CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The distinctive tread of ATV tracks carved a path through the sand ahead of her. Rachel gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles white as she pushed the accelerator to the floor. Ethan's car lurched forward, kicking up a spray of grit in its wake.

She tried not to focus on the bloodstain on the carpet at her feet. Nor did she allow the creeping dread to seep into her bones.

Her eyes narrowed, locked on the trail. She swerved around a cluster of scraggly bushes, the chassis shuddering as it cleared the rough terrain.

The night pressed in around her, broken only by the stark white beams of the headlights. They illuminated the tracks of the ATV leading through the sandy dunes, the only lifeline she had to finding her partner. To finding the killer.

Rachel's breath came hard and fast. Every second counted. Ethan was out there somewhere, at the mercy of a murderer. The same murderer who had butchered two women.

A shudder rippled through her. She couldn't let history repeat itself. She wouldn't.

The tracks veered sharply to the right, disappearing over the crest of a dune. Rachel yanked the wheel, the tires skidding across the loose sand as she fought to keep the vehicle under control.

She crested the dune, the car going airborne for a heart-stopping second before slamming back to earth. The suspension groaned in protest, but Rachel barely registered it.

Her attention was fixed on the landscape ahead, her mind working furiously to decipher the signs left behind by the killer. The depth of the tread marks, the spacing between them - each detail held a clue.

She followed the trail down into a shallow valley, the car fishtailing as it hit a patch of softer sand. Rachel corrected the slide with a deft twist of the wheel, never losing sight of her quarry.

The tracks skirted the base of a towering butte, the red rock face looming out of the darkness like a sentinel. Rachel scanned the area, searching for any indication of where the killer might have taken Ethan.

But as she drove, the trail seemed to fade… No… no, had she lost it?

She cursed.

She scanned the ground, her heart pounding against her ribs. Nothing. No tracks, no trail, no clues to guide her to Ethan. She ran a hand through her hair, frustration and fear warring within her. Every second lost was another second Ethan was at the mercy of maniac.

Rachel slammed her palm against the car door, the metallic thud echoing through the stillness. She winced, pulling her hand back, and that's when she saw it - a dark, glistening stain on her skin. Blood.

Ethan's blood.

She’d been trying to ignore it. Trying to focus on the controllables… This was the problem with getting too close. This was why she’d never allowed it before.

She released a slow, pent-up breath.

"No, no, no," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Ethan, where are you?"

She closed her eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath. She couldn't afford to lose focus, not now.

She needed to find the trail.

Rachel's phone vibrated in her pocket, the sudden sensation jolting her from her thoughts. She glanced at the screen, her brow furrowing as she saw the notification.

Not now.

This couldn’t be happening now.

She stared, bug eyed. Murphy’s law. If something could go wrong… it would.

The phone indicated activity at her aunt's place.

With a few quick taps, she pulled up the video feed from the trail cam. The grainy image revealed two figures approaching the house.

She stared.

She couldn't quite determine the features of the two silhouettes. But one was tall, a man. The other is a shorter woman in a shawl.

Aunt Sarah and Sheriff Dawes?

She cursed. They were returning… now of all times.

Rachel's mind raced, the weight of her choices bearing down on her. The person who had murdered her parents was so close, just within reach. The temptation to turn back, to confront them and demand answers, was almost overwhelming.

But Ethan...

She couldn't abandon him, not when he needed her most. Her priority had to be saving her partner, no matter how much it tore at her to let her parents’ killer slip away.

The decision ate at her, but her resolve hardened as she found herself turning to doubt.

Rachel's grip tightened on the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. She forced herself to take a deep breath, pushing down the rising tide of emotions that threatened to consume her.

"Focus, Rae," she muttered to herself, her voice rough with determination. "Ethan first."

With a final glance at her phone, Rachel set it aside, her attention returning to the desert before her. She scanned the horizon, her eyes narrowed against the glare of the moon, searching for any sign of the ATV tracks.

She refused to let herself be overwhelmed, to let the conflicting demands of her past and present tear her apart.

The ATV tracks had all but vanished, swallowed up by the shifting sands of the desert. Rachel kept the car at a crawl, her eyes scanning the ground for any hint of the trail.

Seconds ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity. Every moment wasted was another moment Ethan was in danger, another chance for the killer to slip away.

