All Chapters of Scorched to Ash Beneath the Blazing Sun: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Haven't you caused enough trouble already, Sophie? "Willa feels so guilty after the attitude you gave her that she's afraid to even drink the water."You always complain it's too cold even when the AC is only on for a bit at home, so don't start pretending you can't handle the heat now. "Do you really have to act weak and make the entire team worry about you?"After what felt like an eternity, Ryan Grant's irritated voice crackled over the radio in my backpack. Willa Lane spoke next, her voice thick with tears."Ryan, please don't be angry with Sophie. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have drunk that bottle of electrolyte water. "She must be upset with me, so maybe I should go back for her and give her the half bottle that's left."Ryan's voice immediately softened."Don't be ridiculous. You've already rubbed your heel raw. What if it gets infected on the walk back? "Sophie is only pulling this stunt because she knows you're softhearted. "Leave her alone. Once she's done throwin

Chapter 2

The scorching 122-degree heat baked the earth as the rumble of the SUV's engine faded into the distance. Every sound from inside the vehicle came through clearly over the radio."Wow, the AC in here is freezing.""Ryan, I'm getting cold."I heard the rustle of fabric before Ryan spoke in a tender voice."Put on my jacket before you catch a chill. Have something cold to drink and cool down, but sip it slowly so you don't choke."While I lay baking beneath the sun, my so-called best friend was sipping an ice-cold drink and enjoying my boyfriend's devoted attention.The sound of it gave me a sudden burst of strength, and I dragged myself toward my backpack with everything I had left. As I crawled, Willa's voice continued to come through the radio."Ryan, are you sure Sophie will be okay out there alone? The sun is brutal today, and she doesn't have any electrolyte water."Ryan chuckled, completely unconcerned."What could possibly happen to her? She still has half a bottle of water in her

Chapter 3

When I regained consciousness, my soul was already floating above the ground. Guided by instinct, I drifted toward the safety of the base camp dozens of miles away.Ryan carefully lifted Willa out of the SUV and rushed her straight into the clinic."Doctor, please take a look at her foot!"The elderly military doctor stationed at the camp slipped on his reading glasses and leaned closer with an iodine swab. After examining her foot for a long moment, he frowned."It's one blister? There's no redness or swelling around it, and the skin isn't even broken. "You called in an emergency rescue vehicle for this?"Ryan stepped protectively in front of Willa, his tone grave."Doctor, she's frail and gets sick easily. The desert is full of bacteria. If the wound gets infected and she develops sepsis, it could become serious. "Please give her the strongest antibiotics you have. I'll cover the cost."The doctor shook his head in disbelief and handed him a Band-Aid."Just put this on and keep it

Chapter 4

The sun finally sank below the horizon, and a campfire crackled to life.Willa pulled out her phone and snapped a photo of Ryan from behind as he busied himself around the camp. Floating above them, I had a clear view of the post she shared."Some people walk away just to prove how much they matter."What they don't realize is that someone who truly loves you can't even bear to see you frown."So grateful for you. Here's to the perfect conclusion of our desert survival adventure."Within a minute, the post had received a string of likes, all from members of the Raptor Expedition Team."Willa and Ryan belong together!""That drama queen doesn't deserve a man as good as Ryan.""Someone's probably back at the hotel throwing a fit over this post right now. LOL."Ryan walked over carrying a plate of BBQ chicken wings. He glanced at his watch, a slight frown creasing his brow."Has Sophie still not said anything in the group chat?"One of the team members was scuffing down a hot dog bun and

Chapter 5

Ryan stopped about a yard from my body. His first instinct was to step closer and reach for my face, but Willa suddenly screamed."Ryan! There's a snake!"Without another glance at me, Ryan spun around and raced back to her."Willa, don't move!"He yanked her into his arms and scanned the ground warily. Willa clung to his waist, sobbing uncontrollably."Ryan, I'm scared..."Still sniffling, she peeked over his shoulder at my body."What's wrong with Sophie? Is she still mad at me? Is that why she's lying there trying to scare us?"Finn and Austin finally worked up the courage to get out of the SUV. Remaining beside the open door, they swept their powerful flashlights over me from a safe distance."She's definitely faking it. We laid on the horn earlier, and she didn't move at all.""There's no way anyone could hold their breath that long right in front of us."Finn quickly agreed."Exactly. She even smeared fake blood on her fingers and covered them in sand just to look injured. Sophi

