Chapter 35

Rain pelted my face, and the world became a blur of gray and green as I pounded down the path. I couldn't get to the car since I had dropped my jacket in the cabin when falling, and the keys were in the pocket. I had to get away on foot—hide somewhere or find help. I could hear their voices as they tried to catch up with me.

My sneakers slipped in the mud, but I didn't slowdown. Branches whipped at my face, stinging like accusations. I could hear Will's heavy footsteps sloshing through the muck behind me, Diane's breathless calls growing fainter.

"Stop her!" Diane bellowed, her voice carrying an edge of terror that only the guilty can muster.

I knew this terrain, the treacherous dips and deceptive turns. As a child, I'd conquered these woods playing hide-and-seek with ghostly shadows when my mom brought me to visit Diane. Now, the game was deadly serious.

"Give it up, Eva Rae!" Diane's plea sounded distant, almost lost in the roar of the storm.

"Sorry," I muttered to the wind, "can't do it."

A fallen log loomed ahead, slick with rain, a natural barrier I remembered well. I hurdled over it without breaking stride, hearing the thud of Will's body slamming into the obstacle. His curse sliced through the storm.

"Dammit, Eva Rae!"

Ahead was the narrow bridge over the creek, its planks treacherous with moss. I took it at a run, each step a gamble. Behind me, a shout of warning—too late. I heard the sound of splintering wood and a splash. Diane had missed her footing.

"Help!" Her voice was pitched high with panic, fighting to get back up. She managed to pull herself out of the river, and soon she was after me again.

"Keep going," I commanded myself, heart racing. I couldn't afford the distraction.

The path forked, and I veered left toward rocky ground where the trees grew dense. Roots snaked across the path, tripwires for the unwary. I danced between them, agile despite the urgency clawing at my chest.

"Rae!" The call came from above. Will had gained higher ground, trying to cut me off.

"Nice try," I gasped, banking sharply to the right, my wet hair plastered against my skin. The incline steepened. Loose stones rolled beneath my feet, but I kept my balance, always moving.

"God damn you, Eva Rae!" Will's voice cracked with desperation. He was close, too close.

I pushed harder, legs burning, lungs tight. A clearing opened up… the old tree house silhouetted against the stormy sky. Memories flashed—laughter, secrets shared in that wooden fortress. Not today. Today, it was a landmark for evasion.

"Going to need more than that," I panted.

"Where are you?" Will's confusion was palpable, his movements erratic.

"Over here," I lied, voice bouncing off trunks and leaves.

"Gotcha now!" he roared, deceived.

I doubled back, putting distance between us, letting the forest cloak my escape. The sound of pursuit grew distant, then faded altogether. For a moment, I allowed myself to breathe.

But only a moment.

As I continued, the ground suddenly gave way to open air, a sheer drop just feet from where I staggered to a halt. Rain slicked the cliff's edge, a treacherous sheen under the storm's rage. Behind me, Will's labored breaths merged with Diane's frantic whispers. I was trapped, cornered.

No more running.

"End of the line, Eva Rae," Will panted, his voice a low growl. "There's nowhere to go."

"Think, think," I muttered, my heart thundering in my chest. One chance.

"Give up," Diane called out, her tone deceptively soft. "You have nowhere to go."

I feigned defeat, shoulders slumping. "You're right."

"Smart girl," Will sneered, edging closer.

Diane stayed back, caution in her gaze. I turned slowly, facing them. My eyes flicked between their faces, reading the tension, the expectation. Then, my eyes dropped to my soaked shoes.

"Always loved this view," I said, stalling, buying precious seconds.

"Shut up!" Will snapped.

I edged back, feeling the void at my heels. A gust of wind whipped my hair across my face, stinging my eyes. "Remember the old hiking trick?" I asked, a spark igniting within me.

"Trick?" Diane frowned, puzzled.

"Distraction." I lunged sideways, yanking a branch from the ground.

"Get her!" Will roared.

I swung the branch like a baton, connecting with his shin. He howled, collapsing forward as his foot slipped in the wet mud. Momentum took him, and he clawed at the air, panic flashing in his eyes.

"Will!" Diane shrieked, darting forward.

"Bad move." With the last of my strength, I kicked loose a rock into her path.

She stumbled, a cry escaping her lips as she faltered, reaching for something… anything. But there was nothing—only the void, the pull of gravity, relentless and final. Her blue eyes met mine, a silent plea, and then she was gone, following Will into the abyss.

The cliffside was suddenly silent, the storm's roar distant, like a bad dream fading at dawn. I peered over the edge, the darkness below swallowing everything, even the guilt gnawing at my conscience.

They'd chosen this end, not me.

I stood, heart hammering, the night air cold against my sweat-drenched clothes. The cliff had claimed them, their screams swallowed by the abyss. I could hardly believe it—gone. Just like that.

"Dammit," I muttered, my voice a ragged thing in the stillness. Images of Will and Diane spiraled through my mind, but I shoved them away. There was no time for remorse or what-ifs. I had to act to ensure their story ended here.

I tread lightly over the sodden leaves, each step a silent promise to those who had suffered. The night air, thick with the scent of wet earth, wrapped around me, a reminder of the raw vitality of life and its fragility.

"Never again," I muttered, my breath forming clouds that danced away into darkness. My mind replayed the evening's events—a macabre waltz of deceit and desperation. Trust shattered in the face of betrayal; it was a lesson hard learned.

A rustle in the underbrush snapped me to attention. Instincts honed by years in the field kicked in. I reached for the sidearm no longer there—it lay somewhere below, wherever Diane had ended her days.

The path ahead wound down toward the lights of civilization. As I walked, careful not to slip and fall, I could hear the distant hum of an approaching engine growing louder. My heart pounded, not from exertion but from a surge of gratefulness flooding my veins.

Ahead, blue and red lights flickered between the branches, signaling the arrival of help. They had gotten my call when I thought it hadn't gone through. I quickened my pace, my thoughts racing faster than my feet. Angel's face flashed in my mind, her innocence a beacon guiding me home. Matt, Olivia, Christine, and Alex—they were my anchors, my reasons to keep the fight alive.

"I'm coming home," I whispered to the rain, this time as an oath to them, to myself.

I emerged from the tree line, squinting against the glare of headlights. A deputy jogged toward me, his expression a mix of concern and respect. I showed him my badge.

"FBI Agent Thomas."

"Agent Thomas. You're bleeding from your head. Are you all right?" he asked, steadying me as I approached.

"Better now," I replied, my voice firm. "Let's get this scene secured. There's a story here that needs to be told right."