Rachel's heart pounded in her chest, a mixture of fear and frustration coursing through her veins. She couldn't lose the trail, not now, not when she was so close.

"Come on, come on," she growled, her voice barely above a whisper. "Where are you?"

There had to be something, some clue, some sign that could lead her back to the trail. She refused to believe that it had simply disappeared, that all her efforts had been for nothing.

Rachel's gaze darted back and forth, her mind racing as she tried to think like the killer. Where would they have gone? What would their next move be?

And then, just as despair began to creep in, she saw it.

A faint impression in the sand, barely visible against the endless expanse of the desert. But it was there, a single ATV track, heading off into the distance.

Rachel's breath caught in her throat, a surge of adrenaline rushing through her.

The car roared to life, kicking up a cloud of sand as Rachel spun the wheel, following the trail deeper into the desert. Her eyes narrowed, her jaw set with determination.

She had found the trail, and she would not lose it again.

There. A glint of metal caught her eye, half-hidden in the shadow of the butte. She slowed the car to a crawl, squinting to make out the shape.

It was an abandoned mine shaft, the entrance partially collapsed and overgrown with brittle weeds. The ATV tracks led straight to it.

Rachel braked hard, the car skidding to a stop in a cloud of dust. She was out of the vehicle in seconds, gun drawn and heart pounding.

The mine shaft gaped before her, a yawning void that seemed to swallow the meager light. She moved closer, every sense on high alert.

From deep within the darkness, she heard a sound that made her blood run cold. A muffled cry of pain.

Rachel's pulse raced, fear and adrenaline coursing through her veins. She edged closer to the mine shaft, straining to hear any further sounds from within. The silence that greeted her was oppressive, broken only by the whisper of the wind across the desert sands.

She drew closer, her shadow pooling across the ground like ink. There, the abandoned ATV, practically blocking the cave entrance.

She frowned at the ATV, as if willing it to reveal secrets. The back seat was stained in blood, too.

Ethan, she thought desperately.

Another step.

Another.

There, on the cliff, a flash of silver.

Shit. She moved sharply.

A gunshot shattered the night, the bullet striking Rachel's arm. Pain exploded through her, the force spinning her around. She dove behind the ATV, heart pounding, blood trickling down her sleeve.

Footsteps crunched on the sand, drawing closer. Rachel pressed her back against the vehicle, her breathing shallow. She gripped her gun, ignoring the searing pain in her arm.

Shouts echoed from inside the tunnel, desperate and panicked. Rachel's heart leaped into her throat. Ethan.

She risked a glance around the ATV, her eyes widening in horror as she shone her flashlight towards the tunnel’s entrance.

She froze, staring in horror.

Ethan lay tied down, his body writhing, covered in snakes. Their scales glinted in the moonlight, their hisses filling the air. They slithered and coiled and curled over her partner.

Rachel's stomach turned, bile rising in her throat. She had to get to him, had to free him before it was too late.

But the killer was sheltered on the ridge, aiming towards her.

Rachel's mind raced, trying to formulate a plan. She had to distract the killer, give herself a chance to reach Ethan.

She took a deep breath, steeling herself against the pain. Then, in one swift motion, she rose from behind the ATV, firing off a shot into the darkness.

The bullet ricocheted off the rocks at the top of the butte, the sound echoing through the valley. Rachel didn't wait to see if it hit its mark.

Instead, she shouted, "Atticus Silver!" Rachel shouted, her voice echoing through the tunnel. "I know it's you!"

She kept her gun trained on the darkness, her eyes scanning for any sign of movement. The snakes continued to twist and writhe around Ethan, their scales glistening in the dim light.

"Rachel?" Ethan's voice was strained, barely audible over the hissing of the snakes. "Is that you?"

"I'm here, Ethan," Rachel called back, trying to keep her voice steady. "Just hold on, okay? I'm going to get you out of there."

She could hear him grunting in pain, fighting to keep his terror at bay. His life hanging in the balance, Rachel knew she couldn't fail him now.

As another shot rang out, Rachel felt a shiver travel down her spine. Atticus was still circling them, like a predator closing in on its prey.

"You're not helping anyone, Atticus!" she called out, trying to reason with him. "This isn't what your parents would've wanted!" A personal connection. Trying to ground him in his choices. To distract him at the very least.

