But I didn’t.
I listened.
I ran.
The woods blurred again. My legs moved without thinking, my body a machine running on fumes and primal instinct.
And behind me…
Gray’s voice.
Another shout.
Gunfire.
And a piece of me breaking in ways I wouldn’t understand, not till much later... when it mattered.
Because I’d never forgotten that man’s eyes.
Never forget the lives I took.
Or the price I paid to survive.
CHAPTER 71
HARLAN - RUNNING OUT OF TIME
The woods were thicker than I remembered.
Smoke clung to the trees, low and dense, mixing with the dying light. The fire behind us still bled orange through the trunks, flickering like some hell-lit warning. The air tasted like ash. Every breath scraped my throat raw.
We moved fast, too fast for stealth, too slow for comfort.
The gun in my hand felt heavier than it should’ve. My ears strained for any sound that didn’t belong. And then...
Crack.
The shot rang out sharp and too damn close.
“Down!” I barked, ducking instinctively behind a tree.
Jack froze like a deer in headlights.
Remi grabbed him by the arm and shoved him behind her, already lifting her weapon.
“I said down, Jack!” I hissed.
A shadow moved to our right, just behind a patch of underbrush. I turned, raised my weapon, only to hear the rush of footsteps from the opposite side.
Too late.
A figure slammed into me.
We hit the ground hard, his elbow jamming against my throat as he tried to wrestle the gun from my grip. I grunted, using my shoulder to throw him off balance. My fist connected with his jaw once, twice; the impact reverberated up my arm.
He clawed for a knife on his hip.
I drove my knee into his gut, the wind rushing out of him.
