Chapter 5 - The Chase in the Snow
The cold air hit my lungs like shattered glass as I ran through the dense timber behind Miller and Vance. Wait—no, I wasn't there. I was still at the hospital holding Emma's hand when Daniel's phone rang with the real-time report from the field.
“They’re pursuing him up the ravine!” Daniel told me, his face pale as he hung up the phone. “Dad didn't go down easy. He threw a heavy iron lantern at Miller, nearly missing his head, before bolting into the blizzard.”
Through the phone’s speaker, which Vance had left open on a secure channel, we could hear the chaotic sounds of the manhunt.
“Suspect is moving north toward the old limestone quarry!” a trooper’s voice barked over the radio. “Watch your footing, the ledge is iced over!”
“Pierce! Stop right there! Drop the weapon!” Miller’s voice echoed faintly across the audio feed.
I held my breath, listening to the crunch of boots in the snow and the ragged, desperate breathing of a man running out of time. Richard was seventy-two years old, but adrenaline and pure, unadulterated malice were fueling him forward through the freezing gale.
“You can’t stop it!” Richard’s voice suddenly crackled through the radio, raspy, distorted, and carrying an eerie, triumphant note. “She’s already marked! The cream was just the beginning!”
“What does he mean by that?” I whispered, grabbing Daniel’s arm. “What else did he do?”
Before Daniel could answer, a loud shout echoed through the speaker, followed by the heavy thud of bodies hitting frozen earth.
“Got him! Suspect is down! Cuff him!”
The radio fell silent for a few agonizing seconds, replaced only by the heavy breathing of the officers securing the scene.
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“He’s caught,” Daniel breathed out, burying his face in his hands. “It’s over.”
“No,” I said, staring at the phone as Vance’s voice came back on, steady and grim. “Listen to what he said, Daniel. The cream was just the beginning. There’s something else.”
