Chapter 307
[ 503 words ]
Chapter 307:
She walked slowly up the stairs to check on her friend. As she passed Caroline’s room, she noticed the door was slightly ajar.
She pushed the door open. She called Caroline’s name softly into the dark room, but received no answer.
She flipped on the light switch. The sudden illumination revealed the empty bed. The duvet was thrown back, and the window was wide open, with rain blowing in and soaking the carpet.
Brenna let out a panicked, breathless cry. She stumbled backward into the hallway, clutching her chest.
Julian heard the cry. He sprinted up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He burst into the bedroom.
Julian saw the open window. He frowned, a wave of confusion washing over him. He saw the empty bed, the missing duffel bag, the faint muddy footprints near the sill. His medical mind slowly pieced the jagged clues together, the palmed pill, the feigned sleep, the calculated escape. The realization hit him like a physical blow; he hadn’t just lost a patient to the night, he had been completely outsmarted by a woman operating on pure, desperate adrenaline.
𝘋𝘰𝘸𝗇𝘭о𝖺𝗱a𝗯𝗅𝗲 PD𝖥𝘴 о𝘯 ga𝗅𝗇о𝘷el𝘀.c𝗼m
He cursed loudly, slamming his hand against the doorframe. His calm medical composure shattered entirely as sheer, blinding panic for Caroline’s safety set in.
Brenna grabbed her phone. She frantically dialed Caroline’s number, but the call went straight to a generic, automated voicemail.
The scene cut back to the yellow cab. It was currently navigating the winding, unlit mountain roads of the Blue Ridge range.
The rain had intensified into a blinding sheet of water. The cab’s headlights barely penetrated the gloom, illuminating only a few feet of slick asphalt ahead.
Caroline stared out the window into the pitch-black forest. Her body shivered violently despite the car’s heater blasting on high.
Her fever, previously suppressed by adrenaline, was beginning to spike. Her skin burned, and her vision blurred slightly at the edges.
Suddenly, Manny slammed hard on the brakes. The cab fishtailed slightly on the slick asphalt. The tires screeched before the vehicle came to a complete, jarring stop.
Caroline lurched forward. She caught herself on the plastic partition, demanding to know why they had stopped in the middle of nowhere.
Manny pointed a shaking finger through the windshield. He pointed at the massive, floodlit barricade blocking the road ahead.
A large metal sign bolted to the barricade read: “WARNING: RESTRICTED MILITARY INSTALLATION. LETHAL FORCE AUTHORIZED.”
Manny refused to drive another inch. He was terrified of the heavily armed guard towers barely visible through the rain in the distance.
He told Caroline this was the absolute end of the line. He popped the electronic door locks, the loud click signaling her eviction.
Caroline didn’t argue. She knew standard civilian vehicles could not breach a military perimeter without getting shot to pieces.
She grabbed her duffel bag. She pushed the heavy door open and stepped out into the freezing, howling maelstrom.
Manny threw the cab into reverse. He executed a frantic three-point turn, his tires spinning in the mud, and sped away down the mountain. He left her entirely alone in the dark.
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