Chapter 6

No matter how many times they tagged me, the little rabbit icon beside my name remained gray, with no sign of activity.By the following day, Ryan had run out of patience and went straight to the apartment I was renting. When he found no sign that I had returned, he scoffed."So you're hiding from me now? You think moving somewhere else will make me worry about you even more? Dream on!"In a fit of rage, he shoved everything I owned into garbage bags and dumped them in the trash can at the far end of the hallway. He then sent Willa a voice message."Willa, are you ready? I'll pick you up soon and take you to the hospital for a full checkup."At the same time, deep in Tayhollow Desert, a federal geological survey team was collecting routine soil samples when one of their detectors suddenly sounded an alarm."Sir! We've found something over here!"Half an hour later, local police and a medical examiner arrived at the scene. After completing a preliminary examination, the medical examiner

Chapter 7

Half an hour later, Ryan walked into the sheriff's office with Willa."I'm looking for Sophie Sawyer. Tell her to drop the act, get out here, and apologize to me."The deputy on duty frowned at him."Are you Ryan Grant?"Ryan lifted his chin."Yes. I'm her boyfriend. Where is she? Where is she hiding?"The deputy rose from his desk and handed him a case file."She's not here. Her body is at the county hospital morgue. "These are the photos from the scene. Take a look."Ryan accepted the file with a sneer."You really thought of everything, didn't you? You even prepared fake photos?"He casually opened the file, only for his smile to freeze the moment he saw the first page.A shriveled, contorted woman's body lay in the yellow sand, her bloodied fingers buried deep beneath the surface. Two unopened bottles of water lay beside her.Ryan's breath caught. His eyes locked on the two bottles he had thrown beside my hand the previous night.Willa leaned over for a look and immediately scream

Chapter 8

I hovered above them, watching their remorse with a blank expression.After hearing the full story, the medical examiner added coldly, "The victim suffered severe heatstroke before she died. "If she had been given electrolyte water in time or taken to a hospital sooner, she would've survived."At the mention of electrolyte water, Ryan turned and glared at Willa, who was hiding outside the door.At noon on the day of the hike, the team's only bottle of electrolyte water had been in my hands. Willa had claimed that she felt dizzy and nauseous, and Ryan had snatched it away from me without a second thought and handed it to her.Willa recoiled when she met his gaze."Ryan, don't look at me like that... I didn't know Sophie was that sick. "I had heat exhaustion too, and my foot was injured..."At that moment, a nurse approached with a medical chart."Which one of you is Willa Lane?"Willa timidly raised her hand."I am."The nurse opened the chart and glanced through it."You came in toda

Chapter 9

The truth spread online faster than anyone could have imagined.No one knew who uploaded the radio recording, but my faint, desperate plea for help left everyone who heard it outraged. Ryan's coldhearted abuse followed, and every word Willa said to egg him on came through loud and clear.The rescue team's incident report surfaced soon afterward, exposing Ryan's lie that everyone in his group had been accounted for.The internet turned on them overnight. The same people who had once torn me apart online were now furious on my behalf, and Willa's post portraying herself as the victim became damning evidence of what they had done."They're murderers! Every last one of them!""They stole the water that could have saved her, then cut off her only way to call for help. How is that not murder?""Lock Willa Lane up!""Ryan Grant is a monster! Calling him human is an insult to the rest of us!"That same night, Willa's employer announced that she had been fired. Ryan's company quickly followed

Chapter 10

The police released their findings soon afterward.They could not classify what had happened in the desert as outright murder. Even so, as the team leader, Ryan faced charges of gross negligence and abandonment. He had known my life was in danger, yet deliberately concealed the truth from the rescue team.Now he faced prison and a massive civil damages claim.By the time Ryan appeared in court, he had wasted away so badly that he was almost unrecognizable. He kept his head bowed throughout the proceedings and never said a word in his own defense. When the judge handed down his sentence, he dropped to his knees and broke down sobbing.Willa was charged as well.The court found that she had deliberately manipulated the others and diverted emergency resources to herself. She, too, was ordered to pay substantial damages.Outside the courthouse, Ryan's parents and Willa's parents came to blows, each family blaming the other for ruining their child.To pay the damages, Ryan sold every prop

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