The desert fell silent, even the snakes seemed to pause, as if waiting for Atticus's response.

Rachel seized this opportunity. She moved swiftly and silently towards Ethan, pulling a knife from her boot. The snakes recoiled at her approach, but she kept her eyes on the ropes binding Ethan.

"Keep him busy," she hissed at Ethan as she began to cut through his bindings.

Ethan nodded weakly. With tremendous effort, he shifted his position, drawing the attention of the agitated reptiles away from Rachel and back onto himself.

Just as the last rope was cut free, another gunshot echoed around them. A bullet whizzed past Rachel, slamming into the ground beside them and sending up a cloud of dust.

"Ethan!" Rachel shouted over the gunfire and hissing of snakes. Suddenly one of the snakes appeared to rear back before lunging with open jaws towards Ethan's face.

With no time to think, Rachel took aim and fired a single shot that silenced the rattlesnake before it could strike Ethan. The commotion sent the other snakes scurrying away, disturbed by the loud noise.

Ethan took this moment to scramble on his feet, hobbling towards Rachel. Despite his pale and shaken appearance, Rachel could see his determination. He was a fighter.

Another snap echoed in the air. A strangled cry tore from Ethan’s throat as he stumbled but kept moving, fueled by adrenaline and desperation.

"Rachel," he gritted out through clenched teeth, eyes wild with fear. "I've been shot."

Her own shoulder and arm ached with bursts of agony.

His words were drowned out by the cacophony of snakes, their hisses becoming more frantic. Ethan had made it to Rachel’s side, but the snakes were hot on his trail.

Her hands flew to her gun, her aim finding two of the snakes slithering after him without thought. Two shots rang out in quick succession. With each shot, the rest of the snakes retreated back into the darkness.

Rachel pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for Ethan to be quiet. She handed him her gun before turning her attention to the largest of the retreating snakes.

"What are you doing?" Ethan whispered hoarsely as she grabbed the snake by its tail. It coiled and tried to strike, but she held it just out of reach.

Rachel didn’t answer; she was busy scanning their surroundings for any signs of Atticus's location.

A gunshot rang out again, ricocheting off the ATV. It was followed by a brief silence before another round pinged against the vehicle's exterior.

She then broke into a sprint towards the base of the ridge. “Cover me!” she called.

“Rachel!”

She ignored him, her arm aching. She rushed towards the muddy embankment. Ethan fired towards the ridge. Atticus was distracted.

Now! Rachel seized the opportunity and flung the snake towards where she thought Atticus was hiding.

A startled yelp echoed from the ridge above them.

"Shoot him!" Rachel hurled the command at Ethan as the sniper scrambled from his position, exposed and fearful.

Ethan's aim followed her directive - one single shot echoed through the night. The man on the ridge cried out in pain, his body teetering precariously on the edge before toppling over. He tumbled down the dune, his body striking a boulder with a sickening thud.

His fall was arrested at the bottom of the valley, his body sprawled out in a grotesque display of defeat. Rachel's gaze was transfixed on the lifeless body of Atticus Silver, his eyes wide open and staring at nothing.

She felt no satisfaction, only a hollow relief.

He was a pale man, balding and strong-featured. He wasn’t breathing. He wasn’t speaking. Shot dead.

Just like his parents.

Ethan collapsed beside her, groaning in pain. His body was pale and sweat-soaked, blood still seeping through his clothes.

Rachel quickly moved to his side, her own injuries momentarily forgotten as she surveyed Ethan's condition.

"Hang in there," She said quietly, her hand pressing against the bullet wound on his shoulder in an attempt to stem the bleeding. "You're going to be alright."

Ethan nodded weakly, wincing as Rachel applied pressure to his wound. His gaze turned to where Atticus laid still amidst the sand and rocks.

"We got him... didn't we?" He managed to say between gasps of pain.

Rachel nodded grimly, her gaze sweeping across the desert landscape darkened by shadows and broken by moonlight. "Yes," She confirmed quietly.

She knelt at her partner’s side, hastily radioing for backup and paramedics. Both of them shot.

But her night wasn’t over. She quickly tended to Ethan’s wound, relieved to see the bullet had missed bone.

But her mind kept casting back to the notifications on her phone.

To her aunt.

To her parents’ murderer.