Ste gripped the pistol tightly, her face drawn and tense.
She waited, found an opening, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Her shot hit a man square in the leg.
All that time spent at the shooting range hadn''t been for nothing, she realized― though she''d never imagined it woulde to this.
This wasn''t some drill or simtion; it was terrifyingly real. Her hands shook, her aim wavered, and while she wasn''t perfectly urate, at least she hadn''t missed so badly as to hit Joshua by mistake.
Unlike Joshua, whose calm decisiveness was almost frightening-one shot, one kill-Ste found it impossible to be so ruthless. She couldn''t just pull the trigger and end a life with a single bullet to the head.
After firing several shots in quick session, she drew the attention of the assassins.
Ste didn''t dare shoot again. She hastily tucked the gun away and ducked behind cover, heart pounding.
As the killers shifted their focus toward her, Joshua''s eyes turned icy.
He squeezed the trigger without hesitation, and the men in front of him dropped one after another.
Pop, pop, pop!
Silenced bullets flew from his gun, swift and lethal.
Anyone who tried to chase after Ste fell before they got far.
Every shot Joshua fired was perfectly ced-he never missed.
Desperate not to be found, Ste bolted deeper into the woods, running for her life.
She could hear the gunfire behind her, the thud of footsteps closing in.
Someone wasing after her!
She didn''t dare stop or even look back. Brambles tore at her calves and arms, leaving stinging, burning cuts.
She didn''t know how long she ran before the world around her fell silent; even the footsteps had faded.
Breathless, Ste slumped down behind a dense thicket, trying to catch her breath. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest like a frantic drum.
For a moment, at least, she was safe. She fumbled for her phone, hoping to call for help.
But after searching every pocket, she came up empty. The phone was gone. She must have dropped it somewhere while fleeing.
Around her, the woods were pitch ck. Only the faint glow of the moon let her make out the shapes of trees and tangled undergrowth.
She''d been so desperate to escape, she hadn''t paid attention to which way she was running.
Suddenly, a sh of lightning split the sky, followed by a heavy rumble of thunder overhead.
Boom!
Cold raindrops sttered Ste''s face. She looked up into the ink-ck night.
The mountain path was hard
enough to navigate on a good d
down, one
now with the rain pouring W step could send her tumbling
to her death. s
The downpour intensified within minutes. Ste was soaked to the bone.
The forest was cold at night, and with the rainshing down, the chill was almost unbearable.
There was nowhere to take shelter. Shivering, Ste forced herself to keep moving, hoping to find somewhere-anywhere-to get out of the rain.
The path grew slick and treacherous. Ste slowed her pace, picking her way carefully.
She didn''t notice the rock underfoot until it was toote. Her foot slipped, and she went sprawling.
A jagged stone shed her arm, leaving a long, bleeding cut.
No matter how tough she tried to be, Ste couldn''t stifle a sharp gasp of pain.
The forest seemed endless. Even if Joshua came looking, it would take him ages to find her in this vast wilderness.
She huddled beneath arge, leafy tree, hoping for a little respite from the rain.
She knew, of course, you weren''t supposed to shelter under trees during a thunderstorm-but here, towering trunks crowded in orall sides. There was no open ground, nowhere safer to wait. s
So she gave up and stayed put, shivering in the darkness.
Time crawled by. Eventually, the rain eased, tapering off until only a few drops fell through the leaves overhead.
Ste considered her options.
Maybe it was best to find a safer spot, hole up for the night, and try to
make her way out when daylight
returned. She was just weighing her next move when out of nowhere, a sharp, sinister hissing sound reached her ears. s<fnc8f6> Checktest chapters at Find?Novel</fnc8f6>