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CHAPTER 40 — “The River’s Reckoning”

Author: Author Smart
last update Last Updated: 2025-12-17 05:06:29

POV: Liam

I disappeared into the darkness before she could even commence, dragging the rest of the crew with her. I run like mad, screaming in order not to be heard. Branches strike me on the face and the mud sticks to my feet. I cut through the brush, and break the branches, and you can hear me. Flashlights waver as they attempt to follow and everybody screams in the rain.

“There!” “He went that way!” Yeah, good. Keep up.

I lead a sharp turn down to the river road; I feel like my lungs are ready to explode and my shoulder aches at the place that was struck by that bullet. Everything is wet with the rain. I do not slacken--there is no hesitation, and we lose her.

Headlights blaze. Too close. The SUV runs out of the highway and the wheels are screaming as it runs to the edge of the river. Metal screams. The entire globe is in a state of imbalance.

“Liam!” The voice of Ava breaks through the storm, all panic-stricken and rough. My heart does that weird jolt.

The SUV skips over a rock,
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