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When I tell him, he writes it down.

“And when did this happen?” he continues to question me.

“Like ten minutes ago,” I reply. “I literally headed over here the moment I found it.”

He nods, jotting down a few notes. He asks me a few more questions, then takes down my name.

“Thanks for bringing it in,” he tells me. “I have your name and contact information. If we have any more questions, we’ll get a hold of you.”

“Okay.” I’m not going to lie; that was stressful as hell.

I felt like I was being interrogated. Again.

The last time didn’t go well since I could barely remember anything.

It was a side effect of the drug I was given. Memory loss. Loss of consciousness. Vomiting.

It can even cause death.

I would know this for a fact because I tasted death briefly before I was pulled back through the darkness.

Chapter 13

Wylder

The Past…

Ishouldn’t be here. My reputation won’t survive it if anything bad happens.

But my friend called me to come pick him up. He said he was drunk and that he needed a ride. I’ve never been good at being the designated driver, which is why I’m in such deep shit right now. I fucked up so badly. I promised my dad I wouldn’t go near a party again, and here I am, breaking that promise only a few months later.

“But it’s for a good reason,” I tell myself again.

It’s the mantra I’ve been chanting for the entire drive.

I would’ve asked someone else to drive here, like one of my siblings or my parents, but no one was home. And all of my friends are at this party.

Part of me wished I was there too.

I’ve always loved parties. Being around people. Having fun. I’m a fun guy.

Not lately, though.

I have too much guilt weighing on my conscience.

I blink a few times.

I focus on driving. The party is located in the middle of the mountains, far back in the shadows and trees. I’ve never been here before. I think the guy having the party is in college, but I don’t really know him.

Why he’s having the party out here in the middle of nowhere is beyond me. Sure, it’s far away from town, which makes it less likely that the cops will show up, but it’s also creepy as hell. And people are for sure going to get lost with how dense the trees are⁠—

A figure suddenly steps out from the trees, right in front of me.

I swerve, slamming on the brakes, and barely miss hitting them. But my fucking truck slams into a tree. The impact is enough to make the hood crumble, and the windshield shatters, sending glass everywhere. The seatbelt keeps me pretty secure, along with the airbags. I breathe raggedly as I sit there for a moment, processing what happened.

“Shit. I’m going to get in so much trouble for this,” I mumble.

But reality kicks me in the face.