Chapter 10: The Echoes Fade
The suppressed gunshot was a muted thwip, like a heavy branch snapping.
Mary’s body jerked violently. She crumpled to the dirt, a dark pool instantly expanding across the back of her canvas jacket.
"No!" David roared, raising his pistol and firing blindly at the men. His first shot caught one of the tactical guards in the shoulder, dropping him.
The forest erupted in return fire. Wood splintered around David as he dove behind the thick log barricade of the porch. Pain exploded in his side—a hot, searing iron rod driving through his ribs. He gasped, collapsing onto the wooden floorboards, his blood slicking the pine.
Through the ringing in his ears, he heard the man in the suit walk up the steps, his dress shoes clicking methodically. He heard the man pick up the SD card.
"A tragedy," the suited man sighed. "But inevitable."
David tried to raise his gun, but his arm wouldn't obey. His vision blurred, fading at the edges. He watched helplessly as the man turned and walked back to the SUV. The engine roared to life, and the vehicle backed slowly down the dirt path, disappearing into the swallowing darkness of the trees.
David lay on the porch, the cold seeping into his bones as his life pooled around him. He turned his heavy head toward the yard. Mary lay perfectly still in the dirt, her eyes open, staring up at the canopy of stars.
From inside the cabin, beneath the floorboards, came a soft, muffled whimpering.
May you like
"Leo," David tried to whisper, but only a wet rattle escaped his lips.
The woods fell utterly silent once more, save for the wind rattling the dry branches. The shadows stretched out, reclaiming the cabin, the yard, and the bodies left behind, as the darkness finally won.
