be pulled away by Jay. Phil punches a wall and storms out. The Mitchells and Slaters, often at odds, are now bound together by fear.

While the community unites in grief and determination, one person quietly slips away from the crowds—Ravi Gulati. He’s seen watching the search efforts with a strange intensity, muttering something into his phone. Denise notices and follows him but loses him in the alleyways behind the Arches. Something about his behavior raises suspicion. Later that night, Denise tells Jack that Ravi may know more than he’s letting on. Jack, already overwhelmed, warns her not to start making wild accusations. But Denise isn’t convinced this is random—and she’s not the only one.

Meanwhile, Kim begins digging into an old case involving child disappearances in another borough, realizing the method is disturbingly similar. She contacts a journalist friend who suggests this may not be the first time this has happened. Is Walford caught in a pattern? A trafficking ring? A revenge operation disguised as something else? Kim brings this to Keeble, who admits they are now considering a broader investigation.

Back in the Mitchell house, Lola, nearly breaking down, finds a small drawing Lexi made the night before—showing her and Tommy as superheroes, flying above the Square. The innocence of the picture brings the entire room to tears. At the Slaters’, Kat refuses to sleep, sitting at the kitchen table staring at the clock, whispering prayers to herself, silently begging for Tommy to come home.

In the final minutes of the episode, we cut to an unknown location—a dimly lit room with a single camera watching from the corner. The door creaks open. Viewers catch a glimpse of two small shadows sitting on mattresses, huddled together, holding hands. A man’s voice calls out from behind the camera, saying, “Soon, everything will make sense.”

As the screen fades to black, the fear is real, the danger is rising, and Walford will never be the same. The search has only just begun—but the clock is ticking.

Coming Up Next Week:

• A shocking suspect is arrested, but are they a scapegoat or the real abductor?

• Flashbacks reveal the moment of the abduction in horrifying detail.

• Phil and Kat team up with unlikely allies to take justice into their own hands.

• A coded message from Lexi gives hope—but can they decode it in time?

The nightmare has begun. Two children, one tight-knit community, and countless secrets on the verge of destruction. EastEnders is about to deliver one of its most gripping storylines yet.