In still waters - стр. 34

With no other option, Steven plunged into the woods, crashing through the underbrush with the blind panic of prey fleeing a predator. He ran until his lungs burned and his legs trembled, finally collapsing behind a thick cluster of bushes. His breath came in ragged gasps as he fumbled in his pockets for his cell phone, desperate to call for help. But as he pulled it out, his heart sank – no signal. "No, no, no," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the pounding of his heart.

Gathering what little courage he had left, Steven crept out from his hiding place, holding the phone aloft as he moved deeper into the forest, praying for a single bar of reception. After what felt like an eternity, a signal flickered to life. With shaking fingers, he dialed 911, his entire being focused on that tenuous connection to salvation.

"911, what's your emergency?" The dispatcher's calm voice was like a lifeline thrown to a drowning man.

Steven opened his mouth to respond, but before he could utter a word, a twig snapped behind him. He whirled around, his eyes wide with terror, sweat pouring down his face in rivulets. When he finally found his voice, it was a trembling whisper:

"Help me, please! Someone's after me. They killed my friend, and now they're coming for me!" The words tumbled out in a frantic rush.

"Sir, can you tell me your location? Where are you right now?"

"I'm in the f-"

Steven's words were cut off as the killer materialized behind him, the rope once again finding its mark around his throat. The phone clattered to the forest floor, the dispatcher's increasingly urgent voice a tinny, distant sound in the night air. Unlike Bradley, Steven didn't even attempt to fight back. He stood frozen, tears streaming down his face, as the life was slowly squeezed out of him. When it was over, he crumpled to the ground, just another lifeless form in the indifferent forest.

The killer, task completed, moved away with an almost leisurely gait, melting into the darkness of the woods as if they were one and the same…

The call to 911 had set off a flurry of activity. Police converged on the scene as the first light of dawn began to creep over the horizon. A light drizzle had started, nature's attempt to wash away the horrors of the night.

The entire stretch of road and surrounding forest was quickly cordoned off, a maze of yellow police tape creating a barrier between the world of the living and the scene of death. Officers with dogs combed the area, their faces grim and determined. It wasn't long before Nick and Christian arrived, their expressions a mixture of exhaustion and dread as they took in the scene before them.